Question: Pumice is a volcanic rock that floats in water. The density of pumice compared with that of water is

Choices:
- less.
- equal.
- greater.
- none because it sinks.


Question: When you look at the red petals of a rose the color light you're seeing is

Choices:
- red.
- green.
- white minus red.
- a mixture of green and yellow.


Question: Compared with the sound you hear from the siren of a stationary fire engine the sound you hear when it approaches you has an increased

Choices:
- speed
- frequency
- wavelength
- All of these


Question: When you squeeze an air-filled party balloon, you increase its

Choices:
- volume
- mass
- weight
- density


Question: Polarization is a property of

Choices:
- transverse waves
- longitudinal waves
- all waves
- None of these


Question: In a vacuum, an object has no

Choices:
- buoyant force
- mass
- weight
- All of these


Question: Temperature is generally proportional to a substance’s

Choices:
- thermal energy.
- vibrational kinetic energy.
- average translational kinetic energy.
- rotational kinetic energy.


Question: In a hydraulic press operation, the output piston cannot

Choices:
- move farther than the input piston
- exceed the force input
- exceed the input piston’s speed
- produce increased energy


Question: When a spinning system contracts in the absence of an external torque its rotational speed increases and its angular momentum

Choices:
- decreases
- increases
- remains unchanged
- may increase or decrease


Question: According to Hooke’s law, if you hang by a tree branch and note how much it bends, then hanging with twice the weight produces

Choices:
- half the bend.
- the same bend if the branch doesn’t break.
- twice the bend.
- 4 times the bend.


Question: When an increase in speed doubles the kinetic energy of a moving body its momentum

Choices:
- increases but less than doubles
- doubles
- more than doubles
- depends on factors not stated


Question: Suppose the number of neutrons in a reactor that is starting up doubles each minute reaching one billion neutrons in 10 minutes. When did the number of neutrons reach half a billion?

Choices:
- 1 minute.
- 2 minutes.
- 5 minutes.
- 9 minutes.


Question: If an object is already moving and the sum of all the vector forces on a mass is zero, then the object will

Choices:
- move at a constant speed in a straight line
- accelerate at a constant rate in a straight line
- come to rest
- increase its amount of inertia


Question: Relativity equations for time, length, and momentum hold true for

Choices:
- everyday low speeds.
- relativistic speeds.
- Both of these.
- Neither of these.


Question: Put a saucer of water on your table. A process that then occurs is

Choices:
- evaporation
- condensation
- Both
- Neither


Question: A barometer that uses water instead of mercury will be

Choices:
- shorter
- taller
- equal in height
- inoperable


Question: A heavy rock and a light rock in free fall (zero air resistance) have the same acceleration. The heavy rock doesn't have a greater acceleration because the

Choices:
- force due to gravity is the same on each.
- air resistance is always zero in free fall.
- inertia of both rocks is the same.
- ratio of force to mass is the same.


Question: When an increase in speed doubles the momentum of a moving body its kinetic energy

Choices:
- increases but less than doubles
- doubles
- more than doubles
- depends on factors not stated


Question: The equation E = mc^2 indicates that energy

Choices:
- equals mass moving at the speed of light squared.
- equals moving mass.
- is fundamentally different than mass.
- and mass are closely related.


Question: General relativity predicts that

Choices:
- light leaving the Sun is slowed by gravity.
- light passing the Sun is deflected.
- a clock on the Sun’s surface runs faster than on Earth.
- All of these.


Question: When an element ejects an alpha particle, the atomic number of the resulting element

Choices:
- reduces by 2
- reduces by 4
- increases by 2
- increases by 4


Question: As more lamps are connected in parallel in a circuit, the current in the power source

Choices:
- increases
- decreases
- remains the same
- Not enough information to say


Question: An airplane with its nose pointing north with an airspeed of 40 km/h in a 30-km/h crosswind (at right angles) has a groundspeed of

Choices:
- 30 km/h
- 40 km/h
- 50 km/h
- 60 km/h


Question: The energy of an emitted photon is related to its

Choices:
- amplitude
- polarization
- momentum
- frequency


Question: Thermal conduction involves mainly

Choices:
- electrons
- protons
- neutrons
- ions


Question: Compared with the current in an LED lamp the current in the connecting wire is

Choices:
- less.
- more.
- the same.
- Need more information.


Question: Bow waves are produced by waves of water

Choices:
- overlapping one another
- constructively interfering
- moving slower than the source producing them
- All of these


Question: The speed of sound is slightly greater on a

Choices:
- cold day
- hot day
- day with steady temperature
- None of these


Question: Consider two mercury barometers, one having a cross-sectional area of 1 cm2 and the other 2 cm2. The height of mercury in the narrower tube is

Choices:
- half
- twice
- the same
- None of these


Question: The second law of thermodynamics tells us that heat doesn’t flow from

Choices:
- hot to cold ever
- cold to hot ever
- hot to cold without external energy
- cold to hot without external energy


Question: In a mixture of hydrogen oxygen and nitrogen gases at a given temperature the molecules having the greatest average speed are those of

Choices:
- hydrogen.
- oxygen.
- nitrogen.
- But all have the same speed on average.


Question: Compared with the power input, the power output of an ideal transformer is

Choices:
- greater
- less
- the same
- Any of these


Question: The amount of air drag on an 0.8-N flying squirrel dropping vertically at terminal velocity is

Choices:
- less than 0.8 N
- 0.8 N
- greater than 0.8 N
- dependent on the orientation of its body


Question: The vibrations in a longitudinal wave move in a direction

Choices:
- along and parallel to the wave
- perpendicular to the wave
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: The potential energy of a compressed spring and the potential energy of a charged object both depend on

Choices:
- the work done on them
- motion
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: A step-up transformer in an electrical circuit can step up

Choices:
- voltage
- energy
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: The neutrons in an atom are normally found

Choices:
- inside the nucleus
- outside the nucleus
- Either of these
- Neither of these


Question: The greenish-blue color of ocean water is due mostly to light that hasn’t been

Choices:
- absorbed
- reflected
- scattered
- refracted


Question: Noise-canceling devices make use of sound

Choices:
- destruction
- interference
- resonance
- amplification


Question: Black is the combination of

Choices:
- all the colors together
- two or more appropriate colors
- light when a prism is held upside down
- None of these


Question: In a circuit of two lamps in parallel, if the current in one lamp is 2 A, the current in the other lamp is

Choices:
- about 1 A
- 2 A
- Depends on which lamp is closer to the battery
- Not enough information to say


Question: Which of these changes when light refracts in passing from one medium to another?

Choices:
- Speed only
- Wavelength only
- Both speed and wavelength
- Neither of these


Question: If the frequency of one source of sound is 500 Hz and a second sound source is 504 Hz, then when the two waves interfere with each other, the beat frequency will be

Choices:
- 2 Hz
- 4 Hz
- 8 Hz
- 16 Hz


Question: The loudness of a sound is most closely related to its

Choices:
- frequency
- period
- wavelength
- amplitude


Question: The electric field inside the dome of a Van de Graaff generator is zero when the dome is

Choices:
- charged
- uncharged
- Either of these
- Neither of these


Question: The redness of a sunrise or sunset is due mostly to light that hasn’t been

Choices:
- absorbed
- transmitted
- scattered
- polarized


Question: When a nucleus of uranium-238 emits an alpha particle, left behind is

Choices:
- thorium-242
- thorium-238
- thorium-234
- radium-214


Question: The Doppler effect occurs when a source of sound moves

Choices:
- toward you
- away from you
- Both of these
- None of these


Question: When a proton is plucked from an atomic nucleus, the atom has a decrease in

Choices:
- charge
- energy
- mass
- all of these


Question: If the Sun were twice as massive, its pull on Mars would be

Choices:
- unchanged
- twice as much
- half as much
- four times as much


Question: During the time an aircraft produces a sonic boom the aircraft is

Choices:
- breaking the sound barrier
- pulling out of a subsonic dive
- flying faster than sound
- Each of these produces a sonic boom


Question: When food is exposed to gamma radiation, the food

Choices:
- becomes slightly radioactive
- doesn’t become radioactive
- will spoil faster
- should be avoided


Question: The red glow in the neon tube of an advertising sign is a result of

Choices:
- fluorescence.
- coherence.
- polarization.
- de-excitation.


Question: Light that is not transmitted by opaque materials is

Choices:
- reflected or converted to internal energy in the material.
- mainly reflected.
- mainly refracted.
- transmitted at a lower frequency.


Question: Imagine you're standing on the surface of a shrinking planet. If it shrinks to one-tenth its original diameter with no change in mass on the shrunken surface you'd weigh

Choices:
- 1/100 as much
- 10 times as much
- 100 times as much
- 1000 times as much


Question: A magnetic force acting on a beam of electrons can change its

Choices:
- direction
- energy
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: Microscopic slush in water tends to make the water

Choices:
- more dense
- less dense
- more slippery
- warmer


Question: The speed of sound in air depends on

Choices:
- frequency.
- wavelength.
- air temperature.
- All of these.


Question: Heat comes from the Sun to Earth by the process of

Choices:
- conduction
- convection
- radiation
- All of these, although radiation is greatest


Question: A torque is a force

Choices:
- like any other force
- multiplied by a lever arm
- that is fictitious
- that accelerates things


Question: All of the following are electromagnetic waves EXCEPT

Choices:
- microwaves
- light waves
- X-rays
- None is outside the family; all are electromagnetic waves


Question: Big brother and little sister can balance on a seesaw because of balanced

Choices:
- forces
- torques
- energies
- All of these


Question: Any atom that emits an alpha particle or beta particle

Choices:
- becomes an atom of a different element always.
- may become an atom of a different element.
- becomes a different isotope of the same element.
- increases its mass.


Question: Regelation occurs due to water’s

Choices:
- high specific heat
- open-structured ice crystals
- high rate of expansion
- slight tendency to freeze when its temperature is lowered


Question: A big fish swims upon and swallows a small fish that is at rest. Right after lunch, the fattened big fish has a change in

Choices:
- speed
- momentum
- Both
- Neither


Question: A capacitor can store

Choices:
- charge
- energy
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: For a tube closed at one end, the length of the tube at a frequency of 256 Hz will be

Choices:
- one-quarter the value for a tube open at both ends
- one-half the value for a tube open at both ends
- twice the value for a tube open at both ends
- four times the value for a tube open at both ends


Question: The period of a 10-Hz wave is

Choices:
- 1/10 s
- 1.0 s
- 10 s
- None of these


Question: If the Sun collapsed to become a black hole Planet Earth would

Choices:
- continue in its present orbit.
- likely be sucked into the black hole.
- be pulled apart by tidal forces.
- Both C and D.


