Conceptual Physics Test 1

A baseball player bats a ball with a force of 1000 N. The reaction force that the ball exerts against the bat is A) 1000 N. B) impossible to determine. C) less than 1000 N. D) more than 1000 N.

A) 1000 N.

An object released from rest on another planet requires one second to fall a distance of 6 meters. What is the acceleration in meters per second per second due to gravity on this planet? A) 12 B) 15 C) 6 D) 3

A) 12

Twelve seconds after starting from rest, an object falling freely will have a speed of A) 120 m/s. B) 100 m/s. C) 10 m/s. D) 50 m/s

A) 120 m/s.

Once it is moving, a 300-kg bear grasping a vertical tree slides down at constant velocity. The friction force between the tree and the bear is A) 3000 N B) more than 3000 N. C) 300 N. D) 30 N

A) 3000 N

The scientist to first introduce the concept of inertia was A) Galileo. B) Newton. C) Aristotle. D) Copernicus

A) Galileo.

Which of the following is a scientific statement? A) The moon is made of rock. B) Matter is filled with undetectable particles C) There are parts of the universe that will never be found by man. D) There are things we will never know about.

A) The moon is made of rock.

A truck is moving at constant velocity. Inside the storage compartment, a rock is dropped from the midpoint of the ceiling and strikes the floor below. The rock hits the floor A) exactly below the midpoint of the ceiling. B) ahead of the midpoint of the ceiling. C) More information is needed to solve this problem. D) behind the midpoint of the ceiling.

A) exactly below the midpoint of the ceiling.

In science, an educated guess is a A) hypothesis. B) theory.

A) hypothesis.

For an action force, there must be a reaction force that A) is exactly equal in magnitude. B) is slightly larger in amplitude than the action force. C) always acts in the same direction. D) is slightly smaller in magnitude than the action force.

A) is exactly equal in magnitude.

When a rocket ship accelerating in outer space runs out of fuel, it A) no longer accelerates. B) accelerates for a short time, slows down, and eventually stops. C) accelerates for a short time, then slows down to a constant velocity.

A) no longer accelerates.

If a freely falling object were somehow equipped with a speedometer, its speed reading would increase each second by about A) 15 m/s. B) 10 m/s. C) a variable amount. D) depends on its initial speed E) 5 m/s.

B) 10 m/s.

A karate chop delivers a blow of 3000 N to a board that breaks. The force that acts on the hand during this event is A) zero. B) 3000 N. C) 1500 N. D) 6000 N.

B) 3000 N.

If an object's mass is decreasing while a constant force is applied to the object, the acceleration A) decreases. B) increases C) remains the same.

B) increases

While an object near the Earth's surface is in free fall, its A) mass increases. B) velocity increases. C) acceleration increases. D) mass decreases.

B) velocity increases.

A car maintains a constant velocity of 100 km/hr for 10 seconds. During this interval its acceleration is A) 110 km/hr. B) zero. C) 1000 km/hr. D) 10 km/hr

B) zero.

Compared to a 1-kg block of solid iron, a 2-kg block of solid iron has twice as much A) volume. B) inertia C) all of these D) none of these E) mass.

C) all of these

Which has the greater mass? A) neither - both have the same B) a king-size pillow C) an automobile battery

C) an automobile battery

An object's weight may properly be expressed in units of A) kilograms. B) meters. C) newtons. D) cubic centimeters.

C) newtons.

The two measurements necessary for calculating average speed are A) distance and acceleration B) velocity and distance. C) acceleration and time. D) velocity and time. E) distance and time.

E) distance and time.

A ride on a roller-coaster car containing 6 passengers takes 3 minutes. Neglecting friction, a similar ride with 12 passengers aboard would take A) 3 minutes. B) 12 minutes. C) 1.5 minutes. D) 6 minutes.

A) 3 minutes.

In science, a theory is A) a synthesis of a large body of well-tested knowledge. B) less than a fact. C) unchangeable. D) an educated guess.

A) a synthesis of a large body of well-tested knowledge.

An archer shoots an arrow. Consider the action force to be the bowstring against the arrow. The reaction to this force is the A) arrow's push against the bowstring. B) friction of the ground against the archer's feet. C) air resistance against the bow. D) grip of the archer's hand on the bow. E) combined weight of the arrow and bowstring.

A) arrow's push against the bowstring.

The safest way for you to view the sun is with A) pinhole images. B) a telescope C) binoculars. D) colored sunglasses.

A) pinhole images.

Galileo's use of inclined planes A) slowed down the acceleration of free fall. B) eliminated friction. C) increased the acceleration beyond that of free fall. D) eliminated the acceleration of free fall.

A) slowed down the acceleration of free fall.

An object is pulled northward by a force of 10 N and at the same time another force of 15 N pulls it southward. The magnitude of the resultant force on the object is A) 25 N. B) 5 N. C) 150 N. D) 0 N.

B) 5 N.

A person is attracted toward the center of Earth by a 500-N gravitational force. The Earth is attracted toward the person with a force of A) zero. B) 500 N. C) 250 N. D) 1000 N.

