FE Civil Exam Prep 64, Phase Diagrams — Void Ratio, Saturation, Unit Weights

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The three-phase soil diagram (solids, water, air) is the foundation for all geotechnical weight-volume problems on the FE Civil exam. - How to master the critical difference between void ratio (e = Vv/Vs) and porosity (n = Vv/V_total), a common exam trap. - Why the relationship Se = wGs is a powerful shortcut for solving for an unknown variable when three of the four properties are given. - How to calculate the three primary unit weights: dry (γd), saturated (γsat), and moist (γ), and know which formulas from the NCEES handbook to apply. - That the submerged unit weight (γ') is simply the saturated unit weight minus the unit weight of water, a key input for effective stress calculations. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep