Physics- Set 1& 2 Flashcards
1
Q
What property of a sound wave is most commonly associated with
loudness?
A
AMPLITUDE
2
Q
What is the MOST common term for the behavior of light where it
appears to bend around small obstacles or the spreading out of waves as light passes through
pinholes or slits?
A
DIFFRACTION
3
Q
Although not known as such at the time, what was the first form of
spectacular electric discharge seen by humans?
A
LIGHTNING
4
Q
A constant force acting on a body experiencing no change in its
environment will give the body:
W) constant acceleration
X) constant speed
Y) constant velocity
Z) zero acceleration
A
CONSTANT ACCELERATION
5
Q
Upon which of the following does the mass of a body MOST
directly depend:
W) its magnetic properties
X) how much volume it has
Y) the amount of matter it contains
Z) its location
A
THE AMOUNT OF MATTER IT CONTAINS
6
Q
Mary and Joe are on a merry-go-round. Mary is seated near the
center of rotation and Joe is on the outer edge. Which of the following BEST describes their motion:
W) Mary has a greater acceleration than Joe
X) Joe has a greater acceleration than Mary
Y) neither Mary nor Joe are accelerating
Z) both Mary and Joe have the same acceleration
A
JOE HAS A GREATER ACCELERATION THAN MARY
7
Q
Martin is swinging a yo-yo in a large room with a circular motion
perpendicular to a level floor. If the yo-yo breaks away from its string at the top of the yo-yo’s
circular path, in what direction will the yo-yo initially move:
W) at an angle between horizontal and vertical
X) straight up, toward the ceiling
Y) straight down, to the floor
Z) horizontally, tangent to its original circular path
A
HORIZONTALLY, TANGENT TO ITS ORIGINAL CIRCULAR PATH
8
Q
What is the BEST term for the tendency of any mass at rest to remain
at rest?
A
INERTIA
9
Q
According to one of the most common color triangles, if blue and
green are primary colors, what is the third primary color?
A
RED
10
Q
What is the most common name for the pattern of light and dark lines
produced when coherent light is passed through two horizontal slits in a thin opaque sheet, causing
superposition of waves projected on a wall?
A
INTERFERENCE PATTERN
11
Q
Although in many respects difficult to define, what term is MOST
often described as a push or a pull that can cause an object to accelerate?
A
FORCE
12
Q
What is the MOST common term for the inwardly directed force
exerted on an object to keep the object moving in a circle?
A
CENTRIPETAL
13
Q
What specific law of motion most directly implies that every action
has an equal and opposite reaction?
A
NEWTON’S THIRD LAW
14
Q
Jay walks to his car and drives to the store. The trip takes 20
minutes. Jay figures how far he traveled on foot and by car and divides the distance by how long the
trip took. Which of the following BEST describes what Jay has computed:
W) total velocity
X) average acceleration
Y) average speed
Z) instantaneous velocity
A
AVERAGE SPEED
15
Q
What is the MOST common term for the type of energy that is most
directly related to the energy of atoms, molecules and other small particles that are in random motion
within a system?
A
THERMAL
16
Q
In electrochemical cells, what is the most common term for the electrode
that acts as the negative electrode?
A
CATHODE
17
Q
What is the SI unit of electric charge?
A
COULOMB
18
Q
Giving your answer in kilometers per hour per second, what is the average
acceleration of a truck traveling on a straight road from 10 kilometers per hour to 50 kilometers per hour
in 1 minute and 20 seconds:
A
0.5
19
Q
What is the most common term used to describe the velocity of an object
at any one discrete moment along its path?
A
INSTANTANEOUS VELOCITY
20
Q
What lepton was the first to be discovered?
A
ELECTRON
21
Q
In one cycle of alternating current, 180º is given to the point at what
fractional amount of the way through the cycle?
A
½
22
Q
If the speed of sound in a certain medium is 360 meters per second, what
is the wavelength, in meters, of a sound-wave that has a frequency of 60 hertz?
