Science Bowl Physics Questions
Who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909 with Guglielmo Marconi for his contribution to the development of wireless telegraphy?
ANSWER: (CARL FERDINAND) BRAUN
What is the name of the first American physicist to win two Nobel prizes?
ANSWER: (JOHN) BARDEEN
Name the female physicist who received the Nobel Prize in 1963 for her discovery concerning the shell structure of the nucleus.
ANSWER: (MARIA GOEPPERT) MAYER
Who first theoretically predicted the existence of the positron, a positively charged electron? He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933.
ANSWER: (PAUL ADRIEN MAURICE) DIRAC
A converging thin lens has a focal length of 27 centimeters. An object is placed 9 centimeters from the lens. Where is the image of this object formed?
ANSWER: -13.5 CENTIMETERS or 13.5 CENTIMETERS ON THE OBJECT SIDE OF THE LENS
Used normally, a 150-watt, 120 volt light bulb requires how many amps of current?
ANSWER: 1.25 AMPS
The frequency of a wave is 50 Hertz and its wavelength is 25 meters. What is the velocity of this wave?
ANSWER: 1250 METERS/SECOND
The focal length of a concave spherical mirror is equal to 1 meter. What is the radius of curvature of this mirror?
ANSWER: 2 METERS
The speed at which a wave propagates down a string is 300 meters per second. If the frequency of this wave is 150 Hertz, what is the wavelength of this wave?
ANSWER: 2 METERS
A toy train moves in a circle of 8 meters radius with a speed of 4 meters per second. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the train?
ANSWER: 2 METERS PER SECOND SQUARED
If 10 joules of energy are required to move 5 coulombs of charge between two points, the potential difference between the two points is equal to how many volts?
ANSWER: 2 VOLTS
A 10 farad capacitor is used in a circuit. The voltage difference between the plates of the capacitor is 20 volts. What is the magnitude of the charge on each of the capacitor's plates?
ANSWER: 200 COULOMBS
Assume a ray of light is incident on a smooth reflecting surface at an angle of incidence of 15 degrees to the normal. What is the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray?
ANSWER: 30 DEGREES
A 10 kilogram body initially moving with a velocity of 10 meters per second makes a head-on collision with a 15 kilogram body initially at rest. The two objects stick together. What is the velocity of the combined system just after the collision?
ANSWER: 4 METERS PER SECOND
A machine performs 8 Joules of work in 2 seconds. How much power is delivered by this machine?
ANSWER: 4 WATTS
A two farad and a four farad capacitor are connected in series. What single capacitance is "equivalent" to this combination?
ANSWER: 4/3 FARADS
A certain machine exerts a force of 200 newtons on a box whose mass is 30 kilograms. The machine moves the box a distance of 20 meters along a horizontal floor. What amount of work does the machine do on the box?
ANSWER: 4000 JOULES
A certain spring is known to obey Hooke's Law. If a force of 10 newtons stretches the spring 2 meters, how far will a 30 newton force stretch the spring?
ANSWER: 6 METERS
A helicopter is ascending vertically with a constant speed of 6 meters per second relative to the ground. At the instant the helicopter is 60 meters above the ground it releases a package. What is the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the package, relative to the ground, the instant the package is released by the helicopter?
ANSWER: 6 METERS/SECOND UP
The focal length of a concave mirror is 2 meters. An object is positioned 8 meters in front of the mirror. Where is the image of this object formed?
ANSWER: 8/3 METER or 2.66 METERS IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR
A quarter of a wavelength is equal to how many degrees of phase?
