Physics Practice Questions

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. The primary way liquids and gases transmit heat is by the process of
a. reflection. b. conduction. c. radiation. d. convection.
____ 2. Heat convection occurs in gases and liquids. Heat convection does not occur in solids because solids are unable to
—
a. absorb heat by vibrating c. emit radiation by reflecting light
b. transfer heat by fluid motion d. exchange heat by direct contact
____ 3. A man who was sleeping wakes up because hehears the smoke alarm go off in his house. Before opening the
bedroom door, the man feels the door to see whether it is warm. He is assuming that heat would be transferred
through the door by —
a. conduction b. convection c. radiation d. compression
____ 4. The moon’s surface becomes hot during the long lunar day because the sun transfers heat to the moon. This heat
transfer is accomplished almost entirely through the process of —
a. convection b. refraction c. conduction d. radiation
____ 5. In which container is the substance unable to transfer heat by convection?
a. c.

b. d.

____ 6. In winter the air just above the top bunk of a bunk bed is warmer than the air just above the bottom bunk because
warm air rises. Which of the following describes the method of heating that causes this difference in
temperature?
a. Radiation from the room c. Convection currents in the room
b. Heat transfer through the walls d. Heat conduction through the bed
____ 7. Which of these is the best example of heat transfer by radiation?
a. A satellite is warmed by sunlight. c. A ceiling fan cools a warm room.
b. Butter melts on warm bread. d. Puddles of water cool a warm tile floor.
____ 8. The transfer of heat by the movement of air currents in Earth’s atmosphere is an example of —
a. conduction b. convection c. radiation d. fusion
____ 9. Which of these best explains why skin is warmed by radiant energy?
a. Sunlight absorbed by the skin increases the skin’s thermal energy.
b. High-frequency radiant energy is composed of waves with short wavelengths.
c. Uneven heating produces convection currents within the skin.
d. Atoms with loosely held electrons transmit heat by conduction.
____ 10. Which process best shows the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy?
a. Prevailing winds causing windmills to spin
b. Green plants making their own food
c. Tides generating electricity
d. Uranium producing heat to make steam
____ 11. A solar heater uses energy from the sun to heat water. The heater’s panel is painted black to —
a. improve emission of infrared radiation
b. reduce the heat loss by convection currents
c. improve absorption of infrared radiation
d. reduce the heater’s conducting properties
____ 12. Which of these activities can help conserve natural resources?
a. Recycling cardboard boxes c. Driving large cars
b. Washing small loads of laundry d. Building wooden fences
____ 13. Which of the following is an example of solar energy being converted into chemical energy?
a. Plants producing sugar during the day
b. Water evaporating and condensing in the water cycle
c. The sun unevenly heating Earth’s surface
d. Lava erupting from volcanoes for many days
____ 14. In West Texas and Southern California, highwinds drive turbines that generate electricity. One advantage that
wind energy has over energy generated from solar cells is that wind energy —
a. is plentiful everywhere c. produces cleaner energy
b. can be generated at night d. is free of environmental hazards

____ 15. What is an advantage of rechargeable batteries over disposable batteries?

a. Rechargeable batteries have a lower initial purchase price.
b. Rechargeable batteries produce a stronger electric current.
c. Rechargeable batteries result in less pollution of the environment.
d. Rechargeable batteries convert chemical energy directly to electricity.

____ 16. This picture shows a small section of a solar power plant. Which of these decreases the energy production at such
power plants?
a. Cloudy skies c. Hot weather
b. Ozone in the air d. Low humidity
____ 17. Which of these produces most of the compounds responsible for causing acid rain?
a. Nuclear fission c. Solar cells
b. Fossil fuels d. Windmills
____ 18. Which of these is an advantage of producing electricity using solar power plants rather than using coal-fired
power plants?
a. Solar power plants can operate for about 10 hours per day.
b. Solar power plants can produce variable amounts of energy.
c. Solar power plants produce fewer pollutants.
d. Solar power plants require continuous sunlight.
____ 19. Which of these devices uses the sun’s energy directly?
a. Windmill c. Nuclear power plant
b. Hydroelectric dam d. Photovoltaic cell
____ 20. A company has decided to market itself as environmentally friendly. If the company is going to sell calculators,
the use of which energy source would produce the fewest by-products and the least waste?
a. Rechargeable batteries c. Dry-cell batteries
b. Solar cells d. Tesla coils

____ 21. What would be the wavelength in centimeters of this wave if its frequency were doubled?
a. .625 cm b. 1.25 cm c. 2.5 cm d. 5.0 cm

____ 22. One tuning fork is struck and placed next to an identical fork. The two forks do not touch. The second tuning fork
starts to vibrate because of —
a. interference c. resonance
b. the Doppler effect d. standing waves
____ 23. Which illustration best demonstrates compression waves?
a. c.

b. d.

____ 24. The pitch of a sound made by plucking a guitar string is determined by the —
a. frequency of the vibration produced c. distance between the strings
b. strength of the plucking force d. shape of the guitar body
____ 25. A man standing at a bus stop hears the siren of a parked ambulance. As the ambulance begins moving toward the
bus stop, the man hears a change in the sound of the siren. How do the characteristics of the sound waves change
as the ambulance begins moving toward the man?
a. The amplitude of the waves increases. c. The velocity of the waves increases.
b. The wavelength of the waves increases. d. The frequency increases.
____ 26. Sunlight strikes a polarizing filter with horizontal slits. What will happen when the light that passes through this
filter strikes a second polarizing filter with vertical slits?
a. The second filter will block all of the light that passes through the first filter.
b. The second filter will allow light to vibrate in all directions.
c. The second filter will allow light to vibrate only in a vertical direction.
d. The light that passes through the second filter will vibrate only in a horizontal direction.

