Physics Trivia Questions for Students — page 5

Compared with the power input, the power output of an ideal transformer is

• Agreater
• BAny of these
• Cless
• Dthe same

A disk of radius 0.1 m initially at rest undergoes an angular acceleration of 2.0 rad/s^2. If the disk only rotates, find the total distance traveled by a point on the rim of the disk in 4.0 s.

• A0.4 m
• B0.8 m
• C1.6 m
• D1.2 m

A cannonball is fired horizontally at 10 m/s from a cliff. Its speed one second after being fired is about

• A16 m/s
• B20 m/s
• C10 m/s
• D14 m/s

In the atomic nucleus, electrical forces tend to

• Apush particles apart
• Bhold particles together
• Ccharge particles
• Dproduce orbital motion

Light that is not transmitted by opaque materials is

• Amainly refracted.
• Breflected or converted to internal energy in the material.
• Ctransmitted at a lower frequency.
• Dmainly reflected.

When you tap a piece of wood, it will produce a characteristic sound related to its

• Aperiod
• Bwavelength
• Camplitude
• Dnatural frequency

The crystals that make up minerals are composed of

• A3-dimensional chessboards.
• Batoms with a definite geometrical arrangement.
• Cmolecules that perpetually move.
• DX-ray patterns.

When an object is set vibrating by a wave that has a matching frequency, what occurs is

• Aresonance
• Brefraction
• Camplitude reduction
• Dforced vibration

A 1134-Hz tuning fork is sounded at the same time a piano note is struck. You hear three beats per second. The frequency of the piano string is

• A1134 Hz
• BMore information is needed
• C1131 Hz
• D1137 Hz

The fact that the acceleration of free fall is the same for all masses is explained by Newton's

• Afirst law
• Bthird law
• Claw of action–reaction
• Dsecond law

When an element ejects an alpha particle, the atomic number of the resulting element

• Aincreases by 2
• Breduces by 4
• Creduces by 2
• Dincreases by 4

In a certain region, the electric field varies with the radius away from origin by the equation Er = –6r^2 + 4r + 3, where r is given in meters and E in N/C. The potential difference between the origin and the point (3, 4) is

• A–120 V
• B64 V
• C–165 V
• D185 V

Which of the following concerning uniform circular motion is true?

• AA satellite undergoing uniform circular motion is falling toward the center in a circular path.
• BThe velocity of the object in motion changes whereas the acceleration of the object is constant.
• CThe centripetal acceleration and velocity point in the same direction.
• DThe centrifugal force is the action-reaction pair of the centripetal force.

What happens to the force of gravitational attraction between two small objects if the mass of each object is doubled and the distance between their centers is doubled?

• AIt is quadrupled.
• BIt is doubled.
• CIt remains the same.
• DIt is halved.

When an element ejects an alpha particle, the mass number of the resulting element

• Areduces by 2
• Breduces by 4
• Cincreases by 4
• Dincreases by 2

A heavy rock and a light rock in free fall (zero air resistance) have the same acceleration. The heavy rock doesn't have a greater acceleration because the

• Aratio of force to mass is the same.
• Bair resistance is always zero in free fall.
• Cinertia of both rocks is the same.
• Dforce due to gravity is the same on each.

A rigid, solid container of constant volume holds an ideal gas of volume v1 and temperature T1 and pressure P1. The temperature is increased in an isochoric process. Which of the following is NOT true?

• AThe kinetic energy of the system increases.
• BThe volume increases.
• CThe average speed of the molecules increases.
• DThe pressure increases.

A photocell of work function ϕ = 2eV is connected to a resistor in series. Light of frequency f = 1 × 10^15 Hz hits a metal plate of the photocell. If the power of the light is P = 100 W, what is the current through the resistor?

• A2:00 AM
• B6:00 AM
• C24 A
• D12:00 AM

A torque is a force

• Athat accelerates things
• Bthat is fictitious
• Clike any other force
• Dmultiplied by a lever arm

In a series circuit, if the current in one lamp is 2 A, the current in the lamp next to it is

• ANot enough information to say
• B2 A
• CDepends on which lamp is closer to the battery
• Dhalf, 1 A

A satellite in Earth orbit is above Earth's

• Agravitational field
• BNeither
• CBoth
• Datmosphere

Any atom that emits an alpha particle or beta particle

• Aincreases its mass.
• Bmay become an atom of a different element.
• Cbecomes an atom of a different element always.
• Dbecomes a different isotope of the same element.

Compared with a fundamental tone, the frequency of its second harmonic is

• Ahalf as much
• Btwice as much
• Cthe same
• Dfour times as much

When water changes to steam, energy is

• Aabsorbed by the water
• Bconserved as the phase change occurs
• Creleased by the water
• Dchanged to a different form

A wooden block experiences a frictional force, f, as it slides across a table. If a block of the same material with half the height and twice the length were to slide across the table, what would be the frictional force it experienced?

• A(1/2)f
• B2f
• C4f
• Df

The "greenhouse gases" that contribute to global warming absorb

• Avery little radiation of any kind.
• Bmore infrared radiation than visible.
• Cmore visible radiation than infrared.
• Dvisible and infrared about equally.

