Science Bowl Physics

In beta minus emission, the number of nucleons in the atom: A. increases by one B. decreases by one C. increases by four D. remains the same

Answer: D

Physicists most commonly call a mass moving in a straight line path as having: A. angular or rotational momentum B. straight momentum C. translational momentum D. second order momentum

Answer: C

A figure skater who, while spinning in place, pulls her arms in to increase her rotational speed, is most closely exhibiting which of the following: A. conservation of angular momentum B. centrifugal force C. satellite motion D. centripetal acceleration

Answer: A

The atom's nucleus is held together by which of the following: A. strong interactions of the quark and gluon constituents of the atom's nucleus B. strong interactions of the quark and lepton constituents of the atom's nucleus C. weak interactions of the quark and lepton constituents of the atom's nucleus D. strong interactions of the lepton and gluon constituents of the atom's nucleus

Answer: A

Which of the following is NOT true of Guglielmo Marconi's experiments on wireless transmission: A. in 1901 he transmitted a signal from Newfoundland to England B. he defied current belief on line-of-sight transmission C. his work was a practical application of the work of James Clerk Maxwell D. his success was a vindication of his belief in the reflective properties of the ionosphere

Answer: D

Which of the following is NOT an example of a transverse wave: A. ocean wave B. light wave C. microwave D. sound wave

Answer: D

The Department of Energy's B-Factory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Lab is designed to collide electron and positron beams of unequal energies and produce millions of these particles, which are commonly called: A. B mesons B. B leptons C. B muons D. B neutrons

Answer: A

For particles that have mass, such as electrons, quantum theory gives the relationship of wavelength to momentum by which of the following formulas, where c is the speed of light, v is the particle's speed, h is Planck's constant, m is the particle's mass, and f is frequency: A. wavelength = mc2 B. wavelength = c / ƒ C. wavelength = h /mv D. wavelength = hf

Answer: C

Certain products have been designed so that people wearing headphones do not hear the objectionably loud sound from certain machinery with which they are working. These headphones most likely work based on which one of the following principles: A. doppler effect B. destructive interference C. constructive interference D. audiopolarization

Answer: B

Which of the following is the most accurate reason why a light bulb dropped on a rug does not break, but when dropped on a tile floor it does break: A. the time it takes to stop moving is less for the tile B. the change in momentum is greater for the tile C. the light bulb weighs more when it hits the tile D. the change in momentum is greater for the rug

Answer: A

According to Coulomb's Law, if two charged particles are repelled with a given force at a distance d, by what multiple will the force decrease by if d is increased by 4 times?

Answer: 16 times

The lowest frequency that determines the pitch of a musical note is most commonly called the:

Answer: fundamental

A bullet of mass m travelling at velocity v has a kinetic energy of ½mv2 when it strikes a ballistic pendulum of mass 1000 grams. The kinetic energy of the two masses moving together just after the moment of impact is about a thousand times smaller than ½mv2. What has most of the bullet's initial kinetic energy been converted to?

Answer: heat

In the 19th century, this Scottish scientist showed that all magnetic and all electric phenomena could be described by four equations that often bear his name. What is his name?

Answer: James Clerk Maxwell

When Thomas Edison was promoting the wide use of direct current, this personal enemy of Edison's was the chief proponent and expert in alternating current:

Answer: Nikola Tesla

When a green colored object is illuminated by a green light it will appear as what color to the human eye?

Answer: Green

What is the general term for the kind of material usually placed between the conducting plates of a capacitor?

Answer: Dielectric

While at Berkeley, Melvin Calvin used this radioisotope to decipher many of the complex processes of photosynthesis:

Answer: Carbon 14

Assuming friction is negligible, if a lever has a mechanical advantage of 5, how much effort in newtons is needed to lift a 10 newton load?

Answer: 2 Newtons

The throbbing caused by sounds of slightly different frequencies that results because of periodic constructive and destructive interference is called:

Answer: beats

How many neutrons and how many protons are present in a single deuterium nucleus?

Answer: one proton and one neutron

Which element has the simplest absorption spectrum?