____ 27. Which label on the model represents a wavelength?

a. Q b. R c. S d. T

____ 28. When a DVD is read, laser light touches the DVD surface and is then measured at location A. What allows light
to return to location A after striking the DVD surface?
a. Conduction c. Magnification
b. Refraction d. Reflection
____ 29. An empty cup was tightly covered with plastic wrap, and a few grains of salt were sprinkled on top of the plastic.
When a tuning fork was struck and placed slightly above the plastic wrap, the salt began to move. Which
characteristic of waves does the movement of the salt best demonstrate?
a. Echo formation c. Resonance
b. Diffraction d. Specular reflection
____ 30. The diagram shows waves approaching a barrier. Which pattern will be formed after the waves pass through the
opening in the barrier?
a.

b.

c.

d.

____ 31. A guitar player is seated next to a piano. The piano player strikes an E key on the piano. The guitarist reports that
this causes the E string on his guitar to vibrate. What is the name of this phenomenon?
a. Polarization c. Resonance
b. Reflection d. Diffraction
____ 32. How much heat is lost by 2.0 grams of water if the temperature drops from 31 °C to 29 °C? The specific heat of
water is 4.184 J/(g • °C)
a. 4.0 J b. 6.2 J c. 8.4 J d. 16.7 J
____ 33. What is the average speed of a jet plane that flies 8000 kilometers in 8.5 hours?
a. 471 km/h b. 941 km/h c. 8009 km/h d. 68,000 km/h
____ 34. How much force is needed to accelerate a 1,300 kg car at a rate of 1.5 m/s 2?
a. 867 N b. 1,950 N c. 8,493 N d. 16,562 N
____ 35. A car traveled 150 km in 2.5 hours. What was its average speed in km per hour?
a. 30 b. 60 c. 90 d. 150
____ 36. What is the current in a copper wire that has a resistance of 2 ohms and is connected to a 9-volt electrical source?
a. 0.22 amp b. 4.5 amps c. 11.0 amps d. 18.0 amps
____ 37. The frog leaps from its resting position at the lake's bank onto a lily pad. If the frog has a mass of 0.5 kg and the
acceleration of the leap is 3 m/s², what is the force the frog exerts on the lake's bank when leaping?
a. 0.2 N b. 0.8 N c. 1.5 N d. 6.0 N
____ 38. A ball moving at 30 m/s has a momentum of 15 kg·m/s. The mass of the ball is —
a. 45 kg b. 15 kg c. 2.0 kg d. 0.5 kg

____ 39. What is the potential energy of the rock?

a. 59,900 joules b. 64,600 joules c. 93,100 joules d. 121,600 joules

____ 40. How much work is performed when a 50 kg crate is pushed 15 m with a force of 20 N?
a. 300 J b. 750 J c. 1,000 J d. 15,000 J

____ 41. The diagram shows an electric motor lifting a 6 N block a distance of 3 m. The total amount of electrical energy
used by the motor is 30 J. How much energy does the motor convert to heat?
a. 9 J b. 12 J c. 18 J d. 21 J
____ 42. The circuit above can be made into a closed-series circuit that will light both bulbs by touching the loose wire to
Point
a. Q b. R c. S d. U

____ 43. Which switch, if opened, will cause the lightbulb to stop glowing?
a. Q b. R c. S d. T

____ 44. How much current is flowing through this circuit?

a. 0.32 A b. 3.1 A c. 4.0 A d. 12.5 A
____ 45. Which circuit is built so that if one light bulb goes out, the other three light bulbs will continue to glow?
a. c.

b. d.

____ 46. In which circuit will Bulb 3 remain lit if Bulb 1 burns out?

a. c.

b. d.

____ 47. In this circuit, how much current flows through the lightbulb?
a. 0.75 amp c. 2.0 amps
b. 1.50 amps d. 3.0 amps
____ 48. The bulb will light when a current supplied by at least one 1.5 V battery is available. Which circuit will fail to
light the bulb?
a. c.

b. d.

____ 49.
Which of the circuit diagrams shown in the figure above is a parallel circuit?
a. I c. III
b. II d. I and II only
 Physics
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. ANS: D 25. ANS: D

2. ANS: B 26. ANS: A
3. ANS: A 27. ANS: A
4. ANS: D 28. ANS: D
5. ANS: D 29. ANS: C
6. ANS: C 30. ANS: B
7. ANS: A 31. ANS: C
8. ANS: B 32. ANS: D
9. ANS: A 33. ANS: B
10. ANS: B 34. ANS: B
11. ANS: C 35. ANS: B
12. ANS: A 36. ANS: B
13. ANS: A 37. ANS: C
14. ANS: B 38. ANS: D
15. ANS: C 39. ANS: C
16. ANS: A 40. ANS: A
17. ANS: B 41. ANS: B
18. ANS: C 42. ANS: B
19. ANS: D 43. ANS: A
20. ANS: B 44. ANS: A
21. ANS: A 45. ANS: D
22. ANS: C 46. ANS: C
23. ANS: C 47. ANS: A
24. ANS: A 48. ANS: C
49 ANS: D