When you drop a ball from rest it accelerates downward at 9.8 m/s^2. If you instead throw it downward assuming no air resistance its acceleration immediately after leaving your hand is

• A9.8 m/s2
• BCannot say unless the speed of throw is given.
• Cmore than 9.8 m/s2
• Dless than 9.8 m/s2

If a star that is 20 light-years from Earth explodes, gravitational waves from the explosion would reach Earth in

• ANone of these.
• Bless than 20 years.
• C20 years.
• Dmore than 20 years.

An elevator is rising. In order to determine the tension in the cables pulling it, which values (for the elevator) would you need to know?

• AMass, velocity, and acceleration
• BMass and acceleration
• CMass and velocity
• DMass, velocity, height, and acceleration

Regelation occurs due to water's

• Aslight tendency to freeze when its temperature is lowered
• Bhigh rate of expansion
• Copen-structured ice crystals
• Dhigh specific heat

Ultraviolet light has a wavelength of about 6 × 10^-8 m. What is the frequency of this light?

• A2 Hz
• B0.5 Hz
• C5 × 10^15 Hz
• D20 Hz

Immediately after two separated charged particles are released from rest both increase in speed. The particles therefore have

• Aeither the same or opposite signs of charge.
• BNeed more information.
• Cthe same sign of charge.
• Dopposite signs of charge.

When a uranium nucleus undergoes fission the energy released is primarily in the form of

• Akinetic energy of fission fragments.
• BAll of these about equally.
• Ckinetic energy of ejected neutrons.
• Dgamma radiation.

A man stands in an elevator as it begins to ascend. Does the normal force from the floor do work on the man?

• AYes, but the sign can't be determined.
• BYes, and the work done will be positive.
• CYes, and the work done will be negative.
• DNo.

According to Coulomb, a pair of charged particles placed twice as close to each other experience a force

• Aone-fourth as strong
• Btwice as strong
• Cfour times as strong
• Dhalf as strong

When the color yellow is seen on your TV screen the phosphors being activated on the screen are

• Ared and green.
• Bmainly yellow.
• Cgreen and yellow.
• Dblue and red.

If the force of gravity between the Moon and the Earth were to stop, which statement best describes the resulting motion of the moon?

• AIt would stop rotating on its axis, and it would stop revolving around the Earth.
• BIt would continue rotating on its axis, and it would revolve around the Earth as usual.
• CIt would continue rotating on its axis, but it would stop revolving around the Earth.
• DIt would stop rotating on its axis, but it would revolve around the Earth as usual.

Microscopic slush in water tends to make the water

• Amore slippery
• Bless dense
• Cmore dense
• Dwarmer

When a wave moves from shallow water to deep water, the

• Afrequency decreases, the wavelength increases, and the speed increases
• Bfrequency does not change, the wavelength decreases, and the speed decreases
• Cfrequency does not change, the wavelength increases, and the speed decreases
• Dfrequency does not change, the wavelength increases, and the speed increases

Two isolated particles, A and B, are 4 m apart. Particle A has a net charge of 2Q, and B has a net charge of Q. The ratio of the magnitude of the electric force on A to that on B is

• A4:01
• B1:02
• C1:01
• D2:01

A swimmer is able to propel himself forward through the water by moving his arms. Which of the following correctly states the applicant and recipient of the force responsible for the swimmer's forward acceleration?

• AThe force of the swimmer's torso on the swimmer's arms
• BThe force of the swimmer's arms on the surrounding water
• CThe force of the surrounding water on the swimmer's arms
• DThe force of the swimmer's arms on the swimmer's torso

An object initially at rest experiences a time-varying acceleration given by a = (2 m/s^3)t for t ≥ 0. How far does the object travel in the first 3 seconds?

• A24 m
• B12 m
• C18 m
• D9 m

An airplane with its nose pointing north with an airspeed of 40 km/h in a 30-km/h crosswind (at right angles) has a groundspeed of

• A50 km/h
• B60 km/h
• C40 km/h
• D30 km/h

When a spinning system contracts in the absence of an external torque its rotational speed increases and its angular momentum

• Amay increase or decrease
• Bincreases
• Cremains unchanged
• Ddecreases

Consider a ball rolling in a horizontal circular path on the inside surface of a cone. The normal force on the ball

• Ais mg
• Bmay be greater or less than mg
• Cis less than mg always
• Dis greater than mg always

Radioactivity has been around on Earth since the

• Amiddle of the 1900s
• BEarth formed
• Cadvent of medical technology
• DIndustrial Revolution

In a circuit of two lamps in parallel, if the current in one lamp is 2 A, the current in the other lamp is

• ANot enough information to say
• BDepends on which lamp is closer to the battery
• C2 A
• Dabout 1 A

In either a fission event or a fusion event, a quantity that remains unchanged is the

• Akinetic energy
• Bmass
• Cnumber of nucleons
• Dbinding of nucleons

A man stands on a platform scale in an elevator. The elevator moves upward, speeding up. What is the action-reaction force pair to the man's weight?

• AThe force of the man on the scale
• BThe force of the elevator cable on the man
• CThe force of the elevator cable on the elevator
• DThe force of the man on the Earth

The time it takes for a pendulum swinging to and fro refers to its

• Aamplitude
• Bperiod
• Cfrequency
• Dwavelength