Practice Final Exam
(Answers keys)
Booklet Number
Instructions: This is a combined essay and multiple-choice exam. Choose the best single
answer for each question and clearly mark your choice in the appropriate space on your
answer sheet. Erase clean any stray or unwanted marks.
DO NOT MAKE ANY MARKS ON THIS TEST BOOKLET!!
1. A group of students arrange
two level tracks side-by-side
so they can have a race
between two carts. They
mount identical fan units
(each with two real batteries)
on two identical carts. When
the two carts, with fans turned
on, are released
simultaneously from the end of the tracks they speed up at the same rate,
traveling side-by-side, and so the race ends in a tie (Experiment 1).
The students then add extra mass to one of the carts and repeat the
experiment (using the same fan units), and record speed-time data for both
carts (Experiment 2).
a. The next week, when they look at the speed-time data they graphed (shown
below), there are two lines (labeled A and B), and they are not sure which is
which. Can you help by identifying which line represents the motion of the
cart with the added mass? Justify your choice.
60
Speed (cm/s)
50
A
40
30
B
20
10
0
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
Time (s)
Line B represents the motion of the cart with added mass. Since the fan units were
identical they would have provided the same strength force on each cart. However,
the cart with the added mass would have sped-up more slowly than the one without
the extra mass. The line that represents a lower rate of speeding up is B.
However, one of the students remembers that they also attempted to break the
tie in Experiment 1 by adding a additional battery to one of the fan units without
adding extra mass to either cart (Experiment 3). Could the speed-time data
shown in the graph on the previous page be from Experiment 3? Yes or No.
Justify your answer.
Yes, the data could be from Experiment 3. In this experiment two different
strength forces were applied to identical carts. This would mean that the cart with
the stronger fan force acting on it would speed up at a higher rate than the other
cart – this would correspond to line A, with line B being the cart with the weaker fan
force acting on it.
2. In one of your experiments you used a friction cart with a fan mounted on it.
You carefully adjusted the friction pad so that, with the fan running, the cart
still did not move. However, you then made it move by giving it a push with
your hand and found that the cart moved at a constant speed after the push.
Using ideas about forces, write your own explanation for why the speed of
the cart was constant after the push.
Explanation: Why does the cart move at a constant speed after it is given a
quick push?
Draw the Force Diagram
Force exerted on
cart by fan unit
Frictional force exerted
on cart by track
Write the explanation:
When a balanced combination of forces acts on an object at rest it will remain
at rest. With the fan running the cart did not move. This tells us the force that
the fan unit exerted on the cart and the frictional force opposing motion were
balanced. After being given a quick shove to get it started the force of the
push was gone and so the only remaining forces acting on the cart were that
of the fan unit and the frictional force opposing its motion, and we know
from before we know that these two forces are balanced. When balanced
forces act on a moving object it will continue to move at a constant speed, so
with these balanced forces acting on it the cart moves at a constant speed.
3. A child playing with a toy car gives it a quick
shove on a smooth level floor. (The car does not
have any type of motor inside it.) After his
push, the car very gradually slows down and
stops.
Four students are discussing why the car very gradually slows down and
stops, after the shove.
The car slows down because
the force pushing it forward is
getting weaker and weaker.
It slows because, after the shove,
there is no more force to keep it
moving.
Kristen
Daryl
It slows down because the forces
acting on it are balanced, and balanced
forces make a moving object come to
rest.
The car slows down because there is
a force acting on it in the opposite
direction to its motion.
Samantha
Victor
Which student do you agree with (if any)? Please explain your reasoning.
I agree with Victor. He has an idea that is consistent with those we developed in class;
that objects slow and stop because a force (or unbalanced combination of forces) on
them in a direction opposite to their motion.
Kristen’s idea is not consistent with our class ideas. She seems to be saying that there
is still a force pushing the car forward after the initial shove, but our idea was that the
force of the shove is gone as soon as the hand loses contact. Her idea that the car slows
down because the forward force gets weaker is also inconsistent with our class ideas.
