Physics study guide

A

In science, facts Select one: a. may change. b. are absolute. c. are more important than theories. d. mean very little.

B

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

B

Question text A 2000-kg car experiences a braking force of 10,000 N and skids to a stop in 6 seconds. The speed of the car just before the brakes were applied was Select one: a. 15 m/s. b. 30 m/s. c. 45 m/s. d. 1.2 m/s. e. none of these

A

Question text A 300-kg bear grasping a vertical tree slides down at constant velocity. The friction force between the tree and the bear is Select one: a. 3000 N. b. more than 3000 N. c. 300 N. d. 30 N.

B

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

C

Question text A ball is thrown upwards and returns to the same location. Compared with its initial speed its speed when it returns is about Select one: a. half as much. b. twice as much. c. the same. d. four times as much.

E

Question text A ball is thrown upwards. Neglecting air resistance, what initial upward speed does the ball need to remain in the air for a total time of 10 seconds? Select one: a. about 110 m/s b. about 80 m/s c. about 100 m/s d. about 60 m/s e. about 50 m/s

A

Question text A bullet is dropped into a river from a very high bridge. At the same time, another bullet is fired from a gun, straight down towards the water. Neglecting air resistance, the acceleration just before striking the water Select one: a. is the same for each bullet. b. none of these c. is greater for the dropped bullet. d. is greater for the fired bullet. e. depends on how high they started.

A

Question text A car accelerates at 2 meters/s/s. Assuming the car starts from rest, how far will it travel in 10 s? Select one: a. 100 m b. 2 m c. 40 m d. 10 m e. 200 m

D

Question text A car accelerates from rest for 5 seconds until it reaches a speed of 20 m/s. What is the car's acceleration in meters per second per second? Select one: a. 1 b. 5 c. 2 d. 4 e. 3

D

Question text A car maintains a constant velocity of 100 km/hr for 10 seconds. During this interval its acceleration is Select one: a. 110 km/hr. b. 1000 km/hr. c. 10 km/hr. d. zero.

D

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

A

Question text A force can be simply defined as a push or a pull. Select one: True False

C

Question text A force of 1 N accelerates a mass of 1 kg at the rate of 1 m/s2. The acceleration of a mass of 2 kg acted upon by a net force of 2 N is Select one: a. none of these b. twice as much. c. the same. d. half as much.

C

Question text A half second after starting from rest, a freely falling object will have a speed of about Select one: a. none of these b. 10 m/s. c. 5 m/s. d. 2.5 m/s. e. 20 m/s.

C

Question text 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 Select one: a. equal to its weight divided by its mass. b. equal to the product of its mass times its weight. c. zero. d. equal to its weight.

C

Question text A horse gallops a distance of 10 kilometers in a time of 30 minutes. Its average speed is Select one: a. 15 km/h. b. 30 km/h. c. 20 km/h. d. 40 km/h.

B

Question text 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 Select one: a. none of these b. 400 N. c. 200 N. d. 800 N.

C

Question text A package falls off a truck that is moving at 30 m/s. Neglecting air resistance, the horizontal speed of the package just before it hits the ground is Select one: a. more than 30 m/s. b. More information is needed for an estimate. c. about 30 m/s. d. zero. e. less than 30 m/s but larger than zero.

B

Question text A pot falls from a ledge and hits the ground 45 m below. The speed with which it hits the ground is Select one: a. about 60 m/s. b. about 30 m/s. c. more than 120 m/s. d. about 120 m/s.

A

Question text A scientific hypothesis may turn out to be right or it may turn out to be wrong. If it is a valid hypothesis, there must be a test for proving it Select one: a. wrong. b. right.

