Physics Multiple Choice

Construct a free body diagram for a projectile that is moving upwards and rightwards towards the peak of its trajectory. Neglect air resistance.

Fg= down

Construct a free body diagram for a large crate that is being pushed leftward at a constant velocity.

Fn=up, Fg=down, Ffrict=right, Fapp=left

An apples weighs 1 N. When held at rest above your head, the net force on the apple is... a. 0 N b. 0.1 N c. 1 N d. 9.8 N

a. 0 N

A 10 N force and a 30 N force act in the same direction on an object. What is the net force on the object? a. 40 N b. 30 N c. 20 N d. 10 N

a. 40 N

For which of the following is the velocity constant? a. A boat being carried down a winding river by a steady current b. A baseball traveling away from a bat after a hit c. A race car on an oval track moving at a constant speed of 375 km/h d. A drone hovering motionless above the football team at practice

a. A boat being carried down a winding river by a steady current

Which of the following is not an example of an object accelerating? a. An object moving extremely fast b. An object changing speed c. An object moving in a circle d. All are examples of acceleration

a. An object moving extremely fast

According to Kepler's second law, a planet must move fastest when it is ... the Sun. a. Closest to b. Farthest from c. At aphelion from

a. Closest to

An object weighing 40 N on the Earth's surface would weigh only 10 N when its distance from the center of the Earth is... a. Doubled b. Halved c. Tripled d. Quadrupled

a. Doubled

Planets move around the Sun in... orbits. a. Elliptical b. Parabolic c. Circular d. Hyperbolic

a. Elliptical

When there is no air resistance, objects of different masses... a. Fall at equal acceleration with similar displacements b. Fall at different acceleration with different displacements c. Fall at equal acceleration with different displacements d. Fall at different acceleration with similar displacements

a. Fall at equal acceleration with similar displacements

Which one of the following statements is NOT true of a free-falling object? An object in a state of free fall... a. Falls with a constant speed of -9.8m/s^2 b. Falls with an acceleration of -9.8m/s^2 c. Falls under the sole influence of gravity d. Falls with downward acceleration which has a constant magnitude.

a. Falls with a constant speed of -9.8m/s^2

While rollerblading, Granny collides with her tiny grandson Ambrose who is at rest. Ignoring any friction effects, Ambrose's speed after the collision will be greatest when... a. He and Granny make a bouncing collision, each going their separate ways b. Granny catches him and they both move together

a. He and Granny make a bouncing collision, each going their separate ways

An object's speed is a measure of... a. How fast the object is moving b. The object's direction c. The object's displacement per unit of time d. All of the above

a. How fast the object is moving

An object that's moving with constant speed travels once around a circular path. Which of the following is/are true concerning this motion? I. The displacement is zero II. The average speed is zero III. The acceleration is zero a. I only b. I and II only c. I and III only d. III only e. II and III only

a. I only

If the radius of the Earth decreased, with no change in mass, your weight would... a. Increase b. Not change c. Decrease

a. Increase

Cars are equipped with padded dashboards. In collisions, the padded dashboards would be safer than non-padded ones because they... a. Increase the impact time b. Decrease an occupant's impulse c. Increase the impact force d. None of the above

a. Increase the impact time

One object has twice as much mass as another object. The first object also has twice as much... a. Inertia b. Velocity c. Gravitational acceleration d. All of the above

a. Inertia

The vector sum is called the... a. Resultant b. Magnitude c. Orientation d. Velocity

a. Resultant

Which has more momentum, a large truck moving at 30 miles per hour or a small truck moving at 30 miles per hour? a. The large truck b. The small truck c. Both have the same momentum

a. The large truck

Suppose that you're driving down the highway and a moth crashes into the windshield of your car. Which undergoes the greater acceleration? a. The moth b. Your car c. Both the same

a. The moth

Momentum is a ... quantity a. Vector b. Scalar

a. Vector

Which of the following is a physical quantity that has a magnitude and a direction? a. Vector b. Scalar c. Stationary observer d. Frame of reference