B) 500 N.

If a car increases its velocity from zero to 60 km/h in 10 seconds, its acceleration is A) 10 km/h/s. B) 6 km/h/s C) 60 km/h/s. D) 3 km/h/s. E) 600 km/h/s.

B) 6 km/h/s

The easiest way for you to measure the distance between the Earth and the moon is to place in your line of sight to the moon a A) string B) Coin C) a piece of cheese D) compass

B) Coin

Eratosthenes learned about the position of the sun on June 22 by A) setting up a stick at Syene. B) consulting library information. C) setting up sticks at both Syene and Alexandria. D) setting up a stick at Alexandria.

B) consulting library information.

If no external forces are acting on a moving object, it will A) move slower and slower until it finally stops. B) continue moving at the same velocity. C) continue moving at the same speed.

B) continue moving at the same velocity.

A player hits a ball with a bat. The action force is the impact of the bat against the ball. The reaction to this force is the A) weight of the bat. B) force that the ball exerts on the bat. C) air resistance on the ball. D) weight of the ball. E) grip of the player's hand against the ball.

B) force that the ball exerts on the bat.

A ball tossed vertically upward rises, reaches its highest point, and then falls back to its starting point. During this time the acceleration of the ball is always A) directed upward. B) in the direction of motion. C) opposite its velocity. D) directed downward.

B) in the direction of motion.

In which case would you have the largest mass of gold? If your chunk of gold weighed 1 N on the A) planet Jupiter B) moon. C) Earth.

B) moon.

An object at rest near the surface of a distant planet starts to fall freely. If the acceleration there is twice that of the Earth, its speed one second later would be A) 40 m/s. B) 10 m/s. C) 20 m/s D) 30 m/s.

C) 20 m/s

A man weighing 800 N stands at rest on two bathroom scales so that his weight is distributed evenly over both scales. The reading on each scale is A) 200 N B) 800 N. C) 400 N

C) 400 N

In science, a theory is A) less than a fact. B) an educated guess. C) a synthesis of a large body of well-tested knowledge. D) unchangeable.

C) a synthesis of a large body of well-tested knowledge.

When you stand at rest on a pair of bathroom scales, the readings on the scales will always A) each equal your entire weight. B) each be half your weight. C) add up to your total weight.

C) add up to your total weight.

Arnold Strongman and Suzie Small each pull very hard on opposite ends of a massless rope in a tug-of-war. The greater force ON THE ROPE is exerted by A) Suzie, surprisingly. B) Arnold, of course. C) both the same, interestingly enough.

C) both the same, interestingly enough.

Whirl a rock at the end of a string and it follows a circular path. If the string breaks, the tendency of the rock is to A) increase its speed. B) revolve in a smaller circle. C) follow a straight-line path. D) continue to follow a circular path.

C) follow a straight-line path.

Your weight is A) equal to your mass. B) all of these C) the gravitational attraction force between you and the Earth. D) a property of mechanical equilibrium.

C) the gravitational attraction force between you and the Earth.

Compared to the mass of a certain object on Earth, the mass of the same object on the moon is A) one sixth as much. B) six times as much. C) the same. D) zero.

C) the same.

A 10-kg brick and a 1-kg book are dropped in a vacuum on Earth. The force of gravity on the 10-kg brick is A) one-tenth as much. B) zero. C) the same as the force on the 1-kg book. D) 10 times as much.

D) 10 times as much.

The scientific method is most effective in A) making theories. B) discovering new things. C) performing experiments. D) gaining, organizing, and applying new knowledge. E) making hypotheses.

D) gaining, organizing, and applying new knowledge.

During each consecutive second of fall, the distance a freely falling object will fall is A) about 15 m. B) none of these C) about 10 m. D) increasing. E) about 5 m

D) increasing.

In science, theories A) mean very little B) are more important than facts C) are absolute D) may change

D) may change

As a ball falls, the action force is the pull of Earth on the ball. The reaction force is the A) acceleration of the ball. B) none of these C) air resistance acting against the ball. D) pull of the ball's mass on the Earth

D) pull of the ball's mass on the Earth

The statement, "There are regions beneath the Earth's crust that will always be beyond the reach of scientific investigation," is a A) theory B) fact. C) hypothesis D) speculation. E) scientific statement

D) speculation.

A sheet of paper can be withdrawn from under a container of milk without toppling it if the paper is jerked quickly. This best demonstrates that A) there is an action-reaction pair of forces. B) the milk carton has no acceleration. C) gravity tends to hold the milk carton secure. D) the milk carton has inertia.

D) the milk carton has inertia.

An apple falls from a tree and hits the ground 5 meters below. It hits the ground with a speed of about A) 20 m/s. B) 15 m/s. C) not enough information given to estimate D) 5 m/s. E) 10 m/s.

E) 10 m/s.

A player catches a ball. Consider the action force to be the impact of the ball against the player's glove. The reaction to this force is the A) none of these B) player's grip on the glove. C) friction of the ground against the player's shoes. D) muscular effort in the player's arms. E) force the glove exerts on the ball.

E) force the glove exerts on the ball.