A
6
23
Q
Which of the following is the most common instrument used for
measuring gas pressure:
W) manometer
X) anemometer
Y) tensitometer
Z) flow-meter
A
MANOMETER
24
Q
Which of the following is TRUE of a sound wave traveling in dry
air at STP at a constant velocity:
W) if frequency increases, wavelength increases
X) if frequency increases, wavelength decreases
Y) if frequency decreases, wavelength decreases
Z) if frequency increases, wavelength stays the same
A
IF FREQUENCY INCREASES, WAVELENGTH DECREASES
25
What particle of an atom is most directly responsible for the emission
of light when an atom is excited by electromagnetic radiation?
ELECTRON
26
What is the wavelength, in meters, of a wave moving at 500 meters
per second if its frequency is 20 Hertz?
25
27
How many neutrons does the most common isotope of hydrogen
have?
ZERO
28
How many neutrons and how many protons are present in a single
oxygen-15 nucleus, respectively?
NEUTRONS = 7; PROTONS = 8
29
Jan is riding her bike northward on Main Street at 20 kilometers per
hour and applies her brakes. In what direction would a physicist MOST likely record her
acceleration?
SOUTH
30
If 200 coulombs pass through a wire in 0.5 seconds, what is the
average current, in amps, passing through the wire?
400
31
The nucleus of what element is the same as an alpha particle?
HELIUM
32
Name all of the following 4 choices that would typically be considered
to supply electromotive force: transformers; generators; batteries; conductors
TRANSFORMERS; GENERATORS; BATTERIES
33
Which of the following BEST explains why gravitational
acceleration on Earth varies from one place to another:
W) the Sun’s gravitational pull varies irregularly
X) the Earth is not a uniform sphere
Y) the Moon and the Sun exert a complex combination of gravitational pulls on the Earth
Z) the changing angular momentum of the Earth varies during its yearly orbit
X) THE EARTH IS NOT A UNIFORM SPHERE
34
If a wave has a frequency of 500 hertz, what is its period, in seconds?
0.002
35
Which of the following is the part of an electric motor that
functions as an electromagnet:
W) ballast
X) relay
Y) armature
Z) brushes
ARMATURE
36
Using g rounded to the first decimal place, how much does an
80-kilogram person weigh on Earth, giving your answer in proper SI units?
784 NEWTONS
37
A boat’s velocity has a northward velocity component of 15
kilometers per hour and an eastward component of 10 kilometers per hour. Which of the following
BEST represents the direction of the boat’s motion:
W) 35 kilometers per hour northeast
X) 35 kilometers per hour southwest
Y) 18 kilometers per hour northeast
Z) 12 kilometers per hour northeast
Y) 18 KILOMETERS PER HOUR NORTHEAST
38
What are the frequencies of the first and second overtones,
respectively, for a string vibrating at a fundamental frequency of 440 hertz?
FIRST = 880; SECOND = 1320
39
Which of the following most commonly functions to limit current to
one direction:
W) capacitor
X) transformer
Y) resistor
Z) diode
Z) DIODE
40
Debbie pushes a 10-kilogram box of books with a horizontal force of
500 newtons. What is the acceleration of the box, giving your answer in standard SI units, if friction
is neglected?
50 METERS PER SECOND SQUARED
41
Which of the following is the device in a galvanic cell that
completes the electric circuit by connecting the two sides of the cell with an inert electrolyte:
W) electrolytic reservoir
X) cathode
Y) conducting wire
Z) salt bridge
Z) SALT BRIDGE
42
How many joules are in a single watt-hour?
3,600
43
Radon is primarily produced naturally on Earth most directly from the
decay of what element?
RADIUM
44
By words or numbers, name all of the following 4 choices that are
TRUE for an object moving at a constant speed:
1) it must have a constant velocity
2) it must be constantly moving in the same direction
3) it can be accelerating
4) it must have a constant weight
3) IT CAN BE ACCELERATING
45
What is the electric charge and mass of the carrier particle for the
electromagnetic force?
BOTH ARE ZERO
46
If the intensity of a sound is 10,000 times as loud as another sound,
by how many decibels do the two sounds differ?