We said objects slow down because stop because a force (or unbalanced combination of
forces) on them in a direction opposite to their motion.
Daryl’s idea might be OK, but without more information it is impossible to tell. He
implies that for the car to keep moving a force is needed in the direction of motion. If
he is accounting for the effects of the friction force that slows the car down, he is
correct, but he doesn’t say that. On the other hand his thinking could be something like
Kristen’s, in that he thinks that for any motion to continue a continuous forward force is
needed, even in the absence of friction, and without such a forward force it is just
natural for the car to stop. This is not consistent with our class ideas.
Samantha thinks that if balanced forces act on a moving object, then it will slow and
stop. However, in class we found out that when balanced forces act on an object its
speed will remain constant. So if balanced forces acted on the car after the initial shove
then it would not slow down, but continue at a constant speed.
Energy Description of Gravitational Interactions
4. An archer uses a bow to shoot an arrow straight up into the air on a still, calm
day. The arrow rises to a certain height and then falls straight back down,
sticking in the ground. The speed time graph for the arrow shown below is
for the period starting just after it leaves the bow to just before it sticks in the
ground.
a) At what time does the arrow reach its highest point? Briefly justify how
you know.
The arrow reaches its highest point at 5 seconds. We can tell this from the graph
because it is at this time that it stops slowing down as it rises, stops for an instant
at its highest point, and then begins to speed up again as it falls.
b) Indicate on the graph the entire region during which the arrow was an energy
receiver. Briefly justify how you know.
The arrow was an energy receiver from 5 seconds to 10 seconds. You can tell this
because it was during this period that it was speeding up, hence its kinetic energy
was increasing, indicating it must be receiving mechanical energy in an interaction.
c) During the entire time that the arrow was an energy receiver, what was the energy
source?
During this time the energy source was the gravitational field of the Earth and the
arrow.
5. Imagine holding a small ball at arms length and
then releasing it, so that it falls to the ground.
(Assume air resistance is negligible.)
a) Is the ball involved in an interaction as it falls?
What evidence supports your answer?
Yes, the ball is involved in an interaction as it falls, because it speeds up as it does
so.
b) Is the falling ball an energy source or an energy receiver? How do you know?
The falling ball is an energy receiver. Since its kinetic energy is increasing as it falls
it must be receiving mechanical energy in an interaction.
c) What other object does the ball interact with while it is falling? Why does the
interaction have only an imperceptible effect on this other object?
The ball is interacting with the Earth as it falls. This interaction has only an
imperceptible effect on the Earth because its mass is very much larger than the
ball.
6. A small child attempts to push a box full of toys across the floor in his
playroom. However, despite pushing as hard as he can, the box does not
move. Which one of the following statements best describes the reason the
box does not move while he is pushing it.
a. The force resisting moving the box is greater in strength than the child’s push.
The child weighs less than the box does.
b. The force resisting moving the box is equal in strength to the child’s push.
c. The strength of the child’s push is greater than the strength of the force
resisting moving the box, but not great enough to move it.
Please explain your reasoning
If an object is at rest and remains at rest, then the forces acting on it must be
balanced. This means the force of the boy and the force resisting him must be equal.
7. The child in the previous question calls for help and his mother comes and
helps him push the box, in the same direction. Which one of the following
statements best describes why the box now begins to move.
a. The combined push of the mother and child is equal in strength to the force
resisting the movement of the box.
b. The mother weighs more than the box does.
c. The combined push of the mother and child is greater in strength than the
force resisting the movement of the box.
d. The strength of the mother’s push alone is greater in strength than the force
resisting the movement of the box.
Please explain your reasoning
8. Consider the following three arrangements of battery, bulb and wire(s).
Circle the arrangement(s) where you predict the bulb would glow. In the
space below the pictures, explain why you think so. If you do not think any
of the bulbs would glow, explain why not.
A.
B.
The tip of the bulb
touches the positive end
of the battery, on the
knob. A wire touches
the negative end of the
battery and the flat part
of the positive end of
the battery.