ANSWER: 90 DEGREES
A constant potential difference is applied across the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor. Neglecting any edge effects, the electric field inside the capacitor is: A. constant B. varying as one over r squared C. decreasing as one moves from the positive to the negative plate D.. zero
ANSWER: A - CONSTANT
As a pendulum is raised to higher altitudes, its period: A. increases B. decreases C. remains the same D. decreases, then remains the same
ANSWER: A - INCREASES
An electroscope charged WITHOUT contacting a charged body is charged by: A. induction B. conduction C. convection D. insulation
ANSWER: A - INDUCTION
The time needed for a net force of 10 newtons to change the velocity of a 5 kilograms mass by 3 meters/second is: A. 1.5 seconds B. 6 seconds C. 16.7 seconds D. 150 seconds
ANSWER: A -- 1.5 SECONDS
As a 10 kilogram mass on the end of a spring passes through its equilibrium position, the kinetic energy of the mass is 20 joules. The speed of the mass is: A. 2.0 meters per second B. 4.0 meters per second C. 5.0 meters per second D. 6.3 meters per second
ANSWER: A -- 2.0 METERS PER SECOND
As defined in physics, work is: A. a scalar quantity B. always a positive quantity C. a vector quantity D. always zero
ANSWER: A -- A SCALAR QUANTITY
To convert a galvanometer to a voltmeter, you should add a: A. high resistance in series B. high resistance in parallel C. low resistance in series D. low resistance in parallel
ANSWER: A -- HIGH RESISTANCE IN SERIES
The potential drop between the terminals of a battery is equal to the battery's EMF when: A. no current is drawn from the battery B. a very large current is drawn from the battery C. the internal resistance of the battery is very large D. the resistance in the external circuit is small
ANSWER: A -- NO CURRENT IS DRAWN FROM THE BATTERY
Two light rays will interfere constructively with maximum amplitude if the path difference between them is: A. one wavelength B. one-half wavelength C. one-quarter wavelength D. one-eighth wavelength
ANSWER: A -- ONE WAVELENGTH
As a longitudinal wave moves through a medium, the particles of the medium: A. vibrate in a path parallel to the path of the wave B. vibrate in a path perpendicular to the path of the wave C. follow the wave along its entire path D. do not move
ANSWER: A -- VIBRATE IN A PATH PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF THE WAVE
A block of metal which weighs 60 newtons in air and 40 newtons under water has a density, in kilograms per meter cubed, of: A. 1000 B. 3000 C. 5000 D. 7000
ANSWER: B - 3000
The value of G, the universal gravitational constant, was measured experimentally by: A. Newton B. Cavendish C. Copernicus D. Kepler
ANSWER: B - CAVENDISH
The Millikan experiment showed that electric charge was: A. negative B. quantized C. positive D. unmeasurable
ANSWER: B - QUANTIZED
A 10 kilogram mass rests on a horizontal frictionless surface. A horizontal force of 5 Newtons is applied to the mass. After the force has been applied for 1 second, the velocity of the mass is: A. 0 meters per second B. 0.5 meters per second C. 5 meters per second D. 50 meters per second
ANSWER: B -- 0.5 METERS PER SECOND
The half-life of an isotope of an element is 5 days. The mass of a 10 gram sample of this isotope remaining after 20 days is: A. 0.312 grams B. 0.625 grams C. 1.25 grams D. 2.50 grams
ANSWER: B -- 0.625 GRAMS
Two vibrating particles that are "out of phase" differ in the phase of their vibration by: A. 1/4 cycle B. 1/2 cycle C. 3/4 cycle D. 1 cycle
ANSWER: B -- 1/2 CYCLE
An impulse of 10 kilogram-meter per second acting on an object whose mass is 5 kilogram will cause a change in the objects velocity of: A. 0.5 meters per second B. 2 meters per second C. 10 meters per second D. 50 meters per second
ANSWER: B -- 2 METERS PER SECOND
An organ pipe which is open at both ends resonates at its fundamental frequency. Neglecting any end effects, what wavelength is formed by this pipe in this mode of vibration if the pipe is 2 meters long? A. 2 meters B. 4 meters C. 6 meters D. 8 meters.
ANSWER: B -- 4 METERS
Two forces have magnitudes of 11 newtons and 5 newtons. The magnitude of their sum could NOT be equal to which of the following values? A. 16 newtons B. 5 newtons C. 9 newtons D. 7 newtons
ANSWER: B -- 5 NEWTONS
The work done by a friction force is: A. always positive B. always negative C. always zero D. either positive or negative depending upon the situation.
ANSWER: B -- ALWAYS NEGATIVE
In physics, a radian per second is a unit of: A. angular displacement B. angular velocity C. angular acceleration D. angular momentum.