40
47
Consider an electric charge moving through a magnetic field. A
force acts on the charge perpendicular to the direction of the charge’s motion and direction of the
magnetic field. Which of the following is the MOST common name for this force:
W) B field
X) Lorentz force
Y) electrodynamic force
Z) Faraday force
X) LORENTZ FORCE
48
Which of the following BEST describes the Lorentz Contraction:
W) reduction in the mass of a body as it approaches the speed of light
X) reduction in the length of a body along the direction of motion as it approaches the speed of light
Y) loss of kinetic energy when any object slows
Z) loss of potential energy when any body emits electromagnetic radiation
X) REDUCTION IN THE LENGTH OF A BODY ALONG THE DIRECTION OF
MOTION AS IT APPROACHES THE SPEED OF LIGHT
49
Which of the following best describes the concept upon which
Kirchhoff’s current law or first law is based:
W) charges come in unit dimensions
X) all charges flow from the negative to the positive
Y) charge can neither be created nor destroyed
Z) what goes up must come down
Y) CHARGE CAN NEITHER BE CREATED NOR DESTROYED
50
Give by name or number all of the following 4 choices that would be
considered units of electrical power: 1) ampere volt; 2) joules per second; 3) watts; 4) coulombs
1; 2; 3
51
What is the MOST common name for the electrical device often made
of two parallel conducting plates separated by a paper insulator all rolled into a cylinder to function
in storing electrical energy?
CAPACITOR
52
What is the SI unit of capacitance equal to one coulomb per volt?
FARAD
53
What was the electrolyte used in the first voltaic piles built by Volta?
BRINE
54
What is the resistance, giving your answer in standard SI units, of an
electric device operating on a 9-volt battery that requires 0.05 amps to run?
180 OHMS
55
The escape velocity for a 100 kilogram object to leave planet
Earth is approximately 11,000 meters per second. Which of the following is the escape velocity in
meters per second for a 200 kilogram object to leave Earth?
W) 5,500
X) 11,000
Y) 16,500
Z) 22,000
X) 11,000
56
A proton with a charge of 1.6 x 10-19 coulombs is moving with a
speed of 2 x 105 meters per second when it encounters a uniform magnetic field of 2 teslas in a
direction perpendicular to the proton’s motion. Providing your answer in scientific notation to two
significant figures, what is the magnitude of the force in newtons experienced by the proton?
6.4 x 10^-14
57
A planet is found with a mass that is 50 times the mass of Earth
and a radius that is 5 times that of the Earth. Providing your answer to the nearest integer, what
is the acceleration due to gravity in meters per second squared on this planet, given that the
acceleration due to gravity on the Earth is 9.8 meters per second squared?
20
58
In the de Broglie [duh broh-GLEE] equation, Planck’s constant
relates which two properties of a particle?
WAVELENGTH AND MOMENTUM
59
A 10 kilogram object falls to the surface of a planet where the
acceleration due to gravity is 6.5 meters per second squared. If the object is falling at terminal
velocity, what is the drag force on the object in newtons?
65
60
A 2000 kilogram car moves with a steady speed of 10 meters per
second up a hill that is inclined 10 degrees above the horizontal. Describe the magnitude and
direction of the net force on the car after 10 seconds.
THERE IS NO NET FORCE
61
A 5 kilogram ball is thrown at a wall with a speed of 10 meters
per second. If the ball rebounds with a speed of 7 meters per second, what was the magnitude of
the impulse that the ball experienced in kilogram meters per second?
85
62
An airplane is scheduled to travel to a city that is 100 miles due
north of the departure city. If there is a wind that blows from east to west at a steady rate of 100
miles per hour, and the plane travels at a speed of 200 miles per hour in still air, then which of the
following directions should the plane be directed?
W) 30 degrees north of east
X) 60 degrees north of east
Y) 30 degrees north of west
Z) 60 degrees north of west
X) 60 DEGREES NORTH OF EAST
63
A plane wave of red light goes from the air into a glass block.
Which of the following describes how the wave changes?