a. Vector

Which of the following represents the y component of vector A shown in the figure below? a. pointing north b. pointing southwest c. pointing east d. pointing south

a. pointing north

As an object freely falls, its... a. Speed increases b. Acceleration increases c. Both of these d. None of these

a. speed increases

When a rock is dropped, it will accelerate downward at a rate of -9.8 m/s^2. If the same rock is thrown downward (instead of being dropped from rest), its acceleration will be... (ignore air resistance effects). a. Less than -9.8m/s^2 b. -9.8m/s^2 c. More than -9.8m/s^2 d. Acceleration becomes upward

b. -9.8m/s^2

An object is dropped and falls freely to the ground with an acceleration of 1 g. If it is thrown upward at an angle instead, its acceleration would be... a. 0 g b. 1 g downward c. 1 g upward d. larger than 1 g e. none of the above.

b. 1 g downward

Which is a complete description of the momentum of an object? a. 2.0 kg/s b. 1.9 kg x m/s, west c. 2.3 kg x m/s d. 6.1 kg x m/s^2 down

b. 1.9 kg x m/s, west

The mass of a dog that weighs 100 N is about... a. 1 kg b. 10 kg c. 100 kg d. 1000 kg e. None of the above

b. 10 kg

A cannonball is fired at some angle into the air. In the first second it moves 10 meters horizontally. Assuming it doesn't hit the ground and air resistance is small, how far does it move horizontally in the next second? a. More than 10 m b. 10 m c. Less than 10 m d. There's not enough information to say

b. 10 m

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. 10 times as much as the force on the 1 kg book c. Zero

b. 10 times as much as the force on the 1 kg book

How much force is needed to accelerate a 2 kg physics book to an acceleration of 6 m/s^2? a. 36 N b. 12 N c. 3 N d. 0.33 N e. 0 N

b. 12 N

A cannonball is launched from the ground at an angle of 30 degrees above the horizontal and a speed of 20 m/s. Ideally (no air resistance) the ball will land on the ground with a speed of... a. 40 m/s b. 20 m/s c. 10 m/s d. 0 m/s

b. 20 m/s

You weigh 526N on Earth. Planet X has twice the mass of Earth and twice the radius of Earth. What is your weight in Newtons on Planet X? a. 53 N b. 263 N c. 526 N d. 1040 N

b. 263 N

A woman weighing 500 N sits on the floor. She exerts a force on the floor of... a. 100 N b. 500 N c. 250 N d. 50 N

b. 500 N

When a woman stands with two feet on a scale, the scale reads 500 N. When she lifts one foot, the scale reads... a. 250 N b. 500 N c. 1000 N

b. 500 N

What is the path of a projectile? a. A wavy line b. A parabola c. A hyperbola d. Projectiles do not follow a predictable path

b. A parabola

Which of the following has the largest momentum? a. A tightrope walker crossing Niagara Falls b. A pickup truck traveling down the highway c. A Mack truck parked in a parking lot d. The science building at your school e. A dog running down the street

b. A pickup truck traveling down the highway

Impulse is a force... a. True b. False

b. False

Accelerations are produced by... a. Velocities b. Forces c. Masses d. Inertia

b. Forces

Which diagram best describes the vertical component of a ball's displacement? a. Negative slope line b. Half parabola c. Vertical line d. Horizontal line e. Horizontal spaced out line

b. Half parabola

An object following a straight line path at constant speed... a. Has a net force acting on it in the direction of motion b. Has zero acceleration c. Must be moving in a vacuum d. Has no forces acting on it

b. Has zero acceleration

How does acceleration of an object change in relation to its mass? It is... a. Directly proportional b. Inversely proportional c. Acceleration doesn't depend on mass at all

b. Inversely proportional

If the force acting on a cart doubles, what happens to the cart's acceleration? a. It quadruples b. It doubles c. It halves d. It stays the same

b. It doubles

The momentum of an object is defined as the object's... a. Mass times its acceleration b. Mass times its velocity c. Force times its acceleration d. Force times the time interval e. Velocity times the time interval

b. Mass times its velocity

Identify the following quantities as scalar or vector: the mass of an object, the number of leaves on a tree, wind velocity. a. Vector, scalar, scalar b. Scalar, scalar, vector c. Scalar, vector, scalar d. Vector, scalar, vector

b. Scalar, scalar, vector

The impulse of an object is equal to... a. Momentum b. The change in momentum c. The object's mass times the force acting on it. d. The force acting on it times the velocity.