The screwy side of the
bulb touches the
negative end of the
battery. A wire touches
the bottom tip of the
bulb and the flat part of
the positive end of the
battery.
C.
The bottom tip of the
bulb touches the
negative end of the
battery. There are two
wires. One wire touches
the screwy side of the
bulb and the negative
end of the battery. The
other wire touches the
negative end of the
battery and the knob on
the positive end of the
battery.
In order for the bulb to light both its metal tip and the metal side need to be
connected, one to each end of the battery. When this is done a complete
circuit is established from one end of the battery, through the bulb, and then
to the other end of the battery. Then electric current can flow round the
circuit, through the bulb, thus making it light.
A WILL NOT LIGHT. The tip of the bulb is connected to the + end of the
battery, but the side of bulb is not connected to anything. Electric current
cannot flow through the bulb.
.
B WILL LIGHT. The metal tip of the bulb is connected to the + end of the
battery by the wire (Note: the wire does not need to touch the ‘knob’ on the
end.) and the side of the bulb is connected to the – end of the battery by
touching it directly. Thus current can flow through the bulb and it will light.
C WILL NOT LIGHT. Both the tip and the side of the bulb are connected to the
– end of the battery, the tip by touching it directly and the side by the wire.
Neither part of the bulb is connected to the + end of the battery. Thus
current cannot flow through the bulb and it will not light. (Note: the extra wire
is actually a short circuit that connects the + and – ends of the battery
directly – a high current will flow through this wire and it will get hot.)
9. Students in a class were trying to decide which was a better model for how
electric current flowed in a circuit: the two flow model, in which current
flows out of both the positive and negative ends of the battery and meets at
the bulb; or the one flow model, in which current flows out of one end of the
battery and travels all around the circuit, through the bulb, and into the other
end of the battery. Below are representations of the two models.
TWO FLOW MODEL
ONE FLOW MODEL
a) Describe one good example of evidence from an experiment you did in
class that would support either the two flow or the one flow model, but
not both.
In a regular circuit connected like
this, with the two sides of the
bulb holder connected to the + and
– ends of the same battery, the
bulb lights
We did an experiment in class
where we connected the two sides
of a bulb holder to the + and –
ends of two separate batteries,
like this:
In this set-up the bulb did not
light!
b) State which model, the two flow or the one flow, is supported by your
evidence.
This evidence supports the one flow model
c) Carefully explain why your evidence supports the model you chose and
not the other model. (In so doing it would be best to also describe what
would have happened if the other model were a better model.)
This evidence supports the one flow model because in the regular circuit the electric charges can
flow out of one end of the battery, through the bulb, and back to the battery, through battery, and
then back out into the circuit again. This could not happen in the second circuit since the charges
flowing into the battery could not flow through it and back out into the circuit.
The evidence does not support the two-flow model because it says electricity flow out from both
ends of the battery and meets in the bulb, making it light. If this were the case the second circuit
should still work since there are connections that would still allow this to happen from the two
ends of the different batteries.
10. How did the “blowing-through-straws” analogy help you understand the
idea that thinner bulb filaments have more resistance to the flow of electricity
than thicker bulb filaments (of the same length)? In answering this question,
make sure you refer specifically to what was done in the experiments you did
in class and how that helped you change or enhance your own model or idea.
Note: Acceptable student responses to this question will vary depending on what
model or ideas they had before being introduced to the blowing-through-straws
analogy, and how they interpreted the analogy itself. Given below is an example of
students using the analogy to move from an idea of the independence of resistance
to variations in thickness, to a definite dependence.
When thinking about resistance of bulb filaments we first though that they would
all be the same, since we thought that the battery supplied the same current to all
bulbs and so the resistance to current flow in all circuits would be the same.
We then blew through a thin straw and a thicker straw of the same length and
made two observations:
A.
B.
It was easier to blow through the thicker straw
For the same strength blow, more air flowed through
the thicker straw than the thinner straw
This meant the thinner straw had more resistance to air flow through it than the
thicker straw.
