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Science Bowl Practice Questions – Physics
- Multiple Choice: For the hydrogen atom, which series describes electron transitions to the N=1 orbit, the lowest energy electron orbit? Is it the: w) Lyman series x) Balmer seriesy) Paschen series z) Pfund series ANSWER: W -- LYMAN SERIES
- Multiple Choice: Electric current may be expressed in which one of the following units? w) coulombs/volt x) joules/coulomby) coulombs/second z) ohms/second ANSWER: Y -- COULOMBS/SECOND
- Short Answer: In the SI system of measure, what is the unit of capacitance? ANSWER: FARAD
- Multiple Choice: A Newton is equal to which of the following? w) kilogram-meter per secondx) meter per second squared y) kilogram-meter per second squared z) kilogram per meter-second ANSWER: Y -- KILOGRAM-METER PER SECOND SQUARED
- Multiple Choice: For an object moving in uniform circular motion, the direction of the instantaneousacceleration vector is:
w) tangent to the path of motionx) equal to zero y) directed radially outwardz) directed radially inward
ANSWER: Z -- DIRECTED RADIALLY INWARD
- Short Answer: A boy is standing on an elevator which is traveling downward with a constant velocityof 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, MAGNITUDE AND DIRECTION,relative to the elevator shaft the instant the boy releases the ball?
ANSWER: 20 METERS PER SECOND DOWN
- Multiple Choice: Work is equal to which of the following? w) the cross product of force and displacement.x) the product of force times time y) force divided by time z) the dot product of force and displacement ANSWER: Z -- THE DOT PRODUCT OF FORCE AND DISPLACEMENT
- Multiple Choice: The work done by a friction force is: w) always positive x) always negativey) always zero z) either positive or negative depending upon the situation. ANSWER: X -- ALWAYS NEGATIVE
- Multiple Choice: As defined in physics, work is: w) a scalar quantityx) always a positive quantity y) a vector quantityz) always zero
ANSWER: W -- A SCALAR QUANTITY
- Multiple Choice: A pendulum which is suspended from the ceiling of a railroad car is observed to hangat an angle of 10 degrees to the right of vertical. Which of the following answers could explain this phenomena? w) The railroad car is at rest.x) The railroad car is accelerating to the left. y) The railroad car is moving with constant velocity to the right.z) The railroad car is accelerating to the right.
ANSWER: X -- THE RAILROAD CAR IS ACCELERATING TO THE LEFT.
- Multiple Choice: Two forces have magnitudes of 11 newtons and 5 newtons. The magnitude of theirsum could NOT be equal to which of the following values?
w) 16 newtonsx) 5 newtons y) 9 newtonsz) 7 newtons
ANSWER: X -- 5 NEWTONS
- Short Answer: A ball leaves a girl's hand with an upward velocity of 6 meters per second. What is themaximum height of the ball above the girl's hand?
ANSWER: 1.8 METERS
- Short Answer: A boy throws a ball vertically upward with a velocity of 6 meters per second. How longdoes it take the ball to return to the boy's hand?
ANSWER: 1.22 SECONDS (accept: 1.2 seconds)
- Short Answer: 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
- Short Answer: 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 workdoes the machine do on the box?
ANSWER: 4000 JOULES
- Short Answer: A helicopter is ascending vertically with a constant speed of 6 meters per secondrelative 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 instantthe package is released by the helicopter?
ANSWER: 6 METERS/SECOND UP
- Multiple Choice: If the distance between two objects, each of mass 'M', is tripled, the force of attractionbetween the two objects is:
w) 1/2 the original forcex) 1/3 the original force y) 1/9 the original forcez) unchanged
ANSWER: Y -- 1/9 THE ORIGINAL FORCE
- Short Answer: A 40 kilogram girl climbs a vertical distance of 5 meters in twenty seconds at a constantvelocity. How much work has the girl done?
ANSWER: 2000 JOULES or 1960 JOULES
- Short Answer: A machine performs 8 Joules of work in 2 seconds. How much power is delivered by this machine? ANSWER: 4 WATTS
- Multiple Choice: In physics, a radian per second is a unit of: w) angular displacementx) angular velocity y) angular accelerationz) angular momentum.