W) The frequency decreases
X) The speed increases
Y) The wavelength decreases
Z) The amplitude increases
Y) THE WAVELENGTH DECREASES
64
Imagine a uniform meter stick supported on a knife edge at the 40
centimeter mark. The right end of the meter stick with the 100 centimeter mark swings down. To
balance the meter stick, at what centimeter mark should you hang an object with mass equal to
that of the meter stick?
30
65
Two identical positively charged spheres are separated by a
distance much bigger than their radii so that electric and gravitational forces are balanced. If the
mass of each object is multiplied by 4, by what factor should the charge on each be multiplied
so that the two forces still balance?
W) 2
X) 4
Y) 8
Z) 16
X) 4
66
A car is travelling at a constant 30 meters per second for 10
seconds. The car then undergoes constant deceleration for 5 seconds, coming to a stop. How
far in meters did the car travel during the entire 15 second time interval?
375
67
Which of the following is the effect on the resistance of a wire if
it is replaced with an equally thick wire of a material of higher resistivity and longer length?
W) The effect cannot be predicted without knowing the actual value of the resistivities of the
materials
X) Resistance increases
Y) Resistance decreases
Z) Resistance is unchanged
X) RESISTANCE INCREASES
68
A 2 henry inductance coil is connected in series to a 100 ohm
resistor to create an LR circuit. If this circuit is connected to a 12 volt power supply, what are,
respectively, the initial current in the circuit and the final current in the circuit after it has been
connected for a long time, both measured in amperes?
INITIAL CURRENT = 0, FINAL CURRENT = 0.12
69
A top that is spinning on a table begins to precess. Which of the
following would decrease the rate of precession of the top?
W) An increase in the torque that the top experiences due to gravity
X) A decrease in its moment of inertia
Y) A decrease in its angular velocity
Z) An increase in its angular velocity
Z) AN INCREASE IN ITS ANGULAR VELOCITY
70
Two parallel plates of equal area are separated by a distance of
20 millimeters. If the plates are connected to a 12 volt battery, providing your answer in scientific
notation with one significant figure, what is the magnitude of the electrostatic force in newtons
that a microcoulomb charge between the plates would feel?
6 x 10^-4
71
If the amplitude of a simple harmonic oscillator is decreased to 50%
of its initial value, providing your answer as a decimal, compute the ratio of its final energy to its
initial energy.
0.25
72
Three capacitors with capacitances of 2 microfarads, 2.5
microfarads, and 10 microfarads are connected in series. Find the combined capacitance in
microfarads.
1
73
When a piano tuner uses a tuning fork to tune the piano, she
knows a string is in tune when the beat frequency has which of the following values in hertz?
W) 0
X) 2
Y) 10
Z) 33
W) 0
74
An electron is accelerated through a potential difference of 5.0
kilovolts. Which of the following is the kinetic energy in joules gained in the process?
W) 8.0 x 10^22
X) 8.0 x 10^-16
Y) 1.6 x 10^-16
Z) 1.6 x 10^-22
X) 8.0 x 10^-16
75
What is the current in amperes for a simple circuit with a potential
difference of 100 volts and two 10 ohm resistors in parallel?
20
76
Some scientists have predicted the melting of polar ice caps due
to climate change. Which of the following changes would be caused by the melting?
W) The moment of inertia of the Earth would increase
X) The moment of inertia of the Earth would decrease
Y) The angular momentum associated with the Earth’s rotation would increase
Z) The angular momentum associated with the Earth’s rotation would decrease
W) THE MOMENT OF INERTIA OF THE EARTH WOULD INCREASE
77
For a small ball at the end of a string, calculate the angular
momentum in joule seconds if the ball weighs 3 kilograms, has a tangential velocity of 10
meters per second, and has an orbit with a 10 meter radius?
W) 33.3
X) 100
Y) 300
Z) 900
Y) 300
78
In a photoelectric experiment, if the intensity of the incident light
beam is unchanged while the frequency of the light beam is increased, which of the following is
true?
