Conceptual Physics

In science, a theory is a. unchangeable. b. an educated guess. c. a synthesis of a large body of well-tested knowledge. d. less than a fact.

c. a synthesis of a large body of well-tested knowledge.

A moving object has a. speed. b. velocity. c. energy. d. momentum. e. all of these.

e. all of these.

Strange as it may seem, it is just as hard to accelerate a car on a level surface on the moon as it is here on Earth. This is because a. the weight of the car is independent of gravity. b. the mass of the car is independent of gravity. c. Nonsense! A car is much more easily accelerated on the moon than on the Earth.

b. the mass of the car is independent of gravity.

The power required to exert 1 N force, over a distance of 1 m in 1 second is a. 2 W. b. 1/3 W. c. 1 W. d. 3 W. e. none of these.

c. 1 W.

The force of friction on a sliding object is 10 N. The applied force needed to maintain a constant velocity is a. more than 10 N. b. less than 10 N. c. 10 N.

c. 10 N.

A 10-kg brick and a 1-kg book are dropped in a vacuum. The force of gravity on the 10-kg brick is a. the same as the force on the 1-kg book. b. one-tenth as much. c. 10 times as much. d. zero.

c. 10 times as much.

A ball is tossed upward. Assuming air resistance is negligible which of the following is a true statement? a. The sum of its kinetic energy and potential energy at any point of its trajectory is always the same. b. The ball has the most kinetic energy when it is released and right before it lands., c. The ball has the most potential energy at the top of its path. d. all of these.

c. The ball has the most potential energy at the top of its path.

An object that has kinetic energy must be a. at an elevated position. b. at rest c. moving d. falling. e. none of these

c. moving

As a ball falls, the action force is the pull of Earth on the ball. The reaction force is the a. air resistance acting against the ball. b. acceleration of the ball. c. pull of the ball's mass on the Earth. d. none of these.

c. pull of the ball's mass on the Earth.

A heavy rock and a light rock of the same size are falling through th air from a tall building. The one that encounters teh greatest air resistance is the a. heavy rock. b. light rock. c. same for both

c. same for both.

A automobile and a baby carriage traveling at the same speed collide head-on. The impact force is a. greater on the baby carriage. b. greater on the automobile. c. the same for both.

c. the same for both.

If you push an object twice as far while applying the same force, you do a. half as much work. b. the same amount of work. c. twice as much work. d. four times as much work.

c. twice as much work.

An object is propelled along a straight-line path by a force. If the net force were doubled, the object's acceleration would be a. half as much. b. four times as much. c. twice as much. d. the same. e. none of these

c. twice as much.

A 500-N parachutist opens his chute and experiences an air resistance force of 800 N. The net force on the parachutist is a. 500 N downward. b. 500 N upward. c. 800 N downward. d. 300 N upward. e. 300 N downward.

d. 300 N upward.

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. 1000 N. b. 250 N. c. zero. d. 500 N.

d. 500 N.

A skydiver, who weighs 500 N, reaches terminal velocity of 90 km/h. The air resistance on the diver is then a. 250 N. b. 410 N. c. 90 N. d. 500 N. e. none of these

d. 500 N.

A rifle recoils while firing a bullet. The speed of the rifle's recoil is small because the a. force against the rifle is smaller than against the bullet. b. momentum is mainly concentrated in the bullet. c. momentum of the rifle is smaller. d. rifle has much more mass than the bullet.

d. rifle has much more mass than a bullet.

A ball rolling down an incline has its maximum kinetic energy at a. three-quarters of the way down. b. halfway down. c. the top. d. the bottom.

d. the bottom.

Compared to a 1-kg block of solid iron, a 2-kg block of solid iron has the same a. mass. b. inertia. c. weight. d. all of the about. e. none of the above.

e. none of the above.

The two measurements necessary for calculating average speed are a. distance and acceleration. b. velocity and time. c. velocity and distance. d. acceleration and time. e. distance and time.

e.distance and time.

