Archives: Quiz

A light source blinks with a certain frequency in its own frame of reference, and the speed of light in that frame is c. When the light source approaches you, you observe an increase in A) both speed of light […]

If a freely falling object were equipped with a speedometer on a planet where the acceleration due to gravity is 20 m/s2, then its speed reading would increase each second by A) 10 m/s. B) 20 m/s. C) 30 m/s. […]

A ring, a disk, and a solid sphere begin rolling down a hill together. Which reaches the bottom first? A) ring B) disk C) sphere D) all reach the bottom at the same time E) need more information The specific […]

Two identical particles move toward each other, one twice as fast as the other. Just before they collide, one has a kinetic energy of 25 J and the other 50 J. At this instant their total kinetic energy is A) […]

Rate this statement: No force due to Earth’s gravity acts on astronauts inside the orbiting space station. A) always true while in orbit B) sometimes true while in orbit C) always false If all people, animals, trains and trucks all […]

The Moon would be at its fullest just before the time of a A) solar eclipse. B) lunar eclipse. C) both of these D) neither of these Which of the following is a scientific statement? A) candy Bon Bons contain […]

Quantum uncertainties are most predominant for simultaneously measuring the speed and location of A) a baseball. B) a spitball. C) an electron. D) none of the above Fraunhofer lines are apparent in A) absorption spectra. B) emission spectra. C) Doppler […]

Which of these has its center of mass where no mass exists? A) baseball B) golf ball C) basketball D) none of the above When you float in fresh water, the buoyant force that acts on you is equal to […]

An astronaut at Earth’s surface has a mass of 50 kg and a weight of 500 N. If she were floating freely inside a space habitat in remote space, she would have A) no weight and less mass. B) no […]

When you quickly jerk a cart forward that has a ball resting in the middle, the A) front of the cart hits the ball. B) back of the cart hits the ball. C) neither, for the ball rides along in […]

An umbrella tends to move upwards on a windy day principally because A) trapped air under the umbrella, warms, and rises. B) buoyancy increases with increasing wind speed. C) air pressure is reduced over the curved top surface. D) all […]

According to the “energy valley” of the mass-per-nucleon versus atomic-number graph, the element with the least mass per nucleon is A) hydrogen. B) helium. C) iron. D) uranium. E) none of the above The energy released in both fission and […]

A body of water will be deeper when its A) temperature rises. B) temperature drops. C) neither of these The radial velocity of an Earth satellite is its velocity A) parallel to the surface of Earth. B) perpendicular to the […]

Conducting materials are composed of atoms with A) strong cohesive forces between them. B) loose outer electrons. C) excess neutrons compared with protons. D) vastly more charge than insulators. If you toss a ball “horizontally” from one wall to an […]

Just as a sustained flow of water in a hydraulic circuit needs a pump, in electric circuits the flow of charge needs A) current. B) voltage. C) resistance. Optical fibers are commonly used by A) surgeons. B) mechanics. C) engineers. […]

If the Sun collapsed to a black hole, Earth would A) be sucked into the black hole. B) follow a straight-line path into space. C) continue in its present orbit. Interference is a property of A) water waves. B) sound […]

Objects that radiate relatively well A) absorb radiation relatively well. B) reflect radiation relatively well. C) both of these D) neither of these Distant bright snowy mountains appear yellowish because A) they are far away. B) blue has been scattered […]

The fact that desert sand is very hot in the day and very cold at night is evidence that the specific heat capacity of sand is relatively A) low. B) high. C) practically absent. In gaseous form at the same […]

Figure V-5 A small railroad car is pulled by a rope as shown in the sketch (top view). The force F that the rope exerts on the car has a component along the track and another component perpendicular to the […]

Wood does not have magnetic properties because it contains no A) iron or other metals. B) magnetic domains. C) moving electrons. D) none of the above The fact that gasoline overflows a full tank on a hot day is evidence […]

The absorption of an infrared photon that excites an atom to emit a green photon A) occurs in plants. B) occurs in the process of phosphorescence. C) would violate the law of energy conservation. D) all of the above E) […]

If you quickly run away from the orchestra at a concert, the frequency of the sound you hear will be A) decreased. B) increased. C) neither of these. Science and technology are A) responsible for all the good in the […]

A galvanometer indicates A) electric charge. B) a flow of electrons. C) electric voltage. D) magnetic field strength. When a cannonball is fired from a cannon, which undergoes the greater acceleration? A) the cannonball B) the recoiling cannon C) both […]

In which material does light travel fastest? A) glass B) water C) plastic D) air E) same for all The reason a life jacket helps keep you afloat is A) the jacket makes you weigh less. B) the jacket has […]

Assume that 10 J of work pushes a charge initially at rest into an electric field. If the charge is then released, it flies back to its starting position with a kinetic energy of A) zero. B) 5 J. C) […]

Distant bright snowy mountains appear yellowish because A) they are far away. B) blue has been scattered away from light reflected from the mountains. C) the color yellow looks just right. D) of nature’s wonderful preferences. Phil leans over the […]