ANSWER: B -- ANGULAR VELOCITY
For an infinite sheet of positive charge, the electric field lines: w) run parallel to the sheet of charge A. are perpendicular to the sheet of charge and point in toward the sheet B. are perpendicular to the sheet of charge and point away from the sheet C. fall off as one over r squared
ANSWER: B -- ARE PERPENDICULAR TO THE SHEET OF CHARGE AND POINT AWAY
The idea that electrons revolved in orbits around the nucleus of an atom without radiating energy away from the atom was postulated by: A. Thompson B. Bohr C. Rutherford D. Einstein
ANSWER: B -- BOHR
When a metal becomes a superconductor, there is a tremendous decrease in its: A. total volume B. electrical resistance C. length D. density
ANSWER: B -- ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE
Induced electric currents can be explained using which of the following laws? A. Gauss's Law B. Faraday's Law C. Ohm's Law D. Ampere's Law
ANSWER: B -- FARADAY'S LAW
Whose principle or law states that each point on a wavefront may be considered a new wave source? Is it: A. Snell's Law B. Huygen's Principle C. Young's Law D. Hertz's Law.
ANSWER: B -- HUYGEN'S PRINCIPLE
The Tesla and the Gauss are units of measure of: A. conductance B. magnetic field strength C. magnetic flux D. electrical current
ANSWER: B -- MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH
For a negative point charge, the electric field vectors: A. circle the charge B. point radially in toward the charge C. point radially away from the charge D. cross at infinity
ANSWER: B -- POINT RADIALLY IN TOWARD THE CHARGE
Three capacitors with different capacitances are connected in series. Which of the following statements is TRUE? A. All three of the capacitors have the same potential difference between their plates. B. The magnitude of the charge is the same on all of the capacitor plates. C. The capacitance of the system depends on the voltage applied across the three capacitors.
ANSWER: B -- THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHARGE IS THE SAME ON ALL OF THE CAPACITOR PLATES
A pendulum which is suspended from the ceiling of a railroad car is observed to hang at an angle of 10 degrees to the right of vertical. Which of the following answers could explain this phenomena? A. The railroad car is at rest. B. The railroad car is accelerating to the left. C. The railroad car is moving with constant velocity to the right. D. The railroad car is accelerating to the right.
ANSWER: B -- THE RAILROAD CAR IS ACCELERATING TO THE LEFT.
Five coulombs of charge are placed on a thin-walled conducting shell. Once the charge has come to rest, the electric potential inside the hollow conducting shell is found to be: A. zero B. uniform inside the sphere and equal to the electric potential on the surface of the sphere C. smaller than the electric potential outside the sphere D. varying as one over r squared.
ANSWER: B -- UNIFORM INSIDE THE SPHERE AND EQUAL TO THE ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
The collision between a photon and a free electron was first explained by which of the following scientists? A. Einstein B. Heisenberg C. Compton D. Bohr
ANSWER: C - COMPTON
Two steel balls are at a distance S from one another. As the mass of ONE of the balls is doubled, the gravitational force of attraction between them is: A. quartered B. halved C. doubled D. quadrupled
ANSWER: C - DOUBLED
Iron is what type of magnetic material? Is it: A. diamagnetic B. paramagnetic C. ferromagnetic D. non-magnetic
ANSWER: C - FERROMAGNETIC
When a physical property such as charge exists in discrete "packets" rather than in continuous amounts, the property is said to be: A. discontinuous B. abrupt C. quantized D. noncontinuous
ANSWER: C - QUANTIZED
If the distance between two objects, each of mass 'M', is tripled, the force of attraction between the two objects is: A. 1/2 the original force B. 1/3 the original force C. 1/9 the original force D. unchanged
ANSWER: C -- 1/9 THE ORIGINAL FORCE
For a parallel-plate capacitor with plate area "A" and plate separation "d", the capacitance is proportional to which of the following? A. A divided by d squared B. A times d C. A divided by d D. d divided by A
ANSWER: C -- A DIVIDED BY D
The Michelson interferometer was designed to study the nature of: A. water waves B. sound waves C. an "ether" D. sunlight
ANSWER: C -- AN "ETHER"
An infinitely long wire carries a current of three amps. The magnetic field outside the wire: A. points radially away from the wire B. points radially inward C. circles the wire D. is zero.
ANSWER: C -- CIRCLES THE WIRE
The force acting between two point charges can be computed using which of the following laws? A. Ohm's Law B. Ampere's Law C. Coulomb's Law D. Newton's Second Law.