Answer: Hydrogens

Order the following categories of electromagnetic radiation from the LOWEST frequency to the HIGHEST: FM radio, UHF TV, AM radio, microwaves

Answer: am radio; fm radio; uhf tv; microwaves

On an electric schematic, what does the symbol of a horizontal line interrupted by a saw tooth shaped line represent?

Answer: resistor

What cycle most directly describes the working cycle of a heat engine operating as an ideal engine of maximum thermal efficiency?

Answer: Carnot Cycle

If F equals electric force, and q and q' (read as: q-prime) are the charges on two particles, the expression F is proportional to q times q prime divided by distance squared is what law?

Answer: Coulomb's Law

By passing current through a wire wrapped around an iron rod, William Sturgeon invented the:

electromagnet

What is the following statement most commonly known as: "A body immersed in a fluid is supported by a force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces."

Answer: Archimedes' Principle

According to the standard model of particle physics, which of the following is a force-carrying particle: A. proton B. neutron C. quark D. photon

Answer: D

How is the index of refraction computed: A. the speed of light in a vacuum is divided by the speed of light in the material B. the speed of light in the material is divided by the speed of light in a vacuum C. the speed of light in water is divided by the speed of light in a vacuum D. the speed of light in a vacuum is divided by the speed of light in water

Answer: A

A parsec is equal to which of the following: A. 100 Astronomical Units B. 3.26 light years C. 100 light years D. 140 million kilometers

Answer: B

Which of the following exhibits the least resistivity at 0°C: A. mercury B. tungsten C. gold D. silver

Answer: D

Which of the following units is a measure of potential difference: A. erg B. ohm C. joule D. volt

Answer: D

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory invented the forerunner of the PET, which was subsequently found to be well- suited for wide use in institutions around the world for which of the following: A. metabolic studies and clinical tests B. deep sea drilling C. nuclear spallation D. deep space studies

Answer: A

When a person whirls a rock on the end of a string and maintains it in uniform circular motion, the force exerted on the rock is most accurately referred to as: A. centrifugal B. centripetal C. rotational D. center fleeing

Answer: B

Which of the following is measured in Hertz? A. speed B. frequency C. wavelength D. amplitude

Answer: B

Which of the following colors of light has the greatest angle of refraction in normal glass: A. yellow B. green C. violet D. red

Answer: C

What large machine, which came on line in the summer of 2000 at the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Lab, is the world's highest energy ion collider: A. Advanced Photon Source B. CERN supercollider C. Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider D. Phoenix

Answer: C

Which of the following particles has not yet been observed but is generally theorized to exist: A. mesons B. gluons C. fermionic hadrons D. gravitons

Answer: D

The fundamental forces of nature are most correctly given as: A. gravitational, electromagnetic, strong interactive, weak interactive B. chemical, mechanical, friction and atomic C. gravitational, electromotive, magnetic, atomic D. graviton, photon, lepton, hadron

Answer: A

Which of the following is the emission source for microwaves in a typical microwave oven: A. small cyclotron B. cadmium disk bombarded with a soft x-ray source C. magnetron C. laser lamp

Answer: C

Laser is an acronym for what?

Answer: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

By primarily using what simple machine did Galileo come to the conclusion on the existence of friction?

Answer: inclined plane

What formula is most appropriate to compute the kinetic energy of a block of ice sliding down an inclined plane?

Answer: KE=½ mv2

How many femtometers are in a nanometer?

Answer: one million

What is the name for the physical constant with a value of 6.62 X 10-27 erg seconds?

Answer: Planck's Constant

To two significant figures, what is the index of refraction of air?

Answer: 1.0

If blue light is combined with green light, what color of light is produced?

Answer: Cyan

Considering the specific heat of aluminum is 0.21, iron is 0.10, and lead is 0.03, which metal will show the largest increase in temperature per calorie added to one gram of that metal?

Answer: lead

This person established the "one fluid theory" of electricity and performed some of the first investigations into electrical grounding and insulation:

Answer: Ben Franklin

Assuming g = 9.8 m/sec2, what is the weight on Earth, in Newtons, of a 60 kilogram person?

Answer: 588 Newtons

What secondary color of light is produced by mixing the primary colors of red and blue?

