Physical Science

1. Forces that are ____ result in a net force of zero.

a. balanced b. unbalanced c. equal d. unequal

2. Any push or a pull that can change an object’s motion is

.
a. force b. inertia c. balanced d. unbalanced

3.The amount of gravitational force on an object depends on its

_________.

a. mass b. velocity c. acceleration d. force

4. Weight is measured in units called .

a. newtons b. kilograms c. velocity d. acceleration

5. Mass is measured in units called .

a. newtons and kilonewtons c. mass and kilogram

b. grams and kilograms d. gram and newton

6. The effect in which white light separates into different

colors is called

a. magnification c. reflection
b. refraction d. dispersion
7. The net force and masses of four objects are given below.

Choose the answer(s) with the greatest acceleration.

(A) 6 kg object, pushed with 10 N (B) 12 kg object, pushed

with 20 N

(C) 18 kg object, pushed with 20 N (D) 60 kg object, pushed

with 10 N

8. The English mathematician and scientist who formulated the

law of universal gravitation was

a. Galileo c. Huygens
b. Newton d. Cavendish

9. What effect does distance have on the strength of the force

of gravity?
a. Smaller the distance, the weaker the gravitational pull
b. distance and force are not related
c. greater the distance, the weaker the gravitational pull
d. greater the distance, the stronger the gravitational pull
10. The evidence that stipulated Newton to propose the law of
universal gravitation emerged from a study of:
a. The motion of the moon and c. The gravitational
other celestial or heavenly interaction of smaller
bodies objects upon the earth
b. The fall of an apple to d. There was no evidence; it
the earth was just a proposed theory
11. The universal of Newtons law of universal gravitation is a

common source of confusion. The universal means that:

a. The amount of gravitational forces is the same for all

objects
b. The acceleration caused by gravity is the same for all

objects

c. The force of gravity acts between all objects-not just

between the earth and an object, but also between two people.

All objects with mass attract.

d. None of the above

12. According to Newton’s gravitation law, the force of

gravitational attraction between a plane and an object located

upon the planet’s surface depends upon _____. Choose all that

apply.

a. The radius of the planet c. The mass of the planet

b. The mass of the object d. The volume of the object

13. The impulse experienced by a body is equivalent to the

body’s change in

a. velocity b. kinetic energy c. momentum d. force

14. A 75 kg person walking around a corner bumped into an 80 kg

person who was running around the same corner. The momentum of

the 80 kg person

a. increased b. remained the same C. decreased d. was conserved

15. Two objects with different masses collide and bounce back after

an elastic collision. Before the collision, the two objects were

moving at velocities equal in magnitude but opposite in direction.

After the collision,

a. the less massive object had gained momentum.

b. the more massive object had gained momentum.

c. both objects had the same momentum.

d. both objects lost momentum

16. When light reflects from a surface, there is a change in its

a. frequency c. speed
b. wavelength d. none these
17. Light will not pass through a pair of polarizing lenses when

their axes are

a. parallel c. 45 degrees to each other

b. perpendicular d. two of these

18. Two objects move separately after colliding, and both the

total momentum and total kinetic energy remain constant.

Identify the type of collision.

a. elastic b. nearly elastic c. inelastic d. perfectly inelastic

19. Two objects stick together and move with a common velocity

after colliding. Identify the type of collision.

a. elastic c. inelastic b. nearly elastic d. perfectly inelastic

20. Refraction results from differences in light's

a. frequency. b. amplitude. c. speed. d. all of these.

21. When comparing the momentum of two moving objects, which of

the following is correct?

a. The object with the higher velocity will have less momentum

if the masses are equal.

b. The more massive object will have less momentum if its

velocity is greater.

c. The less massive object will have less momentum if the

velocities are the same.

d. The more massive object will have less momentum if the

velocities are the same

22. A roller coaster climbs up a hill at 4 m/s and then zips

down the hill at 30 m/s. The momentum of the roller coaster

a. is greater up the hill b. is greater down the hill

than down the hill than up the hill

c. remains the same d. is zero throughout the

throughout the ride ride

23. A rubber ball moving at a speed of 5 m/s hit a flat wall and

returned to the thrower at 5 m/s. The magnitude of the momentum

of the rubber ball

a. increased b. decreased c. remained the same d. was not

conserved

24. Which of the following situations is an example of a

significant change in momentum?

a. A tennis ball is hit into a net

b. A helium-filled balloon rises upward into the sky

c. An airplane flies into some scattered white clouds

d. A bicyclist rides over a leaf on the pavement

25. Those two quantities that are vectors are

a. distance and position c. displacement and speed

b. position and displacement d. speed and velocity

26. The term “uniform motion” means

a. acceleration is constant b. speed is constant

c. velocity is constant d. displacement is constant

27. The magnetic pole found in the northern hemisphere

of our earth acts like the

a. north pole of a bar magnet and the north pole of a

compass needle would point towards it

b. north pole of a bar magnet and the south pole of a

compass needle would point towards it south pole of a

bar magnet and the north pole of a compass needle would

point towards it

d. south pole of a bar magnet and the south pole of a

compass needle would point towards it

28. Diffraction is a result of

a. refraction b. reflection c. interference d.

