High School Physics Practice Test

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• A concave mirror with focal length f = 0.20 m forms an image when the object is placed at do = 0.60 m. What is di?
• If a radioactive sample has a half-life of 3 years, what fraction remains after 1.5 years?
• A quantity that has magnitude and direction is called
• If acceleration is constant, what does the velocity-time graph look like?
• A depth of 5 m in fresh water (ρ ≈ 1000 kg/m^3) with atmospheric pressure P0 ≈ 101325 Pa is considered. What is the total pressure there?
• Which equation expresses Snell's law using refractive indices n1 and n2 and angles θ1 and θ2?
• Which term describes the force that occurs when forces act to stretch an object?
• If a spring constant doubles from 100 N/m to 200 N/m while stretched by 0.05 m, what is the new restoring force?
• A force F acts on a particle moving a displacement d at angle φ to the displacement direction. What is the work done by the force?
• The heat required to raise the temperature of 2 kg of water by 20 K (c = 4184 J/kg·K) is approximately what value?
• A concave mirror has focal length f = 0.20 m. An object is placed at do = 0.30 m. What is di?
• What is a turning or twisting force?
• In a fixed-voltage series circuit, if you double one resistor and leave the other unchanged, what happens to the total resistance?
• Gravitational force F = G m1 m2 / r^2 between two masses. How does this force relate to orbital motion?
• Angular Momentum is
• Which statement is true for uniform circular motion?
• A constant force of 4 N acts on a body that moves 3 m in the direction of the force. What is the work done?
• Which statement correctly defines mechanical power?
• What is the upward force exerted by a fluid on a submerged object?
• Which statement correctly describes instantaneous velocity and average velocity?
• The speed of sound in air at room temperature is about 343 m/s. A 680 Hz siren has what wavelength in air?
• A block of mass 1 kg on a frictionless horizontal surface is pushed with a 3 N force. What is its acceleration?
• Heat and sound are examples of which energy type?
• A roller-coaster car drops from a height of 50 m (negligible friction). What is its speed at the bottom? (g = 9.8 m/s^2)
• State the formula for centripetal acceleration and the direction of the net force for uniform circular motion.
• In an isolated system with no external impulses, which quantity is conserved?
• What property describes a material's opposition to the flow of electric current?
• Which statement about the work-energy relation is true when no net work is done on an object?
• If the speed doubles and the radius stays the same, how does the centripetal acceleration change?
• What term describes the tendency of an object to resist a change in its motion?
• In a collision with no external forces, which quantity remains constant?
• If all parts are connected end to end to provide a single path for current, what type of circuit is this?
• A household device consumes 5 kWh of energy. How many joules is that?
• If a satellite's orbital radius increases from r to 4r, what happens to its orbital speed?
• Which term specifically refers to back-and-forth motion with a restoring force proportional to displacement?
• Impulse and momentum: Which statement best describes impulse and its relation to momentum?
• A sample has initial activity A0. After 12 years, with half-life 3 years, what is the remaining activity?
• During raising a block by height h at constant speed, what is the work done by the applied lifting force on the block?
• A spring with k = 100 N/m is stretched by x = 0.05 m. What is the restoring force?
• A machine does 24 J of work in 3 s. What is its power?
• In the photoelectric effect, what condition must be met for electrons to be emitted?
• Which statement correctly describes kinetic energy in elastic and inelastic collisions?
• A gas absorbs 6 J of heat and does 4 J of work; what is the change in internal energy ΔU?
• What quantity is the product of an object's mass and its velocity?
• A radioactive nucleus has a half-life of 3 years. After 9 years, what fraction of the original sample remains?
• Which collision results when two objects stick together after impact?
• What term describes the potential difference between two points in a circuit?
• Two masses m1 = 1.0 kg and m2 = 2.0 kg collide inelastically and stick together. If m1 initially moves at 4.0 m/s and m2 is at rest, what is their common final velocity?
• A push or pull on one object by another that is touching it.
• Two identical bricks of mass m collide elastically in one dimension; one brick moves at speed v and the other is at rest. What are their speeds after the collision?