Question: The electric field between a pair of oppositely charged parallel plates

Choices:
- gets weaker with distance inside the plates
- follows the inverse-square law
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: The flight of a blimp best illustrates

Choices:
- Archimedes’ principle
- Pascal’s principle
- Bernoulli’s principle
- Boyle’s law


Question: The distance of your image behind a plane mirror is equal to

Choices:
- half your height
- half your distance from the mirror
- your distance in front of the mirror
- more than your distance in front of the mirror


Question: The discrete orbits of electrons are best understood when modeled by

Choices:
- high-speed particles
- particles on springs
- waves
- photons


Question: Heat engines, such as a jet engine, are more efficient when run at

Choices:
- high temperatures
- constant temperatures
- low temperatures
- a constant rate


Question: The phenomenon of interference occurs for

Choices:
- sound waves
- light waves
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: As more lamps are connected in a series circuit the current in the power source

Choices:
- increases.
- decreases.
- remains much the same.
- Need more information.


Question: When you buy a pipe in a hardware store, the water isn’t included. When you buy copper wire, electrons

Choices:
- must be supplied by you
- are included in the wire
- may fall out—hence insulation
- None of these


Question: When a uranium nucleus undergoes fission the energy released is primarily in the form of

Choices:
- gamma radiation.
- kinetic energy of fission fragments.
- kinetic energy of ejected neutrons.
- All of these about equally.


Question: Most of the radiation in Earth’s biosphere is

Choices:
- natural background radiation
- the result of military activities
- from nuclear power plants
- in the form of cosmic rays


Question: When white light enters a prism green light is bent more than

Choices:
- blue light.
- violet light.
- red light.
- None of these choices is correct.


Question: When a ball at rest hangs by a single vertical string tension in the string is mg. If the ball is made to move in amhorizontal circle so that the string describes a cone string tension

Choices:
- is mg
- is greater than mg always
- is less than mg always
- may be greater or less than mg depending on the speed of the ball


Question: When a tin can is whirled in a horizontal circle, the net force on the can acts

Choices:
- inward
- outward
- upward
- None of these


Question: The highest ocean tides occur when Earth and the Moon are

Choices:
- lined up with the Sun
- at right angles to the Sun
- at any angle to the Sun
- lined up during spring


Question: Lift a 100-N crate with an ideal pulley system by pulling a rope downward with 25 N of force. For every 1-m length of rope pulled down, the crate rises

Choices:
- 25 cm
- 25 m
- 50 cm
- None of these


Question: Hot sand cools off faster at night than does vegetation. Compared with vegetation, sand’s specific heat capacity is

Choices:
- lower
- higher
- about the same
- Can’t say


Question: The color of light most intense in the solar radiation curve is

Choices:
- infrared
- red
- yellow-green
- violet


Question: If the current in the filament of a lamp is 3 A, the current in the connecting wire is

Choices:
- less than 3 A
- 3 A
- more than 3 A
- Not enough information to say


Question: If two protons and two neutrons are removed from the nucleus of neon-20, a nucleus of which element remains?

Choices:
- Magnesium-22
- Magnesium-20
- Oxygen-18
- Oxygen-16


Question: If a star that is 20 light-years from Earth explodes, gravitational waves from the explosion would reach Earth in

Choices:
- less than 20 years.
- 20 years.
- more than 20 years.
- None of these.


Question: In a mixture of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen gases at a given temperature, the fastest molecules on average are those of

Choices:
- hydrogen
- oxygen
- nitrogen
- All have same average speed


Question: The mutual induction of electric and magnetic fields can produce

Choices:
- light
- energy
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: When a model car speeds up to three times its original speed, its kinetic energy is

Choices:
- the same
- twice as great
- three times greater
- None of these


Question: If an iron nucleus split in two, its fission fragments would have

Choices:
- less mass per nucleon
- more mass per nucleon
- the same mass per nucleon
- either more or less mass per nucleon


Question: The surface of Planet Earth loses energy to outer space due mostly to

Choices:
- conduction.
- convection.
- radiation.
- radioactivity.


Question: The direction of natural processes is from states of

Choices:
- higher order to lower order
- lower order to higher order
- disorganization to organization
- disorder to equilibrium


Question: A principal source of the Earth’s internal energy is

Choices:
- tidal friction.
- gravitational pressure.
- radioactivity.
- solar radiation.


Question: A diffraction grating relies on light

Choices:
- interference
- amplitudes
- variations in brightness
- being composed of photons


Question: A satellite in Earth orbit is above Earth’s

Choices:
- atmosphere
- gravitational field
- Both
- Neither


Question: The time it takes for a pendulum swinging to and fro refers to its

Choices:
- frequency
- period
- wavelength
- amplitude


Question: As entropy in a system increases, energy in the system

Choices:
- becomes more ordered
- becomes less ordered
- reaches equilibrium
- moves toward destruction


Question: When water changes to steam, energy is

Choices:
- absorbed by the water
- released by the water
- conserved as the phase change occurs
- changed to a different form


Question: According to Coulomb, a pair of charged particles placed twice as close to each other experience a force

Choices:
- twice as strong
- four times as strong
- half as strong
- one-fourth as strong


Question: The factors, both of which will increase the magnetic field strength of an electromagnet, are

Choices:
- increased electrical current and fewer coils of wire
- increased diameter of coil and an increase in the number of coils
- an increase in the electrical current and using a strong ferromagnetic material like iron
- using an air core instead of iron and increasing the diameter of the coil


Question: The team that wins in a tug-of-war is the team that

Choices:
- produces more tension in the rope than the opponent
- pushes hardest on the ground
- Both
- Neither


Question: Which type of radiation from cosmic sources predominates on the inside of high-flying commercial airplanes?

Choices:
- Alpha
- Beta
- Gamma
- None of these


Question: Thermal convection involves mainly

Choices:
- radiant energy
- fluids
- insulators
- All of these


Question: A 10-Ω resistor carries 10 A. The voltage across the resistor is

Choices:
- 0
- more than 0 but less than 10 V
- 10 V
- more than 10 V


Question: A cannonball is fired horizontally at 10 m/s from a cliff. Its speed one second after being fired is about

Choices:
- 10 m/s
- 14 m/s
- 16 m/s
- 20 m/s


Question: The average speed of a gazelle traveling a distance of 2 km in a time of one-half hour is

Choices:
- 1 km/h
- 2 km/h
- 4 km/h
- greater than 4 km/h


Question: The metal detectors people walk through at airports operate via

Choices:
- Ohm’s law
- Faraday’s law
- Coulomb’s law
- Newton’s laws


Question: Sound travels in

Choices:
- solids
- liquids
- gases
- All of these


Question: When a fusion reaction converts a pair of hydrogen isotopes to an alpha particle and a neutron most of the energy released is in the form of

Choices:
- gamma radiation.
- kinetic energy of the alpha particle.
- kinetic energy of the neutron.
- All of these about equally.


Question: Polarization is a property of

Choices:
- transverse waves.
- longitudinal waves.
- all waves.
- None of these.


Question: The phenomenon of beats results from sound

Choices:
- reflection.
- refraction.
- interference.
- All of these.


Question: The lowest possible temperature is absolute zero, at

Choices:
- 0 kelvin
- −273°C
- Both are the same
- None of these


Question: Refraction occurs when a wave crosses a boundary and changes

Choices:
- speed and direction
- intensity
- frequency
- amplitude


Question: When you tap a piece of wood, it will produce a characteristic sound related to its

Choices:
- wavelength
- amplitude
- period
- natural frequency


Question: When wind speeds up as it blows over the top of a hill, atmospheric pressure there

Choices:
- increases
- decreases
- isn’t affected
- reduces to zero


Question: When white light passes through a prism, the light that bends more than green is

Choices:
- red
- yellow
- blue
- None of these


Question: If you travel at high speed, then compared with your friends who “stay at home,” you are

Choices:
- older.
- younger.
- neither younger nor older.
- longer.


Question: The component of velocity that can remain constant for a tossed baseball is

Choices:
- horizontal
- vertical
- Either of these
- None of these


Question: The crystals that make up minerals are composed of

Choices:
- atoms with a definite geometrical arrangement.
- molecules that perpetually move.
- X-ray patterns.
- 3-dimensional chessboards.


Question: Two vectors, one 3 N and the other 4 N, can have a resultant of

Choices:
- 0 N
- 5 N
- 8 N
- Any of these


Question: Radioactivity has been around on Earth since the

Choices:
- middle of the 1900s
- Industrial Revolution
- advent of medical technology
- Earth formed


Question: When the shadow of the Moon falls on Earth, we have a

Choices:
- lunar eclipse.
- solar eclipse.
- solar eclipse if it’s daytime and lunar eclipse if it’s nighttime.
- very dangerous event.


Question: In both fission and fusion, energy is released while mass

Choices:
- decreases
- remains unchanged; is conserved
- increases
- may decrease or increase


Question: When relatively slow-moving molecules condense from the air, the temperature of the remaining air tends to

Choices:
- remain unchanged
- decrease
- increase
- spread out uniformly


Question: If the volume of an object were to double, with no change in mass, its density would

Choices:
- halve.
- double.
- be the same.
- None of these.


Question: The pressure at the bottom of a pond does NOT depend on the

Choices:
- acceleration due to gravity.
- water density.
- depth of the pond.
- surface area of the pond.


Question: The blueness of the daytime sky is due mostly to light

Choices:
- absorption
- transmission
- reflection
- scattering


Question: A galvanometer can be calibrated to read electric

Choices:
- current
- voltage
- Either of these
- Neither of these


Question: Which of these temperatures is likely when a container of water at 20°C is mixed with water at 28°C?

Choices:
- 19°C
- 22°C
- 30°C
- Higher than 30°C


Question: To view your full-face image in a steamy mirror compared with the height of your face the minimum height of the patch to wipe away is

Choices:
- one-quarter.
- one-half.
- the same.
- dependent on your distance from the mirror.


Question: The vibrations in a transverse wave move in a direction

Choices:
- along the wave
- perpendicular to the wave
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: A 1134-Hz tuning fork is sounded at the same time a piano note is struck. You hear three beats per second. The frequency of the piano string is

Choices:
- 1131 Hz
- 1134 Hz
- 1137 Hz
- More information is needed


Question: Huygens’ principle for light is primarily described by

Choices:
- waves
- rays
- particles
- photons


Question: When the temperature of a strip of iron is increased, the length of the strip

Choices:
- also increases.
- actually decreases.
- may increase and may decrease.
- decreases in width as it gets longer.


Question: When light undergoes interference, it can sometimes

Choices:
- build up to more than the sum of amplitudes
- cancel completely
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: When the color yellow is seen on your TV screen the phosphors being activated on the screen are

Choices:
- mainly yellow.
- blue and red.
- green and yellow.
- red and green.


Question: Which of these does NOT belong in the family of electromagnetic waves?