D

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

E

Question text A tow truck exerts a force of 3000 N on a car, accelerating it at 2 meters per second per second. What is the mass of the car? Select one: a. none of these b. 1000 kg c. 500 kg d. 3000 kg e. 1500 kg

D

Question text A truly educated person is knowledgeable about Select one: a. science. b. the arts. c. religion. d. all of these

B

Question text A unit of acceleration is meters per second. Select one: True False

D

Question text 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 Select one: a. must go up and down hills. b. move too slowly. c. are much too heavy. d. always have friction forces that oppose their motion.

A

Question text An 80-km/h airplane flying against a 10-km/h head wind has a groundspeed of Select one: a. 70 km/h. b. 90 km/h. c. 80 km/h. d. 10 km/h.

D

Question text An airplane that flies at 100 km/h in a 100-km/h crosswind has a ground speed of Select one: a. 200 km/h. b. 100 km/h. c. 0 km/h. d. 141 km/h.

B

Question text An object covers a distance of 8 meters in the first second of travel, another 8 meters during the next second, and 8 meters again during the third second. Its acceleration is Select one: a. 24 m/s2. b. 0 m/s2. c. 5 m/s2. d. 8 m/s2.

B

Question text An object falls freely from rest on a planet where the acceleration due to gravity is 20 meters per second squared. After 5 seconds, the object will have a speed of Select one: a. 50 m/s. b. 100 m/s. c. 5 m/s. d. 10 m/s. e. 20 m/s.

B

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

B

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

C

Question text An object in mechanical equilibrium is an object Select one: a. moving with constant velocity. b. at rest. c. all of these d. having no changes in velocity.

A

Question text An object's weight may properly be expressed in units of Select one: a. newtons. b. kilograms. c. meters. d. cubic centimeters.

B

Question text As a ball falls freely, the distance it falls each second is the same. Select one: True False

C

Question text At one instant an object in free fall is moving downward at 50 meters per second. One second later its speed should be about Select one: a. 25 m/s. b. 55 m/s. c. 60 m/s. d. 50 m/s. e. 100 m/s.

B

Question text Average speed is defined as the time it takes for a trip divided by the distance. Select one: True False

C

Question text Compared with hang time on Earth, hang time on the Moon would be Select one: a. the same. b. less. c. greater.

B

Question text Disregarding air drag, how fast must you toss a ball straight up in order for it to take 2 seconds to return to the level from which you tossed it? Select one: a. 20 m/s b. 10 m/s c. 7.5 m/s d. 15 m/s e. 5 m/s

C

Question text Disregarding air resistance, objects fall with constant Select one: a. distances each successive second. b. speed. c. acceleration. d. velocity.

C

Question text Drop a rock from a 5-m height and it accelerates at 10 m/s2 and strikes the ground 1 s later. Drop the same rock from a height of 2.5 m and its acceleration of fall is about Select one: a. half as much. b. four times as much. c. the same amount. d. twice as much.

D

Question text Eratosthenes learned about the position of the sun on June 22 by Select one: a. setting up a stick at Syene. b. None of the above choices are correct. c. setting up a stick at Alexandria. d. consulting library information. e. setting up sticks at both Syene and Alexandria.

A

Question text Friction refers to the force between two surfaces that are sliding past each other. Select one: True False

C

Question text Galileo's use of inclined planes allowed him to effectively Select one: a. eliminate friction. b. increase the acceleration beyond that of free fall. c. slow down the acceleration of free fall. d. eliminate the acceleration of free fall.

A

Question text If Nellie hangs from a horizontal bar that is supported by four vertical ropes, the tension in the ropes Select one: a. add to equal her weight. b. none of the above c. are each equal to her weight. d. are each half her weight.

D

Question text If a car increases its velocity from zero to 60 km/h in 10 seconds, its acceleration is Select one: a. 60 km/h/s. b. 3 km/h/s. c. 10 km/h/s. d. 6 km/h/s. e. 600 km/h/s.

C

Question text If a freely falling object were somehow equipped with a speedometer, its speed reading would increase each second by about Select one: a. 15 m/s. b. a variable amount. c. 10 m/s. d. depends on its initial speed e. 5 m/s.