Two billiard balls having the same mass and speed roll toward each other. What is their combined momentum after they meet? a. 0 b. half the sum of their original momentums c. twice the sum of their original momentums d. impossible to determine without additional information

a. 0

A car has a mass of 1000 kg and accelerates at 2 meters per second. What is the magnitude of the net force exerted on the car? a. 2000 N. b. 1500 N. c. 500 N. d. 1000 N. e. none of these

a. 2000 N.

A bow is drawn so that it has 40 J of potential energy. When fired, the arrow will ideally have a kinetic energy that is a. 40 J. b. less than 40 J. c. more than 40 J. d. impossible to predict without additional information.

a. 40 J.

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. 5 N. b. 150 N. c. 0 N. d. 25 N.

a. 5 N.

If a car accelerates from rest at 2 meters per second per second, its speed 3 seconds later will be about a. 6 m/s. b. 4 m/s. c. 3 m/s. d. 2 m/s.

a. 6 m/s.

The impulse-momentum relationship is a direct result of a. Newton's 2nd law. b. Newton's 3rd law. c. Newton's 4th law. d. Newton's 1st law.

a. Newton's 2nd law.

A Mack truck, and a Volkswagen traveling at the same speed have a head-on collision. The vehicle that undergoes the greatest change in velocity will be the a. Volkswagen. b. same for both. c. Mack Truck.

a. Volkswagen

Your weight is a. the gravitational attraction force between you and the Earth. b. equal to your mass. c. a property of mechanical equilibrium. d. all of these.

a. the gravitational attraction force between you and the Earth.

A feather and a coin will have equal accelerations when falling in a vacuum because a. the ratio of each object's weight to its mass is the same. b. the force of gravity does not act in a vacuum. c. their velocities are the same. d. the force of gravity is the same for each in a vacuum. e. none of these.

a. the ratio of each object's weight to its mass is the same.

If an object is raised twice as high, its potential energy will be a. twice as much. b. four times as much. c. half as much. d. impossible to determine unless the time is given.

a. twice as much.

A 10-N falling object encounters 10 N of air resistance. The net force on the object is a. 10 N. b. 0 N. c. 6 N. d. 4 N. e. none of these.

b. 0 N.

A car moves 4 times as fast as another identical car. Compared to the slower car, the faster car has a. 8 times the KE. b. 16 times the KE. c. 4 times the KE. d. 12 times the KE.

b. 16 times the KE.

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. 30 m/s. b. 20 m/s. c. 10 m/s. d. 40 m/s.

b. 20 m/s.

The conservation of momentum is most closely related to a. Newton's 1st law. b. Newton's 3rd law. c. Newton's 4th law. d. Newton's 2nd law.

b. Newton's 3rd law.

A bag of groceries has a mass of 10 kilograms and a weight of a. about 1000 N. b. about 100 N. c. about 10 N. d. more than 1000 N. e. about 1 N.

b. about 100 N.

A feather and a coin dropped in a vacuum fall with equal a. kinetic energies. b. accelerations. c. momentum. d. forces. e. none of the above.

b. accelerations.

A ball tossed vertically upward rises, reaches its highest point, and the falls back to its starting point. During this time the acceleration would be a. half as much. b. four times as much. c. twice as much. d. the same. e. none of these.

b. four times as much.

Which of the following has the largest momentum relative to the Earth's surface? a. a pickup truck speeding along a highway. b. a dog running down the street. c. a Mack truck parked in a parking lot. d. a tightrope walker crossing Niagra Falls e. the Science building on campus

a. a pickup truck speeding along a highway.

According to Newton's law of inertia, a railroad train in motion should continue going forever even if its engine is turned off. We never observe this because railroad trains a. always have forces that oppose their motion. b. move too slowly. c. are much too heavy. d. must go up and down hills.

a. always have forces that oppose their motion.

Which has the greater mass? a. an automobile battery b. a king-size pillow c. neither - both have the same

a. automobile battery

When you stand at rest on a pair of bathroom scales, the readings on the scales will always a. each be half your weight. b. each equal your weight. c. add up to equal your weight.

a. each be half your weight.

The newton is a unit of a. force b. mass c. inertia d. density

a. force

Science and technology are a. fundamentally different from each other. b. responsible for all the good in the world. c. really one and the same. d. responsible for all the bad in the world.

a. fundamentally different from each other.