Answer: magenta

If the distance separating two charges is doubled, the force between them decreases by what multiple factor?

Answer: 4

For two objects separated by a distance d, if the mass of one of the objects is doubled, what will happen to the gravitational attraction between them?

Answer: it is doubled

For projectiles fired at identical speeds but various angles from the ground, neglecting air resistance and the curvature of the Earth, at what angle will the maximum horizontal distance be attained?

Answer: 45 degrees

What is the term for the speed at which an object will overcome the gravitational attraction of the Earth?

Answer: escape velocity

According to the standard model of particle physics, what is the name for the three leptons that have no electric charge and little if any mass?

Answer: Neutrino

This perceived force, that seems to want to throw a person off a merry-go-round, is often regarded by physicists as a fictitious force:

Answer: centrifugal force

Sound frequencies below 16 Hertz are usually referred to by scientists as:

Answer: infrasonic

Heat cannot pass from a cooler substance to a warmer substance without some other process being involved. This is an example of which law of thermodynamics?

Answer: the second law

What is the dramatic increase in amplitude called when the frequency of forced vibrations on a body matches the body's natural vibration frequency?

Answer: resonance

Who determined that the square of a planet's period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the sun?

Answer: Kepler

A color made from the addition of two primary colors is called:

Answer: secondary color

What law yields an equation that is used in determining crystal structure from interference patterns produced by monochromatic X-rays?

Answer: Bragg's Law

In radio transmission, what does the acronym AM stand for?

Answer: amplitude modulation

A coil of wire that produces a magnetic field is typically called a:

Answer: solenoid

What is the name of the device that is made by combining two basic types of solid state rectifiers allowing the device to both rectify and amplify a current?

Answer: transistor

All elements with an atomic number greater than what number are unstable?

Answer: 83

For the hydrogen atom, which series describes electron transitions to the N=1 orbit, the lowest energy electron orbit? Is it the: A. Lyman series B. Balmer series C. Paschen series D. Pfund series

ANSWER: A -- LYMAN SERIES

Electric current may be expressed in which one of the following units? A. coulombs/volt B. joules/coulomb C. coulombs/second D. ohms/second

ANSWER: C -- COULOMBS/SECOND

In the SI system of measure, what is the unit of capacitance?

ANSWER: FARAD

A Newton is equal to which of the following? A. kilogram-meter per second B. meter per second squared C. kilogram-meter per second squared D. kilogram per meter-second

ANSWER: C -- KILOGRAM-METER PER SECOND SQUARED

For an object moving in uniform circular motion, the direction of the instantaneous acceleration vector is: A. tangent to the path of motion B. equal to zero C. directed radially outward D. directed radially inward

ANSWER: D -- DIRECTED RADIALLY INWARD

A boy is standing on an elevator which is traveling downward with a constant velocity of 30 meters per second. The boy throws a ball vertically upward with a velocity of 10 meters per second relative to the elevator. What is the velocity of the ball, relative to the elevator shaft the instant the boy releases the ball?

ANSWER: 20 METERS PER SECOND DOWN

Work is equal to which of the following? A. the cross product of force and displacement. B. the product of force times time C. force divided by time D. the dot product of force and displacement

ANSWER: D -- THE DOT PRODUCT OF FORCE AND DISPLACEMENT

The work done by a friction force is: A. always positive B. always negative C. always zero D. either positive or negative depending upon the situation.

ANSWER: B -- ALWAYS NEGATIVE

As defined in physics, work is: A. a scalar quantity B. always a positive quantity C. a vector quantity D. always zero

ANSWER: A -- A SCALAR QUANTITY

A pendulum which is suspended from the ceiling of a railroad car is observed to hang at an angle of 10 degrees to the right of vertical. Which of the following answers could explain this phenomena? A. The railroad car is at rest. B. The railroad car is accelerating to the left. C. The railroad car is moving with constant velocity to the right. D. The railroad car is accelerating to the right.

ANSWER: B -- THE RAILROAD CAR IS ACCELERATING TO THE LEFT.