• In the equation m g − T = m a, what does the right-hand side m a represent?
• A 3 kg object is lifted 4 m. What is the increase in gravitational potential energy? (g = 9.8 m/s^2)
• Which of the following is not a primary mechanism of heat transfer?
• A projectile is launched with speed v0 at angle θ above the horizontal. On level ground, what is the expression for its maximum horizontal range R?
• The potential difference measured in volts is known as what?
• Which term describes a quantity that has both magnitude and direction?
• A machine uses 600 J input energy to produce 150 J useful work. What is efficiency?
• Which expression represents Coulomb's law for the force between two point charges?
• Which term refers to the act of swinging back and forth with a steady rhythm?
• State Faraday's law of induction in words.
• What term describes the measure of extra positive or negative particles in an object?
• As temperature increases, the peak emission wavelength of a blackbody shifts toward shorter wavelengths. What law describes this behavior?
• What term describes the displacement an object travels when put into projectile motion?
• Which term describes energy stored due to height above the Earth's surface?
• A 5 kg block on a frictionless horizontal surface experiences a net force of 12 N. What is its acceleration?
• Which quantity describes the imbalance of electric charge in an object?
• A projectile is launched at 60 degrees with a speed of 20 m/s. What is its vertical component of the initial velocity?
• In the Bohr model, what happens when an electron transitions from a higher to a lower energy level?
• A circuit that contains both series and parallel components is called a
• What is the field of force surrounding a charged particle called?
• For a lens, magnification m = −di/do. If do = 0.30 m and di = 0.15 m, what is m?
• A capacitor with capacitance C is charged to voltage V. Which expression represents the energy stored?
• What is the highest point of a wave called?
• If a charge q = 2 C moves through a potential difference ΔV = 12 V, what is the change in electric potential energy ΔU?
• In a double-slit experiment, under what condition is a bright fringe formed?
• Which wave phenomenon occurs when two waves meet to produce a larger amplitude?
• During a phase change at constant pressure, what happens to the temperature and what happens to the heat added?
• The bouncing back of a wave, such as light or sound, when it hits a surface it cannot pass through is called.
• What is the lowest point of a wave called?
• Which equation expresses the forces on a mass m suspended by a rope that accelerates downward with acceleration a?
• A light ray travels from air into water with an incidence angle of 60°. Using Snell's law (n_air ≈ 1.00, n_water ≈ 1.33), what is the angle in water approximately?
• If hf equals the work function φ in the photoelectric effect, what is the kinetic energy of the emitted electrons?
• In the photoelectric effect, emission occurs only if photon energy hf is at least equal to the work function φ. If hf < φ, what happens?
• If a particle moves with constant acceleration starting from rest, which statement is true regarding instantaneous velocity and average velocity over the interval from 0 to t?
• In an ideal elastic collision, what happens to the total kinetic energy of the two bodies?
• A light ray travels from air into water with an incidence angle of 30°. If n_air ≈ 1.00 and n_water ≈ 1.33, what is the angle of refraction in water approximately?
• What is the name for the pair of forces that occur when one object pushes on another and the second pushes back with equal magnitude in the opposite direction?
• The inverse-square law states that gravitational force decreases with distance as 1/r^2. If the distance doubles, the force becomes which of the following?
• Which force acts parallel to a surface and opposes sliding between surfaces in contact?
• What quantity measures the number of complete wavelengths passing a fixed point per unit time?
• A block of mass m is raised by height h at constant speed. What is the work done by gravity on the block?
• If a particle's velocity decreases linearly with time from an initial value, what can be said about its acceleration?
• A force that can exist between objects even in the absence of physical contact.
• If an object increases its moment of inertia while spinning with the same angular velocity, its angular momentum will
• A loop-the-loop has radius 1.5 m; given the minimum top speed 3.83 m/s to maintain contact, what is the minimum speed at the bottom, ignoring losses?
• A car rounds a flat curve of radius 10 m at 8 m/s. What is the centripetal acceleration?
• Height of a wave is also called
• What is the angular frequency ω for a mass-spring system with m = 1 kg and k = 16 N/m?