B

Question text If a hockey puck were to slide on a perfectly frictionless surface, it will eventually slow down because of its inertia. Select one: True False

A

Question text If a projectile is fired straight up at a speed of 10 m/s, the time it takes to reach the top of its path is about Select one: a. 1 second. b. 10 seconds. c. 2 seconds. d. not enough information to estimate

D

Question text If a rocket initially at rest accelerates at a rate of 50 m/s2 for one minute, its speed will be Select one: a. 50 m/s. b. 3600 m/s. c. 500 m/s. d. 3000 m/s.

A

Question text If no external forces are acting on a moving object, it will Select one: a. continue moving at the same velocity. b. continue moving at the same speed. c. move slower and slower until it finally stops.

C

Question text If you drop an object, it will accelerate downward at a rate of 9.8 meters per second per second. If you instead throw it downwards, its acceleration (in the absence of air resistance) will be Select one: a. greater than 9.8 meters per second per second. b. less than 9.8 meters per second per second. c. 9.8 meters per second per second.

A

Question text If you toss a coin straight upward while in a train moving at constant velocity, the coin will land Select one: a. as if you were at rest. b. in back of you. c. in front of you.

B

Question text 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 Select one: a. gravity. b. inertia. c. acceleration. d. resistance.

B

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

A

Question text In science, an educated guess is a Select one: a. hypothesis. b. theory. c. both of these

C

Question text Inertia is defined as a Select one: a. force. b. none of the above c. property of matter. d. change in motion.

A

Question text Inertia is the property that every material object has; inertia resists changes in an objects state of motion. Select one: True False

D

Question text It takes 6 seconds for a stone to fall to the bottom of a mine shaft. How deep is the shaft? Select one: a. about 60 m b. more than 200 m c. about 120 m d. about 180 m

B

Question text Jogging Jake runs at 4 m/s along a train flatcar that moves at 10 m/s in the same direction. Jake's speed relative to the ground is Select one: a. 6 m/s. b. 14 m/s. c. none of the above d. 10 m/s.

D

Question text Must people choose between science and religion? Select one: a. Yes, religion and science are completely antithetical. b. No, scientific and religious beliefs are incompatible. c. No, religion and science are essentially the same. d. No, there is no contradiction in being scientific and religious in one's thinking.

C

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

C

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

D

Question text Science is a body of knowledge that Select one: a. is an ongoing activity of humans. b. condenses knowledge into testable laws. c. None of the above choices are correct. d. All of the above choices are correct. e. describes order in nature.

C

Question text Science, art, and religion do not contradict one another because Select one: a. if you choose the right one, you can forget the other two. b. if you choose religion and art, you can forget about science. c. all three have different domains. d. if you choose science, you can forget about religion and art.

B

Question text The SI unit of force is the kilogram. Select one: True False

B

Question text The SI unit of mass is the newton. Select one: True False

B

Question text The acceleration of an object is inversely proportional to the net force acting on it. Select one: True False

B

Question text The amount of matter in an object is its weight. Select one: True False

C

Question text The distance a freely falling bowling ball falls each second Select one: a. is about 10 m. b. is about 5 m. c. increases. d. none of the above

A

Question text 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 Select one: a. coin. b. telescope. c. magnifying glass. d. meter stick.

B

Question text The force due to gravity acting on an object is its mass. Select one: True False

A

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

B

Question text The name of the astronomer who first publicly stated that Earth revolves around the sun is Galileo. Select one: True False

A

Question text The rate at which distance is covered is called speed. Select one: True False

B

Question text The resultant of a 40-N force at right angles to a 30-N force is Select one: a. 30 N. b. 50 N. c. 40 N. d. greater than 50 N.

B

Question text The safest way for you to view the sun is with Select one: a. a telescope. b. pinhole images. c. colored sunglasses. d. binoculars.

D

Question text The scientific method is most effective in Select one: a. discovering new things. b. making hypotheses. c. making theories. d. gaining, organizing, and applying new knowledge. e. performing experiments.