This made us think that perhaps in a bulb it is easier to push the charges through
a thicker filament than a thinner filament. Therefore, for the same push from a
battery, there would be more current flowing through a thicker filament than a
thinner filament. This would then also mean that the thicker filament must have
less resistance to the flow of electricity than the thinner filament. Since more
current also means a brighter bulb, this would mean that when connected to the
same battery (or other power source) a bulb with a thicker filament would glow
brighter than a bulb with a thinner filament of the same length.
We confirmed these ideas in two ways. Firstly we used the simulator and saw that
as we increased the resistance of the bulb in a circuit the current in then circuit
decreased and the brightness of the bulb decreased also.
For an object at rest to start moving, the forces acting on it must be unbalanced. This
means the combined forces of the boy and the mother must be greater than the force
resisting them.
11. Below is a circuit with three batteries, an ammeter and three bulbs. The
ammeter reads 337.3 mA, and all three bulbs glow equally bright.
Imagine that the bulb on the left is removed from its socket; everything else
remains the same—nothing else is changed. (In the picture below, the
ammeter and bulbs are covered so you cannot tell what happens.)
a) Would the ammeter reading be higher, lower or remain at 337.3
mA? Briefly explain in terms of electric circuit ideas.
This is a PARALLEL circuit. In a parallel circuit each loop is an independent circuit
and the current flowing through each loop is determined only by the bulb(s) in it.
The battery will supply whatever total amount of current is needed. In the circuit
above the ammeter is measuring the total current flowing out of the battery,
before it splits and goes into the separate loops.
Removing the left bulb means that loop is now open and no current will flow through
it. However, this has no affect whatsoever on the current flowing through the
other two loops. Since the battery only now needs to supply current to two loops
instead of three, the total current it has to supply will decrease. Therefore the
reading on the ammeter will DECREASE.
b) After the left bulb is removed, would the bulb on the far right
get brighter, get dimmer or remain just as it is now? Briefly
explain in terms of electric circuit ideas.
As stated above, in a parallel circuit all of the loops are independent of each
other. Therefore, removing the left bulb will not affect the current flowing
through the other loops and the bulb on the right will REMAIN JUST AS BRIGHT
IT IS.
12. To the right is a circuit with one battery and one
bulb. The bulb glows with a certain brightness.
In the space below, draw two different circuits.
One must be a parallel circuit and one must be
a series circuit. Each circuit must include two
bulbs and any number of batteries that you
need. However, all the bulbs in the two
circuits must glow with the same brightness as
the bulb to the right. Make sure you draw your
circuit diagrams carefully so it is clear how bulbs and batteries are connected
to each other. For each circuit, briefly explain (in terms of electric circuit ideas)
why all the bulbs glow with the same brightness as the one above.
Series Circuit
In this series circuit there are two identical
bulbs in a single loop. This means there is more
resistance in the loop than if only one bulb were
present and so, with only a single battery a
smaller current would flow, making the bulbs
dimmer. However, by adding a second battery the
push of the batteries is doubled and so the
current flowing will be doubled also. This will
mean the current flowing will now be the same as
in a one-battery, one-bulb circuit, so the two
bulbs will glow with the same brightness as the
single bulb in the circuit above.
Parallel Circuit
In this parallel circuit there are two identical
bulbs connected to a single battery, each in their
own loop. In a parallel circuit each loop behaves
independently, as if it were the only loop
connected to the battery. This mean the current
flowing in each loop in this parallel circuit will be
the same as in a one-battery, one-bulb circuit.
Therefore each bulb will glow with the same
brightness as the single bulb in the circuit above.
13. Students in a class were trying to decide which was a better model for how
electric current flowed in a circuit: the two flow model, in which current
flows out of both the positive and negative ends of the battery and meets at
the bulb; or the one flow model, in which current flows out of one end of the
battery and travels all around the circuit, through the bulb, and into the other
end of the battery. Below are representations of the two models.
TWO FLOW MODEL
ONE FLOW MODEL
d) Describe one good example of evidence from an experiment you did in
class that would support either the two flow or the one flow model, but
not both.