The work you do when pushing a shopping cart twice as far while applying the same force is A) half as much. B) twice as much. C) four times as much. D) the same amount. A floating leaf oscillates up […]

As a solid is gradually heated, it first glows A) red. B) yellow. C) white. D) blue. The first evidence confirming the crystal structure of matter was A) the citing of experiments by Nobel Prize-winning scientists. B) testimonials by crystal-loving […]

When you’re ready for the hottest sips of coffee, add cream A) right away. B) at any time. C) when you are ready to drink the coffee. What characteristic of light mostly relates to color? A) frequency B) amplitude C) […]

Which light-emitting process is characterized by an afterglow? A) incandescence. B) fluorescence. C) phosphorescence. D) resonance. E) none of the above Which of these electromagnetic waves have the shortest wavelength? A) radio waves B) infrared waves C) X-rays D) ultraviolet […]

A high-frequency sound source produces a high A) speed. B) amplitude. C) pitch. D) all of the above E) none of the above A 60-W and a 100-W light bulb are connected in series to a 120-V outlet. Which bulb […]

U-235 and Pu-239 are both A) radioactive isotopes. B) fissionable isotopes. C) heavier than lead. D) all of the above E) none of the above Escape speed from Mars is A) about the same as from Earth. B) greater than […]

You can swing your legs to and fro more frequently when your legs are A) straight. B) bent. C) same either way When holes are drilled through the wall of a water tower, water will spurt out with the greatest […]

An object’s weight is properly expressed in units of A) meters. B) kilograms. C) newtons. D) cubic centimeters. The source of a sonic boom A) must be a sound emitter. B) may or may not be a sound emitter. C) […]

A red-hot piece of coal will cool quicker in a A) cold room. B) warm over. C) both the same. In a circuit powered by a battery, charge A) flows through the battery. B) is energized by the battery. C) […]

Which is an example of matter in a plasma phase? A) dry ice B) a torch flame C) molten lava D) liquid hydrogen E) none of the above Two planets in space gravitationally attract each other. If both the masses […]

Your weight as measured on your bathroom scale is A) equal to your mass. B) the force due to gravity on you. C) a property of mechanical equilibrium. D) all of the above A car traveling at 100 km/h strikes […]

A projectile that is fired vertically from the surface of Earth at 8 km/s will A) go into circular orbit about Earth. B) rise and fall back to Earth’s surface. C) follow an uncertain path. D) escape from Earth. A […]

When ice crystals collapse at the surface of ice, the result is a A) thin film of water. B) slippery surface. C) both of these. D) none of the above Sunlight passing through a pinhole in a piece of card […]

When a parcel of air expands against the environment and no heat enters or leaves, its temperature A) increases. B) decreases. C) remains unchanged. Wobbles in the path of Uranus led to the discovery of A) Jupiter. B) Mars. C) […]

A skydiver’s terminal velocity will be greatest if she falls A) head first. B) lying flat on her back. C) lying flat on her stomach. D) with her parachute open. A rock weighs 30 N on Earth and another rock […]

A bare roof on a warmly heated home on a snowy day indicates A) an unwanted flow of heat B) poor insulation. C) fairly good conductivity. D) all of the above The chef at the infamous Fattening Tower of Pizza […]

Which of the following has the longer wavelength? A) a low-energy electron B) a high-energy electron C) both the same D) none of the above An efficient step-up transformer boosts A) energy. B) power. C) voltage. D) all of the […]

If a fictional shrinking man shrinks proportionately to 1/10 his original height, his weight will be multiplied by A) 0.1. B) 0.01. C) 0.001. D) 0.0001. E) none of the above A pair of crossed Polaroids will transmit light A) […]

A large block of wood and a smaller block of iron on weighing scales both register 1 ton. Taking buoyancy of air into account, which has the greater mass? A) wood B) iron C) both have the same mass. D) […]

According to Kepler, the paths of planets about the Sun are A) parabolas. B) circles. C) straight lines. D) ellipses. E) none of the above If a freely falling object were equipped with a speedometer on a planet where the […]

To make a profit a buyer purchases metal by weight at one altitude and sells it at the same price per pound at another altitude. The supplier should A) buy at a high altitude and sell at a low altitude. […]

A decibel is a measure of a sound’s A) frequency. B) wavelength. C) speed. D) loudness. E) all of the above The most abundant element in the universe is A) hydrogen. B) helium. C) lead. D) uranium. Answer: A If […]

The principal advantage of ac power over dc power is that A) more energy is dissipated during transmission. B) ac voltage oscillates while dc voltage does not. C) ac voltage can be transformed via conventional transformers. D) ac circuits multiply […]

Electrical forces inside a nucleus contribute to nuclear A) stability. B) instability. C) both of these D) neither of these A single brick falls with acceleration g. The reason a double brick falls with the same acceleration is A) that […]