W) The number of photoelectrons emitted per second increases
X) The maximum kinetic energy of the photoelectrons emitted increases
Y) The maximum kinetic energy of the photoelectrons emitted decreases
Z) The maximum kinetic energy of the photoelectrons emitted remains unchanged
X) THE MAXIMUM KINETIC ENERGY OF THE PHOTOELECTRONS EMITTED
INCREASES
79
A ray of light is moving through a vacuum at an angle of 60° from
the vertical, when it enters an oil with a horizontal surface where the ray is bent so that it makes
an angle of 30° with the vertical. Which of the following best represents the index of refraction of
the oil?
W) 0.5
X) 1.0
Y) 1.7
Z) 2.0
Y) 1.7
80
A 5 kilogram mass is oscillating on a spring with a spring constant
of 20 newtons per meter. What is the frequency of the oscillation of this mass in radians per
second?
2
81
A 200 microfarad parallel plate capacitor is connected to a 6 volt
battery. Once the capacitor is fully charged, it is disconnected from the battery and a dielectric is
inserted between the plates with a dielectric constant of 5. Expressed as a decimal, what is the
new voltage across the capacitor?
1.2
82
A proton enters a uniform magnetic field that is oriented
perpendicular to the motion of the proton. Which of the following will NOT affect the radius of the
circular path in which the proton moves?
W) The velocity of the proton
X) The magnitude of the magnetic field
Y) The momentum of the proton
Z) The position of the proton in the magnetic field
Z) THE POSITION OF THE PROTON IN THE MAGNETIC FIELD
83
A long wire is carrying 10 amperes of current. Providing your
answer in scientific notation, what is the magnetic field in teslas due to the wire at a radial
distance of 2 meters from the center of the wire?
1 x 10^-6
84
A long wire carrying a 3 ampere current is placed in a magnetic
field of 1 tesla so that a straight 2 meter segment of the wire makes an angle of 30° with the
field direction. What is the magnitude of the force in newtons on the wire segment?
3
85
A charge of +1 nanocoulombs is placed at the origin, and a
charge of +4 nanocoulombs is placed 10 centimeters away. Providing your answer in
centimeters to the nearest tenth, at what distance from the origin is the electric field zero?
3.3
86
A block floats at rest with 1/3 of its total volume below the surface
of the water. The block is pushed down until it is completely submerged. Which of the following
is the magnitude of the net force on the block when it is released?
W) Half of the block’s weight
X) Equal to the block’s weight
Y) Twice the block’s weight
Z) Three times the block’s weight
Y) TWICE THE BLOCK’S WEIGHT
87
A 2 kilogram box is pushed forward with a 10 newton force while it
experiences a 5 newton force of kinetic friction in the opposite direction. Providing your answer
to the nearest meter, after 3 seconds, how far has the box moved?
11
88
A skydiver is falling at a speed slightly less than terminal
velocity. Which of the following statements about the magnitude of the forces on the skydiver is
true?
W) The air resistance is less than the weight, and the net force is down
X) The air resistance is equal to the weight, and the net force is zero
Y) The air resistance is equal to the weight, and the net force is down
Z) The air resistance is greater than the weight, and the net force is down
W) THE AIR RESISTANCE IS LESS THAN THE WEIGHT, AND THE NET FORCE
IS DOWN
89
A laser beam moves from inside a glass block with an index of
refraction of 1.4 to a vacuum. Which of the following angles in degrees best represents the
critical angle where total internal reflection will begin to occur?
W) 30°
X) 45°
Y) 60°
Z) 135°
X) 45°
90
A student is in a rollercoaster that is going through a loop on the
inside of the track. At the top of the loop, the normal force on the student has a magnitude of
100 newtons. If the student’s weight and mass are 500 newtons and 50 kilograms, respectively,
then what is the magnitude of the student’s acceleration at the top of the loop in meters per
second squared?
12
91
A pendulum that has a period of 2 seconds on the Earth is moved
to another planet where the period is now 4 seconds. Given the acceleration due to gravity on
Earth as 10 meters per second squared and providing your answer to two significant figures,
what is the acceleration due to gravity on this new planet in meters per second squared?