In a regular circuit connected like
this, with the two sides of the
bulb holder connected to the + and
– ends of the same battery, the
bulb lights
We did an experiment in class
where we connected the two sides
of a bulb holder to the + and –
ends of two separate batteries,
like this:
In this set-up the bulb did not
light!
e) State which model, the two flow or the one flow, is supported by your
evidence.
This evidence supports the one flow model
f) Carefully explain why your evidence supports the model you chose and
not the other model. (In so doing it would be best to also describe what
would have happened if the other model were a better model.)
This evidence supports the one flow model because in the regular circuit the electric charges can
flow out of one end of the battery, through the bulb, and back to the battery, through battery, and
then back out into the circuit again. This could not happen in the second circuit since the charges
flowing into the battery could not flow through it and back out into the circuit.
The evidence does not support the two-flow model because it says electricity flow out from both
ends of the battery and meets in the bulb, making it light. If this were the case the second circuit
should still work since there are connections that would still allow this to happen from the two
ends of the different batteries.
14. Below are four pictures from the Electricity and Magnetism Field Patterns
Simulator, showing different arrangements of magnets with a nearby
Magnetic Field Meter. Identify the two arrangements that would produce the
highest and lowest readings on the Field Meter.
A.
C.
B.
Lowest
D.
Highest
Briefly justify your answers.
We learned from the simulator homework that strong magnetic fields are produced when many
small magnets are aligned in the same direction and weak fields are produced when equal numbers
are aligned in opposite directions. In D there are three small magnets, all in the same direction, so
this will produce a strong field. In C the four magnets are aligned in opposite directions, so they
cancel each other out to a large degree.
15. A student did an experiment to determine whether the size of a nail makes a
difference in how strong it can be magnetically. She used two nails, one
large, one small.
S N S
S N S
S N S
N S
N S
N S
N S N
N S N
N S N
S
S
N S N S N
N S N S N
She rubbed the two nails identically with a bar magnet (rubbing the south
pole of the magnet from tip to head of each nail). To determine the strength
of the magnetic field produced by each rubbed nail, she placed a magnetic
field meter (similar to the one used in the simulator) equal distances from the
tip of each nail.
Which nail do you think produced the higher reading on the magnetic field
meter?
Explain your thinking in terms of the domain model. (Write some sentences
and draw some pictures. You do not need to identify the interacting objects,
nor draw force or energy diagrams.)
The larger nail will produce the higher reading on the magnetic field meter.
There are more magnetic domains in a large nail than in a small nail. We know from the
simulator homework that when a large number of domains is aligned in the same
direction it produces a stronger magnetic field than when a smaller number is aligned.
Thus when the two nails are rubbed, the larger one has more aligned domains, making it
a stronger magnet.
16. Imagine taking an elevator ride from the1st floor to the 10th floor of a building.
While moving between the 1st and 2nd floors the elevator speeds up, but then
moves at a constant speed between the 2nd and 9th floors. Which one of the
following statements about the elevator best describes the forces acting on it,
as it moves upward at a constant speed? (Assume any frictional forces can be
neglected.) Circle your choice.
The upward pull of the cable is stronger than the downward gravitational
pull of the Earth.
g) The upward pull of the cable is equal in strength to the downward
gravitational pull of the Earth.
h) The upward pull of the cable is weaker than the downward gravitational
pull of the Earth.
Explain your reasoning
When an object moves at a constant speed the forces acting on it must be balanced. In
this case the only two forces involved are the downward gravitational pull of the Earth
and the upward pull of the cable. For the forces to be balanced these two must be equal
in strength. (If one of the forces was stronger than the other, the forces would be
unbalanced and the speed of the elevator would be changing.)
17. You have observed that mercury rises in a thermometer when placed in hot
water.
Carefully draw two particle-level (microscopic) models of the mercury—one
at 32 °C and 87 °C.
Describe how your drawings account for the observed thermal expansion of
mercury in the closed system of the thermometer.
