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 your
weight. When you float higher in the denser water of the Dead Sea, the buoyant force
that acts on you is
A) greater than your weight.
B) less than your weight.
C) equal to your weight.
Which of the following is fundamentally different from the others?
A) sound waves
B) X-rays
C) gamma rays
D) light waves
E) radio waves
When a moving spaceship emits regularly-spaced flashes of light, how frequently you
see the flashes depends on the ship
A) approaching you.
B) receding from you.
C) either of these
D) none of these
A projectile is launched vertically upward at 50 m/s. If air resistance is negligible, its
speed upon returning to its starting point is
A) less than 50 m/s.
B) 50 m/s.
C) more than 50 m/s.
Plasmas are a central part of power generation in
A) MHD generators.
B) turbo generators.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
The weight of air in a bathtub (about 1/3 cubic meter) is about the same as the weight of
A) a pea.
B) an egg.
C) a small apple.
D) a pound of butter.
E) a 10-pound sack of potatoes.
A 2-kg box of taffy candy has 40 J of potential energy relative to the ground. Its height
above the ground is
A) 1 m.
B) 2 m.
C) 3 m.
D) 4 m.
E) none of the above
When vapor transforms to a plasma, energy must be
A) absorbed by the vapor.
B) released from the vapor.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
When a bar magnet is thrust into a coil of copper wire, the coil tends to
A) attract the magnet as it enters.
B) repel the magnet as it enters.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
A thin film appears cyan when illuminated with white light. The color being cancelled
by destructive interference is
A) red.
B) green.
C) white.
D) blue.
E) none of the above
It is correct to say that in electric circuits
A) charge flows through a circuit.
B) flowing charge is current.
C) voltage is applied across a circuit.
D) voltage is the ratio of energy per charge.
E) all of the above
A skydiver steps from a helicopter and falls for a few seconds until terminal velocity is
reached. Thereafter, until he opens his parachute, his acceleration
A) is constant.
B) increases.
C) decreases.
D) is zero.
E) none of the above
If no molecular collisions occurred in a sample of gas, temperature of the gas would
A) increase.
B) decrease.
C) be unaffected.
The amount of work done on a heavy box carried by Nellie across a room at a constant
speed
A) depends on the weight of the box.
B) depends on the distance walked.
C) depends on both weight of the box and distance walked.
D) is none.
E) none of the above
Which of the following isotopes is radioactive?
A) Carbon-12
B) Carbon-14
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Hydrothermal vents deep beneath the ocean surface attain temperatures far above 100C
due to
A) higher salt content.
B) reduced salt content.
C) greater pressure.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
The products of nuclear fission are radioactive due to their
A) combustive natures.
B) capacity to hold vast amounts of energy.
C) greater neutron to proton ratio compared with stable nuclei in the same mass range.
D) short half-lives.
E) none of the above
Human damage is usually highest for radiation by
A) beta particles.
B) alpha particles.
C) either of the above
D) none of the above
At one instant an object in free fall is moving downward at 50 m/s. One second later its
speed is
A) 25 m/s.
B) 50 m/s.
C) 55 m/s.
D) 60 m/s.
E) 100 m/s.
The most responsible factor for whether a substance takes the phase of solid, liquid,
gas, or plasma is its
A) composition.
B) atomic shell configuration.
C) temperature.
D) none of the above
The force with which Earth pulls on the Moon is
A) somewhat greater than Moon’s pull on Earth.
B) the only force acting between Earth and Moon.
C) equal in magnitude to the force that Moon pulls on Earth.
The chance that at least one of the atoms exhaled in your previous breath will be
inhaled in your next breath is
A) very low.
B) very high.
C) zero.
A turbogenerator produces
A) energy.
B) power.
C) neither, but transforms energy from one form to another.
D) none of the above
When a boxer moves into an oncoming punch, the force experienced is
A) decreased.
B) increased.
C) no different, but the timing is different.
D) all of the above
As a supersonic aircraft increases in speed, the angle of its V-shaped shock wave
becomes
A) wider.
B) narrower.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
When a gas in a container is squeezed to half its volume with no change in temperature,
the gas pressure
A) halves.
B) doubles.
C) quadruples.
D) remains the same.
To “spear” a blue fish with a red laser beam and compensate for refraction, aim your
laser
A) directly at the sighted fish.
B) above the sighted fish.
C) below the sighted fish.
Stored potatoes, beets, and rutabagas freeze at temperatures below zero degrees Celsius
(rather than at exactly zero) because
A) they are good radiators of energy.
B) they are good absorbers of radiant energy.
C) the water in them contains dissolved salts and sugars.
D) they are relatively dense.
E) all of the above
The formula △p △x≥ h tells us that the product of △p and △x cannot be
A) less than h
B) greater than h
C) equal to h
According to the equation Ft = change in (mv), a foam rubber dashboard is safer than a
metal one, for the force of impact, F, of an occupant against the dash is lessened in an
accident. In this case, the “m” in this equation represents the
1) mass of the car,
2) mass of the person,
3) momentum of the car,
4) momentum of the person,
and the “v” represents the
5) velocity of the car.
6) speed at which the person hits the dashboard.
7) relative velocity between cars in a collision.
8) change in velocity, which is 10 m/s2.
Protons and electrons
1) repel each other.
2) attract each other.
3) do not interact with each other.
If the distance between a proton and an electron is doubled, the electrical force is
4) 1/4 as much.