• Which term describes vibration about an equilibrium position with a restoring force proportional to displacement?
• Which statement about collisions is true?
• Two masses connected by a light string over a frictionless pulley are released. What is the general direction of acceleration for the heavier mass?
• In a head-on elastic collision between two identical masses, which description matches the final speeds?
• A physical quantity that has magnitude only is called
• An elastic collision occurs between equal masses m1 = m2 = 1 kg. Initially m1 moves at 5 m/s and m2 is at rest. What is the final velocity of m1?
• If a wave has a short period, what is true about its frequency?
• A body moves in uniform circular motion with radius 6.0 m and speed 15 m/s. What is its centripetal acceleration?
• Which term is the ratio of the force of friction to the normal force?
• The electric field direction due to a positive point charge at a location is:
• A copper rod has k = 200 W/m·K, cross-sectional area A = 0.0005 m^2, length L = 0.30 m, and ΔT = 50 K. What is the heat transfer rate Q/t by conduction?
• For a vertical circle with radius 1.5 m, what is the minimum speed at the top to maintain the circular path?
• Which term denotes the change in position from the starting point, including direction?
• The hydrostatic pressure at depth h = 10 m in fresh water adds to atmospheric pressure. What is the total pressure at that depth (in Pa), ignoring air interface changes? Use P = P0 + ρ g h with P0 ≈ 101325 Pa.
• What term refers to energy stored by objects due to their position above Earth's surface?
• Which quantity has magnitude only?
• What is the term for the distance an object travels per unit of time?
• A projectile is launched at 60 degrees with a speed of 20 m/s. What is its horizontal range neglecting air resistance (g = 9.8 m/s^2)?
• If a gas at constant pressure has V1 = 1.0 L at T1 = 300 K and is heated to T2 = 420 K, what is V2?
• The displacement during the 5-second interval in which velocity rises from 0 to 20 m/s is?
• The point on the principal axis that all light rays travel through.
• A 4 kg block on a frictionless horizontal surface is pulled by a 10 N horizontal force. What is its acceleration?
• A 2 kg mass is dropped from rest in vacuum for 2 s. What is its momentum after 2 s? (take g = 9.8 m/s^2, downward)
• For an object moving with constant acceleration starting from rest, the average velocity over the interval from 0 to t is which of the following relative to the final velocity v?
• If the intensity of a sound doubles, by about how many decibels does it increase?
• Which expression correctly represents Ohm's law relating voltage, current, and resistance?
• According to the energy balance ΔU = Q − W, what happens to the internal energy if the gas absorbs heat and does not do any work?
• When light passes from air into water (n1 ≈ 1.00, n2 ≈ 1.33), what happens to the path of the light?
• Which force arises from the fluid surrounding a submerged object and acts upward?
• What term describes the rate at which work is done?
• Name three mechanisms of heat transfer.
• The quantity of rotation of a body, which is the product of its moment of inertia and its angular velocity.
• A circuit that contains more than one path for current flow is called a
• A wave with frequency 60 Hz and wavelength 3 m travels in a medium. What is its speed?
• What term describes the change in an object's momentum when a force is applied over a period of time?
• What is the SI unit of electrical resistance?
• What type of collision involves objects rebounding with no lasting deformation?
• If only conservative forces do work on a system, what happens to the mechanical energy (K + U) of the system?
• Convert 25°C to Kelvin.
• In a one-dimensional elastic collision, a 2 kg object moving at 3 m/s hits a 1 kg object at rest. What is the final speed of the second object?
• What is the force of attraction between objects due to their masses?
• A 5 kg block on a frictionless surface experiences a constant acceleration of 2.4 m/s^2 for 4 s. What is its kinetic energy at the end?
• A convex lens forms a real image when the object is placed at do = 2f. Where is the image, and what are its orientation and size?
• The bending of a wave as it passes from one medium to another at an angle is known as
• A charged particle with charge q moves with velocity v perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field B. Which expression gives the magnitude of the magnetic force?
• Which statement expresses the law of reflection?
• White light disperses into a spectrum when passed through a glass prism because of varying refractive indices for different colors. True or false?