b. The change in momentum

A heavy person and a light person parachute together and wear the same size parachutes. Assuming they open their parachutes at the same time, which person reaches the ground first? a. The light person b. The heavy person c. Neither- they both reach the ground together

b. The heavy person

When velocity is positive and acceleration is negative, what happens to the object? a. The object speeds up b. The object slows down c. The object changes direction d. The object remains at rest

b. The object slows down

Acceleration is... a. The rate of change of displacement b. The rate of change of velocity c. How fast the object is moving d. Always a positive value

b. The rate of change of velocity

Momentum of a system is conserved only when... a. There are no forces acting on the system b. There is no net external force acting on the system c. There are no internal forces acting on the system d. The system is not moving e. The system has zero momentum

b. There is no net external force acting on the system

Suppose a girl is standing on a pond where there is no friction between her feet and the ice. In order to get off the ice, she can... a. Bend over touching the ice in front of her, then bring her feet to her hands. b. Throw something in the direction opposite to that in which she wants to go c. Walk very slowly on tiptoe d. Get on her hands and knees and crawl off the ice

b. Throw something in the direction opposite to that in which she wants to go

Compared to a sport car moving at 30 miles per hour, the same sports car moving at 60 miles per hour was... a. The same momentum b. Twice the momentum c. Four times as much momentum

b. Twice the momentum

A ball of mass 0.5 kg, initially at rest, acquires a speed of 4 m/s immediately after being kicked by a force of strength 20 N. For how long did this force act on the ball? a. 0.01 s b. 0.02 s c. 0.1 s d. 0.2 s e. 1 s

c. 0.1 s

A piece of putty moving with 1 unit of momentum strikes and sticks to a heavy ball that is initially at rest. After the putty sticks to the ball, both are set in motion with a combined momentum that is... a. Less than 1 unit b. More than 1 unit c. 1 unit d. Not enough information to say

c. 1 unit

In the absence of air resistance, the angle at which a thrown ball will go the farthest is... a. 90 degrees b. 60 degrees c. 45 degrees d. 15 degrees

c. 45 degrees

A 20 N block is being pushed across a horizontal table by an 18 N force. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the table is 0.4, find the acceleration of the block. a. 0.5 m/s^2 b. 1 m/s^2 c. 5 m/s^2 d. 7.5 m/s^2 e. 9 m/s^2

c. 5 m/s^2

Which of the following does NOT exhibit parabolic motion? a. A frog jumping from land into water b. A basketball thrown to a hoop c. A flat piece of paper released from a window d. A baseball thrown to home plate

c. A flat piece of paper released from a window

Which of the following is NOT an example of projectile motion? a. A volleyball served over a net b. A baseball hit by a bat c. A hot-air balloon drifting toward Earth d. A long jumper in action

c. A hot-air balloon drifting toward Earth

When you jump off a step, you usually bend your knees as you reach the ground. By doing this, the time of the impact is about 10 times more what it would be in a stiff-legged landing and the average force on your body is reduced by... a. Less than 10 times b. More than 10 times c. About 10 times

c. About 10 times

The slope of a velocity-time graph represents: a. Velocity b. Speed c. Acceleration d. Displacement

c. Acceleration

At what part of a path does a projectile have minimum vertical speed? a. When it is thrown b. Halfway to the top c. At the top of its path d. When it returns to the ground e. There's not enough information to say

