Refraction occurs when light passing from one medium to another
A) changes frequency.
B) changes speed.
C) loses energy.
D) reflects inward.
Which experiences the least electrical force in an electric field?
A) alpha particle
B) beta particle
C) electron
D) gamma ray
E) all the same
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that
A) Planck’s constant sets a limit on accuracy of measurements.
B) we can’t simultaneously measure exactly both the position and momentum of a
particle.
C) we can’t simultaneously measure exactly a particle’s energy and time having that
energy.
D) all of the above
An ice cube with large air bubbles in it floats in a brim-full container of water. When
the ice cube melts,
A) water spills over.
B) no change in water level occurs.
C) water level in the container goes down.
An object in mechanical equilibrium is an object
A) moving with constant velocity.
B) having no changes in velocity.
C) at rest.
D) all of the above
The speed of sound depends on
A) its frequency.
B) its amplitude.
C) the medium in which it travels.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
The electric field established by a generator in an ac circuit
A) increases via the inverse-square law.
B) changes magnitude and direction with time.
C) acts in one direction.
D) is non-existent.
E) none of the above
Nellie tosses a ball upward at an angle. Assuming no air resistance, which component
of velocity changes with time?
A) the horizontal component
B) the vertical component
C) both of these
D) neither of these
When long-wavelength light is seen in the interference colors of a soap bubble, the
wavelength being cancelled is relatively
A) long.
B) short.
C) neither of these
The attraction between Earth and Sydney is equal to her weight. The reaction to Earth’s
pull on Sydney is
A) Sydney pushing against Earth’s surface.
B) the support of Earth’s surface on Sydney.
C) Sydney’s pull on Earth.
D) none of the above
A coconut and a bird’s feather fall from a tree through the air to the ground below. The
force of air resistance is
A) greater on the coconut.
B) greater on the feather.
C) the same on each.
A hypothetical atom has four distinct energy states. Assuming all transitions are
possible, the number of spectral lines this atom can produce is
A) 5.
B) 6.
C) 7.
D) 8.
E) more than 8.
Glass is transparent to
A) infrared light.
B) visible light.
C) ultraviolet light.
D) all of the above
A 1056-hertz tuning fork is sounded at the same time a piano note is struck. You hear
three beats per second. What is the frequency of the piano string?
A) 1056 hertz
B) 1059 hertz
C) 1053 hertz
D) 3168 hertz
E) need more information
If a certain object emits visible waves rather than infrared waves its temperature is
A) higher.
B) lower.
C) the same, temperature doesn’t make any difference.
When a boat sails from fresh water to salt water, the boat will float
A) lower in the water.
B) higher in the water.
C) at the same water level.
As a solid is gradually heated, it first glows
A) red.
B) yellow.
C) white.
D) blue.
If you cover half a camera lens with opaque tape, the images produced will be
A) cut in half.
B) only dimmer.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Earth’s interior is warmed by ________ and Earth’s surface is warmed by ________.
A) radioactive processes; fusion in the Sun
B) fission; fossil fuels
C) volcanoes; solar energy
D) terrestrial radiation; terrestrial radiation
Which of these investigators did NOT contribute to our knowledge of atoms?
A) Aristotle
B) John Dalton
C) Robert Brown
D) Albert Einstein
Tidal bulges on the Moon involve the concept of
A) torques.
B) elasticity.
C) slight water on the Moon.
D) magnetism.
According to Newton, the greater the masses of interacting objects, the
A) less the gravitational force between them.
B) greater the gravitational force between them.
C) greater the force between them by the square of the masses.
Light travels fastest in
A) warm air.
B) cool air.
C) a vacuum.
Tidal forces in general are the result of
A) two or more sources of gravitation.
B) a combination of any kind of forces acting on a body.
C) unequal forces acting on different parts of a body.
D) the inverse-square law.
E) unequal fluid flow.
Acrobat Bart at the circus drops vertically onto the end of a see-saw, with his partner
Art equidistant from the fulcrum at the other end. Art is propelled straight upward a
distance twice that of Bart’s dropping distance. Neglecting inefficiencies we see
A) the masses of Art and Bart are equal.
B) Art has half the mass of Bart.
C) need more information
Three resistors take the shape of a triangle, one resistor in each leg. Resistance in one
leg is 4 ohms, 6 ohms in a second leg, and a third leg 10 ohms. Connecting an
ohm-meter across the 10-ohm resistor will show the equivalent resistance to be
A) 1.4 ohms.
B) 5 ohms.
C) 6.7 ohms.
D) greater than 6.7 ohms.
Electric shielding within a conductor is a consequence of
A) the balancing of opposing forces.
B) both the attraction and repelling nature of electricity.
C) cancellation of electric field lines.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
A sonic boom is produced by an airplane flying at a speed
A) just below the speed of sound.
B) equal to the speed of sound.
C) greater than the speed of sound.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
In comparison with other fundamental forces, the universal gravitational constant G
indicates that gravity is
A) very weak.
B) strong.
C) very strong.
Two isotopes that undergo nuclear fission are
A) U-235 and Pu-239.
B) Th-238 and U-235.
C) all of these
D) none of these
The support force on a 30-kg dog sleeping on the floor is
A) less than 300 N.
B) about 300 N.
C) more than 300 N.
D) nonexistent while asleep.
If an all-electric car has kinetic energy, then it also must have
A) impulse.
B) momentum.
C) acceleration.
D) force.
E) none of the above
The speed of an Earth satellite does NOT depend on its
A) distance from Earth.
B) mass.
C) but it depends on both
D) it depends on neither
The winner in a tug-of-war exerts the greatest force on
A) the opponent.
B) his or her end of the rope.
C) the ground.
The distance a freely falling object falls from rest in one-half second is
A) 2 m.
B) 4 m.
C) 6 m.
D) none of the above