Two objects of the same size, but unequal weights are dropped from a tall tower. Taking air resistance into consideration, the object to hit the ground first will be the a. heavier object. b. lighter object. c. Both hit at the same time. d. not enough information

a. heavier object.

In science, an educated guess is a a. hypothesis. b. theory. c. both of these.

a. hypothesis.

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 you push for a half hour or a whole hour against a stationary wall a. no work on the wall is done in either case. b. twice as much work is done during the half hour. c. half as much work is done during the half hour. d. it is impossible to determine how much work is done.

a. no work on the wall is done in either case.

Of the sciences known as physics, chemistry, and biology, the most basic is a. physics. b. biology. c. chemistry. d. none in particular, as each may be considered fundamental.

a. physics.

Two factors that greatly affect air resistance on falling objects are the a. size and speed of the object. b. size and weight of the object. c. size and mass of the object.

a. size and speed of the object.

Suppose that a tiny gun made of a strong but very light material fires a bullet that is more massive than the gun itself. For such a weapon a. the target would be safer than the shooter. b. recoil problems would be lessened. c. conservation of energy would not hold. d. conservation of momentum would not hold. e. both conservation of energy and momentum would not hold.

a. the target would be safer than the shooter.

A hockey puck is set in motion across a frozen pond. If ice friction and air resistance are neglected, the force required to keep the puck sliding at constant velocity is a. zero b. equal to its weight. c. equal to the product of its mass times its weight. d. equal to its weight divided by its mass.

a. zero.

When a falling object has reached its terminal velocity, its acceleration is a. zero. b. constant. c. g.

a. zero.

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. follow a straight-line path. c. continue to follow a circular path. d. revolve in a smaller circle.

b. follow a straight-line path.

A large and a small person wish to parachute at equal terminal velocities. The larger person will have to a. jump first from the plane. b. get a larger parachute. c. pull upward on the supporting strands to decrease the downward net force. d. jump lightly.

b. get a larger parachute.

Padded dashboards in cars are safer in an accident than nonpadded ones because an occupant hitting the dash has a. increased momentum. b. increased time of impact. c. decreased time of impact. d. decreased impulse.

b. increased time of impact.

When you are in the way of a fast-moving object and can't get out of its way, you will suffer a smaller force of impact if you decrease its momentum over a a. shorter time. b. long time. c. same way either way

b. long time.

A force is a vector quantity because it has both a. mass and acceleration. b. magnitude and direction c. action and reaction counterparts.

b. magnitude and direction.

A job is done slowly, while an identical job is done quickly. Both jobs require the same amount of work, but different amounts of a. energy. b. power. c. effort. d. none of these.

b. power.

The force exerted on the tires of a car to directly accelerate it along a road is exerted by the a. air. b. road. c. engine. d. tires. e. none of these.

b. road.

Compared to falling on a stone floor, a wine glass may not break when it falls on a carpeted floor because the a. carpeted floor provides a smaller impulse. b. stopping time is longer on the carpet. c. carpet provides a smaller impulse and a longer time. d. stopping time is shorter on carpet.

b. stopping time is longer on the carpet.

Which has greater kinetic energy, a car traveling at 30 km/hr or a car of half the mass traveling at 60 km/hr? a. the 30 km/hr car. b. the 60 km/hr car. c. Both have the same kinetic energy. d. More information is needed about the distance traveled.

b. the 60 km/hr car.

A light woman and a heavy man jump from an airplane at the same time and open their same-size parachutes at the same time. Which person will get to a state of zero acceleration first? a. the heavy man. b. the light woman. c. both should arrive at the same time. d. not enough information

b. the light woman.

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. the milk carton has no acceleration. b. the milk carton has inertia. c. gravity tends to hold the milk carton secure. d. there is an action-reaction pair of forces. e. none of these.

b. the milk carton has inertia.

Compared to the mass of a certain object on Earth, the mass of the same object on the moon is a. six times as much. b. the same. c. one sixth as much. d. zero.

b. the same.