polarization

29. The gravitational field can be defined as the

a) region of space around a mass where another mass

experiences a force

b) acceleration due to gravity which is equal to

approximately 9.80 m/s2 for our Earth

c) force divided by the mass for an object in free fall

d) the amount of the contact force between a mass at

rest on the surface of the Earth and the Earth

30. If we were to compare the field lines for the

gravitational situation to the electric situation, we

would find that the electric field line pattern that is

identical to the gravitational pattern around the Earth

occurs when there is

a) a neutral charge

b) a combination of positive and negative charges

c) one positive charge

d) one negative charge

31. Galileo found that a ball rolling down one inclined

plane would roll how far up another inclined plane?

A The ball would not roll up the other plane at all

B To nearly its original height

C To about one quarter its original height

D To nearly twice its original height

E To nearly half its original height

32. The astronomer Copernicus publicly stated in the

1500s that Earth

A does not move

B revolves around the sun

C is slowing down

D moves in a straight line

E is the center of the solar system.

33. Which of the following is NOT true about Aristotle’s

concept of violent motion?

A Violent motion is imposed motion

B Violent motion has an external cause

C Violent motion is the result of forces that push or

pull

D Violent motion is thought to be either straight up or

straight down

34. Color depends on what characteristics of light?

a. its frequency

b. its wavelength

c. both of these

d. neither of these

35. The main difference between Aristotle and Galileo

is

A Aristotle thought that C Galileo though that some

the Earth revolved around changes in speed occured

the sun. without forces.

B Galileo thought that D Aristotle used

forces were always experiments to develop

required to change an his ideas, whereas

object’s speed. Galileo developed his

ideas from his

observations.

36. If you flip a coin straight up into the air in a

moving vehicle, which of these could NOT happen? (All

answers describe motion relative to the vehicle.)

A The coin lands exactly C The vehicle slows down

where it started. and the coin flies

backward.

B The vehicle turns and the D The vehicle accelerates,

coin moves the opposite and the coin flies

way. backward.

37. Newton’s third law of motion states the following:

a. An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on

by an unbalanced force.

b. For every action there is an equal and opposite

reaction.

c. Moving objects will remain in motion until acted on

by an unbalanced force.

d. The greater an object’s mass, the greater the force

needed to accelerate the object.

38. Which of the following objects has the greatest

momentum?

a. a statue bolted to the ground

b. a teenager walking on the sidewalk

c. a bicycle moving at 10 m/s d

d. a car driving at 5 km/h

39. In an accident, the distance a passenger is thrown

from a moving car is related to

a. the mass of the car

b. the car’s acceleration before the collision

c. the size of the object that the car collides with

d. the speed of the car before it collided with

40. An object has an initial velocity that is negative. If

the acceleration of the object is positive, how will

velocity be affected?

a. Velocity will decrease

b. Velocity will increase

c. Velocity will be constant

d. Velocity will either increase or decrease.

41. Acceleration always refers to a(n)

a) increase in speed.
b) change in speed.

c) change in direction.

d) change in velocity.

42. Which of the following is a vector quantity?

a. time b. velocity c. speed d.
distance
43. What celestial body does the universe rotate around,

according to Eudoxus?

a. Sun

b. Moon

c. Earth

d. Mars

44. Where did Eudoxus first study astronomy?

a. Cnidus

b. Cyzicus

c. Sicily

d. Heliopolis
45. How many spheres did eudoxus believe the universe was

made up of?

a. 9

b. 16

c. 34

d. 27

46. According to Kepler's Laws, all orbits of the planets

are:

a. ellipses b. parabolas c. hyperbolas d. square

47. Which of the following first hypothesized that the

Earth orbited the sun?

a. Alexander the Great b. Copernicus c. Socrates d. Tycho

Brahe

48. Which of the following men was the first to make

systematic use of a telescope in astronomy?

a. Copernicus b. Tycho Brahe c. Kepler d. Galileo

49. Who first used Tycho Brahe's observational data on

the planet Mars to determine that Mars actually traversed

an elliptical orbit, the sun being located at one of the

foci?
a. Kepler b. Galileo c. Hipparchus d.

Aristarchus

50. Light refracts when traveling from air into glass

because light

a. travels at the same speed in air and in glass.

b. frequency is greater in air than in glass.

c. frequency is greater in glass than in air.

d. travels slower in glass than in air.