ANSWER: X -- ANGULAR VELOCITY
- Multiple Choice: If the resultant force acting on a body of constant mass is zero, the body's momentumis:
w) increasing x) decreasingy) always zero z) constant ANSWER: Z – CONSTANT
- Short Answer: What is the name of the first American physicist to win two Nobel prizes? ANSWER: (JOHN) BARDEEN
- Multiple Choice: Which of the following scientists is responsible for the exclusion principle whichstates that two objects may NOT occupy the same space at the same time? Was it:
w) Heisenberg x) Bohry) Teller z) Pauli ANSWER: Z -- PAULI
- Short Answer: 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
- Short Answer: Who first theoretically predicted the existence of the positron, a positively chargedelectron? He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933.
ANSWER: (PAUL ADRIEN MAURICE) DIRAC
- Short Answer: Name the female physicist who received the Nobel Prize in 1963 for her discoveryconcerning the shell structure of the nucleus.
ANSWER: (MARIA GOEPPERT) MAYER
- Short Answer: The constant potential difference across a 2 ohm resistor is 20 volts. How many watts ofpower are dissipated by this resistor?
ANSWER: 200 WATTS
- Short Answer: The potential difference across a 4 ohm resistor is 20 volts. Assuming that all of theenergy dissipated by this resistor is in the form of heat, how many joules of heat are radiated in 10 seconds? ANSWER: 1000 JOULES
- Multiple Choice: The force acting between two point charges can be computed using which of the following laws? w) Ohm's Lawx) Ampere's Law y) Coulomb's Law z) Newton's Second Law. ANSWER: Y -- COULOMB'S LAW
- Multiple Choice: Five coulombs of charge are placed on a thin-walled conducting shell. Once thecharge has come to rest, the electric potential inside the hollow conducting shell is found to be:
w) zero x) uniform inside the sphere and equal to the electric potential on the surface of the spherey) smaller than the electric potential outside the sphere z) varying as one over r squared. ANSWER: X -- UNIFORM INSIDE THE SPHERE AND EQUAL TO THE ELECTRIC OTENT
- Short Answer: A two farad and a four farad capacitor are connected in series. What single capacitanceis "equivalent" to this combination?
ANSWER: 4/3 FARADS
- Multiple Choice: Three capacitors with different capacitances are connected in series. Which of the following statements is TRUE? w) All three of the capacitors have the same potential difference between their plates. x) The magnitude of the charge is the same on all of the capacitor plates.y) The capacitance of the system depends on the voltage applied across the three capacitors. ANSWER: X -- THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHARGE IS THE SAME ON ALL OFTHE CAPACITOR PLATES
- Multiple Choice: For a parallel-plate capacitor with plate area "A" and plate separation "d", thecapacitance is proportional to which of the following?
w) A divided by d squaredx) A times d y) A divided by dz) d divided by A
ANSWER: Y -- A DIVIDED BY D
- Multiple Choice: A constant potential difference is applied across the plates of a parallel-platecapacitor. Neglecting any edge effects, the electric field inside the capacitor is:
w) constant x) varying as one over r squaredy) decreasing as one moves from the positive to the negative plate z) zero
ANSWER: W -- CONSTANT
- Short Answer: A 10 farad capacitor is used in a circuit. The voltage difference between the plates ofthe capacitor is 20 volts. What is the magnitude of the charge on each of the capacitor's plates?