An object lifted 10 meters gains 200 J of potential energy. If the same object is lifted 20 meters, its potential energy gain is a. half as much. b. twice as much. c. more than four times as much. d. four times as much. e. the same.

b. twice as much.

Compared to a 1-kg block of solid iron, a 2-kg block of solid iron has twice as much a. inertia. b. weight. c. mass. d. all of these. e. none of these.

b. weight.

A baseball player bats a ball with a force of 1000 N. The reaction force that the ball exerts against the bat is a. less than 1000 N. b. more than 1000 N. c. 1000 N. d. impossible to determine.

c. 1000 N

A horse gallops a distance of 10 kilometers in a time of 1/2 hr. Its average speed is a. 40 km/h. b. 30 km/h. c. 20 km/h. d. 15 km/h.

c. 20 km/h.

The scientist to first introduce the concept of inertia was a. Aristotle. b. Newton. c. Galileo d. Copernicus.

c. Galileo.

A roller coaster car starts at the top of its first hill from rest. When does it have the greatest kinetic energy? a. Impossible to tell. b. At the top of the hill. c. At the bottom of the hill. d. At the midway point of the hill.

c. at the bottom of the hill.

It is correct to say that impulse is equal to a. momentum. b. velocity multiplied by time. c. the change in momentum it produces. d. the force multiplied by the distance the force acts.

c. change in momentum.

Whereas impulse involves the time that a force acts, work involves the a. time and distance that a force acts. b. acceleration that a force produces. c. distance that a force acts.

c. distance that a force acts.

An object following a straight-line path at constant speed a. has zero acceleration. b. has a net force acting upon it in the direction of motion. c. has no forces acting on it. d. none of these.

c. has no forces acting on it.

An object in mechanical equilibrium is an object a. at rest. b. moving with constant velocity. c. having no acceleration. d. all of these.

c. having no acceleration.

When an automobile is braked to a stop, its kinetic energy is transformed to a. energy of rest. b. energy of motion. c. heat. d. stopping energy. e. potential energy

c. heat.

If an object's mass is decreasing while a constant force is applied to the object, the acceleration a. remains the same. b. decreases. c. increases.

c. increases.

If your automobile runs out of fuel while you are driving, the engine stops but you do not come to an abrupt stop. The concept that most explains why is a. gravity. b. acceleration, c. inertia. d. all of these.

c. inertia.

For an action force, there must be a reaction force that a. always acts in the same direction. b. is slightly smaller in magnitude than the action force. c. is exactly equal in magnitude. d. is slightly larger in amplitude than the action force.

c. is exactly equal in magnitude.

Whenever the net force on an object is zero, its acceleration a. may be more than zero. b. may be less than zero. c. is zero.

c. is zero.

If the speed of a moving object doubles, which of the following also doubles? a. acceleration. b. kinetic energy. c. momentum d. all of the above.

c. momentum

A car traveling along the highway needs a certain amount of force exerted on it to stop it in a certain distance. More stopping force is required when the car has a. more mass. b. less stopping distance. c. more momentum. d. all of these. e. none of these.

d. all of these.

Two objects have the same size and shape, but one is much heavier than the other. When they are dropped simultaneously from a tower, they reach the ground at the same time, but the heavier one has a greater a. momentum. b. acceleration. c. speed. d. all of these. e. none of these.

d. all of these.

An archer shoots an arrow. Consider the action force to be the bowstring against the arrow. The reaction to this force is the a. combined weight of the arrow and bowstring. b. air resistance against the bow. c. grip of the archer's hand on the bow. d. arrow's push against the bowstring. e. friction of the ground against the archer's feet.

d. arrow's push against the bowstring.

If a monkey floating in outer space throws his hat away, the hat and the monkey will both a. move a short distance and then go faster. b. move a short distance and then slow down. c. move away from each other at the same speed. d. move away from each other, but at different speeds. e. come to a stop after a few minutes.

d. move away from each other, but at different speeds.

While a car travel around a circular track at a constant speed, its a. inertia is zero b. acceleration is zero. c. velocity is zero. d. none of the above.

d. none of the above.