Sample Questions

Two types of questions are used in the Physics Test. The directions that follow are identical to those that are in the test. All questions in the test are multiple-choice questions in which you must choose the BEST response from the five choices offered.

Directions: Each set of lettered choices below refers to the numbered questions immediately following it. Select the one lettered choice that best answers each question or best fits each statement and then fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet. A choice may be used once, more than once, or not at all in each set.

Questions 1-2

A small sphere attached to the end of a string swings as a simple pendulum. The sphere moves along the arc shown above. Consider the following properties of the sphere.

1. Acceleration
2. Kinetic energy
3. Mass
4. Potential energy
5. Velocity

1. Which property remains constant throughout the motion of the sphere?

2. Which property goes to zero and changes direction at each extreme position Q?

Questions 3 - 4 relate to the following graphs of the net force F on a body versus time (t) , for the body in straight-line motion in different situations.

For each of the following speed (v) versus time (t) graphs for the body, choose the graph above with which it is consistent.

Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by five suggested answers or completions. Select the one that is best in each case and then fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet.

5. If the internal resistance of the 120-volt battery in the circuit shown above is negligible, the current in the wire is

1. 0 A
2. 2 A
3. 3 A
4. 6 A
5. 9 A

6. All of the following are vector quantities EXCEPT

1. force
2. velocity
3. acceleration
4. power
5. momentum

7. Which of the following graphs best represents the number (n) of radioactive atoms remaining in a sample as a function of time (t)?

Questions 8-9

In the following graph, the speed of a small object as it moves along a horizontal straight line is plotted against time.

8. The magnitude of the acceleration of the object during the first 3 seconds is

1. 3 m/s²
2. 4 m/s²
3. 6 m/s²
4. 12 m/s²
5. 36 m/s²

9. The average speed of the object during the first 4 seconds is

1. 1.9 m/s
2. 3.0 m/s
3. 4.0 m/s
4. 6.0 m/s
5. 7.5 m/s

10. A ball is thrown vertically upward. Air resistance is negligible. After leaving the hand, the acceleration of the ball is downward under which of the following conditions?

1. On the way up
2. On the way down
3. At the top of its rise

1. I only
2. III only
3. I and II only
4. II and III only
5. I, II, and III

11. A magnetized needle midway between two parallel wires in a vertical plane, as shown above, is free to turn in any direction. When there is no current in the wires, the needle is parallel to the wires. If equal currents to the right are produced in both the top and the bottom wires, the needle will

1. remain parallel to the two wires
2. turn and point toward the top wire
3. turn and point toward the bottom wire
4. turn and point out of the page
5. turn and point into the page

12. To keep a ball of mass m moving in a circle of radius r at constant speed u requires a force on the ball that is

1. directed toward the center of the circle and equal to mv²/r
2. directed toward the center of the circle and equal to mv²/2r
3. directed away from the center of the circle and equal to mv²/r
4. directed away from the center of the circle and equal to mv²/2r
5. zero because the velocity is constant

13. If the pressure on a gas is doubled at the same time that its absolute temperature is doubled, its volume will be

1. one-fourth as great
2. half as great
3. twice as great
4. four times as great
5. unchanged

14. In an experiment, a belt is rubbed against the outside of a can containing water. To calculate the mechanical equivalent of heat, one must measure the work done by the frictional force between the belt and the can and must also measure which of the following?

1. Quantity of water in the can
2. Initial and final temperature of the water
3. Coefficient of friction between the belt and the can

1. I only
2. III only
3. I and II only
4. II and III only
5. I, II, and III

15. The existence of two kinds of electric charges--positive and negative--may be demonstrated by all of the following EXCEPT

1. cloud chamber tracks in a magnetic field
2. the paths of charged particles moving in electric fields
3. the existence of isotopes
4. electrolysis
5. electrostatic experiments

16. A converging lens placed in relation to an object as shown above would produce an image that is

1. real and inverted
2. real and erect
3. virtual and inverted
4. virtual and erect
5. none of the above

17. All of the following statements are true of light waves, sound waves, and radio waves EXCEPT:

1. Their wavelengths depend upon the medium in which they are traveling.
2. They belong to the electromagnetic spectrum.
3. They undergo refraction in accordance with Snell's law.
4. For point sources, they obey the inverse-square law of intensity.
5. They can produce interference patterns.

18. The critical angle for light passing from crown glass to air is 42^o. Total internal reflection would occur at a glass-air interface if light approached the interface from the

1. air at an angle of incidence of less than 42^o
2. air at an angle of incidence of precisely 42^o
3. air at an angle of incidence of greater than 42^o
4. glass at an angle of incidence of less than 42^o
5. glass at an angle of incidence of greater than 42^o

19. As compared with the nucleus of a lead atom with atomic mass 207, the nucleus of a lead atom with atomic mass 206 has one

1. more proton
2. less proton
3. more neutron
4. less neutron
5. more electron

Answers to the Physics Subject Test questions

1. C	6. D	11. A	16. D
2. E	7. E	12. A	17. B
3. C	8. B	13. E	18. E
4. A	9. E	14. C	19. D
5. B	10. E	15. C

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