ANSWER: C -- COULOMB'S LAW
Electric current may be expressed in which one of the following units? A. coulombs/volt B. joules/coulomb C. coulombs/second D. ohms/second
ANSWER: C -- COULOMBS/SECOND
A Newton is equal to which of the following? A. kilogram-meter per second B. meter per second squared C. kilogram-meter per second squared D. kilogram per meter-second
ANSWER: C -- KILOGRAM-METER PER SECOND SQUARED
Light is normally incident on a thin soap film and is reflected. If the wavelength of this light is "L" and the index of refraction of the soap film is "N", complete destructive interference will occur for a film thickness of: A. L / 8N B.L / 4N C. L / 2N D. 3L / 4N
ANSWER: C -- L / 2N
In Bohr's theory of the atom, what force was responsible for holding the electrons in their orbit?
ANSWER: COULOMB FORCE or THE FORCE OF ATTRACTION BETWEEN THE PROTON (NUCLEUS) AND THE ELECTRON
If the resultant force acting on a body of constant mass is zero, the body's momentum is: A. increasing B. decreasing C. always zero D. constant
ANSWER: D - CONSTANT
The wave nature of light is demonstrated by which of the following? A. the photoelectric effect B. color C. the speed of light D. diffraction
ANSWER: D - DIFFRACTION
In the sun, helium is produced from hydrogen by: A. radioactive decay B. disintegration C. fission D. fusion
ANSWER: D - FUSION
The SI unit of pressure is the: A. Torr B. dyne per centimeter squared C. atmosphere D. pascal
ANSWER: D - PASCAL
Which of the following scientists is responsible for the exclusion principle which states that two objects may NOT occupy the same space at the same time? Was it: A. Heisenberg B. Bohr C. Teller D. Pauli
ANSWER: D - PAULI
Which of the following colors of visible light has the longest wavelength? Is it: A. violet B. green C. yellow D.red
ANSWER: D - RED
A worker lifts a 10 kilogram block a vertical height of 2 meters. The work he does on the block is: A. 5 Joules B. 20 Joules C. 49 Joules D. 200 Joules
ANSWER: D -- 200 JOULES
The greatest induced EMF will occur in a straight wire moving at constant speed through a uniform magnetic field when the angle between the direction of the wire's motion and the direction of the magnetic field is A. 0 degrees B. 30 degrees C. 60 degrees D. 90 degrees
ANSWER: D -- 90 DEGREES
A virtual image can be formed by one or more of the following single mirrors? Identify them. A. plane mirror B. concave spherical mirror C. convex spherical mirror D. all of the above
ANSWER: D -- ALL OF THE ABOVE (accept: A, B and C)
An x-ray photon collides with a free electron, and the photon is scattered. During this collision there is conservation of: A. momentum but not energy B. neither momentum nor energy C. energy but not momentum D. both momentum and energy
ANSWER: D -- BOTH MOMENTUM AND ENERGY
A copper rod which is 1 centimeter in diameter carries a current of 5 amps. The current is distributed uniformly throughout the rod. The magnetic field half way between the axis of the rod and its outside edge is: A. zero. B. pointing radially outward C. pointing radially inward D. circles the axis of the rod
ANSWER: D -- CIRCLES THE AXIS OF THE ROD
For an object moving in uniform circular motion, the direction of the instantaneous acceleration vector is: A. tangent to the path of motion B. equal to zero C. directed radially outward D. directed radially inward
ANSWER: D -- DIRECTED RADIALLY INWARD
If the distance between the earth and moon were halved, the force of the attraction between them would be: A. one fourth as great B. one half as great C. twice as great D. four times as great
ANSWER: D -- FOUR TIMES AS GREAT
Work is equal to which of the following? A. the cross product of force and displacement. B. the product of force times time C. force divided by time D. the dot product of force and displacement
ANSWER: D -- THE DOT PRODUCT OF FORCE AND DISPLACEMENT
Davisson and Germer scattered electrons from a crystal of nickel. The scattered electrons formed a strong diffraction pattern. What important conclusion was drawn from this experiment?
ANSWER: ELECTRONS ACTED LIKE WAVES
What is 25,000 miles per hour on earth, and 5,300 miles per hour on the Moon?
ANSWER: ESCAPE VELOCITY
In the SI system of measure, what is the unit of capacitance?
ANSWER: FARAD
Besides solid, liquid, and gas, what is the fourth form of matter?
ANSWER: PLASMA
What mechanical and electronic device has a name derived from a Czechoslovakian word meaning "work; compulsory service"?