5) 1/2 as much.
6) the same.
7) twice as much.
8) four times as much.
When steam condenses, the H2O
1) releases energy.
2) absorbs energy.
3) neither of these.
When water freezes, the H2O
4) releases energy.
5) absorbs energy.
6) neither of these.
When a solid changes to a liquid and then to a gas, energy is
1) released,
2) absorbed,
and when gas changes to liquid and then to solid, energy is
3) released.
4) absorbed.
Pitch corresponds to
1) frequency,
2) noise,
3) loudness,
whereas amplitude corresponds to
4) frequency.
5) noise.
6) loudness.
If the polar ice caps melted and flowed toward the equator, the rotation of Earth would
tend to
1) decrease in angular speed,
2) be unchanged,
3) increase in angular speed,
with the result that the day would be
4) slightly longer.
5) slightly shorter.
6) unaffected.
Figure H-1
When an iron ring is heated, the hole becomes
1) smaller,
2) larger,
3) neither smaller nor larger,
which follows from the fact that
4) expansion takes place inward toward the center of the ring as well as outward.
5) expansion takes place in all directions.
6) the surrounding air and the iron expand at different rates.
A ray of light is incident on a pane of common window glass at an angle of 35o to the
normal. The angle of the reflected ray with respect to the normal is
1) 35o
2) 55o
3) 90o
4) 20o
and the refracted ray within the glass may be at an angle of
5) 35o.
6) 55o.
7) 22o .
8) 75o.
A car increases its speed from 60 to 65 miles per hour in the same time that a bicycle
increases its speed from rest to 5 miles per hour. Acceleration is
1) greater for the car,
2) greater for the bicycle,
3) the same for each,
principally because
4) the car undergoes the greater change in velocity.
5) the bicycle has considerably less mass.
6) both undergo equal increases in velocity during the same interval of time.
Figure M-7
The maximum weight that can be held under the conditions illustrated is
1) 104 N.
2) 105 N.
3) 0 N.
4) need more information
It is interesting to note that in this case the piston actually is
5) pushed up by air.
6) pulled up by the vacuum.
Figure E-3
To lift the 5000-N block, the man finds that he must pull 10 m of rope through his
hands for every 1 m the block rises. Neglecting the weights of the pulleys and friction,
how hard must the man pull on the rope to raise the block?
1) 5 N
2) 50 N
3) 500 N
4) 5000 N
which is in accord with
5) Newton’s second law.
6) that impulse equals change in momentum.
7) (F x d) input = (F xd) output.
8) mechanical energy can be stored as potential energy.
When you throw a stone horizontally from the top of a cliff at 10 m/s, one second after
leaving your hand its vertical distance below the top of the cliff is
1) 5 m.
2) 10 m.
3) 15 m.
And its speed at that instant is
4) 10 m/s.
5) about 14 m/s.
6) 15 m/s.
7) greater than 15 m/s.
Figure E-6
In the hydraulic device shown, when the small piston is pushed down 10 cm with a
force of 10 N, the large piston is raised 1 cm. This means that the large piston is capable
of lifting
1) 10 N,
2) 100 N,
3) 1000 N,
4) any amount of weight,
which illustrates
5) that impulse is equal to a change in momentum.
6) (F xd) input = (F xd) output.
7) Newton’s second law.
8) that the stored energy that a body possesses may be transformed into other forms of
energy.
A boat in a small pool is loaded with a barrel full of water. If the water in the barrel is
poured overboard, into the pool, the boat will
1) sink farther into the water,
2) ride higher in the water,
3) ride no higher or lower in the water,
and the water level at the side of the pool will
4) rise.
5) fall.
6) remain unchanged.
As a spaceship nears the Moon, its mass
1) varies slightly with distance,
2) increases,
3) decreases,
4) remains unchanged,
while the Moon’s gravitation force on the ship
5) increases.
6) decreases.
7) remains unchanged.
A horizontal 100-N force exerted against a 1000-N block causes the block to slide on a
level surface with constant velocity. The friction force on the block must be
1) zero.
2) 100 N.
3) 1000 N.
4) greater than 1000 N.
In this case the pushing force and the friction force are
5) equal but oppositely directed.
6) an action-reaction pair.
7) both of these.
8) none of these.
The diameter of a mercury atom, atomic number 80, compared with the diameter of a
zirconium atom, atomic number 40, is approximately
1) half as large
2) twice as large
3) the same size
because the
4) atomic masses are not appreciably different.
5) greater nuclear charge pulls the orbiting electrons closer.
6) atomic number and atomic diameter are directly proportional to each other.
7) atomic number and atomic diameter are inversely proportional to each other.
Figure S-3
A V-shaped bow wave is produced when a boat moves
1) more slowly than the velocity of waves in the water.
2) as fast as the waves in the water.
3) faster than the velocity of waves in the water.
4) at any speed, slower or faster than the water waves.
Which bow wave corresponds to the faster-moving boat?
5) I
6) II
The Uncertainty Principle states that
1) all measurements are essentially incorrect to some degree.
2) no measurement is exact.
3) we cannot in principle know both the position and momentum (or energy and time)
of a particle with absolute certainty.
4) science itself is essentially uncertain.
The Uncertainty Principle is applicable
5) only in the atomic domain.
6) in all physical domains, from the nuclear to the cosmic.
7) in all areas of good theory, scientific or otherwise.