Choices:
- Light
- Sound
- Radio waves
- X-rays


Question: A math book and a physics book sitting on a table are tied together with a length of string. With the string taut one book is pushed off the edge of the table. As it falls the other book is dragged horizontally across the table surface. With no friction acceleration of the books is

Choices:
- zero
- g/2
- g
- a value between zero and g


Question: A motor and a generator are

Choices:
- similar devices
- very different devices
- forms of transformers
- energy sources


Question: As more lamps are connected in parallel in a circuit the current in the power source

Choices:
- increases.
- decreases.
- remains much the same.
- Need more information.


Question: Newton’s law of cooling applies to objects that

Choices:
- cool
- warm up
- Both
- Neither


Question: The fact that the Moon always shows its same face to Earth is evidence that the Moon rotates about its axis about once per

Choices:
- day
- month
- year
- None of these for the moon does not rotate about an axis


Question: Consider a ball rolling in a horizontal circular path on the inside surface of a cone. The normal force on the ball

Choices:
- is mg
- is greater than mg always
- may be greater or less than mg
- is less than mg always


Question: The compressions and rarefactions in sound normally travel

Choices:
- in the same direction
- in opposite directions
- at right angles to each other
- None of these


Question: The power required to raise a 100-kg crate a vertical distance of 2 m in a time of 4 s is

Choices:
- 200 W
- 500 W
- 800 W
- 2000 W


Question: The phenomenon of beats is the result of sound

Choices:
- destruction
- interference
- resonance
- amplification


Question: Interference is characteristic of

Choices:
- sound waves
- light waves
- water waves
- All of these


Question: In either a fission event or a fusion event, a quantity that remains unchanged is the

Choices:
- kinetic energy
- mass
- number of nucleons
- binding of nucleons


Question: The magnetic force on a moving charged particle can change the particle's

Choices:
- speed
- direction
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: If you were to travel at a speed close to the speed of light, you could notice that your own

Choices:
- mass changes.
- pulse decreases.
- Both of these.
- Neither of these.


Question: Electricity and magnetism connect to form

Choices:
- mass
- energy
- ultrahigh-frequency sound
- light


Question: Sound travels in air by a series of

Choices:
- compressions
- rarefactions
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: When a cannonball is fired from a cannon, both the cannonball and the cannon experience equal

Choices:
- amounts of force
- accelerations
- Both
- Neither


Question: The nucleus of an electrically neutral iron atom contains 26 protons. The number of electrons this iron atom has is

Choices:
- 52
- 26
- 24
- None.


Question: To say that a rose petal is red is to say that it

Choices:
- absorbs red
- reflects red
- emits red
- transmits red


Question: Compared with a sound of 60 decibels, a sound of 80 decibels has an intensity

Choices:
- 10 times greater
- 100 times greater
- 1000 times greater
- more than 1000 times greater


Question: When red and blue light are overlapped, the color produced is

Choices:
- magenta
- yellow
- cyan
- white


Question: When 100 J are put into a device that puts out 40 J of useful work, the efficiency of the device is

Choices:
- 40%
- 50%
- 60%
- 140%


Question: Shock waves are produced by waves of sound

Choices:
- overlapping one another
- constructively interfering
- moving slower than the source producing them
- All of these


Question: A rock suspended by a weighing scale weighs 5 N out of water and 3 N when submerged in water. What is the buoyant force on the rock?

Choices:
- 3 N
- 5 N
- 8 N
- None of these


Question: The work done on a 100-kg crate that is hoisted 2 m in a time of 4 s is

Choices:
- 200 J
- 500 J
- 800 J
- 2000 J


Question: A capacitor loses half its remaining charge every second. If after five seconds its charge is q what was its initial charge?

Choices:
- 4q.
- 8q.
- 16q.
- 32q.


Question: The mass of an atom comes mostly from its _ ; and its volume from its _.

Choices:
- nucleons; nucleons.
- electrons; electrons.
- electrons; nucleons.
- nucleons; electrons.


Question: The definition of magnetic inclination is the angle between

Choices:
- magnetic north and geographic north
- magnetic north and geographic south
- the earth’s magnetic field at any point and the vertical
- the earth’s magnetic field at any point and the horizontal


Question: The pitch of a sound is mostly related to its

Choices:
- intensity
- frequency
- amplitude
- speed


Question: As more lamps are connected to a series circuit, the current in the power source

Choices:
- increases
- decreases
- remains the same
- None of these


Question: When an element ejects an alpha particle, the mass number of the resulting element

Choices:
- reduces by 2
- reduces by 4
- increases by 2
- increases by 4


Question: An electron can be speeded up by

Choices:
- an electric field
- a magnetic field
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: A certain element emits 1 alpha particle, and its products then emit 2 beta particles in succession. The atomic number of the resulting element is changed by

Choices:
- zero
- minus 1
- minus 2
- plus 1


Question: When an object is set vibrating by a wave that has a matching frequency, what occurs is

Choices:
- forced vibration
- resonance
- refraction
- amplitude reduction


Question: The red glow in the neon tube of an advertising sign is a result of

Choices:
- fluorescence
- incandescence
- de-excitation
- polarization


Question: At very high speeds, an object appears to an observer at rest to be

Choices:
- shorter in the direction of travel.
- shrunken in all directions.
- shorter in the direction perpendicular to travel.
- longer in all directions.


Question: When a wave moves from shallow water to deep water, the

Choices:
- frequency decreases, the wavelength increases, and the speed increases
- frequency does not change, the wavelength increases, and the speed increases
- frequency does not change, the wavelength decreases, and the speed decreases
- frequency does not change, the wavelength increases, and the speed decreases


Question: When you drop a ball from rest it accelerates downward at 9.8 m/s^2. If you instead throw it downward assuming no air resistance its acceleration immediately after leaving your hand is

Choices:
- 9.8 m/s2
- more than 9.8 m/s2
- less than 9.8 m/s2
- Cannot say unless the speed of throw is given.


Question: Carbon-14 is primarily produced by cosmic radiation in the

Choices:
- atmosphere
- food we eat
- Earth’s interior
- fallout of nuclear bomb tests


Question: Chain reactions in a fission reactor are caused by

Choices:
- kinetic energy
- energy conversion
- mass conversion
- ejected neutrons


Question: Satellites in circular Earth orbit maintain a constant speed because gravitational force on them is

Choices:
- zero
- practically zero
- appreciably weaker than at Earth’s surface
- without a component of force along their circular path


Question: The complementary color of blue is

Choices:
- magenta
- yellow
- cyan
- white


Question: The difference between dc and ac in electric circuits is that in dc, charges flow

Choices:
- steadily in one direction
- in one direction
- to and fro
- All of these


Question: To receive an electric shock there must be a

Choices:
- current in one direction.
- presence of moisture.
- high voltage and low body resistance.
- voltage difference across part or all of your body.


Question: A karate chop delivers a force of 3000 N to a board that breaks. The force that the board exerts on the hand during this event is

Choices:
- less than 3000 N
- 3000 N
- greater than 3000 N
- Need more information


Question: Find the speed of a wave by multiplying its frequency by its

Choices:
- period
- wavelength
- amplitude
- None of these


Question: The magnitude of the gravitational force on a satellite is constant if the orbit is

Choices:
- parabolic
- circular
- elliptical
- All of these


Question: The impulse–momentum relationship is a direct result of Newton’s

Choices:
- first law
- second law
- third law
- law of gravity


Question: A common nuclear fission reactor

Choices:
- heats water
- generates electricity directly
- gets energy from nothing
- is a major polluter of the atmosphere


Question: The process of boiling water tends to

Choices:
- warm the water
- cool the water
- Both
- Neither


Question: When you scale up an object to 3 times its linear size, the surface area increases by

Choices:
- 3 and the volume by 9.
- 3 and the volume by 27.
- 9 and the volume by 27.
- 4 and the volume by 8.


Question: If you change the magnetic field in a closed loop of wire, what is created in the loop is a(n)

Choices:
- current
- voltage
- electric field
- All of these


Question: Clocks on a fast-moving spaceship whizzing past Earth appear to run slow when viewed from

Choices:
- inside the spaceship.
- Earth.
- Both of these.
- Neither of these.


Question: The model of light most supported by the photoelectric effect is the

Choices:
- wave model
- particle model
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: Compared with a fundamental tone, the frequency of its second harmonic is

Choices:
- half as much
- twice as much
- the same
- four times as much


Question: A string is plucked producing four loops (antinodes). The length of the string is 12.00 m. The wavelength of the wave must be

Choices:
- 48.0 m
- 24.0 m
- 6.00 m
- 3.00 m


Question: During the time an aircraft produces a sonic boom, the aircraft is

Choices:
- breaking the sound barrier
- pulling out of a subsonic dive
- flying faster than sound
- All of these


Question: The principal source of Earth’s internal energy is

Choices:
- tidal friction
- gravitational pressure
- radioactivity
- geothermal heat


Question: When you brush your hair and scrape electrons from your hair, the charge of your hair becomes

Choices:
- positive
- negative
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: Astrophysicists are able to identify the elements in the outer layers of a star by studying its

Choices:
- Doppler effect.
- molecular structure.
- temperature.
- spectrum.


Question: Relativistic equations for time dilation length contraction and relativistic momentum and energy hold true

Choices:
- at speeds near that of light.
- at everyday low speeds.
- at all speeds.
- only approximately.


Question: In his special theory of relativity, Einstein stated that the laws of physics are

Choices:
- different in different situations.
- common sense applied to microscopic and macroscopic things.
- the same in all frames of reference.
- the same in all uniformly moving frames of reference.


Question: When an element ejects a beta particle, the atomic number of that element

Choices:
- reduces by 1
- increases by 1
- reduces by 2
- increases by 2


Question: The amount of heat transferred to a system can be measured in

Choices:
- calories
- joules
- Either
- Neither


Question: Compared with the sound you hear from the siren of a stationary fire engine, its sound when it approaches you has an increased

Choices:
- speed
- frequency
- Both of these
- Neither of these


Question: Light reflecting from a smooth surface undergoes a change in

Choices:
- frequency.
- wavelength.
- All of these.
- None of these.


Question: What Einstein discovered about space and time is that they

Choices:
- are separate entities.
- are parts of one whole.
- follow an inverse-square law.
- are special to space travelers.


Question: All parts of a laser beam have the same

Choices:
- frequency
- phase
- speed
- All of these


Question: The rotational inertia of an object is greater when most of the mass is located

Choices:
- near the rotational axis
- away from the axis
- on the rotational axis
- off center


Question: When small pieces of material are assembled into a larger piece, the combined surface area

Choices:
- greatly increases
- slightly increases
- decreases
- is unchanged


Question: A rainbow is the result of light in raindrops that undergoes

Choices:
- internal reflection
- dispersion
- refraction
- All of these


Question: In the atomic nucleus, electrical forces tend to

Choices:
- hold particles together
- push particles apart
- produce orbital motion
- charge particles


Question: The fact that the acceleration of free fall is the same for all masses is explained by Newton’s

Choices:
- first law
- second law
- third law
- law of action–reaction


Question: Compared with radiation from the Sun, terrestrial radiation has a lower

Choices:
- wavelength
- frequency
- Both
- Neither


Question: When we speak of time dilation, we mean that time

Choices:
- compresses with speed.
- stretches with speed.
- is a constant at all speeds.
- is related to space.