ANSWER: ROBOT
A charged particle is moving in a UNIFORM magnetic field. If the direction of motion of the charged particle is parallel to the magnetic field, describe the shape of the charged particle's path.
ANSWER: STRAIGHT LINE
A circuit which employs a DIRECT CURRENT source has a branch which contains a capacitor. After the circuit has reached a steady state, what is the magnitude of the current in the circuit branch which contains the capacitor?
ANSWER: THE CURRENT IS ZERO
In Einstein's universe, what is the fourth dimension?
ANSWER: TIME
Shockley, Brattain and Bardeen won a Nobel prize for what small invention?
ANSWER: TRANSISTOR
What is the name of the temperature and pressure conditions at which water can be in the solid, liquid and gas phases simultaneously?
ANSWER: TRIPLE POINT
A standing wave is formed on a tightly stretched string. The distance between a node and an antinode is: A. 1/8 wavelength B. 1/4 wavelength C. 1/2 wavelength D. 1 wavelength
ANSWER: X -- 1/4 WAVELENGTH
A 10 volt battery connected to a capacitor delivers a charge of 0.5 coulombs. The capacitance of the capacitor is: A. 2 x 10-2 farads B. 5 x 10-2 farads C. 2 farads D. 5 farads
ANSWER: X -- 5 x 10-2 FARADS
A figure skater who, while spinning in place, pulls her arms in to increase her rotational speed, is most closely exhibiting which of the following: A. conservation of angular momentum B. centrifugal force C. satellite motion D. centripetal acceleration
Answer: A
Which of the following exhibits the least resistivity at 0°C: A. mercury B. tungsten C. gold D. silver
Answer: D
Green How many more times louder is 70 decibels than 10 decibels?
Answer: One Million
A color made from the addition of two primary colors is called:
Answer: secondary color
A coil of wire that produces a magnetic field is typically called a:
Answer: solenoid
By passing current through a wire wrapped around an iron rod, William Sturgeon invented the:
electromagnet
The Department of Energy's B-Factory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Lab is designed to collide electron and positron beams of unequal energies and produce millions of these particles, which are commonly called: A. B mesons B. B leptons C. B muons D. B neutrons
Answer: A
The atom's nucleus is held together by which of the following: A. strong interactions of the quark and gluon constituents of the atom's nucleus B. strong interactions of the quark and lepton constituents of the atom's nucleus C. weak interactions of the quark and lepton constituents of the atom's nucleus D. strong interactions of the lepton and gluon constituents of the atom's nucleus
Answer: A
The fundamental forces of nature are most correctly given as: A. gravitational, electromagnetic, strong interactive, weak interactive B. chemical, mechanical, friction and atomic C. gravitational, electromotive, magnetic, atomic D. graviton, photon, lepton, hadron
Answer: A
Which of the following is the most accurate reason why a light bulb dropped on a rug does not break, but when dropped on a tile floor it does break: A. the time it takes to stop moving is less for the tile B. the change in momentum is greater for the tile C. the light bulb weighs more when it hits the tile D. the change in momentum is greater for the rug
Answer: A
What is the following statement most commonly known as: "A body immersed in a fluid is supported by a force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces."
Answer: Archimedes' Principle
A parsec is equal to which of the following: A. 100 Astronomical Units B. 3.26 light years C. 100 light years D. 140 million kilometers
Answer: B
Certain products have been designed so that people wearing headphones do not hear the objectionably loud sound from certain machinery with which they are working. These headphones most likely work based on which one of the following principles: A. doppler effect B. destructive interference C. constructive interference D. audiopolarization
Answer: B
When a person whirls a rock on the end of a string and maintains it in uniform circular motion, the force exerted on the rock is most accurately referred to as: A. centrifugal B. centripetal C. rotational D. center fleeing
Answer: B
Which of the following is measured in Hertz? A. speed B. frequency C. wavelength D. amplitude
Answer: B
This perceived force, that seems to want to throw a person off a merry-go-round, is often regarded by physicists as a fictitious force:
Answer: centrifugal force
What is the term for the speed at which an object will overcome the gravitational attraction of the Earth?
Answer: escape velocity
The lowest frequency that determines the pitch of a musical note is most commonly called the:
Answer: fundamental
A bullet of mass m travelling at velocity v has a kinetic energy of ½mv2 when it strikes a ballistic pendulum of mass 1000 grams. The kinetic energy of the two masses moving together just after the moment of impact is about a thousand times smaller than ½mv2. What has most of the bullet's initial kinetic energy been converted to?
