Physical Science Flashcards
- Which pH value describes an acidic solution?
A. 3
B. 7
C. 9
D. 14
E. 15
A. 3
The pH scale ranges from 1 to 14, with 7 considered neutral. A pH less than 7 is acidic and a pH greater than 7 alkaline.
- If the velocity of an object is not constant, acceleration is described as ________.
A. negative
B. positive
C. zero
D. not measurable
E. varying with time
E. varying with time
When an object travels the same distance every second, then velocity is constant. Both the magnitude (speed) and the direction of
the velocity are constant. If the distance traveled is not the same, acceleration varies with time.
- Which of the following is NOT a
petroleum product?
A. kerosene
B. natural gas
C. unleaded gas
D. diesel fuel
E. sulfur
B. natural gas
Natural gas is mostly methane and other hydrocarbons; petroleum is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons.
- A molecular bond is also called a ______.
A. lattice bond
B. energy bond
C. metallic bond
D. ionic bond
E. covalent bond
E. covalent bond
Chemical bonds that involve the sharing of electrons between atoms are molecular bonds; when the positive and negative forces between
the atoms are stable, the bond is known as covalent.
- _________ are the most reactive elements in the Periodic Table.
A. Noble Gases
B. Halogens
C. Metalloids
D. Transition Metals
E. Rare Earth Metals
B. Halogens
Halogen elements are six non-metallic elements that are highly reactive because they readily
gain an electron to fill their outer shell.
- Matter is ________.
A. any visible solid that has mass
B. any liquid that takes up space and has mass
C. any measurable gas
D. any liquid or solid that takes up space
E. anything that takes up space and has mass
E. anything that takes up space and has mass
Mass is a physical substance distinct from energy, for example, and occupies physical space with rest mass.
- Which is the chemical formula for carbon monoxide?
A. SO2
B. CO2+
C. CO
D. C2O
E. NO2
C. CO
Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon (C) atom and one oxygen (O) atom.
- Which of these constitutes a physical change?
A. burning wood
B. melting plastic
C. rusting metal
D. souring milk
E. fermenting juice
B. melting plastic
Physical changes are changes affecting the form of a chemical substance, but not its chemical
composition.
- Elements that are in the same group on the periodic table ________.
A. have similar chemical properties
B. have the same mass
C. have the same number of protons
D. have the same number of electrons
E. have the same number of isotopes
A. have similar chemical properties
The periodic table organizes the chemical elements based on the number of protons in their atomic nuclei. Elements in the same column have the same number of electrons in their outer orbits and are called a group.
- When a heavy nucleus splits into two lighter nuclei, the process is called
________.
A. radiation
B. a chain reaction
C. reactive decay
D. fission
E. fusion
D. fission
Fission describes the process in which an atom splits into two parts and releases energy, due to natural decay or stimulation in a laboratory.
- Which of the following best describes objects sitting on a book shelf?
A. There are no forces acting on the objects.
B. Forces acting on the objects are
balanced.
C. The forces acting on the objects are weak.
D. The objects are moving imperceptibly.
E. Forces acting on the objects are unknown.
B. Forces acting on the objects are
balanced.
Balance forces act on an object from opposite directions with equal magnitude. Consequently,
stationary objects remain stationary and moving objects maintain a constant velocity under balanced forces.
- Which is NOT stated in Newton’s first law of motion?
A. Objects in motion are not subject to gravity.
B. Objects in motion maintain velocity unless impacted by unbalanced forces.
C. Objects in motion remain in motion unless they experience unbalanced forces.
D. An object at rest will remain at rest unless it experiences unbalanced forces.
E. Newton’s first law covers all of the above.
A. Objects in motion are not subject to gravity.
Every object in the universe that has mass exerts a gravitational pull, or force, on every other object with mass. The extent of gravitational
force depends on the distance between and masses of the objects.
- ____________ is the quantified motion of moving objects.
A. friction
B. acceleration
C. momentum
D. velocity
E. gravity
C. momentum
Momentum is the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured in terms of mass and velocity.
- ________ is a measure if an object’s resistance to acceleration when net force is applied.
A. velocity
B. drag
C. inertia
D. mass
E. weight
D. mass
Mass is a property of physical objects and a measure of their resistance to acceleration when a net force is applied. Mass also determines the strength of mutual gravitational
attraction between bodies.
- A woman drives 210 miles in exactly four hours. She calculates she has traveled 52.5 miles per hour. What did she calculate?
A. hourly gas consumption
B. instantaneous acceleration
C. average acceleration
D. instantaneous speed
E. average speed
E. average speed
Speed is the rate at which someone or something is able to move or operate.
- Radioactive isotopes are used for all of the following EXCEPT:
A. to fertilize plants
B. to identify structural defects
C. to diagnose disease
D. to treat cancer
E. as a source of electricity
A. to fertilize plants
Phosphate rock that contains small amounts of naturally occurring uranium and radium is used
in some plant fertilizers, but the radioactive material is removed during production.
- Free radicals _________.
A. break-up covalent bonds
B. are the result of broken covalent
bonds
C. form ionic bonds with other ions
D. form molecular super structures
E. form radioactive isotopes
B. are the result of broken covalent
bonds
Free radicals are uncharged molecules with unpaired valence electrons that are often highly
reactive and short-lived. They occur when covalent bonds between electrons are broken.
- Scientists use __________ to determine the age of the earth and other planets.
A. distance from the sun
B. gravitational pull
C. the amount of decay in carbon isotopes found in plants and animals
D. the amount of decay in radioactive isotopes found in meteorites
E. the amount of decay in radioactive isotopes found in rocks, plants, and animals
D. the amount of decay in radioactive
isotopes found in meteorites
The age of the earth and other planets is determined by the amount of radioactive potassium and uranium found in meteorites.
These radioactive isotopes were created when the solar system was formed, so the extent of their decay provides a direct measure of how
long ago formation occurred. The oldest rocks on earth have been destroyed by plate tectonics,
so isotopes in meteorites are measured instead; the solar system is 4.568 billion years old.
- A solar eclipse occurs when ________.
A. a comet passes between the earth and the moon and partially or wholly blocks our view of the sun and moon
B. a comet passes between the earth and the sun and partially or wholly blocks our view of the sun
C. the moon passes between the earth and the sun and partially or wholly blocks our view of the sun
D. the moon passes directly behind the earth, relative to the sun’s orbit, and into the earth’s shadow
E. the sun passes between the earth and the moon and partially or wholly blocks our view of the moon
C. the moon passes between the earth and the sun and partially or wholly blocks our view of the sun
A solar eclipse is a type of eclipse that occurs when the moon passes between the sun and earth and occludes the view of the sun from
earth. The moon may fully or partially block the sun. Looking directly at the sun during a solar eclipse can lead to permanent eye damage.
- Earth is closest to which planet?
A. the sun
B. Jupiter
C. Saturn
D. Venus
E. Mercury
D. Venus
Earth’s solar system has eight planets that orbit one sun. From the closest to the farthest from the sun, the planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto, the farthest planet from the sun, is now classified as a dwarf planet.