As the mercury warms up the mercury particles move further away from each other,
so there are fewer in the microscopic window as shown above. Since each of the
particles moves further away, the mercury liquid takes up more volume, that is, it
expands. (Note: it would be wrong to show each particle growing in size when
heated.)
The density of the mercury changes during thermal expansion? Does it
increase or decrease? Describe how your drawings account for this change
in density.
The density of the mercury decreases as it expands. We know this because the same
amount of mercury is taking up more volume. Since density is mass/volume this ratio
decreases. The drawings show this because fewer particles are visible in the
ultrascope window, meaning there is less mass in the same volume.
18. A scientist collected the following data for ethanol:
i. The melting point of ethanol is -114 °C; the boiling point of ethanol is 78 °C.
ii. The specific heat of solid and gaseous ethanol are ~ 0.3 cal/g°C; the specific
heat of liquid ethanol is ~0.6 cal/g°C.
iii. Boiling liquid ethanol requires twice as much heat energy than melting the
same mass of solid ethanol.
Select the graph that best represents the heating curve for ethanol given the
data above.
In the space below, explain why you chose the graph that you did. For
maximum credit, be sure that your explanation describes how the graph addresses
data i, ii, and iii.
Graph A is the correct graph. (i) the melting point is the short horizontal line at -114 °C
and the boiling point is the longer horizontal line at 78 °C.
(ii) the specific heat of solid and gaseous ethanol is twice that as liquid ethanol; specific
heat is the amount of heat energy (related to the amount of time required at constant
heating) required to raise the temperature of one gram by 1°C. On the heating curve, the
greater the slope, the lower the specific heat. On graph A, the slope for the warming
liquid is less than the slope for the warming solid or gas, implying the specific heat for
the liquid is greater than the specific heat for the solid or gas.
(iii) On the heating curve, the length of the horizontal segments are related to the
amount of heat energy required for all the material to change phase. Since the
horizontal line for boiling is about twice that for melting, it would take twice as much
heat energy to boil the liquid ethanol than to melt an equal mass of solid ethanol.
At room temperature both water and ethanol are liquids, but at 90 °C, water
is still liquid and ethanol is a gas. What does this suggest about the
attractive forces between particles of ethanol in comparison to those of
water?
19. A boy has a ball in his hand. He then tosses the ball
straight upward. The ball rises to a certain height and
then falls back down, and is caught by the boy again.
Below, sketch a speed-time graph for the entire history of the ball’s motion.
Use the following labels to show on the graph each separate part of the
ball’s motion.
TOSSES
RISES
FALLS
CAUGHT
Rises
Falls
Caught
Tosses
i) Draw a force diagram for the ball for the part of the motion where it is
being tossed upwards. Make sure you label the force(s), pay attention to
the length(s), and also include a motion arrow.
Force exerted
on ball by the
hand
j)
Gravitational
force exerted on
ball by the
Draw anEarth
energy diagram for the part of the motion where the ball is
falling back down, but before it is caught. Consider the ball and earth as a
single system.
Earth
And Ball
Increase in
k inetic energy
Decrease in
gravitational
potential energy
20. If you hold the head of an
unrubbed nail near the North Pole
of a magnet, the nail becomes
magnetized with its head acting like
a South Pole.
Suppose you then turned the
magnet around, as shown to the
right. What do you predict will
happen to the nail? (Circle one of
the following choices.)
a. the nail is magnetized, with its head a north pole
b. the nail is magnetized, with its head a south pole
c. the nail becomes un-magnetized
Justify your prediction in terms of the domain model of magnetism.
When the head of the un-rubbed nail is brought close to the North Pole of the magnet
the south end of all the domains in the nail are attracted to the magnet and the north
ends of the domains are repelled. This means that the domains will line themselves up
with all the south ends pointing toward the magnet, making the head end a South Pole.
N
N
S N S N S
S N S N S
N
S
Now, when the head of the un-rubbed nail is brought close to the South Pole of the magnet the north
end of all the domains in the nail will be attracted to the magnet and the south ends of the domains will
repelled. This means that the domains will flip over and line themselves up with all the north ends
pointing toward the magnet, making the head end North Pole.