Answer: heat
By primarily using what simple machine did Galileo come to the conclusion on the existence of friction?
Answer: inclined plane
Sound frequencies below 16 Hertz are usually referred to by scientists as:
Answer: infrasonic
For two objects separated by a distance d, if the mass of one of the objects is doubled, what will happen to the gravitational attraction between them?
Answer: it is doubled
Considering the specific heat of aluminum is 0.21, iron is 0.10, and lead is 0.03, which metal will show the largest increase in temperature per calorie added to one gram of that metal?
Answer: lead
Laser is an acronym for what?
Answer: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
What secondary color of light is produced by mixing the primary colors of red and blue?
Answer: magenta
How many femtometers are in a nanometer?
Answer: one million
How many neutrons and how many protons are present in a single deuterium nucleus?
Answer: one proton and one neutron
On an electric schematic, what does the symbol of a horizontal line interrupted by a saw tooth shaped line represent?
Answer: resistor
What is the dramatic increase in amplitude called when the frequency of forced vibrations on a body matches the body's natural vibration frequency?
Answer: resonance
Heat cannot pass from a cooler substance to a warmer substance without some other process being involved. This is an example of which law of thermodynamics?
Answer: the second law
What is the name of the device that is made by combining two basic types of solid state rectifiers allowing the device to both rectify and amplify a current?
Answer: transistor
A boy throws a ball vertically upward with a velocity of 6 meters per second. How long does it take the ball to return to the boy's hand?
ANSWER: 1.22 SECONDS (accept: 1.2 seconds)
A ball leaves a girl's hand with an upward velocity of 6 meters per second. What is the maximum height of the ball above the girl's hand?
ANSWER: 1.8 METERS
The potential difference across a 4 ohm resistor is 20 volts. Assuming that all of the energy dissipated by this resistor is in the form of heat, how many joules of heat are radiated in 10 seconds?
ANSWER: 1000 JOULES
A boy is standing on an elevator which is traveling downward with a constant velocity of 30 meters per second. The boy throws a ball vertically upward with a velocity of 10 meters per second relative to the elevator. What is the velocity of the ball, relative to the elevator shaft the instant the boy releases the ball?
ANSWER: 20 METERS PER SECOND DOWN
The constant potential difference across a 2 ohm resistor is 20 volts. How many watts of power are dissipated by this resistor?
ANSWER: 200 WATTS
A 40 kilogram girl climbs a vertical distance of 5 meters in twenty seconds at a constant velocity. How much work has the girl done?
ANSWER: 2000 JOULES or 1960 JOULES
A box is initially at rest on a horizontal, frictionless table. If a force of 10 Newtons acts on the box for 3 seconds, what is the momentum of the box at the end of the 3 second interval?
ANSWER: 30 NEWTON-SECONDS or 30 KILOGRAM-METER PER SECOND
For the hydrogen atom, which series describes electron transitions to the N=1 orbit, the lowest energy electron orbit? Is it the: A. Lyman series B. Balmer series C. Paschen series D. Pfund series
ANSWER: A -- LYMAN SERIES
To two significant figures, what is the index of refraction of air?
Answer: 1.0
According to Coulomb's Law, if two charged particles are repelled with a given force at a distance d, by what multiple will the force decrease by if d is increased by 4 times?
Answer: 16 times
Assuming friction is negligible, if a lever has a mechanical advantage of 5, how much effort in newtons is needed to lift a 10 newton load?
Answer: 2 Newtons
If the distance separating two charges is doubled, the force between them decreases by what multiple factor?
Answer: 4
For projectiles fired at identical speeds but various angles from the ground, neglecting air resistance and the curvature of the Earth, at what angle will the maximum horizontal distance be attained?
Answer: 45 degrees
Assuming g = 9.8 m/sec2, what is the weight on Earth, in Newtons, of a 60 kilogram person?
Answer: 588 Newtons
All elements with an atomic number greater than what number are unstable?