Question: The magnetic field lines about a current-carrying wire form

Choices:
- circles
- radial lines
- eddy currents
- energy loops


Question: An inflated balloon with a heavy rock tied to it is dropped into a deep lake. As the balloon sinks deeper and deeper the buoyant force acting on it

Choices:
- increases.
- decreases.
- remains largely unchanged.
- Need more information.


Question: A radioactive sample has a half-life of 1 hour. If we start with 1.000 gram of it at noon, how much remains at 3:00 pm?

Choices:
- 0.50 g
- 0.25 g
- 0.125 g
- 0.0625 g


Question: Boiling and freezing occur when water is subjected to

Choices:
- decreased temperatures
- decreased atmospheric pressure
- increased temperatures
- increased atmospheric pressure


Question: When you bend the branch of a tree by hanging on its end, the top side of the branch is under

Choices:
- tension.
- compression.
- Both.
- Neither.


Question: A simple and correct way to comprehend satellites orbiting Earth is to view them as

Choices:
- balanced between gravitational and centripetal forces.
- beyond the main pull of Earth gravity.
- in mechanical equilibrium with a net force of zero.
- having sufficient tangential velocities to fall around rather than into Earth.


Question: The plates of a capacitor are charged to a potential difference of 5 V. If the capacitance is 2 mF, what is the charge on the positive plate?

Choices:
- 0.005 C
- 0.01 C
- 0.02 C
- 0.5 C


Question: Which of these quantities decreases as the inverse square of distance for distances far from the objects producing the fields?

Choices:
- the electric field produced by a finite-length charged rod
- the electric field produced by an infinitely long charged cylinder
- the electric field produced by an infinite plane of charge
- the magnetic field produced by an infinitely long, straight current-carrying wire


Question: A solid, metal object is isolated from other charges and has charge distributed on its surface. The charge distribution is not uniform. It may be correctly concluded that the

Choices:
- electric field outside the object is zero
- the electric field outside the object is equal to the electric field inside the object
- the electric field outside the object is directly proportional to the distance away from the center of mass of the object
- the electric field outside the object, but very close to the surface, is equal to the surface charge density at any location divided by the permittivity of free space


Question: Standing waves are produced by a 100-Hz generator in a string of fixed length. The tension in the string is increased until a new set of standing waves is produced. Will the wavelength of the new standing waves be greater than or less than the wavelength of the original standing waves?

Choices:
- Less, because the tension in the string varies directly with the wave speed, which varies inversely with the wavelength.
- Greater, because the tension in the string varies directly with the wave speed, which varies inversely with the wavelength.
- Greater, because the tension in the string varies directly with the wave speed, which varies directly with the wavelength.
- Less, because the tension in the string varies directly with the wave speed, which varies directly with the wavelength.


Question: Two identical capacitors are hooked in parallel to an external circuit. Which of the following quantities must be the same for both capacitors? I. the charge stored on the capacitor II.  the voltage across the capacitor III. the capacitance of the capacitor

Choices:
- I only
- II only
- II and III only
- (E) I, II, and III


Question: A 1-kg object is released from rest at the top of a rough-surfaced incline. The object slides without rotating to the bottom of the incline. The object’s kinetic energy at the bottom must be

Choices:
- Equal to the block’s gravitational potential energy when it was released, because total mechanical energy must be conserved.
- Equal to the block’s gravitational potential energy when it was released, because the gain in kinetic energy compensates for the mechanical energy lost to thermal energy on the rough incline.
- Less than the block’s gravitational potential energy when it was released, because the gravitational potential energy was converted both to thermal energy and to kinetic energy.
- Less than the block’s gravitational potential energy when it was released, because the work done by the friction force must be greater than the block’s gain in kinetic energy.


Question: A student is experimenting with a simple spring-block oscillator of spring constant k and amplitude A. The block attached to the spring has a mass of m. If the student places a small block of mass m on top of the original block, which of the following is true?

Choices:
- The small block is most likely to slide off when the original block is at maximum displacement from the equilibrium position, but will not slide off as long as the coefficient of static friction between the blocks is greater than kA/[(M+m)g].
- The small block is most likely to slide off when the original block is at the equilibrium position, but will not slide off as long as the coefficient of static friction between the blocks is greater than kA/[(M+m)g].
- The small block is most likely to slide off when the original block is at maximum displacement from the equilibrium position, but will not slide off as long as the coefficient of static friction between the blocks is greater than (M+m)g/(kA).
- The small block is most likely to slide off when the original block is at the equilibrium position, but will not slide off as long as the coefficient of static friction between the blocks is greater than (M+m)g/(kA).


Question: How much work is required to charge a 10 µF capacitor to a potential difference of 100 V ?

Choices:
- 0.005 J
- 0.01 J
- 0.05 J
- 0.1 J


Question: A box of mass m slides on a horizontal surface with initial speed v0. It feels no forces other than gravity and the force from the surface. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the box and the surface is μ, how far does the box slide before coming to rest?

Choices:
- v0^2/(2μg)
- v0^2/(μg)
- 2v0^2/(μg)
- mv0^2/(μg)


Question: A soccer ball, at rest on the ground, is kicked with an initial velocity of 10 m/s at a launch angle of 30°. Calculate its total flight time, assuming that air resistance is negligible.

Choices:
- 0.5 s
- 1 s
- 2 s
- 4 s


Question: Two identical containers are filled with different gases. Container 1 is filled with hydrogen and container 2 is filled with nitrogen. Each container is set on a lab table and allowed to come to thermal equilibrium with the room. Which of the following correctly compares the properties of the two gases?

Choices:
- The average kinetic energy of the hydrogen gas is greater than the nitrogen gas.
- The average force exerted on the container by the hydrogen gas is greater than the nitrogen gas.
- The density of the hydrogen gas is less than the nitrogen gas.
- The pressures of the gases cannot be compared without knowing the number of molecules in each container.


Question: A girl of mass m and a boy of mass 2m are sitting on opposite sides of a see-saw with its fulcrum in the center. Right now, the boy and girl are equally far from the fulcrum, and it tilts in favor of the boy. Which of the following would NOT be a possible method to balance the see-saw?

Choices:
- Move the boy to half his original distance from the fulcrum.
- Move the girl to double her original distance from the fulcrum.
- Allow a second girl of mass m to join the first.
- Move the fulcrum to half its original distance from the boy.


Question: When hot water is poured into a beaker containing cold alcohol, the temperature of the mixture will eventually reach the same temperature. Considering the scale of the size of the molecules of the fluids, which of the following is the primary reason for this phenomenon?

Choices:
- The high temperature water will rise to the top of the container until it has cooled and then mixes with the alcohol.
- The molecules of the water continue to have a higher kinetic energy than the molecules of the alcohol, but the two liquids mix until the energy is spread evenly throughout the container.
- The hot water produces thermal radiation that is absorbed by the cold alcohol until the kinetic energy of all the molecules is the same.
- The water molecules collide with the alcohol molecules, transferring energy until the average kinetic energy of both the water and alcohol molecules are the same.


Question: A solid sphere (I = 0.06 kg·m^2) spins freely around an axis through its center at an angular speed of 20 rad/s. It is desired to bring the sphere to rest by applying a friction force of magnitude 2.0 N to the sphere’s outer surface, a distance of 0.30 m from the sphere’s center. How much time will it take the sphere to come to rest?

Choices:
- 4 s
- 2 s
- 0.06 s
- 0.03 s


Question: The radius of Mars is about half that of Earth; the mass of Mars is about one-tenth that of Earth. Which of the following is closest to the gravitational field at the surface of Mars?

Choices:
- 10 N/kg
- 4 N/kg
- 2 N/kg
- 0.5 N/kg


Question: Above an infinitely large plane carrying charge density σ, the electric field points up and is equal to σ/2εo. What is the magnitude and direction of the electric field below the plane?

Choices:
- σ/2εo, down
- σ/2εo, up
- σ/εo, down
- σ/εo, up


Question: A beam of electrons has speed 10^7 m/s. It is desired to use the magnetic field of the Earth, 5 × 10−5 T, to bend the electron beam into a circle. What will be the radius of this circle?

Choices:
- 1 nm
- 1 μm
- 1 mm
- 1 m


Question: An object is placed 100 cm from a plane mirror. How far is the image from the object?

Choices:
- 50 cm
- 100 cm
- 200 cm
- 300 cm


Question: A horse is attached to a cart that is at rest behind it. Which force, or combination of forces, explains how the horse-cart system can accelerate from rest?

Choices:
- The forward static friction force of the ground on the horse is greater than any friction forces acting backward on the cart, providing a forward acceleration.
- The forward force of the horse on the cart is greater than the backward force of the cart on the horse, providing a forward acceleration.
- The force of the horse’s muscles on the rest of the horse-cart system provides the necessary acceleration.
- The upward normal force of the ground on the horse is greater than the horse’s weight, providing an upward acceleration.


Question: In a certain region, the electric field varies with the radius away from origin by the equation Er = –6r^2 + 4r + 3, where r is given in meters and E in N/C. The potential difference between the origin and the point (3, 4) is

Choices:
- –165 V
- –120 V
- 64 V
- 185 V


Question: A gas undergoes an expansion-compression cycle. If, plotted on a P-V diagram, the cycle is counterclockwise and the work is 300 J in magnitude, what was the heat transfer during this cycle?

Choices:
- 300 J into the system
- 300 J out of the system
- 600 J into the system
- 600 J out of the system


Question: An ideal battery of constant voltage V supplies current to a circuit that has total resistance R. If R is doubled, what will happen to the total power dissipated by the circuit?

Choices:
- It will double.
- It will quadruple.
- It will be halved.
- It will remain the same.


Question: Ultraviolet light has a wavelength of about 6 × 10^-8 m. What is the frequency of this light?

Choices:
- 5 × 10^15 Hz
- 0.5 Hz
- 2 Hz
- 20 Hz


Question: Each of the following ionized isotopes is projected with the same speed into a uniform magnetic field B such that the isotope's initial velocity is perpendicular to B. Which combination of mass and charge would result in a circular path with the largest radius?

Choices:
- m = 16 u, q = –5 e
- m = 17 u, q = –4 e
- m = 18 u, q = –3 e
- m = 20 u, q = –1 e


Question: An electric dipole consists of a pair of equal but opposite point charges of magnitude 4.0 nC separated by a distance of 2.0 cm. What is the electric field strength at the point midway between the charges?