S
S
N S N S N
N S N S N
S
N
Multiple Choice Questions
1) When a bimetallic strip is heated, the strip will bend toward the side
A) with the larger coefficient of linear expansion.
B) with the smaller coefficient of linear expansion.
C) with the higher temperature.
D) with the lower temperature.
Answer: B
2) A 4.0-Ω resistor is connected in parallel with a 12-Ω resistor and both of these are
connected to a DC power supply with voltage V as shown in Figure 21-9. If the total current
in this circuit is 2.0 A, what is the current through the 4.0-Ω resistor?
A) 2.0 A
B) 0.5 A
C) 3.0 A
D) 1.5 A
Answer: D
3) If  = 9.0 V, what is the current in the 15- resistor?
20 

15 
30 
a. 0.20 A
b. 0.30 A
c. 0 10 A
d. 0.26 A
Answer: A
4) When charging two objects by rubbing them together:
a. Neither may be a conductor.
b. They must be made of different material.
c. They will sometimes end up with both being positively charged.
Answer: B
5) At which location will the electric field between the two parallel plates of a charged
capacitor be the strongest in magnitude?
a. near the positive plate
b. near the negative plate
c. midway between the two plates at their ends
d. midway between the two plates nearest their center
Answer: D
6) If two parallel, conducting plates have equal positive charge, the electric field lines will:
a. leave one plate and go straight to the other plate.
b. leave both plates and go to infinity.
c. enter both plates from infinity.
d. none of the above.
Answer: B
7) Three equal point charges are placed at the corners of a square of side d as shown in
Figure 19-13. Which of the arrows shown represents the direction of the net electric field
at the center of the square?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
Answer: A
8) An electron and a positron are released simultaneously from rest and start to move
towards each other because of the attractive Coulomb force between them. (Note: A
positron is the antiparticle of the electron, being in all aspects identical to the electron
except in the sign of its electrical charge. The charge of the positron is + e, while that of
the electron is -e.) They are initially separated by a distance d. The two particles eventually
collide. When they collide,
A) they are closer to the electron's initial position.
B) they are at the midpoint of their initial separation.
C) they are closer to the positron's initial position.
D) Not enough data is given to predict where they collide.
Answer: B
9) A charged rod carrying a negative charge is brought near two spheres that are in
contact with each other but insulated from the ground. If the two spheres are then
separated, what kind of charge will be on the spheres?
A) The sphere near the charged rod becomes positive and the other becomes negative.
B) The sphere near the charged rod becomes negative and the other becomes positive.
C) The spheres do not get any charge.
D) None of the other choices is correct.
Answer: A
10) By what method will a positively charged rod produce a negative charge on a conducting
sphere that is placed on an insulating surface?
A) by means of conduction
B) by means of convection
C) by means of induction
D) None of the other choices is correct.
Answer: C
11) A person is lowering a bucket into a well with a constant speed. The force exerted by
the rope on the bucket is
A) equal to the bucket's weight.
B) greater than the bucket's weight.
C) less than the bucket's weight, but not zero N.
D) zero N.
Answer: A
12) A car moving encounters a bump that has a circular cross-section. What is the normal
force exerted by the seat of the car on a m-kg passenger when the car is at the top of the
bump?
A) equal to your true weight, mg.
B) more than your true weight, mg.
C) less than your true weight, mg.
D) could be more or less than your true weight, mg, depending on the value of the speed.
Answer: C
13) Two inclined planes A and B have the same height but different angles of inclination
with the horizontal. An object is released at rest from the top of each of the inclined
planes. How does the speed of the object at the bottom of inclined plane A compare with
that of the speed at the bottom of inclined plane B?
A) It is directly proportional to the angle.
B) It is inversely proportional to the angle.
C) It is same for both planes.
D) There is not enough information to answer the question.
Answer: C
14) A ball with original momentum +4.0 kgm/s hits a wall and bounces straight back without
losing any
kinetic energy. The change in momentum of the ball is:
A) 0.
