An integer is any whole number, including zero. An integer can be either positive or negative. Examples include -77, -1, 0, 55, 119.
| Branch | Air Force |
| MOS | 1A431 |
| Title | Airborne Operations Apprentice |
| Description | Operates airborne operations mission equipment, systems, electro-optical sensor systems, and electronic protection (EP) equipment. Gathers, records, displays, and distributes mission information. Interprets computer-generated displays and alarms. Performs and assists in mission planning. Maintains publications and currency items. Maintains communications nets with ground, air, and maritime units. Performs airborne operations functions under training and operational conditions. Manages, supervises, trains, provides expertise, and evaluates activities. Performs staff functions. Promotes and instills situational awareness in all aspects of airborne operations. Experience in functions such as target detecting, tracking, reporting target information or receiving, displaying, recording, and relaying threat command, control, and intelligence data from airborne battle management system functions and activities. experience performing or supervising, or airborne battle management system functions and activities. Operates airborne operations mission equipment. Performs mission planning, preflight, in-flight, and post flight duties according to aircraft technical orders and applicable Air Force Instructions (AFIs). Identifies and maintains surveillance of air, ground, and maritime objects. Interprets computer-generated displays, data, and alarms, and takes appropriate switch actions. Compares track positions with flight data and database files to determine track identification. Gathers, displays, records, and distributes operational mission information. Gathers mission data on ground, air, and maritime objects, and relays data to using agencies. Displays sensor, mission, identification, weather, and other data for battle managers. Updates mission data to tabular displays. Records and reports special interest tracks mission information, weather, emergency signals, and electronic attack (EA) observations. Reviews and reports equipment status and performance. Maintains logs, forms, and database files. Performs electronic-protection (EP) functions. Uses EP techniques to degrade effectiveness of electronic warfare activities or other external interference. Recommends procedures and techniques to improve EP effectiveness. Configures equipment to eliminate or reduce the effects of EA. Maintains coordination with exterior agencies. Maintains status of air and ground activity. Coordinates with and supports other airborne and ground platforms in distributing and relaying operational target and identification data. Monitors radio communications. Coordinates mission profile requirements with internal and external agencies. Reacts to manual and computer-generated console situation and tabular displays to determine optimum airborne equipment settings. Evaluates aircrew academic, simulation, in-flight performances, and systems capabilities, and recommends improvements. Coordinates with airborne, ground, and maritime agencies in distributing and relaying operational threat and identification data. Receives, transmits, and relays encoded and decoded messages from ground command and control agencies. Determines data link requirements. Formats initialization data. Supervises and performs Gunship Sensor Operator Duties. Conducts unconventional/conventional warfare and special operations missions to include close air support, interdiction, armed reconnaissance, combat search and rescue, and limited forward air control. Preflights, operates, limited in-flight trouble-shooting and repair, and post flights AC-130H/U gunship sensor detection systems. Monitors radio communications. Determines disposition and locations of hostile and/or friendly forces by studying available intelligence data. Positions the aircraft using sensor systems to detect, acquire, identify, and track enemy and/or friendly forces. Fires gunship weapon systems during combat missions to ensure desired level of target destruction. Performs real-time battle damage assessment and operates all mission video/audio recording equipment. Instructs, evaluates, and supervises airborne operations system activities. Conducts training for airborne operations systems personnel. Develops and reviews instructional methods and procedures used in Initial Qualification Training (IQT), Upgrade Training (UGT), and Continuation Training (CT). Reviews training status and recommends remedial training. Evaluates aircrew academic, simulation, and in-flight performances. Reviews trend analysis of flight evaluations to identify training deficiencies. Supervises subordinates during the performance of their duties. Reviews training status and arranges additional, remedial, and continuation training. Conducts periodic inspections of aircrew operations and unit activities. Performs staff functions. Performs staff duties at squadron level and above where aircrew command and control, and gunship sensor operator expertise is required. Plans and organizes airborne command and control sy Experience in managing airborne battle management systems or gunship sensor systems activities. |
| Subtests | Arithmetic Reasoning, Paragraph Comprehension, Word Knowledge |
An integer is any whole number, including zero. An integer can be either positive or negative. Examples include -77, -1, 0, 55, 119.
A rational number (or fraction) is represented as a ratio between two integers, a and b, and has the form \({a \over b}\) where a is the numerator and b is the denominator. An improper fraction (\({5 \over 3} \)) has a numerator with a greater absolute value than the denominator and can be converted into a mixed number (\(1 {2 \over 3} \)) which has a whole number part and a fractional part.
The absolute value is the positive magnitude of a particular number or variable and is indicated by two vertical lines: \(\left|-5\right| = 5\). In the case of a variable absolute value (\(\left|a\right| = 5\)) the value of a can be either positive or negative (a = -5 or a = 5).
A factor is a positive integer that divides evenly into a given number. The factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8. A multiple is a number that is the product of that number and an integer. The multiples of 8 are 0, 8, 16, 24, ...
The greatest common factor (GCF) is the greatest factor that divides two integers.
The least common multiple (LCM) is the smallest positive integer that is a multiple of two or more integers.
A prime number is an integer greater than 1 that has no factors other than 1 and itself. Examples of prime numbers include 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11.
Fractions are generally presented with the numerator and denominator as small as is possible meaning there is no number, except one, that can be divided evenly into both the numerator and the denominator. To reduce a fraction to lowest terms, divide the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor (GCF).
Fractions must share a common denominator in order to be added or subtracted. The common denominator is the least common multiple of all the denominators.
To multiply fractions, multiply the numerators together and then multiply the denominators together. To divide fractions, invert the second fraction (get the reciprocal) and multiply it by the first.