Two forces have magnitudes of 11 newtons and 5 newtons. The magnitude of their sum could NOT be equal to which of the following values? A. 16 newtons B. 5 newtons C. 9 newtons D. 7 newtons

ANSWER: B -- 5 NEWTONS

A ball leaves a girl's hand with an upward velocity of 6 meters per second. What is the maximum height of the ball above the girl's hand?

ANSWER: 1.8 METERS

A boy throws a ball vertically upward with a velocity of 6 meters per second. How long does it take the ball to return to the boy's hand?

ANSWER: 1.22 SECONDS (accept: 1.2 seconds)

A toy train moves in a circle of 8 meters radius with a speed of 4 meters per second. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the train?

ANSWER: 2 METERS PER SECOND SQUARED

A certain machine exerts a force of 200 newtons on a box whose mass is 30 kilograms. The machine moves the box a distance of 20 meters along a horizontal floor. What amount of work does the machine do on the box?

ANSWER: 4000 JOULES

A box is initially at rest on a horizontal, frictionless table. If a force of 10 Newtons acts on the box for 3 seconds, what is the momentum of the box at the end of the 3 second interval?

ANSWER: 30 NEWTON-SECONDS or 30 KILOGRAM-METER PER SECOND

A block of metal which weighs 60 newtons in air and 40 newtons under water has a density, in kilograms per meter cubed, of: A. 1000 B. 3000 C. 5000 D. 7000

ANSWER: B - 3000

A 10 kilogram body initially moving with a velocity of 10 meters per second makes a head-on collision with a 15 kilogram body initially at rest. The two objects stick together. What is the velocity of the combined system just after the collision?

ANSWER: 4 METERS PER SECOND

A certain spring is known to obey Hooke's Law. If a force of 10 newtons stretches the spring 2 meters, how far will a 30 newton force stretch the spring?

ANSWER: 6 METERS

A helicopter is ascending vertically with a constant speed of 6 meters per second relative to the ground. At the instant the helicopter is 60 meters above the ground it releases a package. What is the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the package, relative to the ground, the instant the package is released by the helicopter?

ANSWER: 6 METERS/SECOND UP

If the distance between two objects, each of mass 'M', is tripled, the force of attraction between the two objects is: A. 1/2 the original force B. 1/3 the original force C. 1/9 the original force D. unchanged

ANSWER: C -- 1/9 THE ORIGINAL FORCE

A 40 kilogram girl climbs a vertical distance of 5 meters in twenty seconds at a constant velocity. How much work has the girl done?

ANSWER: 2000 JOULES or 1960 JOULES

A machine performs 8 Joules of work in 2 seconds. How much power is delivered by this machine?

ANSWER: 4 WATTS

In physics, a radian per second is a unit of: A. angular displacement B. angular velocity C. angular acceleration D. angular momentum.

ANSWER: B -- ANGULAR VELOCITY

If the resultant force acting on a body of constant mass is zero, the body's momentum is: A. increasing B. decreasing C. always zero D. constant

ANSWER: D - CONSTANT

What is the name of the first American physicist to win two Nobel prizes?

ANSWER: (JOHN) BARDEEN

Which of the following scientists is responsible for the exclusion principle which states that two objects may NOT occupy the same space at the same time? Was it: A. Heisenberg B. Bohr C. Teller D. Pauli

ANSWER: D - PAULI

Who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909 with Guglielmo Marconi for his contribution to the development of wireless telegraphy?

ANSWER: (CARL FERDINAND) BRAUN

Who first theoretically predicted the existence of the positron, a positively charged electron? He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933.

ANSWER: (PAUL ADRIEN MAURICE) DIRAC

Name the female physicist who received the Nobel Prize in 1963 for her discovery concerning the shell structure of the nucleus.

ANSWER: (MARIA GOEPPERT) MAYER

The constant potential difference across a 2 ohm resistor is 20 volts. How many watts of power are dissipated by this resistor?

ANSWER: 200 WATTS

The potential difference across a 4 ohm resistor is 20 volts. Assuming that all of the energy dissipated by this resistor is in the form of heat, how many joules of heat are radiated in 10 seconds?

ANSWER: 1000 JOULES