Choices:
- 0
- 9.0 × 10^4 N/C
- 1.8 × 10^5 N/C
- 7.2 × 10^5 N/C


Question: A person can stand outside on a cold day for hours without ill effect, but falling into a cold lake can kill a person in a matter of minutes. Which of the following is the primary reason for this phenomenon?

Choices:
- The molecules of the person are, on average, moving faster than those of the surroundings.
- Thermal energy moves from high concentration areas (hot) to low concentration areas (cold).
- As heat flows out of the person and warms the fluid surrounding the person, the warmer fluid rises, allowing fresh cool fluid to come in contact with the person and increasing the rate of heat transfer.
- Water has more molecules per volume than air, increasing molecular contact with the person.


Question: A liquid flows at a constant flow rate through a pipe with circular cross-sections of varying diameters. At one point in the pipe, the diameter is 2 cm and the flow speed is 18 m/s. What is the flow speed at another point in this pipe, where the diameter is 3 cm?

Choices:
- 4 m/s
- 6 m/s
- 8 m/s
- 12 m/s


Question: An ideal fluid flows through a pipe with radius Q and flow speed V. If the pipe splits up into three separate paths, each with radius (Q/2), what is the flow speed through each of the paths?

Choices:
- 1/3 V
- 2/3 V
- 4/3 V
- 4V


Question: A very slow-moving positron interacts with a stationary electron. Which of the following statements correctly describes a possible outcome of this reaction and why it would occur?

Choices:
- Conservation of mass indicates that if a single new particle were created in the reaction, it must have a total mass equal to the combined masses of the electron and positron.
- Conservation of charge indicates that all new particles created in the reaction would have no electric charge.
- Conservation of momentum indicates that two identical gamma rays moving off in opposite directions could be created.
- Conservation of energy indicates that the antimatter positron could annihilate into energy, leaving the stationary electron behind.


Question: A box sits on an inclined plane without sliding. As the angle of the plane (measured from the horizontal) increases, the normal force

Choices:
- increases linearly
- decreases linearly
- does not change
- decreases nonlinearly


Question: A small cart of mass m is initially at rest. It collides elastically with a large cart of mass 4m and velocity v. The large cart loses half its kinetic energy to the little cart. The little cart now has a velocity of

Choices:
- 1.41v
- v
- 2v
- 4v


Question: A circuit consists of a battery and a light bulb. At first, the circuit is disconnected. Then, the circuit is connected, and the light bulb lights. After the light bulb has been lit for a few moments, how has the net charge residing on the circuit elements changed?

Choices:
- The net charge has become more positive.
- The net charge has become more negative.
- The net charge has not changed.
- Whether the net charge becomes more positive or more negative depends on the initial net charge residing on the circuit elements before the bulb was lit.


Question: If the force of gravity between the Moon and the Earth were to stop, which statement best describes the resulting motion of the moon?

Choices:
- It would continue rotating on its axis, and it would revolve around the Earth as usual.
- It would continue rotating on its axis, but it would stop revolving around the Earth.
- It would stop rotating on its axis, but it would revolve around the Earth as usual.
- It would stop rotating on its axis, and it would stop revolving around the Earth.


Question: A person stands on a scale in an elevator. He notices that the scale reading is less than his usual weight. Which of the following could possibly describe the motion of the elevator?

Choices:
- It is moving downward and slowing down.
- It is moving upward and slowing down.
- It is moving upward at a constant speed.
- It is moving downward at a constant speed.


Question:
A whiffle ball is tossed straight up, reaches a highest point, and falls back down. Air resistance is not negligible. Which of the following statements are true?
I. The ball’s speed is zero at the highest point.
II. The ball’s acceleration is zero at the highest point.
III. The ball takes a longer time to travel up to the highest point than to fall back down.

Choices:
- I only
- II only
- I & II only
- I & III only


Question: If L, M, and T denote the dimensions of length, mass, and time, respectively, what are the dimensions of impulse?

Choices:
- LM/T^3
- LM/T^2
- LM/T
- L^2M/T^2


Question: Traveling at an initial speed of 1.5 × 10^6 m/s, a proton enters a region of constant magnetic field of magnitude 1.5 T. If the proton's initial velocity vector makes an angle of 30° with the magnetic field, compute the proton's speed 4 s after entering the magnetic field.

Choices:
- 5.0 × 10^6 m/s
- 7.5 × 10^6 m/s
- 1.5 × 10^6 m/s
- 3.0 × 10^6 m/s


Question: A man stands on a platform scale in an elevator. The elevator moves upward, speeding up. What is the action-reaction force pair to the man’s weight?

Choices:
- The force of the elevator cable on the man
- The force of the man on the scale
- The force of the elevator cable on the elevator
- The force of the man on the Earth


Question: During an isothermal expansion, a confined ideal gas does 150 J of work against its surroundings. Which of the following describes the heat transfer during this process?

Choices:
- 150 J of heat was added to the gas.
- 150 J of heat was removed from the gas.
- 300 J of heat was added to the gas.
- 300 J of heat was removed from the gas.


Question: An object carries a charge of –1 C. How many excess electrons does it contain?

Choices:
- 6.25 × 10^18
- 8.00 × 10^18
- 1.60 × 10^19
- 3.20 × 10^19


Question: A guitar string creates a sound wave of known frequency. Which of the following describes a correct and practical method of measuring the wavelength of the sound wave with a meterstick?

Choices:
- Lightly touch the guitar string in the middle such that a single node is created. Measure the length of the string; this is the wavelength.
- Measure the length of the guitar string; this is half the wavelength.
- Adjust the length of a pipe placed near the string so that resonances are heard. Measure the difference between the pipe lengths for consecutive resonances; this is half the wavelength.
- Measure the peak-to-peak distance of the wave as it passes; this is the wavelength.


Question: Which of the following statements about images is true?

Choices:
- Images produced by concave lenses are always real.
- Images produced by concave mirros are always real.
- Images produced by convex lenses can be both real and virtual.
- Images produced by convex mirrors can be both real and virtual.


Question: Pretend someone actually managed to dig a hole straight through the center of the Earth all the way to the other side. If an object were dropped down that hole, which of the following would best describe its motion? Assume ideal conditions and that the object cannot be destroyed.

Choices:
- It would fall to the center of the Earth and stop there.
- It would fall through the hole to the other side, continue past the opposite side’s opening, and fly into space.
- It would oscillate back and forth from one opening to the other indefinitely.
- It would fall to the other side and stop there.


Question: A horizontal spring-block oscillator is in motion when a second block of equal mass falls on top of the oscillating block. If the two blocks stick together, what effect will this have on the amplitude of the oscillations?

Choices:
- It will increase the amplitude.
- It will decrease the amplitude.
- It will have no effect.
- It would depend on where the original block was in its cycle when the second block fell.


Question: In which of the following situations involving a source of sound and a detector of the sound is it possible that there is NO perceived Doppler shift?

Choices:
- The source travels toward the stationary detector.
- The detector travels toward the stationary source.
- Both the source and detector travel in the same direction.
- Both the source and detector travel in opposite directions, with the source and detector moving away from each other.


Question: A solid plastic cube with uniform density (side length = 0.5 m) of mass 100 kg is placed in a vat of fluid whose density is 1200 kg/m^3. What fraction of the cube's volume floats above the surface of the fluid?

Choices:
- 1.0/9
- 1.0/3
- 2.0/3
- 4.0/5


Question: A person standing on a horizontal floor is acted upon by two forces: the downward pull of gravity and the upward normal force of the floor. These two forces

Choices:
- have equal magnitudes and form an action-reaction pair
- have equal magnitudes and do not form an action-reaction pair
- have unequal magnitudes and form an action-reaction pair
- have unequal magnitudes and do not form an action-reaction pair


Question: A particle of mass m and charge Q and velocity V is directed toward a uniform electric field of strength E and travels a distance d. How far does the particle travel if the original velocity is doubled and the mass is cut in half?

Choices:
- 4d
- 2d
- d
- 1/2d


Question: An object of mass m1 experiences a linear, elastic collision with a stationary object of unknown mass. In addition to m1, what is the minimum necessary information that would allow you to determine the mass of the second object?

Choices:
- The final speed of object 1
- The initial speed of object 1
- The final speed of object 2
- Any 2 of the above values


Question: In an experiment designed to study the photoelectric effect, it is observed that low-intensity visible light of wavelength 550 nm produced no photoelectrons. Which of the following best describes what would occur if the intensity of this light were increased dramatically?

Choices:
- Almost immediately, photoelectrons would be produced with a kinetic energy equal to the energy of the incident photons.
- Almost immediately, photoelectrons would be produced with a kinetic energy equal to the energy of the incident photons minus the work function of the metal.
- After several seconds, necessary for the electrons to absorb sufficient energy from the incident light, photoelectrons would be produced with a kinetic energy equal to the energy of the incident photons minus the work function of the metal.
- Nothing would happen.


Question: Two traveling waves of equal frequency, one of amplitude 4 cm and the other of amplitude 6 cm, superimpose in a single medium. Which of the following best describes the displacement, D, of the resultant wave?

Choices:
- 2 cm ≤ D ≤ 10 cm
- D = 5 cm
- D = 10 cm
- 10 cm ≤ D ≤ 12 cm


Question: In Collision A, two carts collide and bounce off each other. In Collision B, a ball sticks to a rigid rod, which begins to rotate about the combined center of mass. Which of the following statements about quantities in each collision is correct?

Choices:
- Collision A: each cart experiences the same force, time of collision, and change in kinetic energy. Collision B: the ball and the rod each experience the same torque, time of collision, and change in rotational kinetic energy.
- Collision A: each cart experiences the same force, time of collision, and change in linear momentum. Collision B: the ball and the rod each experience the same torque, time of collision, and change in angular momentum.
- Collision A: each cart experiences the same force, time of collision, and change in kinetic energy. Collision B: the ball and the rod each experience the same torque, time of collision, and change in angular momentum.
- Collision A: each cart experiences the same force, time of collision, and change in velocity. Collision B: the ball and the rod each experience the same torque, time of collision, and change in angular velocity


Question: An object of mass 2 kg is acted upon by three external forces, each of magnitude 4 N. Which of the following could NOT be the resulting acceleration of the object?

Choices:
- 0 m/s^2
- 2 m/s^2
- 4 m/s^2
- 8 m/s^2


Question: Spring scales are used to measure the net force applied to an object; a sonic motion detector is used to measure the object’s resulting acceleration. A graph is constructed with the net force on the vertical axis and the acceleration on the horizontal axis. Which of the following quantities is directly measured using the slope of this graph?

Choices:
- Gravitational mass
- Weight
- Velocity
- Inertial mass


Question: A wooden block experiences a frictional force, f, as it slides across a table. If a block of the same material with half the height and twice the length were to slide across the table, what would be the frictional force it experienced?

Choices:
- (1/2)f
- f
- 2f
- 4f


Question: An object is placed 10 cm in front of a diverging mirror. What is the focal length of the mirror if the image appears 2 cm behind the mirror?