c. At the top of its path

Suppose that you're driving down the highway and a moth crashes into the windshield of your car. Which undergoes the greater change in momentum? a. The moth b. Your car c. Both the same

c. Both the same

Suppose that you're driving down the highway and a moth crashes into the windshield of your car. Which undergoes the greater impulse? a. The moth b. Your car c. Both the same

c. Both the same

Suppose that you're driving down the highway and a moth crashes into the windshield of your car. Which undergoes the greater force? a. The moth b. Your car c. Both the same

c. Both the same

The gravitational constant (G) was measured by... a. Kepler b. Newton c. Cavendish d. Einstein

c. Cavendish

If an object has an acceleration of 0 m/s^2, then one can be sure that the object is not... a. Moving b. Changing position c. Changing velocity

c. Changing velocity

In the list below, which is a scalar quantity: a. Acceleration b. Velocity c. Distance d. Momentum

c. Distance

A truck driving along a highway road has a large quantity of momentum. If it moves at the same speed but has twice as much mass, its momentum is... a. Zero b. Half of the original c. Doubled d. Unchanged

c. Doubled

A fullback is running down the football field in a straight line. He starts at the 0 yard line at 0 seconds. At 1 second, he is on the 10-yard line: at 2 seconds, he is on the 20 yard line; at 3 seconds, he is on the 30-yard line; and at 4 seconds, he is on the 40-yard line. This is evidence that... a. He is accelerating b. He is covering a greater distance in each consecutive second. c. He is moving with a constant speed (on average) d. He is decelerating

c. He is moving with a constant speed (on average)

Which of the following is/are true? I. If an object's acceleration is constant, then it must move in a straight line. II. If an object's acceleration is zero, then its speed must remain constant. III. If an object's speed remains constant, then its acceleration must be zero. a. I and II only b. I and III only c. II only d. III only e. II and III only

c. II only

An airplane flying into a head wind loses ground speed, and an airplane flying with the wind gains ground speed. If an airplane flies at right angles to the wind, then ground speed is... a. Less b. Unchanged c. More

c. More

At the instant a ball is thrown horizontally with a large force, an identical ball is dropped from the same height. Which ball hits the ground first? a. The horizontally thrown ball b. The dropped ball c. Neither- they both hit the ground at the same time

c. Neither- they both hit the ground at the same time

A Ping-Pong ball launcher is fired. Compared to the force on the ball, the force on the launcher is... a. Larger b. Smaller c. The same

c. The same

Compared to its mass on Earth, the mass of a 10 kg object on the moon is... a. Less b. More c. The same

c. The same

A karate expert executes a swift blow and severs a cement block with her bare hand. a. The impulse on the hand is greater than the impulse on the block. b. The force on the hand is greater than the force on the block. c. The time of impact on both the block and the expert's hand is the same. d. All of the above e. None of the above

c. The time of impact on both the block and the expert's hand is the same.

A baseball is thrown straight upward. What is the ball's acceleration at its highest point? a. 0 b. 1/2 g, downward c. g, downward d. 1/2 g, upward e. g, upward

c. g, downward

Which of the following quantities is NOT a speed? a. 10 m/s b. 35 km/h c. 15 mph d. 10m/s^2

d. 10 m/s^2

What is the maximum possible resultant of a pair of vectors with magnitudes of 4 and 6 units? a. 0 units b. 2 units c. 8 units d. 10 units

d. 10 units

A ball is hurled into the air at an angle of 30 degrees above the horizontal and lands on a target that is at the same level as that where the ball started. The ball will also land on the target if it is thrown at an angle of... a. 40 degrees b. 45 degrees c. 55 degrees d. 60 degrees

d. 60 degrees

A string attached to an airborne kite was maintained at an angle of 40 degrees with the ground. If 120 m of string was reeled in to return the kite back to the ground, what was the horizontal displacement of the kite? (Assume the string did not sag) a. 110 m b. 84 m c. 77 m d. 92 m

d. 92 m

Which of the following is NOT consistent with a car which is accelerating? a. A car is changing direction b. A car is moving with an increasing speed c. A car is moving with a decreasing speed d. A car is moving with a high speed