2.5
92
You stand 2 meters from a point source of sound. Ignoring any
effects due to reflection and providing your answer as a fraction in simplest form, by what factor
would the intensity of sound be multiplied if you were to move to a position 3 meters from the
source?
4/9
93
A wave pulse travels along a string with a speed of 20 meters per
second. If the tension in the string is 100 newtons, providing your answer as a decimal, what is
the linear density of the string in kilograms per meter?
0.25
94
Capacitance is inversely related to which of the following
properties of a plate capacitor?
W) Area of plates
X) Distance between plates
Y) Dielectric constant
Z) Absolute permittivity
X) DISTANCE BETWEEN PLATES
95
A figure skater goes into a spin with her arms outstretched, having
a moment of inertia of 2.5 kilogram meters squared and an angular velocity of 5 radians per
second. If the skater pulls her arms in and reduces her moment of inertia to 1.5 kilogram meters
squared, what is her final angular velocity to the nearest radian per second?
8
96
A wheel spinning at a rate of 20 revolutions per minute slows
steadily to a stop in a time of 30 seconds. If the wheel has a radius of 0.5 meters, through what
distance to the nearest meter does a point on the rim travel during this time?
16
97
What is the potential difference in volts for a simple circuit with a
current of 6 amperes and three 10 ohm resistors in series
180
98
Vectors F and R are given by, respectively, 2 i minus 3 j and
i plus 4 j. What is the cross product R X F [R cross F]?
-11k
99
An unpolarized electromagnetic plane wave is incident on a
linear polarizer whose transmission axis is parallel to the y-axis. After passing through the
polarizer, which of the following best describes the oscillation direction of the magnetic field?
W) Along the positive and negative x-axis
X) Along the positive and negative y-axis
Y) A direction pointing in either the 1st or 3rd quadrant
Z) A direction pointing in either the 2nd or 4th quadrant
W) ALONG THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE X-AXIS
100
A 5 kilogram object moves with a velocity v = 2t 2 + 2 meters per
second where t is in seconds. What is the net force on the object in newtons after 2 seconds?
40
101
Three resistors are connected to a battery in parallel. The
resistors have resistances of 1 ohm, 100 ohms, and 1000 ohms. The equivalent resistance of
the circuit is nearest to which of the following values in ohms?
W) 1
X) 100
Y) 1000
Z) 1101
W) 1
102
If it takes 12 seconds total for a ball to travel straight up from the
ground and fall back to earth, neglecting air resistance and given g as 10 meters per second
squared, what was the maximum height it reached in meters?
180
103
A solid conducting sphere with a radius of 10 centimeters is
charged with a charge of 20 microcoulombs. What is the electric field 5 centimeters from the
center of the sphere?
ZERO
104
A boy standing at the top of a tower of height h jumps to the
ground. In simplest form, what is the exact expression for the speed with which he touches the
ground, given that g stands for the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity?
�2gh
105
A proton is moving to the north when it experiences a uniform
magnetic field that is pointing vertically downward. In which cardinal direction should an electric
field be applied to keep the proton moving due north?
EAST
106
What is the kinetic energy in joules to two significant figures of a
car with a mass of 2000 kilograms moving with a speed 100 kilometers per hour?
770,000
107
In an electromagnetic wave, the E field vector points in the
positive x direction and the B field vector points in the negative y direction. What is the direction
of propagation of the wave?
NEGATIVE Z
108
Let g represent the acceleration due to gravity at the surface of
the Earth. A planet with one third of the mass of the Earth and one half of the radius of the Earth
will have an acceleration due to gravity near its surface that is which of the following?
W) one third g
X) two thirds g
Y) g
Z) four thirds g
Z) FOUR THIRDS G
109
The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the
demonstration of which of the following properties of the expansion of the universe?
W) It is speeding up
X) It is slowing down
Y) It will reverse itself
Z) It is constant
W) IT IS SPEEDING UP
110
A communications satellite is orbiting the Earth at a speed of 3000
meters per second. What would be the orbital speed in meters per second of a similar satellite
that is 4 times as far from the center of the Earth as the first satellite?
1500