• Which term describes the distance and direction of an object's change in position from the starting point?
• A circuit in which all parts are connected end to end to provide a single path for current is called a
• A single-turn loop of area 0.05 m^2 experiences a magnetic field increasing from 0 to 0.20 T in 0.10 s. What is the induced emf magnitude?
• A converging lens has do = 0.30 m and forms an image at di = 0.15 m. What is the focal length f?
• Which force opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact?
• All else equal, increasing the cross-sectional area A of a conductor will cause Q/t to:
• A node in a circuit has currents I1 = 2 A and I2 = 3 A entering, and I3 leaving. What is I3 by Kirchhoff's current law?
• A thin converging lens has focal length f = 0.25 m. What is its optical power P in diopters?
• Which term describes the bending of a wave as it passes at an angle from one medium to another?
• Which term describes the time between successive crests of a wave?
• What is the conventional form of the thin-lens equation relating object distance do, image distance di, and focal length f?
• What is the force perpendicular to a surface that prevents an object from falling through the surface?
• The space surrounding a charged particle that can exert force on other charges is called what?
• A circuit with both series and parallel components is known as a
• A data pair (x, y) follows y = m x + b. If x represents time and y represents position, what does the slope m represent in a physical context of motion?
• Which concept describes the product of force and distance moved in the direction of the force?
• What energy is associated with the motion of an object?
• Given a wave with speed v and frequency f, which expression gives wavelength λ?
• The buoyant force is measured in which unit?
• A car starts from rest with a constant acceleration of 3.0 m/s^2. What is its velocity after 4.0 s?
• Convert acceleration 9.8 m/s^2 to cm/s^2.
• The rate at which electrical energy is converted to another form is known as what?
• If a data pair (x, y) follows y = m x + b, and x represents time while y represents velocity, what does m represent?
• Which equation expresses the first law of thermodynamics for a closed system?
• Using the thin-lens equation, if the object is at infinity, where is the image formed?
• A velocity-time graph from t = 0 to t = 5 s shows velocity increasing linearly from 0 to 20 m/s. What is the constant acceleration?
• Which term describes the distance an object travels per unit of time in any direction?
• The motion of a falling object when the only force acting on it is gravity.
• Which term describes the path followed by a projectile near Earth's surface?
• A spring with k = 200 N/m is stretched 0.10 m from its equilibrium position. What is the potential energy stored in the spring?
• In a gas compression isothermally from V1 = 2.0 L to V2 = 1.0 L at constant temperature. If P1 = 1 atm, what is P2?
• In photoelectric experiments, if light intensity is increased while the photon energy is above threshold, what happens to the rate of electron emission?
• What is the approximate value of the Coulomb constant k in SI units?
• Which principle states that energy cannot be created or destroyed?
• Which condition is necessary for momentum to be conserved in a collision?
• A machine uses 200 J of input energy to produce 50 J of useful work. What is its efficiency?
• An observer moves toward a stationary sound source emitting 500 Hz at 30 m/s in air (v = 330 m/s). What is the observed frequency?
• What energy is stored in a stretched or compressed object, such as a spring?
• Which description matches destructive interference?
• A satellite orbits Earth at radius r with speed v. What is v in terms of G, M, and r?
• Which term describes a surface that curves outward?
• A submerged object experiences a buoyant force equal to the weight of the displaced water. If the object's volume is 0.002 m^3, the water density is 1000 kg/m^3, and g = 9.8 m/s^2, what is the buoyant force?
• In a perfectly inelastic collision, what happens to kinetic energy?
• In a parallel circuit with R1 = 6 Ω and R2 = 3 Ω connected to a 12 V source, what is the total current and the current through each resistor?
• A 6 kg block on a frictionless horizontal surface is pulled by a 10 N force. What is its acceleration?
• A block experiences a constant acceleration of 2.4 m/s^2 from rest. What is its velocity after 4 s?
• In a series circuit with resistors R1 and R2 connected to a battery, how do you compute the total resistance?
• For a mass-spring system with m = 4 kg and k = 40 N/m, what is the angular frequency ω of simple harmonic motion?