An exponent (cbe) consists of coefficient (c) and a base (b) raised to a power (e). The exponent indicates the number of times that the base is multiplied by itself. A base with an exponent of 1 equals the base (b1 = b) and a base with an exponent of 0 equals 1 ( (b0 = 1).
To add or subtract terms with exponents, both the base and the exponent must be the same. If the base and the exponent are the same, add or subtract the coefficients and retain the base and exponent. For example, 3x2 + 2x2 = 5x2 and 3x2 - 2x2 = x2 but x2 + x4 and x4 - x2 cannot be combined.
To multiply terms with the same base, multiply the coefficients and add the exponents. To divide terms with the same base, divide the coefficients and subtract the exponents. For example, 3x2 x 2x2 = 6x4 and \({8x^5 \over 4x^2} \) = 2x(5-2) = 2x3.
To raise a term with an exponent to another exponent, retain the base and multiply the exponents: (x2)3 = x(2x3) = x6
A negative exponent indicates the number of times that the base is divided by itself. To convert a negative exponent to a positive exponent, calculate the positive exponent then take the reciprocal: \(b^{-e} = { 1 \over b^e }\). For example, \(3^{-2} = {1 \over 3^2} = {1 \over 9}\)
Radicals (or roots) are the opposite operation of applying exponents. With exponents, you're multiplying a base by itself some number of times while with roots you're dividing the base by itself some number of times. A radical term looks like \(\sqrt[d]{r}\) and consists of a radicand (r) and a degree (d). The degree is the number of times the radicand is divided by itself. If no degree is specified, the degree defaults to 2 (a square root).
The radicand of a simplified radical has no perfect square factors. A perfect square is the product of a number multiplied by itself (squared). To simplify a radical, factor out the perfect squares by recognizing that \(\sqrt{a^2} = a\). For example, \(\sqrt{64} = \sqrt{16 \times 4} = \sqrt{4^2 \times 2^2} = 4 \times 2 = 8\).
To add or subtract radicals, the degree and radicand must be the same. For example, \(2\sqrt{3} + 3\sqrt{3} = 5\sqrt{3}\) but \(2\sqrt{2} + 2\sqrt{3}\) cannot be added because they have different radicands.
To multiply or divide radicals, multiply or divide the coefficients and radicands separately: \(x\sqrt{a} \times y\sqrt{b} = xy\sqrt{ab}\) and \({x\sqrt{a} \over y\sqrt{b}} = {x \over y}\sqrt{a \over b}\)
To take the square root of a fraction, break the fraction into two separate roots then calculate the square root of the numerator and denominator separately. For example, \(\sqrt{9 \over 16}\) = \({\sqrt{9}} \over {\sqrt{16}}\) = \({3 \over 4}\)
Scientific notation is a method of writing very small or very large numbers. The first part will be a number between one and ten (typically a decimal) and the second part will be a power of 10. For example, 98,760 in scientific notation is 9.876 x 104 with the 4 indicating the number of places the decimal point was moved to the left. A power of 10 with a negative exponent indicates that the decimal point was moved to the right. For example, 0.0123 in scientific notation is 1.23 x 10-2.
A factorial has the form n! and is the product of the integer (n) and all the positive integers below it. For example, 5! = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 120.
Arithmetic operations must be performed in the following specific order:
The acronym PEMDAS can help remind you of the order.
The distributive property for multiplication helps in solving expressions like a(b + c). It specifies that the result of multiplying one number by the sum or difference of two numbers can be obtained by multiplying each number individually and then totaling the results: a(b + c) = ab + ac. For example, 4(10-5) = (4 x 10) - (4 x 5) = 40 - 20 = 20.
The distributive property for division helps in solving expressions like \({b + c \over a}\). It specifies that the result of dividing a fraction with multiple terms in the numerator and one term in the denominator can be obtained by dividing each term individually and then totaling the results: \({b + c \over a} = {b \over a} + {c \over a}\). For example, \({a^3 + 6a^2 \over a^2} = {a^3 \over a^2} + {6a^2 \over a^2} = a + 6\).
The commutative property states that, when adding or multiplying numbers, the order in which they're added or multiplied does not matter. For example, 3 + 4 and 4 + 3 give the same result, as do 3 x 4 and 4 x 3.
Ratios relate one quantity to another and are presented using a colon or as a fraction. For example, 2:3 or \({2 \over 3}\) would be the ratio of red to green marbles if a jar contained two red marbles for every three green marbles.
A proportion is a statement that two ratios are equal: a:b = c:d, \({a \over b} = {c \over d}\). To solve proportions with a variable term, cross-multiply: \({a \over 8} = {3 \over 6} \), 6a = 24, a = 4.
A rate is a ratio that compares two related quantities. Common rates are speed = \({distance \over time}\), flow = \({amount \over time}\), and defect = \({errors \over units}\).
Percentages are ratios of an amount compared to 100. The percent change of an old to new value is equal to 100% x \({ new - old \over old }\).
The average (or mean) of a group of terms is the sum of the terms divided by the number of terms. Average = \({a_1 + a_2 + ... + a_n \over n}\)
A sequence is a group of ordered numbers. An arithmetic sequence is a sequence in which each successive number is equal to the number before it plus some constant number.
Probability is the numerical likelihood that a specific outcome will occur. Probability = \({ \text{outcomes of interest} \over \text{possible outcomes}}\). To find the probability that two events will occur, find the probability of each and multiply them together.
Many of the arithmetic reasoning problems on the ASVAB will be in the form of word problems that will test not only the concepts in this study guide but those in Math Knowledge as well. Practice these word problems to get comfortable with translating the text into math equations and then solving those equations.