B) 4.0 kgm/s.
C) 8.0 kgm/s.
D) 8.0 kgm/s.
Answer: D
15) Two ice skaters push off against one another starting from a stationary position. The
45-kg skater acquires a speed of 0.375 m/s. What speed does the 60-kg skater acquire?
A) 0.500 m/s
B) 0.281 m/s
C) 0.375 m/s
D) 0 m/s
Answer: B
16) An object rests on an inclined surface. If the inclination of the surface is made
steeper, what does the normal force on the object do?
A) increase
B) decrease
C) stays the same
D) The normal force is zero N.
Answer: B
17) In Figure below (a)–(d), a block moves to the right in the positive x-direction through
the displacement Δx while under the influence of a force with the same magnitude F. Which
of the following is the correct order of the amount of work done by the force F, from most
positive to most negative? (A) d, c, a, b (B) c, a, b, d (C) c, a, d, b

Figure. A force F is exerted on an object that undergoes a displacement to the right. Both
the magnitude of the force and the displacement are the same in all four cases.
Answer: C
18) A boy throws a ball to another boy who throws it back with half the original speed.
What is the ratio of the final kinetic energy to the initial kinetic energy of the ball?
A) 0.25
B) 0.50
C) 2.00
D) 0.75
Answer: A
19) When a parachutist jumps from an airplane, he eventually reaches a constant speed,
called the terminal velocity. This means that
A) the acceleration is equal to g.
B) the force of air resistance is equal to zero N.
C) the effect of gravity has died down.
D) the force of air resistance is equal to the weight of the parachutist.
Answer: D
20) A rectangular coil lies flat on a horizontal surface. A bar magnet is held above the
center of the coil with its south pole pointing down. If the magnet is dropped from this
position, what is the direction of the induced current in the coil?
A) clockwise
B) counterclockwise
C) There is no current in the coil.
D) None of the other answers is correct.
Answer: A
21) The primary coil of a transformer has 600 turns and its secondary coil has 150 turns.
If the ac current in the primary coil is 2 A, what is the current in its secondary coil?
A) 8 A
B) 1/2 A
C) 2 A
D) 4 A
Answer: A
22) If the number of turns in a rectangular coil of wire that is rotating in a magnetic field
is doubled, what happens to the induced emf, assuming all the other variables remain the
same?
A) It stays the same.
B) It is reduced by a factor of 2.
C) It is doubled.
D) It is quadrupled.
Answer: C
23) When a bimetallic strip is heated, the strip will bend toward the side
A) with the larger coefficient of linear expansion.
B) with the smaller coefficient of linear expansion.
C) with the higher temperature.
D) with the lower temperature.
Answer: B
24) The type of heat transfer that occurs between a stove and a pot placed on it is
A) convective.
B) conductive.
C) radiative.
D) countercurrent.
Answer: B
25) The type of heat transfer that occurs between the radiator of a car and the
atmosphere, when the car is in motion, is principally
A) convective.
B) conductive.
C) radiative.
D) countercurrent.
Answer: A
26) On a cold winter day, you turn up the thermostat in your house. Assume that your house
is well sealed and that no air enters or leaves the house. When the air temperature in your
house rises a short while later, what statement is correct regarding the air pressure?
A) The air pressure is higher at the higher temperature.
B) The air pressure is lower at the higher temperature.
C) The air pressure does not change at the higher temperature.
D) The air pressure increases at first but then decreases again as the temperature
approaches its higher value.
Answer: A
28) Steam burns can be much more severe than burns caused by boiling water. The reason
for this is that
A) steam can go through the clothes.
B) comparatively speaking steam delivers more energy to the skin than boiling water does.
C) steam immediately penetrates the skin and then burns from the inside out.
D) None of the above
Answer: B
29) What is the current in the 10-Ω resistor ?
A) 0.60 A
B) 3.0 A
C) 1.2 A
D) 2.4 A
E) 0.30 A
Answer: A