Physics Trivia Questions for College Students — page 2
62 trivia questions with answers, college. Multiple-choice trivia with answers, sorted by topic and level. Reveal the answers below, pick one at random, or present them full-screen.
- 51.
Which of the following gives the total spin quantum number of the electrons in the ground state of neutral nitrogen (Z = 7)?
- A5/2
- B3/2
- C1
- D1/2
Answer: 3/2 - 52.
A net force F_A acts on object A, and a net force F_B acts on object B. The mass of object B is twice the mass of object A, and the acceleration of object B is twice that of object A. Which of the following is true of forces F_A and F_B?
- AF_B = 2F_A
- BF_B = 4F_A
- CF_B = 1/2 F_A
- DF_B = 1/4 F_A
Answer: F_B = 4F_A - 53.
A resistor in a circuit dissipates energy at a rate of 1 W. If the voltage across the resistor is doubled, what will be the new rate of energy dissipation?
- A0.5 W
- B0.25 W
- C4 W
- D1 W
Answer: 4 W - 54.
A satellite of mass m orbits a planet of mass M in a circular orbit of radius R. The time required for one revolution is
- Aproportional to R^(3/2)
- Bindependent of M
- Cproportional to m^(1/2)
- Dlinear in R
Answer: proportional to R^(3/2) - 55.
The energy required to remove both electrons from the helium atom in its ground state is 79.0 eV. How much energy is required to ionize helium (i.e., to remove one electron)?
- A51.8 eV
- B39.5 eV
- C24.6 eV
- D54.4 eV
Answer: 24.6 eV - 56.
An atom has filled n = 1 and n = 2 levels. How many electrons does the atom have?
- A4
- B6
- C10
- D2
Answer: 10 - 57.
The best type of laser with which to do spectroscopy over a range of visible wavelengths is
- Aa helium-neon laser
- Ba dye laser
- Can excimer laser
- Da ruby laser
Answer: a dye laser - 58.
The quantum efficiency of a photon detector is 0.1. If 100 photons are sent into the detector, one after the other, the detector will detect photons
- Aan average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 3
- Ban average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 4
- Can average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 0.1
- Dan average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 1
Answer: an average of 10 times, with an rms deviation of about 3 - 59.
The energy from electromagnetic waves in equilibrium in a cavity is used to melt ice. If the Kelvin temperature of the cavity is increased by a factor of two, the mass of ice that can be melted in a fixed amount of time is increased by a factor of
- A4
- B16
- C2
- D8
Answer: 16 - 60.
An airplane drops a payload while traveling due north, parallel to the ground, at a constant speed of 100 m/s. If air resistance is neglected, what is the velocity of the payload relative to the plane 4.0 s after it is released?
- A40 m/s down
- B0
- C100 m/s north and 40 m/s down
- D80 m/s down
Answer: 40 m/s down - 61.
A single-electron atom has the electron in the l = 2 state. The number of allowed values of the quantum number m_l is
- A3
- B2
- C1
- D5
Answer: 5 - 62.
Two identical satellites, A and B, are in circular orbits around Earth. The orbital radius of A is twice that of B. Which of the following gives the ratio of the angular momentum of A to the angular momentum of B?
- A1/sqrt(2)
- Bsqrt(2)
- C4
- D2
Answer: sqrt(2)
How to use these trivia questions
- Warm-up. Open a lesson or meeting with 3–5 questions — enough to wake the room, short enough to keep the agenda.
- Review game. Pick 10 questions on the topic you just taught and play them in teams; discuss every wrong answer.
- Quiz night. Mix two or three topics, read each question twice, and give 20 seconds before revealing the answer.
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