C

Question text The scientist to first introduce the concept of inertia was Select one: a. Newton. b. Copernicus. c. Galileo. d. Aristotle.

B

Question text The speedometer of an automobile reads Select one: a. accelerated speed. b. instantaneous speed. c. average speed.

C

Question text The statement, "There are regions beneath the Earth's crust that will always be beyond the reach of scientific investigation," is a Select one: a. theory. b. hypothesis. c. speculation. d. scientific statement. e. fact.

A

Question text The support force on a 10-N book at rest on a table is Select one: a. 10 N. b. dependent on the position of the book. c. slightly greater than 10 N. d. slightly less than 10 N.

E

Question text The synthesis of a large collection of information that contains well-tested and verified hypotheses about certain aspects of the world is known as a scientific Select one: a. law or principle. b. hypothesis. c. fact. d. none of these e. theory.

C

Question text Throughout the ages, what has been the general reaction to new ideas about established "truths"? Select one: a. New ideas are expressed mathematically. b. New ideas are ignored. c. New ideas are opposed. d. New ideas are wholeheartedly accepted.

A

Question text Twelve seconds after starting from rest, an object falling freely will have a speed of Select one: a. more than 100 m/s. b. 100 m/s. c. 50 m/s. d. 10 m/s.

C

Question text Two students engaged in a tug-of-war each pull a rope in opposite directions with a force of 400 N. The net force on the rope is Select one: a. zero and rope tension is 800 N. b. 400 N and rope tension is 800 N. c. zero and rope tension is 400 N. d. 400 N and rope tension is also 400 N.

D

Question text What test can you perform to increase the chance in your own mind that you are right about a particular idea? Select one: a. Write a clear explanation of your idea and share it with everyone to gather objections. b. Write down your own idea as an equation. c. Read up on the validity of the axioms you assumed when you crafted your idea. d. See if you can state the objections of your opponents to their satisfaction.

B

Question text When a car rounds a corner at a constant speed, its acceleration is zero. Select one: True False

A

Question text When a falling object has reached its terminal velocity, its acceleration is Select one: a. zero. b. g. c. constant.

B

Question text When a rocket ship accelerating in outer space runs out of fuel, it Select one: a. accelerates for a short time, then slows down to a constant velocity. b. no longer accelerates. c. accelerates for a short time, slows down, and eventually stops.

B

Question text When a scientist is dishonest and reports false information, he or she Select one: a. like in so many other professions, will be excused by the scientific community. b. gets no second chance in the scientific community.

A

Question text When we discuss the motion of something, its motion is described relative to something else. Select one: True False

D

Question text When you walk at an average speed of 4 m/s, in 5 s you'll cover a distance of Select one: a. 2 m. b. 15 m. c. 10 m. d. 20 m.

A

Question text Whereas Aristotle relied on logic in explaining nature, Galileo relied on Select one: a. experiment. b. patterns. c. mathematics. d. logic also.

B

Question text Which of the following involves passion, talent, and intelligence? Select one: a. art b. all of these c. music d. science e. literature

D

Question text Which of the following is a scientific statement? Select one: a. none of these b. Matter is filled with undetectable particles. c. There are things we will never know about. d. The moon is made of green cheese. e. There are parts of the universe that will never be found by man.

A

Question text Which of the following is a vector quantity? Select one: a. none b. area c. mass d. volume

D

Question text Which of the following is not a vector quantity? Select one: a. acceleration b. velocity c. none are vector quantities. d. speed e. all are vector quantities

B

Question text While you are standing in the aisle of a bus, the driver suddenly makes a left turn. You lurch to the right due to Select one: a. an equilibrium challenge. b. your tendency to keep moving forward. c. an unbalanced force.

B

Question text 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 Select one: a. continue to follow a circular path. b. follow a straight-line path. c. revolve in a smaller circle. d. increase its speed.