Answer: 83
How is the index of refraction computed: A. the speed of light in a vacuum is divided by the speed of light in the material B. the speed of light in the material is divided by the speed of light in a vacuum C. the speed of light in water is divided by the speed of light in a vacuum D. the speed of light in a vacuum is divided by the speed of light in water
Answer: A
Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory invented the forerunner of the PET, which was subsequently found to be well- suited for wide use in institutions around the world for which of the following: A. metabolic studies and clinical tests B. deep sea drilling C. nuclear spallation D. deep space studies
Answer: A
This person established the "one fluid theory" of electricity and performed some of the first investigations into electrical grounding and insulation:
Answer: Ben Franklin
What law yields an equation that is used in determining crystal structure from interference patterns produced by monochromatic X-rays?
Answer: Bragg's Law
For particles that have mass, such as electrons, quantum theory gives the relationship of wavelength to momentum by which of the following formulas, where c is the speed of light, v is the particle's speed, h is Planck's constant, m is the particle's mass, and f is frequency: A. wavelength = mc2 B. wavelength = c / ƒ C. wavelength = h /mv D. wavelength = hf
Answer: C
Physicists most commonly call a mass moving in a straight line path as having: A. angular or rotational momentum B. straight momentum C. translational momentum D. second order momentum
Answer: C
What large machine, which came on line in the summer of 2000 at the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Lab, is the world's highest energy ion collider: A. Advanced Photon Source B. CERN supercollider C. Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider D. Phoenix
Answer: C
Which of the following colors of light has the greatest angle of refraction in normal glass: A. yellow B. green C. violet D. red
Answer: C
Which of the following is the emission source for microwaves in a typical microwave oven: A. small cyclotron B. cadmium disk bombarded with a soft x-ray source C. magnetron C. laser lamp
Answer: C
While at Berkeley, Melvin Calvin used this radioisotope to decipher many of the complex processes of photosynthesis:
Answer: Carbon 14
What cycle most directly describes the working cycle of a heat engine operating as an ideal engine of maximum thermal efficiency?
Answer: Carnot Cycle
If F equals electric force, and q and q' (read as: q-prime) are the charges on two particles, the expression F is proportional to q times q prime divided by distance squared is what law?
Answer: Coulomb's Law
If blue light is combined with green light, what color of light is produced?
Answer: Cyan
According to the standard model of particle physics, which of the following is a force-carrying particle: A. proton B. neutron C. quark D. photon
Answer: D
In beta minus emission, the number of nucleons in the atom: A. increases by one B. decreases by one C. increases by four D. remains the same
Answer: D
Which of the following is NOT an example of a transverse wave: A. ocean wave B. light wave C. microwave D. sound wave
Answer: D
Which of the following is NOT true of Guglielmo Marconi's experiments on wireless transmission: A. in 1901 he transmitted a signal from Newfoundland to England B. he defied current belief on line-of-sight transmission C. his work was a practical application of the work of James Clerk Maxwell D. his success was a vindication of his belief in the reflective properties of the ionosphere
Answer: D
Which of the following particles has not yet been observed but is generally theorized to exist: A. mesons B. gluons C. fermionic hadrons D. gravitons
Answer: D
Which of the following units is a measure of potential difference: A. erg B. ohm C. joule D. volt
Answer: D
What is the general term for the kind of material usually placed between the conducting plates of a capacitor?
Answer: Dielectric
When a green colored object is illuminated by a green light it will appear as what color to the human eye?
Answer: Green
Which element has the simplest absorption spectrum?
Answer: Hydrogens
In the 19th century, this Scottish scientist showed that all magnetic and all electric phenomena could be described by four equations that often bear his name. What is his name?
Answer: James Clerk Maxwell
What formula is most appropriate to compute the kinetic energy of a block of ice sliding down an inclined plane?
Answer: KE=½ mv2
Who determined that the square of a planet's period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the sun?
Answer: Kepler
According to the standard model of particle physics, what is the name for the three leptons that have no electric charge and little if any mass?
Answer: Neutrino
When Thomas Edison was promoting the wide use of direct current, this personal enemy of Edison's was the chief proponent and expert in alternating current:
Answer: Nikola Tesla
What is the name for the physical constant with a value of 6.62 X 10-27 erg seconds?
Answer: Planck's Constant
Order the following categories of electromagnetic radiation from the LOWEST frequency to the HIGHEST: FM radio, UHF TV, AM radio, microwaves
Answer: am radio; fm radio; uhf tv; microwaves
In radio transmission, what does the acronym AM stand for?
Answer: amplitude modulation
The throbbing caused by sounds of slightly different frequencies that results because of periodic constructive and destructive interference is called:
Answer: beats
