Science and technology are
A) responsible for all the good in the world.
B) responsible for all the bad in the world.
C) actually one and the same.
D) fundamentally different from each other.
Earth continually moves about 30 km/s through space, which means the wall you stand
next to also is moving at 30 km/s. When you jump vertically the wall doesn’t slam into
you because
A) the speeds of you and Earth cancel out.
B) you’re moving horizontally just as fast as the wall.
C) your upward motion is small compared with Earth’s speed.
D) motion of the Sun counteracts your motion.
The energy dissipated in a light bulb in a circuit is provided by the
A) lamp filament itself.
B) wires leading to the lamp.
C) voltage source.
D) none of the above
Early 21st Century research in nuclear fusion uses
A) laser beams.
B) ultra-hot plasmas.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Atomic number refers to the number of
A) protons in the nucleus.
B) neutrons in the nucleus.
C) nucleons in the nucleus.
Fissioning a lead nucleus would yield a net
A) absorption of energy.
B) release of energy.
C) neither of these
If a star 100 light-years away explodes, the time for the gravitational waves to reach
Earth is 100 years as measured from
A) any uniformly moving reference frame.
B) any accelerating reference frame.
C) any reference frame, accelerated or not.
D) the reference frame of the waves.
E) Earth.
When a load of wood is thrown overboard from a boat in a swimming pool, the pool
level
A) rises.
B) falls.
C) remains unchanged.
A current-carrying wire in a magnetic field
A) may be deflected.
B) may experience a force.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
In a heat pump, warming is accomplished when
A) condensation occurs in its coils.
B) vaporization occurs in its coils.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Figure M-1
Which of the two identical pyramids is exerting the most pressure on the floor?
1) A
2) B
3) both the same
The reason for this is that
4) they both have the same weight.
5) the heaviest part of the pyramid is closer to the floor.
6) the weight is distributed over a smaller area.
7) the weight is distributed over a larger area.
A 5-kg shark swimming at 1 m/s swallows an absent-minded 1-kg fish swimming
toward it at 4 m/s. The speed of the shark after his meal is
A) 1/2 m/s.
B) 1/5 m/s.
C) 1/6 m/s.
D) 2/3 m/s.
E) 3/2 m/s.
If electrons are stripped from an atom it becomes a
A) positive ion.
B) negative ion.
C) different element.
D) molecule.
The temperature at which a liquid freezes is
A) affected by foreign ions.
B) the same temperature at which its solid form melts.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
A bicycle that travels twice as fast as another when braking to a stop will skid
A) twice as far.
B) four times as far.
C) eight times as far
D) sixteen times as far.
E) depends on the bike’s mass
Electromagnetism unites
A) electricity and magnetism.
B) electric and gravitational fields.
C) physics and biophysics.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
When a high-velocity beam of electrons is bent by a magnetic field, relativistic effects
A) increase momentum beyond its classical value.
B) reduce the angle at which the beam is bent.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
When a geyser erupts, pressure at its bottom
A) increases.
B) decreases.
C) is unaffected
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Uranium-235, uranium-238 and uranium-239 are different
A) elements.
B) ions of the same element.
C) isotopes of the same element.
D) none of the above
Pluto is classified by as a
A) full-fledged planet.
B) dwarf planet.
C) moon.
A transistor is an example of a
A) resistor.
B) superconductor.
C) semiconductor.
D) dry cell.
E) transmitter.
Current that is typically 60 hertz is
A) direct current.
B) alternating current.
C) either of these
D) neither of these
A river 100 m wide flows due south at 1 m/s. A boat that travels 1 m/s relative to the
water is pointed due east as it crosses from the west bank. The boat reaches the east
bank
A) due east of its starting point.
B) 100 m farther south.
C) 141 m farther south.
D) none of the above
A moving object has
A) speed.
B) velocity.
C) momentum.
D) energy.
E) all of these
A mirage occurs for road surfaces that are most often
A) hot.
B) cold.
C) wet.
D) hard.
E) snowy.
Both a 50-kg sack is lifted 2 meters from the ground and a 25-kg sack is lifted 4 meters
in the same time. The power expended in raising the 50-kg sack is
A) twice as much as the 25-kg sack.
B) half as much as the 25-kg sack.
C) the same.
D) need more information
When voltage is stepped up in a transformer, current is stepped down. But Ohm’s law
tells us that greater voltage means greater current, not less current. How then can
current be lower when voltage is increased?
A) Current in the secondary is lower when compared to the greater current drawn by the
primary.
B) Ohm’s law applies to the circuit connected to the secondary, not to the transformer.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
A lamp rated at 120W 120V has a filament resistance of
A) 1 ohm.
B) 60 ohms.
C) 100 ohms.
D) 144 ohms.
E) none of the above
Light from two closely-spaced stars cannot produce a steady interference pattern due to
A) incoherence.
B) the inherent instability of the atmosphere.
C) their different radial distances.
D) their non-point like natures.
E) closely spaced stars not producing interference patterns.
A pinhole cameras has no lens. The tiny pinhole opening insures that rays of light from
different parts of an object
A) overlap.
B) don’t overlap.
C) bend to a focus.
The higher the temperature of an object, the
A) longer the wavelengths it radiates.
B) shorter the wavelengths it radiates.
C) makes no difference in the wavelengths it radiates
The flight of a blimp best illustrates
A) Archimedes’ principle.
B) Pascal’s principle.
C) Bernoulli’s principle.
D) Boyle’s law.
Diffraction from foghorns is best if the waves being diffracted are
A) long.
B) short.
C) either of these
D) neither of these
Increased air pressure on the surface of hot water tends to
A) prevent boiling.
B) promote boiling.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
When Philadelphia’s temperature is 40F and Miami’s temperature is 80F,
A) Miami is twice as hot as Philadelphia.
B) Miami is warmer than Philadelphia.
C) both of these
D) neither of these