d. A car is moving with a high speed

A ball thrown in the air will never go as far as physics ideally would predict because... a. One can never throw the ball fast enough b. Gravity is acting c. Ideally the ball would never land d. Air friction slows the ball

d. Air friction slows the ball

A car traveling along the highway needs a certain amount of force exerted on it to stop. More stopping force may be required when the car has... a. More mass b. More momentum c. Less stopping distance d. All of the above e. None of the above

d. All of the above

Friction... a. Acts in a direction that opposes the motion of an object b. Comes from microscopic bumps that act as obstructions to the object's motion c. Is the name given to the force acting between surfaces sliding past one another. d. All of the above

d. All of the above

The SI unit of charge is the... a. Newton b. Joule c. Ampere d. Coulomb

d. Coulomb

The fundamental force underlying all chemical reactions is... a. Gravitational b. Nuclear c. Centripetal d. Electrical

d. Electrical

Which diagram best describes the horizontal component of the ball's displacement? a. Negative slope line b. Half parabola c. Vertical line d. Horizontal line e. Horizontal spaced out line

d. Horizontal line

If car A passes car B, then car A must be... a. Accelerating b. Accelerating at a greater rate than car B c. Moving faster than car B and accelerating more than car B d. Moving faster than car B, but not necessarily accelerating

d. Moving faster than car B, but not necessarily accelerating

Which of the following are the correct unit for G, the gravitational constant? a. N x m/kg^2 b. N x m^2/kg c. N x kg^2/m^2 d. N x m^2/kg^2

d. N x m^2/kg^2

Which of the following is the motion of objects moving in two dimensions under the influence of gravity? a. Horizontal velocity b. Directrix c. Parabola d. Projectile motion

d. Projectile motion

The slope of a position-time graph represents... a. Displacement b. Distance c. Acceleration d. Velocity

d. Velocity

When you look at the speedometer in a moving car, you can see the car's... a. Average acceleration b. Average speed c. Instantaneous acceleration d. Instantaneous speed

d. instantaneous speed

A collision is considered elastic if... a. There is no sound generated during the collision b. There is no lasting deformation c. The objects that collide don't get hot d. After the collision, the objects have the same shape as before the collision. e. All of the above

e. All of the above

Equilibrium occurs when... a. All the forces acting on an object are balanced b. The sum of the +x forces on an object equals the sum of the -x forces c. The sum of the upward forces equals the sum of the downward forces d. The net force on the object is zero e. All of the above

e. All of the above

In order to increase the final momentum of a golf ball, we could... a. Increase the force acting on it b. Increase the time of contact with the ball c. Follow through when hitting the ball d. Swing as hard as possible e. All of the above

e. All of the above

The gravitational force between two masses... a. Is always an attraction b. Depends on how large the masses are c. Depends inversely on the square of the distance between the masses d. Depends on a universal gravitational constant e. All of the above

e. All of the above

The law of inertia states than object... a. At rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an outside force b. Will continue moving at the same velocity unless an outside force acts on it c. Will continue moving in a straight line unless an outside force acts on it d. That is not moving will never move unless a force acts on it. e. All of the above

e. All of the above

... are the charged parts of an atom. a. Only electrons b. Only protons c. Neutrons only d. Electrons and neutrons e. Electrons and protons f. Protons and neutrons

e. Electrons and protons

If all of the forces acting on an object balance so that the net force is zero, then... a. The object must be at rest b. The object's speed will decrease c. The object will follow a parabolic trajectory d. The object's direction of motion can change, but not its speed e. None of the above will occur

e. None of the above will occur

After a cannonball is fired into frictionless space, the amount of force needed to keep it going equals... a. Twice the force with which it was fired b. The same amount of force with which it was fired c. One half the force with which it was fired d. One quarter the force with which it was fired e. Zero, since no force is necessary to keep it moving

e. Zero, since no force is necessary to keep it moving