PHYS 1010 Practice Test Questions

In science, a "theory" is...

able to be proven wrong

unchangeable

an unproven idea

none of these

able to be proven wrong

When testing a hypothesis, it is important that the experiment is...

controlled

complicated

simple

correlated

controlled

In order to measure position and time, we must first choose...

a reference point

our vectors

the angles

multiple magnitudes

a reference point

"Velocity" is a vector because it has both...

magnitude and direction

motion and mass

speed and acceleration

none of these

magnitude and direction

"Acceleration" is defined by...

a change in velocity

the object's weight

9.81 m/s/s

the "jerk"

a change in velocity

Galileo couldn't solve the problem of motion because he didn't have...

Calculus

Experimental tools.

Algebra

The desire.

calculus

Using calculus, we can find the position of an accelerating object by...

finding the area under a velocity curve

integrating the velocity equation

any of these answers

any of these answers

The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is...

9.81 m/s/s

the same for every falling object

denoted "g"

all of these answers

all of these answers

In our example of projectile motion, the velocity of the object never changes...

in the horizontal direction

in the vertical direction

in any direction

because of gravity

in the horizontal direction

In the "Monkey and Hunter" problem, our hunter should aim...

at the monkey

below the monkey

above the monkey

not enough information given.

at the monkey

"Dynamics" is that branch of mechanics that describes...

causes of motion.

forces only.

torques only.

none of these

causes of motion

"An object in motion stays in motion" is a basic summary of...

Newton's First Law

Newton's Third Law

Newton's Gravitational Law

Newton's Opticks

Newton's First Law

"Every force creates an equal and opposite force" is a basic summary of...

Newton's Third Law

Newton's First Law

Newton's Gravitational Law

Newton's Opticks

Newton's Third Law

Suppose a box is being accelerated by a 10-N force. Suddenly the box encounters a second force of 10 N in the opposite direction of the first force. There is no friction. The box with both forces acting on it...

continues at the speed it had when it encountered the second force.

theoretically tends to accelerate toward the speed of light.

decelerates gradually to a halt.

is brought to a rapid halt.

continues at the speed it had when it encountered the second force.

Newton's explanation of gravity states that gravity is created ...

the mass of objects

planets only

planets and stars only

the motion of objects

the mass of objects

When we usually measure the weight of an object, the force we are actually measuring is...

the normal force.

the gravitational force

the frictional force

the thrust force

the normal force

When you double the speed of an object, the strength of the drag increases by a factor of...

four

two

one-half

eight

four

The thrust force works by using...

Newton's Third Law

Newton's First Law

Conservation of Energy

none of these

Newton's Third Law

Door handles are placed on the opposite side of the door from the hinges because...

that provides more torque.

that requires less torque.

that increases the force being applied.

more people are right-handed.

that provides more torque

The force that keeps a roller coaster from falling at the top of a loop is...

the centripetal force.

the gravitational force

the centrifugal force

all of these answers

the centripetal force.

The center of mass of a body or a system of bodies is the point that moves as though

all forces are applied there.

gravity acts on every particle

a non-conservative force is acting on it.

none of these

all forces are applied there.

In order for momentum to be conserved...

there must be no external forces.

a collision must occur

the impulse force must be small

there must be an impulse force

there must be no external forces.

Airbags are safety features in cars because they can

increase the time of impact

decrease the change in momentum.

increase the force of the impact.

all of these answers

increase the time of impact

When angular momentum is conserved, it does NOT depend on

torque

mass

speed

direction

torque

Changing the mechanical energy of a system requires

work

velocity

acceleration

time

work

The potential energy of an object is energy that is based on its

position

velocity

heat

kinetic energy

position

Different objects/materials absorb heat differently based on their

heat capacity

phase

heat of transformation

temperature

heat capacity

At a temperature of zero degrees Celsius, water will be

either liquid or solid

liquid

solid

gas

either liquid or solid

Energy from friction is stored as

thermal energy

potential energy

friction energy

electrical energy

thermal energy

The Second Law of Thermodynamics occurs because:

The most ordered state of anything is the least likely to occur.

Heat is thermal energy.

Both Energy and Entropy are conserved

Thermal energy is essentially just internal kinetic energy from moving atoms.

The most ordered state of anything is the least likely to occur.

The strength (magnitude) of the electrostatic force depends on which two factors?

the amount of charge.

the distance between charges

whether the charges are positive or negative.

the amount of current

the amount of charge.

the distance between charges

A material which does not conduct electrical charge very well is known as an...

insulator

conductor

semi-conductor

superconductor

insulator

"Lightning rods" work to protect houses because...

all of these answers

they are conductors

they are taller than the house

they are grounded

all of these answers

We use a "test charge" in order to map the invisible...

electric field.

electric charges.

temperature map.

dipole.

electric field

The amount of energy each charge has when subject to the electrostatic force is commonly referred to as the...

voltage

potential energy

mechanical energy

current

voltage

When a battery is placed in a circuit, the direction of the flow of charges is always...

from negative to positive

from positive to negative

clockwise

time-dependent.

from negative to positive

A 100 ohm resistor has 0.090 A current in it. What is the voltage across the resistor?

9 V

11 V

0.011 V

more than 20 V

9 V

When two lamps are connected in series to a battery, the total electrical resistance of that circuit is

more than the resistance of either lamp

less than the resistance of either lamp.

zero

dependent on the voltage

more than the resistance of either lamp

When two lamps are connected in parallel to a battery, the total electrical resistance of that circuit is...

less than the resistance of either lamp.

more than the resistance of either lamp

zero

dependent on the voltage.

less than the resistance of either lamp.

Alternating current is different from direct current in that...

it constantly changes its direction

it is harder to generate

its necessary for most modern devices

its what batteries produce

it constantly changes its direction