ANSWER: 200 COULOMBS
- Short Answer: A circuit which employs a DIRECT CURRENT source has a branch which contains acapacitor. After the circuit has reached a steady state, what is the magnitude of the current in the circuit branch which contains the capacitor? ANSWER: THE CURRENT IS ZERO
- Short Answer: A charged particle is moving in a UNIFORM magnetic field. If the direction of motion of the charged particle is parallel to the magnetic field, describe the shape of the charged particle's path. ANSWER: STRAIGHT LINE
- Multiple Choice: An infinitely long wire carries a current of three amps. The magnetic field outside thewire:
w) points radially away from the wire x) points radially inwardy) circles the wire z) is zero. ANSWER: Y -- CIRCLES THE WIRE
- Multiple Choice: A copper rod which is 1 centimeter in diameter carries a current of 5 amps. Thecurrent is distributed uniformly throughout the rod. The magnetic field half way between the axis of the rod and its outside edge is: w) zero.x) pointing radially outward y) pointing radially inwardz) circles the axis of the rod
ANSWER: Z -- CIRCLES THE AXIS OF THE ROD
- Multiple Choice: Iron is what type of magnetic material? Is it: w) diamagneticx) paramagnetic y) ferromagnetic z) non-magnetic ANSWER: Y – FERROMAGNETIC
w) plane mirrorx) concave spherical mirror y) convex spherical mirrorz) all of the above
ANSWER: Z -- ALL OF THE ABOVE (accept: A, B and C)
- Short Answer: A quarter of a wavelength is equal to how many degrees of phase? ANSWER: 90 DEGREES
- Multiple Choice: An organ pipe which is open at both ends resonates at its fundamental frequency. Neglecting any end effects, what wavelength is formed by this pipe in this mode of vibration if the pipeis 2 meters long?
w) 2 meters x) 4 metersy) 6 meters z) 8 meters. ANSWER: X -- 4 METERS
- Multiple Choice: Whose principle or law states that each point on a wavefront may be considered a new wave source? Is it: w) Snell's Law x) Huygen's Principley) Young's Law z) Hertz's Law. ANSWER: X -- HUYGEN'S PRINCIPLE
- Short Answer: The frequency of a wave is 50 Hertz and its wavelength is 25 meters. What is the velocity of this wave? ANSWER: 1250 METERS/SECOND
- Multiple Choice: The wave nature of light is demonstrated by which of the following? w) the photoelectric effect x) colory) the speed of light z) diffraction ANSWER: Z -- DIFFRACTION
- Multiple Choice: The collision between a photon and a free electron was first explained by which of the following scientists? w) Einstein x) Heisenbergy) Compton z) Bohr ANSWER: Y – COMPTON
- Short Answer: Besides solid, liquid, and gas, what is the fourth form of matter? ANSWER: PLASMA
- Short Answer: What is 25,000 miles per hour on earth, and 5,300 miles per hour on the Moon? ANSWER: ESCAPE VELOCITY
- Short Answer: In Einstein's universe, what is the fourth dimension? ANSWER: TIME
- Multiple Choice: The Tesla and the Gauss are units of measure of: w) conductancex) magnetic field strength y) magnetic flux z) electrical current ANSWER: X -- MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH
- Short Answer: Shockley, Brattain and Bardeen won a Nobel prize for what small invention? ANSWER: TRANSISTOR
- Short Answer: What mechanical and electronic device has a name derived from a Czechoslovakian word meaning "work; compulsory service"? ANSWER: ROBOT
- Short Answer: What is the name of the temperature and pressure conditions at which water can be in the solid, liquid and gas phases simultaneously? ANSWER: TRIPLE POINT
- Multiple Choice: Which of the following colors of visible light has the longest wavelength? Is it: w) violet x) greeny) yellow z) red ANSWER: Z – RED
- Multiple Choice: A 10 kilogram mass rests on a horizontal frictionless surface. A horizontal force of 5 Newtons is applied to the mass. After the force has been applied for 1 second, the velocity of the massis:
w) 0 meters per secondx) 0.5 meters per second y) 5 meters per secondz) 50 meters per second
ANSWER: X -- 0.5 METERS PER SECOND
- Multiple Choice: A worker lifts a 10 kilogram block a vertical height of 2 meters. The work he does onthe block is:
w) 5 Joules x) 20 Joulesy) 49 Joules z) 200 Joules ANSWER: Z -- 200 JOULES
- Multiple Choice: The time needed for a net force of 10 newtons to change the velocity of a 5 kilogramsmass by 3 meters/second is:
w) 1.5 seconds x) 6 secondsy) 16.7 seconds z) 150 seconds ANSWER: W -- 1.5 SECONDS
- Multiple Choice: The value of G, the universal gravitational constant, was measured experimentallyby:
w) Newton x) Cavendishy) Copernicus z) Kepler ANSWER: X -- CAVENDISH
- Multiple Choice: Two steel balls are at a distance S from one another. As the mass of ONE of the balls is doubled, the gravitational force of attraction between them is: w) quarteredx) halved y) doubled z) quadrupled ANSWER: Y -- DOUBLED
- Multiple Choice: If the distance between the earth and moon were halved, the force of the attraction between them would be: w) one fourth as greatx) one half as great y) twice as greatz) four times as great
ANSWER: Z -- FOUR TIMES AS GREAT
- Multiple Choice: As a 10 kilogram mass on the end of a spring passes through its equilibrium position,the kinetic energy of the mass is 20 joules. The speed of the mass is:
w) 2.0 meters per secondx) 4.0 meters per second y) 5.0 meters per secondz) 6.3 meters per second
ANSWER: W -- 2.0 METERS PER SECOND
- Multiple Choice: As a longitudinal wave moves through a medium, the particles of the medium: w) vibrate in a path parallel to the path of the wavex) vibrate in a path perpendicular to the path of the wave y) follow the wave along its entire pathz) do not move
ANSWER: W -- VIBRATE IN A PATH PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF THE WAVE
- Multiple Choice: As a pendulum is raised to higher altitudes, its period:
w) increasesx) decreases y) remains the samez) decreases, then remains the same
ANSWER: W -- INCREASES
- Multiple Choice: Two vibrating particles that are "out of phase" differ in the phase of their vibrationby:
w) 1/4 cyclex) 1/2 cycle y) 3/4 cyclez) 1 cycle
ANSWER: X -- 1/2 CYCLE
- Multiple Choice: The SI unit of pressure is the: w) Torrx) dyne per centimeter squared y) atmospherez) pascal
ANSWER: Z – PASCAL
- Multiple Choice: An electroscope charged WITHOUT contacting a charged body is charged by: w) inductionx) conduction y) convection z) insulation ANSWER: W -- INDUCTION
- Multiple Choice: The potential drop between the terminals of a battery is equal to the battery's EMFwhen:
w) no current is drawn from the batteryx) a very large current is drawn from the battery y) the internal resistance of the battery is very largez) the resistance in the external circuit is small
ANSWER: W -- NO CURRENT IS DRAWN FROM THE BATTERY
- Multiple Choice: To convert a galvanometer to a voltmeter, you should add a: w) high resistance in seriesx) high resistance in parallel y) low resistance in series z) low resistance in parallel ANSWER: W -- HIGH RESISTANCE IN SERIES
- Multiple Choice: The greatest induced EMF will occur in a straight wire moving at constant speedthrough a uniform magnetic field when the angle between the direction of the wire's motion and the direction of the magnetic field is w) 0 degrees x) 30 degrees
ANSWER: X -- ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE
- Multiple Choice: An x-ray photon collides with a free electron, and the photon is scattered. During thiscollision there is conservation of:
w) momentum but not energyx) neither momentum nor energy y) energy but not momentumz) both momentum and energy
ANSWER: Z -- BOTH MOMENTUM AND ENERGY
- Multiple Choice: In the sun, helium is produced from hydrogen by: w) radioactive decayx) disintegration y) fissionz) fusion
ANSWER: Z – FUSION
- Multiple Choice: The half-life of an isotope of an element is 5 days. The mass of a 10 gram sample ofthis isotope remaining after 20 days is:
w) 0.312 gramsx) 0.625 grams y) 1.25 gramsz) 2.50 grams
ANSWER: X -- 0.625 GRAMS 100.radiating energy away from the atom was postulated by: Multiple Choice: The idea that electrons revolved in orbits around the nucleus of an atom without
w) Thompson x) Bohry) Rutherford z) Einstein ANSWER: X -- BOHR