• State the work-energy theorem.
• A car starts from rest and accelerates uniformly, covering 60 m in 6 s. What is its acceleration?
• Which word describes a curve that bends inward?
• A gas is initially at P1 = 2 atm and V1 = 6 L. If P2 = 3 atm, what is V2 for an isothermal process?
• Which description matches constructive interference?
• Two objects of different masses are released from rest in vacuum from the same height. Do they hit the ground at the same time, and why?
• Which energy form is not defined as kinetic or potential and includes heat and sound?
• Which property is the opposition to the flow of electric current in a material?
• Which term describes a curve that bends outward?
• Which quantity represents the resistance to changes in rotational motion?
• Define half-life in nuclear decay.
• Which quantity describes speed with a specific direction?
• Explain the Doppler effect for sound when the source moves toward the observer.
• In a conservation of momentum problem, a 0.5 kg piece moves right at 3 m/s after an explosion, while a 1.5 kg piece moves left. If initial total momentum was zero, what is the velocity of the 1.5 kg piece?
• A block of mass 2.0 kg occupies a volume of 0.0005 m^3. What is its density?
• When a charged particle moves parallel to a magnetic field, what is the magnetic force on it?
• Which term means a result of a force moving an object a certain distance?
• A roller-coaster car of mass 1000 kg starts at height 20 m and uses energy conservation with negligible friction. What speed would it have at the bottom if it started from rest at the top and descended to bottom height 0 m? (v = sqrt(2 g h))
• An object starts from rest and moves with constant acceleration a. After time t, its displacement s is given by which expression?
• A 0.5 kg ball collides inelastically with a 0.5 kg ball at rest; after the collision they move together with velocity v. If the first ball's initial velocity is u, what is the final velocity?
• A source emits f0 = 500 Hz and moves toward a stationary observer at 30 m/s in air (v = 330 m/s). What is the observed frequency?
• Which term refers to the ratio of the force of friction to the normal force between two objects?
• Which term describes a physical quantity that has magnitude but no direction?
• What term describes the motion of an object when the only force acting is gravity?
• A charged particle q = 1.6×10^-19 C moves with velocity v = 2.0×10^6 m/s perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field B = 0.50 T. What is the magnetic force on the particle?
• Which collision causes deformation, heat, and may result in sticking, but is not perfectly inelastic?
• Doppler effect for moving source toward observer: if the source is stationary (v_s = 0), what is the observed frequency?
• The electric field produced by a point charge Q = 5 μC at a distance r = 0.20 m is E = kQ/r^2. What is E (in N/C)? (k ≈ 8.99×10^9)
• What is the curved path that an object follows when thrown or launched near Earth's surface?
• Which term describes speed in a given direction?
• How is percent error calculated?
• A block on a horizontal surface has μs = 0.4 and μk = 0.3. The normal force is N. If the applied force is 2.0 N, will the block move? Why or why not?
• If a gas changes from P1 = 2 atm and V1 = 6 L to P2 = 3 atm and V2 = 4 L, what happens to the temperature?
• State the relation among speed v, frequency f, and wavelength λ of a wave.
• A car starts from rest with a constant acceleration of 3.0 m/s^2. What distance does it travel in the first 4.0 s?
• Elastic vs inelastic collisions: Which statement is true about momentum and kinetic energy?
• If a circuit is described as having more than one path for current flow, it is classified as what?
• If hf equals φ, the kinetic energy of emitted electrons is what?
• A projectile is launched at 45 degrees with a speed of 20 m/s. Neglecting air resistance, what is the horizontal range?
• A block of mass m sits on an incline of angle θ with no friction. What is its acceleration down the plane?
• Which expression is an equivalent form for the energy stored in a capacitor with capacitance C charged to voltage V?
• A flow of electric charge is called what?
• A measurement is recorded as 0.00450 m. How many significant figures does this value have?
• A loop with N = 2 turns and area 0.05 m^2 experiences a magnetic field increasing from 0 to 0.20 T in 0.10 s. What is the induced emf magnitude?
• If the length L in the conduction problem is doubled to 0.60 m, what is the new Q/t?