A main difference between gravitational and electric forces is that electrical forces
A) attract.
B) repel or attract.
C) obey the inverse-square law.
D) act over shorter distances.
E) are weaker.
Answer:
Reflected light from the Moon in a lake often appears as a vertical column when the
water is
A) perfectly still.
B) slightly rough.
C) very rough as with churning waves.
Answer:
If a freely falling object were equipped with a speedometer, its speed reading would
increase each second by about
A) 5 m/s.
B) 10 m/s.
C) 15 m/s.
D) a variable amount.
E) depends on its initial speed
Answer:
The energy source responsible for molecular motions in Earth’s atmosphere is
A) their own natural kinetic energy.
B) pressure caused by the weight of air.
C) atmospheric tides.
D) the Sun.
Answer:
The ratio of the energy of a photon to its frequency is
A) π.
B) Planck’s constant.
C) photon speed.
D) photon wavelength.
E) unknown.
Answer:
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
Answer:
Which of these animals has a quicker stride?
A) giraffe
B) horse
C) cat
D) mouse
Answer:
The electric field inside an uncharged metal ball is zero. If the ball is negatively
charged, the electric field inside the ball is then
A) less than zero.
B) zero.
C) greater than zero.
Answer:
The vibrational direction of an electron and the plane of polarization of the light it emits
A) are the same.
B) are at right angles to each other.
C) may or may not be at right angles to each other.
D) are independent of each other.
Answer:
When a nucleus emits a beta particle, its atomic number
A) increases by 1.
B) decreases by 1.
C) increases by 2.
D) decreases by 2.
E) none of the above
Answer:
Multiple the equation for linear momentum by radial distance r and you have
A) rotational kinetic energy.
B) angular momentum.
C) rotational inertia.
Answer:
The force that accelerates a rocket in outer space is exerted on the rocket by the
A) rocket’s nose cone.
B) rocket’s wings.
C) atmospheric pressure.
D) exhaust gases.
E) none of the above
Answer:
Refraction results from differences in light’s
A) frequency.
B) incident angles.
C) speed.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Answer:
A ball rolling down an incline has its maximum potential energy at
A) the top.
B) a quarter of the way down.
C) halfway down.
D) the bottom.
Answer:
A hydraulic press multiplies a force by 100, which is done at the expense of
A) energy, which is divided by 100.
B) the distance through which the force acts.
C) the time through which the force acts.
D) the mechanism providing the force.
E) none of the above
Answer:
A block is dragged without acceleration in a straight-line path across a level surface by
a force of 6 N. What is the force of friction between the block and the surface?
A) less than 6 N
B) 6 N
C) more than 6 N
D) need more information
Answer:
A fish above the surface of water will see better in air if it has goggles that are
A) tinted blue.
B) hemispherical.
C) filled with water.
D) extremely shiny.
E) none of the above
Answer:
A helium-filled balloon released in the atmosphere will rise until
A) the pressure inside the balloon equals atmospheric pressure.
B) atmospheric pressure on the bottom and top of the balloon are equal.
C) the balloon and surrounding air have equal densities.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Answer:
When a train makes a curve, a tapered wheel rim is able to
A) cover different distances per revolution.
B) maintain a fixed rotational speed.
C) reduce differences in angular speeds.
Answer:
In accord with general relativity, a person living at the top of a skyscraper ages
A) faster than a person on the ground floor.
B) slower than a person on the ground floor.
C) at the same rate as a person on any floor.
Answer:
When mechanical work is done on a system, an increase normally occurs in its
A) internal energy.
B) temperature.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer:
As the filament of a lamp is heated it changes
A) temperature.
B) color.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer:
Entropy is a measure of
A) messiness.
B) disorder.
C) both of the above
D) none of the above
Answer:
The difficulty of taking a photograph of an atom with light is
A) unwanted diffraction.
B) that atoms are smaller than wavelengths of light.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer:
The unit kilowatt-hour is a unit of
A) energy.
B) momentum.
C) power.
D) time.
Answer:
A 10-N falling object encounters 10 N of air resistance. The net force on the object is
A) 0 N.
B) 4 N.
C) 6 N.
D) 10 N.
E) none of these
Answer:
When you stand at rest on a pair of bathroom scales, the reading on each scale
A) is half your weight.
B) equals your weight.
C) add up to equal your weight.
Answer:
An object is thrown vertically into the air. In this case air resistance affects motion.
Compared with its time for ascent, the time for its descent is
A) shorter.
B) the same.
C) longer.
D) need more information
Answer:
Detonation of a fission-type uranium bomb begins by
A) splitting uranium.
B) pressing together pieces of uranium.
C) igniting a small conventional bomb.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Answer:
When slow-moving water molecules collide they tend to
A) rebound without sticking.
B) stick.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer:
You can experience weight
A) standing on Earth’s surface.
B) in an accelerating elevator away from Earth.
C) in a rotating habitat in space.
D) all of the above
Answer:
Glass is transparent to wave frequencies that
A) match its natural frequencies.
B) are below its natural frequencies.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer:
The source of every sound is something that is
A) vibrating.
B) moving.
C) accelerating.
D) undergoing simple harmonic motion.
E) a net emitter of energy.
Answer:
The uncertainty principle tells us that the more information one has about the energy of
an electron, the less certain one is about
A) its position.