Choices:
- -3/5 cm
- -5/3 cm
- -2/5 cm
- -5/2 cm


Question: A body moving in the positive x direction passes the origin at time t = 0. Between t = 0 and t = 1 second, the body has a constant speed of 24 meters per second. At t = 1 second, the body is given a constant acceleration of 6 meters per second squared in the negative x direction. The position x of the body at t = 11 seconds is

Choices:
- 99m
- 36m
- -36m
- -99m


Question: A fluid of density ρ flows through a horizontal pipe with negligible viscosity. The flow is streamlined with constant flow rate. The diameter of the pipe at Point 1 is d and the flow speed is V. If the diameter of the pipe at Point 2 is d/3, then the pressure at Point 2 is

Choices:
- less than the pressure at Point 1 by 4 ρv^2
- less than the pressure at Point 1 by 40 ρv^2
- more than the pressure at Point 1 by 4 ρv^2
- more than the pressure at Point 1 by 40 ρv^2


Question: In a spring-block oscillator, the maximum speed of the block is

Choices:
- proportional to amplitude
- proportional to the square of amplitude
- proportional to the square root of amplitude
- inversely proportional to the square root of amplitude


Question: The weight of a box on the Earth is 80 N. What is the weight of the box on the moon if the moon has 1/80th the mass and 1/4th the radius of the Earth?

Choices:
- 1 N
- 10 N
- 16 N
- 20 N


Question: A textbook weighs 30 N at sea level. Earth’s radius is 6,400 km. Which of the following is the best estimate of the textbook’s weight on a mountain peak located 6,000 m above sea level?

Choices:
- 60 N
- 15 N
- 30 N
- 7.5 N


Question: Which of the following correctly describes the motion of a real object in free fall? Assume that the object experiences drag force proportional to speed and that it strikes the ground before reaching terminal sped.

Choices:
- It will fall with increasing speed and increasing acceleration.
- It will fall with increasing speed and decreasing acceleration.
- It will fall with decreasing speed and increasing acceleration.
- It will fall with decreasing speed and decreasing acceleration.


Question: A bi-convex lens has a radius of curvature of magnitude 20 cm. Which of the following best describes the image formed of an object of height 2 cm placed 30 cm from the lens?

Choices:
- Real, inverted, height = 1 cm
- Virtual, upright, height = 0.25 cm
- Real, upright, height = 1 cm
- Virtual, inverted, height = 0.25 cm


Question: Two spheres of net charge +5e and -6e briefly come into contact. Afterward, which of the following is a possible combination of net charges for the two spheres?

Choices:
- +3e and -4e
- +1.5e and -2.5e
- Both of the above
- None of the above


Question: The circumference of a helium-filled balloon is measured for three different conditions: at room temperature, after being in a warm oven for 30 minutes, and after being in a freezer for 30 minutes. A student plotting the circumference cubed C^3 as a function of temperature T, should expect to find which of the following?

Choices:
- a cubic relationship between C^3 and T
- an indirect relationship between C^3 and T
- an extrapolated temperature T where C^3 reaches zero
- a maximum C^3 as the temperature T increases


Question: The charge on an oil drop is measured in the laboratory. Which of the following measurements should be rejected as highly unlikely to be correct?

Choices:
- 6.4 × 10^-19 C
- 8.0 × 10^-19 C
- 4.8 × 10^-19 C
- 2.4 × 10^-19 C


Question: Traveling at an initial speed of 1.5 × 10^6 m/s, a proton enters a region of constant magnetic field, B, of magnitude 1.0 T. If the proton's initial velocity vector makes an angle of 30° with the direction of B, compute the proton's speed 4 s after entering the magnetic field.

Choices:
- 5.0 × 10^5 m/s
- 7.5 × 10^5 m/s
- 1.5 × 10^6 m/s
- 3.0 × 10^6 m/s


Question: Which of the following changes to a circuit will always bring about an increase in the current?

Choices:
- Increased voltage and increased resistance
- Decreased voltage and decreased resistance
- Increased voltage and decreased resistance
- Decreased voltage and increased resistance


Question: Which of the following concerning uniform circular motion is true?

Choices:
- The centrifugal force is the action-reaction pair of the centripetal force.
- The centripetal acceleration and velocity point in the same direction.
- The velocity of the object in motion changes whereas the acceleration of the object is constant.
- A satellite undergoing uniform circular motion is falling toward the center in a circular path.


Question: It is known that a lab cart is moving east at 25 cm/s at time t1 = 0.10 s, and then moving east at 15 cm/s at t2 = 0.20 s. Is this enough information to determine the direction of the net force acting on the cart between t1 and t2?

Choices:
- Yes, since we know the cart is slowing down, its momentum change is opposite the direction of movement, and the net force is in the direction of momentum change.
- No, because we don’t know whether forces such as friction or air resistance might be acting on the cart.
- No, because we don’t know the mass of the cart.
- Yes, since we know the cart keeps moving to the east, the net force must be in the direction of motion.


Question: An elevator is rising. In order to determine the tension in the cables pulling it, which values (for the elevator) would you need to know?

Choices:
- Mass, velocity, height, and acceleration
- Mass, velocity, and acceleration
- Mass and velocity
- Mass and acceleration


Question: If two non-zero vectors are added together, and the resultant vector is zero, what must be true of the two vectors?

Choices:
- They have equal magnitude and are pointed in the same direction.
- They have equal magnitude and are pointed in opposite directions.
- They have different magnitudes and are pointed in opposite directions.
- It is not possible for the sum of two non-zero vectors to be zero.


Question: A proton enters a solenoid. Upon entry, the proton is moving in a straight line along the axis of the solenoid. Which of the following is a correct description of the proton’s motion within the solenoid?

Choices:
- The proton will be bent in a parabolic path.
- The proton will be bent in a circular path.
- The proton will continue in its straight path at constant velocity.
- The proton will continue in its straight path and slow down.


Question: A sound wave with frequency f travels through air at speed v. With what speed will a sound wave with frequency 4f travel through the air?

Choices:
- v/4
- v
- 2v
- 4v


Question: Under what conditions is the net electric flux through a closed surface proportional to the enclosed charge?

Choices:
- under any conditions
- only when the enclosed charge is symmetrically distributed
- only when all nearby charges are symmetrically distributed
- only when there are no charges outside the surface


Question: A beam of monochromatic light entering a glass window pane from the air will experience a change in

Choices:
- frequency and wavelength
- speed and wavelength
- speed only
- wavelength only


Question: Data is collected in an experiment preformed on an ideal gas. In the experiment, temperature (in K) is the independent variable and volume (in m^3) is the dependent variable. If a plot is produced where the dependent variable is on the vertical axis, which of the following is true about the slope and y-intercept of the graph?

Choices:
- The slope will be linearly proportional to the pressure of the gas and the intercept will be 0 m^3.
- The slope will be inversely proportional to the pressure of the gas and the intercept will be 0 m^3.
- The slope will be linearly proportional to the pressure of the gas and the intercept will not be 0 m^3.
- The slope will be inversely proportional to the pressure of the gas and the intercept will not be 0 m^3.


Question: A toy car and a toy truck collide. If the toy truck’s mass is double the toy car’s mass, then, compared to the acceleration of the truck, the acceleration of the car during the collision will be

Choices:
- double the magnitude and in the same direction
- double the magnitude and in the opposite direction
- half the magnitude and in the same direction
- half the magnitude and in the opposite direction


Question: A sphere, a cube, and a cylinder, all of equal mass, are released from rest from the top of a short incline. The surface of the incline is extremely slick, so much so that the objects do not rotate when released, but rather slide with negligible friction. Which reaches the base of the incline first?

Choices:
- the sphere
- the cube
- the cylinder
- All reach the base at the same time.


Question: A car starts from rest and uniformly accelerates to a final speed of 20.0 m/s in a time of 15.0 s. How far does the car travel during this time?

Choices:
- 150 m
- 300 m
- 450 m
- 600 m


Question: At what angle to the horizontal should an ideal projectile be launched so that its horizontal displacement (the range) is equal to its maximum vertical displacement?

Choices:
- sin–1 (1/g)
- cos–1 (1/g)
- 45°
- tan–1 4


Question: A cannon is mounted on a truck that moves forward at a speed of 5 m/s. The operator wants to launch a ball from a cannon so the ball goes as far as possible before hitting the level surface. The muzzle velocity of the cannon is 50 m/s. At what angle from the horizontal should the operator point the cannon?

Choices:
- 5°
- 41°
- 45°
- 49°


Question: Two charged, massive particles are isolated from all influence except those between the particles. They have charge and mass such that the net force between them is 0 N. Which of the following is NOT true?

Choices:
- The particles must have the same sign of charge.
- If the distance between the particles changes, the force will no longer be 0 N.
- The particles must have the same mass.
- Such a situation is impossible as the net force between the two particles cannot be 0.


Question: Which one of the following statements is true concerning the motion of an ideal projectile launched at an angle of 45° to the horizontal?

Choices:
- The acceleration vector points opposite to the velocity vector on the way up and in the same direction as the velocity vector on the way down.
- The speed at the top of the trajectory is zero.
- The object's total speed remains constant during the entire flight.
- The vertical speed decreases on the way up and increases on the way down.


Question: Two electrically charged balls are separated by a short distance, producing a force of 50 μN between them. Keeping the charge of each ball the same, the mass of one of the balls but not the other is doubled. What is the new electric force between the balls?

Choices:
- 50 μN
- 100 μN
- 200 μN
- 400 μN


Question: A moving 1.5-kg cart collides with and sticks to a 0.5-kg cart which was initially at rest. Immediately after the collision, the carts each have the same ______ as each other.

Choices:
- Velocity
- Kinetic energy
- Mass
- Linear momentum


Question: A rock is dropped off a cliff and strikes the ground with an impact velocity of 30 m/s. How high was the cliff?

Choices:
- 20 m
- 30 m
- 45 m
- 60 m


Question: A car moving with speed v reaches the foot of an incline of angle θ. The car coasts up the incline without using the engine. Neglecting friction and air resistance, which of the following is correct about the magnitude of the car’s horizontal acceleration ax and vertical acceleration ay?

Choices:
- ax = 0; ay < g
- ax = 0; ay = g
- ax < g; ay < g
- ax < g; ay = g


Question: Which of the following would increase the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor?

Choices:
- Using smaller plates
- Replacing the dielectric material between the plates with one that has a smaller dielectric constant
- Decreasing the voltage between the plates
- Moving the plates closer together


Question: A man stands with his hands to his sides on a frictionless platform that is rotating. Which of the following could change the angular momentum of the man-platform system?

Choices:
- The man catches a baseball thrown to him by a friend.
- The man thrusts his arms out away from his body
- The man thrusts his arms out away from his body, and then quickly brings his arms back to his side again.
- The man jumps straight up in the air and lands back on the platform.


Question: A cylinder with a movable piston contains a gas at pressure P = 1 × 10^5 Pa, volume V = 20 cm^3, and temperature T = 273 K. The piston is moved downward in a slow steady fashion allowing heat to escape the gas and the temperature to remain constant. If the final volume of the gas is 5 cm^3, what will be the resulting pressure?

Choices:
- 0.25 × 10^5 Pa
- 2 × 10^5 Pa
- 4 × 10^5 Pa
- 8 × 10^5 Pa


Question: Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation has the longest wavelength?

Choices:
- Gamma rays
- Ultraviolet
- Blue light
- Orange light


Question: An electric motor has a label on it that reads: Input: 120V AC, 1.0 Amps, 60 Hz - Efficiency - 75%. At what constant speed can the motor lift up a 6 kg mass?

Choices:
- 0.5 m/s
- 1.0 m/s
- 1.5 m/s
- 2.0 m/s


Question: A convex lens of focal length f = 0.2 m is used to examine a small coin lying on a table. During the examination, the lens is held a distance 0.3 m above the coin and is moved slowly to a distance of 0.1 m above the coin. During this process, what happens to the image of the coin?

Choices:
- The image continually increases in size.
- The image continually decreases in size.
- The image gets smaller at first and then bigger in size.
- The image flips over.


Question: The Space Shuttle orbits 300 km above Earth’s surface; Earth’s radius is 6,400 km. What is the gravitational acceleration experienced by the Space Shuttle?

Choices:
- Zero
- 4.9 m/s^2
- 9.8 m/s^2
- 8.9 m/s^2


Question: An astronaut lands on a planet whose mass and radius are each twice that of Earth. If the astronaut weighs 800 N on Earth, how much will he weigh on this planet?

Choices:
- 200 N
- 400 N
- 800 N
- 1600 N


Question: Two people, one of mass 100 kg and the other of mass 50 kg, stand facing each other on an ice-covered (essentially frictionless) pond. If the heavier person pushes on the lighter one with a force F, then

Choices:
- the force felt by the heavier person is (-1/2)F
- the force felt by the person is -2F
- the magnitude of the acceleration of the lighter person will be half of the magnitude of the acceleration of the heavier person
- the magnitude of the acceleration of the lighter person will be twice the magnitude of the acceleration of the heavier person


Question: A 30 mF capacitor has 6 millicoulombs of charge on each plate. The energy stored in the capacitor is most nearly

Choices:
- 5.4 × 10–10 J
- 9.0 × 10–8 J
- 0.6 J
- 12.5 J


Question: Which configuration of battery and resistors will create a circuit with the greatest current?

Choices:
- A high voltage battery with resistors arranged in series
- A high voltage battery with resistors arranged in parallel
- A low voltage battery with resistors arranged in series
- A low voltage battery with resistors arranged in parallel


Question: A rubber ball (mass = 0.08 kg) is dropped from a height of 3.2 m, and after bouncing off the floor, rises almost to its original height. If the impact time with the floor is measured to be 0.04 s, what average force did the floor exert on the ball?

Choices:
- 0.16 N
- 0.16 N
- 0.32 N
- 0.36 N


Question: Two objects, a sphere and a block of the same mass, are released from rest at the top of an inclined plane. The sphere rolls down the inclined plane without slipping. The block slides down the plane without friction. Which object reaches the bottom of the ramp first?

Choices:
- The sphere, because it gains rotational kinetic energy, but the block does not
- The sphere, because it gains mechanical energy due to the torque exerted on it, but the block does not
- The block, because it does not lose mechanical energy due to friction, but the sphere does
- The block, because it does not gain rotational kinetic energy, but the sphere does


Question: Which of the following changes to a double-slit interference experiment would increase the widths of the fringes in the interference pattern that appears on the screen?

Choices:
- Use light of a shorter wavelength.
- Move the screen closer to the slits.
- Move the slits closer together.
- Use light with a lower wave speed.


Question: A stone is thrown vertically upward with an initial speed of 5 m/s. What is the velocity of the stone 3 seconds later?

Choices:
- 25 m/s, upward
- 25 m/s, downward
- 35 m/s, upward
- 35 m/s, downward


Question: A particle is subjected to a conservative force whose potential energy function is U(x) = (x – 2)3 – 12x where U is given in joules when x is measured in meters. Which of the following represents a position of stable equilibrium?

Choices:
- x = –4
- x = –2
- x = 0
- x = 4


Question: An electron (mass = m, charge = -E) is rotated with speed V upwards, in the plane of the page, into a region containing a uniform magnetic field B, that is directed into the plane of the page. Describe the electron's subsequent circular motion.

Choices:
- Clockwise rotation; radius of path = mv/(eB)
- Counterclockwise rotation; radius of path = mv/(eB)
- Clockwise rotation; radius of path = eB/(mv)
- Counterclockwise rotation; radius of path = eB/(mv)


Question: A ball of mass is attached to a string connected to the ceiling, forming a pendulum. When the string is raised to an angle of 50 degrees below the horizontal (the ceiling) and released, the ball swings back and forth with a period of 0.4 s. Which of the following changes to the pendulum would decrease the period of the pendulum?

Choices:
- Increasing the mass of the ball
- Decreasing the length of the string
- Decreasing the angle of the string from the horizontal when released
- Decreasing the mass of the ball


Question: What happens to the image formed by a concave mirror as the object is moved from far away to near the focal point?

Choices:
- The image moves away from the mirror and gets shorter.
- The image moves away from the mirror and gets taller.
- The image moves toward the mirror and gets shorter.
- The image moves toward the mirror and gets taller.


Question: A disk of radius 0.1 m initially at rest undergoes an angular acceleration of 2.0 rad/s^2. If the disk only rotates, find the total distance traveled by a point on the rim of the disk in 4.0 s.

Choices:
- 0.4 m
- 0.8 m
- 1.2 m
- 1.6 m


Question: A stone is thrown horizontally with an initial speed of 10 m/s from a bridge. Assuming that air resistance is negligible, how long would it take the stone to strike the water 80 m below the bridge?

Choices:
- 1 s
- 2 s
- 4 s
- 8 s


Question: Which of the following statements about electric and magnetic fields is FALSE:

Choices:
- A charge moving along the direction of an electric field will experience a force, but a charge moving along the direction of a magnetic field will not experience a force.
- All charges experience a force in an electric field, but only moving charges can experience a force in a magnetic field.
- A positive charge moves in the direction of an electric field; a positive charge moves perpendicular to a magnetic field.
- All moving charges experience a force parallel to an electric field and perpendicular to a magnetic field.


Question: The Space Shuttle orbits 300 km above the Earth’s surface; the Earth’s radius is 6400 km. What is the acceleration due to Earth’s gravity experienced by the Space Shuttle?

Choices:
- 4.9 m/s^2
- 8.9 m/s^2
- 9.8 m/s^2
- 10.8 m/s^2


Question: A confined ideal gas undergoes a cyclical process in three steps—an isobaric step, followed by an isochoric step, followed by an isothermal step. Which of the following must be true?

Choices:
- The change in internal energy of the gas is equal to the work done during the isobaric step.
- The change in internal energy of the gas is equal to the work done during the isobaric step minus the work done during the isothermal step.
- The total work done during the cycle is positive.
- The total work done during the cycle is equal but opposite to the net amount of heat transferred.


Question: A sphere starts from rest atop a hill with a constant angle of inclination and is allowed to roll without slipping down the hill. What force provides the torque that causes the sphere to rotate?

Choices:
- Static friction
- Kinetic friction
- The normal force of the hill on the sphere
- Gravity


Question: A block is dragged along a table and experiences a frictional force, f, that opposes its movement. The force exerted on the block by the table is

Choices:
- zero
- parallel to the table
- perpendicular to the table
- neither parallel nor perpendicular to the table


Question: A table supports a wooden block placed on the tabletop. Which fundamental force of nature is responsible for this interaction, and why?

Choices:
- The electric force, because the protons in the nuclei of the top atomic layer of the table repel the nuclei in the bottom atomic layer of the wood.
- The gravitational force, because by F = GMm/r^2, the force of the table on the wood at that close range is sufficient to balance the force of the Earth on the wood.
- The electric force, because the outer electrons in the top atomic layer of the table repel the outer electrons in the bottom atomic layer of the wood.
- The strong nuclear force, because the protons in the nuclei of the top atomic layer of the table repel the nuclei in the bottom atomic layer of the wood.


Question: Which of the following is NOT equal to one tesla?

Choices:
- 1 J/(A*m^2)
- 1 kg/(C*s)
- 1 N/(A*m)
- 1 A*N/V


Question: A children’s toy consists of a cart whose very light wheels are attached to a rubber band. This rubber band can wind and unwind around the axle supporting the wheels. This toy is given a shove, after which the toy rolls across a flat surface and up a ramp. It is observed that the toy does not go a consistent distance up the ramp—in some trials it ends up higher than in other trials, even though the shove imparts the same kinetic energy to the cart each time. Which of the following is a reasonable explanation for this phenomenon?

Choices:
- Depending on how the rubber band is initially wound, more or less potential energy can be transferred from the rubber band to the kinetic energy of the car’s motion.
- The normal force on the cart’s wheels will be different depending on how much the rubber band winds or unwinds.
- How much energy is transferred from kinetic energy to gravitational potential energy depends on the vertical height at which the cart ends up.
- Some of the cart’s initial kinetic energy will be dissipated due to work done by friction.


Question: An object is released from rest and falls a distance h during the first second of time. How far will it fall during the next second of time?

Choices:
- h
- 2h
- 3h
- 4h


Question: Two ice skaters are moving on frictionless ice and are about to collide. The 50-kg skater is moving directly west at 4 m/s. The 75-kg skater is moving directly north at 2 m/s. After the collision they stick together. For this scenario, which of the following is true?

Choices:
- The linear momentum of the system is conserved because the net force on the system is nonzero during the collision.
- Only the kinetic energy of the system is conserved because it is an inelastic collision.
- Only the kinetic energy of the system is conserved because it is an elastic collision.
- The linear momentum of the system is conserved because the net force on the system is zero.


Question: The mass of the Earth is 5.97 × 10^24 kg. The Moon, whose center is 3.84 × 10^8 m from the Earth’s center, has mass 7.35 × 10^22 kg. Which of the following is the best estimate of the gravitational force of the Earth on the Moon?

Choices:
- 10^39 N
- 10^29 N
- 10^19 N
- 10^9 N


Question: An object of volume 2 × 10^-3 m^3 and weight 6 N is placed into a tank of water, where it floats. What percentage of the object's volume is above the surface of the water?

Choices:
- 12%
- 30%
- 60%
- 70%


Question: The position of an object is given by the equations x = 2.0t^3 + 4.0t + 6.25, where x is in meters and t is in seconds. What is the acceleration of the object at t = 1.50 s?

Choices:
- 6 m/s^2
- 12 m/s^2
- 18 m/s^2
- 24 m/s^2


Question: A man stands in an elevator as it begins to ascend. Does the normal force from the floor do work on the man?

Choices:
- Yes, and the work done will be positive.
- Yes, and the work done will be negative.
- Yes, but the sign can’t be determined.
- No.


Question: How long would it take a car, starting from rest and accelerating uniformly in a straight line at 5 m/s^2, to cover a distance of 200 m ?

Choices:
- 9.0 s
- 10.5 s
- 12.0 s
- 15.5 s


Question: Which of the following conditions are necessary for an object to be in static equilibrium? I. The vector sum of all torques on the object must equal zero. II. The vector sum of all forces on the object must equal zero. III. The sum of the object’s potential and kinetic energies must be zero.

Choices:
- I only
- II only
- III only
- I and II only


Question: A student pushes a puck across a table, moving it from position x = 0 to position x = 0.2 m. After he lets go, the puck continues to travel across the table, coming to rest at position x = 1.2 m. When the puck is at position x = 1.0 m, which of the following is a correct assertion about the net force on the puck?

Choices:
- The net force is in the negative direction, because the puck is moving in the positive direction but slowing down.
- The net force is down, because the puck is near the Earth, where gravitational acceleration is 10 m/s^2 downward.
- The net force is in the positive direction, because the student’s push caused the puck to speed up in the positive direction.
- The net force is zero, because the student’s push in the positive direction must equal the force of friction in the negative direction.


Question: Experimenter A uses a very small test charge qo, and experimenter B uses a test charge 2qo to measure an electric field produced by two parallel plates. A finds a field that is

Choices:
- greater than the field found by B
- the same as the field found by B
- less than the field found by B
- either greater or less than the field found by B, depending on the accelerations of the test charges


Question: Two objects, A and B, have equal charge and equal mass. Neither body is in motion because the gravitational and electrostatic forces between them are equal. If the mass of Object A is halved, equilibrium will be maintained if

Choices:
- the charge on Object A were doubled
- the charge on Object B were halved
- the charge on Object B were doubled
- the mass on Object B were halved


Question: A 2 μF capacitor is connected directly to a battery. When the capacitor is fully charged, it stores 600 μC of charge. An experimenter replaces the 2 μF capacitor with three 18 μF capacitors in series connected to the same battery. Once the capacitors are fully charged, what charge is stored on each capacitor?

Choices:
- 100 μC
- 200 μC
- 600 μC
- 1800 μC


Question: A particle's kinetic energy is changing at a rate of –6.0 J/s when its speed is 3.0 m/s. What is the magnitude of the force on the particle at this moment?

Choices:
- 0.5 N
- 2.0 N
- 4.5 N
- 9.0 N


Question: A car rounds a banked curve of uniform radius. Three forces act on the car: a friction force between the tires and the road, the normal force from the road, and the weight of the car. Which provides the centripetal force which keeps the car in circular motion?

Choices:
- the friction force alone
- the normal force alone
- the weight alone
- a combination of the normal force and the friction force


Question: A stone is thrown horizontally with an initial speed of 30 m/s from a bridge. Find the stone's total speed when it enters the water 4 seconds later, assuming that air resistance is negligible.

Choices:
- 30 m/s
- 40 m/s
- 50 m/s
- 60 m/s


Question: What happens to the force of gravitational attraction between two small objects if the mass of each object is doubled and the distance between their centers is doubled?

Choices:
- It is doubled.
- It is quadrupled.
- It is halved.
- It remains the same.


Question: How much current does a 60 W light bulb draw if it operates at a voltage of 120 V ?

Choices:
- 0.25 A
- 0.5 A
- 2:00 AM
- 4:00 AM


Question: What happens to the pressure, P, of an ideal gas if the temperature is increased by a factor of 2 and the volume is increased by a factor of 8 ?

Choices:
- P decreases by a factor of 16.
- P decreases by a factor of 4.
- P decreases by a factor of 2.
- P increases by a factor of 4.


Question: A beam of monochromatic light entering a glass window pane from the air will experience a change in

Choices:
- frequency and wavelength
- frequency and speed
- speed and wavelength
- speed only


Question: A rigid, solid container of constant volume holds an ideal gas of volume v1 and temperature T1 and pressure P1. The temperature is increased in an isochoric process. Which of the following is NOT true?

Choices:
- The average speed of the molecules increases.
- The pressure increases.
- The kinetic energy of the system increases.
- The volume increases.


Question: A string of fixed tension and linear mass density is attached to a vibrating speaker. It is observed that a speaker frequency of 60 Hz does not produce standing waves in the string. Which explanation for this phenomenon is correct?

Choices:
- The string length is not a multiple of half the wavelength of the wave.
- The wave speed on the string is fixed.
- 60 Hz is in the lowest range of audible sound.
- The wavelength of the wave produced by the speaker is equal to the speed of waves on the string divided by 60 Hz.


Question: A spherical charge distribution varies with the radius r by the equation ρ = ar, where ρ is the volume charge density and a is a positive constant. The distribution goes out to a radius R. Which of the following is true of the electric field strength due to this charge distribution at a distance r from the center?

Choices:
- It increases as r approaches infinity.
- It decreases linearly for r > R.
- It increases linearly for r > R.
- It increases non-linearly for r < R.


Question: An alarm whose frequency is 400 Hz is dropped out of a third-floor window. The student who drops it measures the frequency with a very sensitive oscilloscope. The measured frequency

Choices:
- appears higher than 400 Hz and the frequency increase as it falls
- appears higher than 400 Hz and the frequency decreases as it falls
- appears lower than 400 Hz and the frequency decreases as it falls
- appears lower than 400 Hz and the frequency increases as it falls


Question: Heat is added to a cylindrical aluminum rod of radius Q and length ℓ. The temperature difference between the two ends of the rod varies from 10°C to 20°C. What geometric factors will influence the rate heat is transferred along the rod?

Choices:
- Only the length
- Only the area of the rod
- Both the length and area
- Neither the length nor area


Question: Optometrists use a linear scale of lens power, measured in diopters, to prescribe corrective lenses. Sufferers of myopia, or nearsightedness, have difficulty resolving distant objects because the lenses in their eyes are too strong. If a myopic person has a prescription of -5 diopters, what image do her corrective lenses create for distant objects?

Choices:
- An upright, real image about 20 cm in front of her eyes
- An upright, virtual image about 20 cm in front of her eyes
- An inverted, real image about 20 cm behind her eyes
- An inverted, virtual image 5 cm behind her eyes


Question: A nonconducting sphere is given a nonzero net electric charge, +Q, and then brought close to a neutral conducting sphere of the same radius. Which of the following will be true?

Choices:
- An electric field will be induced within the conducting sphere.
- The conducting sphere will develop a net electric charge of –Q.
- The spheres will experience an electrostatic attraction.
- The spheres will experience an electrostatic repulsion.


Question: A charged particle moves through a magnetic field and experiences a force f. New particles are sent into the same magnetic field. If the new particles have twice the charge, twice the mass, and twice the velocity, the new force would be

Choices:
- 4F
- 2F
- F
- 1/2 F


Question: An electric dipole consists of a pair of equal but opposite point charges of magnitude 4.0 nC separated by a distance of 2.0 cm. What is the electric field strength at the point midway between the charges?

Choices:
- 0
- 9.0 × 10^4 V/m
- 1.8 × 10^5 V/m
- 7.2 × 10^5 V/m


Question: Two isolated particles, A and B, are 4 m apart. Particle A has a net charge of 2Q, and B has a net charge of Q. The ratio of the magnitude of the electric force on A to that on B is

Choices:
- 4:01
- 2:01
- 1:01
- 1:02


Question: A rock drops onto a pond with a smooth surface. A few moments later, the wave produced by the rock’s impact arrives at the shore, touching the ankles of a wading child. Which of the following observations provides evidence that the portion of the wave hitting the child’s ankles carries less energy than the wave did when it was first created by the rock’s impact?

Choices:
- The wave is moving more slowly.
- The wave pulse’s width has become greater.
- The wave pulse’s width has become smaller.
- The wave’s height has become smaller.


Question: Physics students are checking the constant acceleration equations of kinematics by measuring the velocity of a tennis ball that is dropped and falls 6 meters and then passes through a photogate. The predicted velocity is 20% above the velocity measured by the photogate. Which of the following best describes the cause of the large percent difference?

Choices:
- The ball changes its shape while falling.
- The acceleration of gravity varies as the ball is falling.
- Air resistance increases the acceleration of the ball.
- The acceleration of the balls varies with the velocity.


Question: Mercury orbits the sun in about one-fifth of an Earth year. If 1 AU is defined as the distance from the Earth to the sun, what is the approximate distance between Mercury and the sun?

Choices:
- (1/25) AU
- (1/9) AU
- (1/5) AU
- (1/3) AU


Question: The Gravitron is a carnival ride that looks like a large cylinder. People stand inside the cylinder against the wall as it begins to spin. Eventually, it is rotating fast enough that the floor can be removed without anyone falling. Given then the coefficient of friction between a person’s clothing and the wall is μ, the tangential speed is v, and the radius of the ride is R, what is greatest mass that a person can be to safely go on this ride?

Choices:
- μv^2/(rg)
- r^2v^2/(μg)
- rg/(μv^2)
- None of the above.


Question: An artificial satellite orbits Earth just above the atmosphere in a circle with constant speed. A small meteor collides with the satellite at point P in its orbit, increasing its speed by 1%, but not changing the instantaneous direction of the satellite’s velocity. Which of the following describes the satellite’s new orbit?

Choices:
- The satellite now orbits in an ellipse, with P as the farthest approach to Earth.
- The satellite now orbits in an ellipse, with P as the closest approach to Earth.
- The satellite now orbits in a circle of larger radius.
- The satellite now orbits in a circle of smaller radius.


Question: The quantum efficiency of a photon detector is 0.1. If 100 photons are sent into the detector, one after the other, the detector will detect photons

Choices:
- an average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 4
- an average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 3
- an average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 1
- an average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 0.1


Question: White light is normally incident on a puddle of water (index of refraction 1.33). A thin (500 nm) layer of oil (index of refraction 1.5) floats on the surface of the puddle. Of the following, the most strongly reflected wavelength is

Choices:
- 500 nm
- 550 nm
- 600 nm
- 650 nm


Question: Which of the following is true about any system that undergoes a reversible thermodynamic process?

Choices:
- There are no changes in the internal energy of the system.
- The temperature of the system remains constant during the process.
- The entropy of the system and its environment remains unchanged.
- The entropy of the system and its environment must increase.


Question: The best type of laser with which to do spectroscopy over a range of visible wavelengths is

Choices:
- a dye laser
- a helium-neon laser
- an excimer laser
- a ruby laser