B) the time it has that energy.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer:
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
Answer:
What determines what element a configuration of protons, neutrons and electrons will
be is
1) the number of protons,
2) the number of neutrons,
3) the mass of protons and neutrons,
and the principal variable that determines whether the atoms will form a solid, liquid,
gaseous, or plasma phase is
4) atomic number.
5) atomic weight.
6) density.
7) temperature.
Answer:
Figure T-1
The boy plays “solitary seesaw” as shown. We can understand this by imagining that he
has an invisible partner who is actually at the
1) fulcrum.
2) right end of the board.
3) rotational inertia of the seesaw as a whole.
4) seesaw’s center of gravity.
Since the seesaw is not rotating, we can say that
5) the net torque on the seesaw is zero.
6) potential energy and kinetic energy are equal to each other.
7) the boy’s and the seesaw’s centers of gravity must be equal distances from the
fulcrum.
8) the boy and the seesaw must have the same weight.
Answer:
The air in a closed room has
1) mass,
2) energy,
3) weight,
4) all of these,
5) none of these,
and the greater the rate of molecular motion in the air, the greater the
6) temperature.
7) molecular kinetic energy.
8) air pressure.
9) all of these.
10)none of these.
Answer:
If you were traveling at the speed of light, next to a beam of light, the beam would
appear to
1) be at relative rest, traveling beside you at an equal speed.
2) still travel away from you, but at a speed less than c.
3) travel away from you at c.
From this we see that the speed of light in free space will be found to
4) have the same value for all observers.
5) be relative to the motion of the observer.
Answer:
The Moon does not fall to Earth because
1) the net force on it is zero.
2) it is being pulled by the sun and planets as well as Earth.
3) it is beyond the main pull of Earth’s gravity.
4) but it does fall!
More specifically, the Moon
5) is subject to both centripetal and centrifugal forces.
6) interacts with all massive bodies, both near and far.
7) is free of air resistance as well as other Earthly influences.
8) continually falls around Earth rather than straight into it.
Answer:
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 d) input = (F d) output.
7) Newton’s second law.
8) that the stored energy that a body possesses may be transformed into other forms of
energy.
Answer:
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.
Answer:
Figure G-2
Suppose masses M1 and M2 are falling toward planet M under gravitational influence.
We would find that M1 falls
1) faster than M2,
2) as fast as M2,
3) slower than M2,
with the result that
4) ocean tides are formed on M.
5) the distance between M1 and M2 increases.
6) the distance between M1 and M2 decreases.
7) the distance between M1 and M2 remains unchanged, but the distance between M
and M1 decreases.
Answer:
Figure L-1
The diagram is of a simple spectroscope. If lens #1 were omitted, the resulting spectrum
would be
1) much dimmer.
2) upside down.
3) no different.
If, instead, the slit were opened too wide, the middle of the spectrum would appear
4) white.
5) much narrower.
6) black.
7) a broader yellow.
Answer:
The “after glow” from some clock faces is caused by atoms
1) being excited,
2) vibrating at frequencies greater than a million billion times per second,
3) remaining for some time in a state of excitation before de-exciting,
and materials exhibiting this property are called
4) fluorescent.
5) phosphorescent.
6) incandescent.
7) luminescent.
Answer:
When water freezes, the surrounding air is
1) cooled,
2) warmed,
3) unchanged,
and when ice melts, the surrounding air is
4) cooled.
5) warmed.
6) unchanged.
Answer:
A pair of like electric charges
1) repel each other,
2) attract each other,
and a pair of like magnetic poles
3) repel each other.
4) attract each other.
Answer:
A 2-m-tall person viewing his full-length image in a plane mirror requires a mirror that
is at least
1) any visible size.
2) 2 m tall.
3) 1 m tall.
The size of mirror required
4) depends on how far away from it he stands.
5) does not depend on how far away from it he stands.
Answer:
Figure N-2
A 100-N little physics tyke hangs on the ends of a rope suspended over a pulley as
shown. The tension in the rope is
1) 0 N.
2) 50 N.
3) 100 N.
4) 200 N.
It is interesting to note that
5) the tension in the rope at its midpoint (uppermost part) is 100 N.
6) this is a modified tug-o’-war example (simply draped over a pulley).
7) the net force acting on the rope is in this case identical to the child’s weight.
Answer:
Strictly speaking, from the point of view of a person on the ground floor of a tall
skyscraper, a person at the top ages
1) more slowly,
2) faster,
3) the same,
and from the point of view of a person at the top of the skyscraper, the person at the
ground level ages
4) more slowly.
5) faster.
6) the same.
Answer:
On cold days your bedroom window may get wet on the inside. This is because
1) the air near the glass becomes saturated.
2) a change in phase from gas to liquid occurs.
3) H2O molecules release energy when they liquify on the glass.
4) fast-moving H2O molecules slow down and condense when they encounter the cold
glass.
If the air in the room were colder than the air outside, then quite likely
5) the glass would be even wetter.
6) no wetness would occur.
7) the glass would be wet (or frosty) on the outside surface.
8) none of the above.
Answer:
A 400-N person stands on the surface of Earth. If he were somehow able to stand on a
ladder so that he was twice as far from the center of Earth, he would weigh
1) 0 N.
2) 100 N.
3) 200 N.
4) 400 N.
This would be because
5) he would be above the atmosphere.
6) his mass would be the same wherever he was.
7) the force due to gravity obeys the inverse square law.
Answer: