Physics MCAT Review
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Larry Watson
105 Witmer Hall
777-3525
larry_watson@und.nodak.edu
Web sites
– www.und.nodak.edu/instruct/lwatson/211
– www.und.nodak.edu/instruct/lwatson/212
– www.und.nodak.edu/instruct/lwatson/mcat
Goal: Maximize Scores
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For Success - Reasoning!!!
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meanings, not equations
relationships, acceleration/velocity...
concepts energy, Newton’s laws, momentum
proportional reasoning skills
estimation skills
Skills are more important than
knowledge
Know when to move on
Test Anxiety
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Anxiety is a good thing (in moderation)
Anxiety Management 101
– Be confident - you CAN do this well
– Relaxation techniques
• breathe slowly
• breathe deeply
• focus on the immediate task - forget about
previous sections
• whatever works
Other Hints
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Read questions before passage
find out what you need
You may be able to answer some without
reading the passage
Do not over-complicate the situation
interpret the drawings in a
straightforward way
Review Format
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Practice, practice, practice
– work on skills with sample questions
– avoid “comprehensive” review/memorizing
Most of physics is energy, momentum, and
Newton’s laws-that’s all you need!
– look for the similarities in problems
Passage II Q 74-81 MCAT 1
Q 76
Starting from a resting position at the left end of the
railgun, the armature applies a constant force of 3.0 N
to a projectile with a mass of 0.06 kg. How long will it
take for the projectile to move 1.0 m?
A. 0.02 s
B . 0.04 s
C . 0.20 s
D . 0.40 s
Passage II Q 74-81 MCAT 1
Q 78
For a given mass, if the current were decreased by a
factor of 2, the exit speed would:
A. increase by a factor of 2
B . increase by a factor of 2
C . decrease by a factor of 2
D . decrease by a factor of 2
Passage II Q 74-81 MCAT 1
Q 79
If a projectile leaves a railgun near the surface of Earth
with a speed of 2.0 km/s horizontally, how far will it fall
in 0.01 s?
A. 4.9 x 10-4 m
B . 4.9 x 10-2 m
C . 9.8 x 10-2 m
D . 2.0 x 101 m
Passage II Q 74-81 MCAT 1
Q 80
If a projectile with a mass of 0.1 kg accelerates from a
resting position to a speed of 10 m/s in 2 sec, what is the
average power supplied by the railgun to the
projectile?
A. 0.5 W
B . 2.5 W
C . 5.0 W
D . 10.0 W
No Passage MCAT 1
Q 90
Two charged particles are a distance r apart. If the
charges on the two particles and the distance between
the particles are doubled, how does the force between
the particles change?
A. It decreases by a factor of 2.
B . It stays the same.
C . It increases by a factor of 2.
D . It increases by a factor of 8.
Passage IV Q 94-99 MCAT 1
Q 96
The glass that is used as a beam splitter is replaced
with glass that is identical except that it has a 10%
higher index of refraction. Which of the following
changes will occur to the pinhole image?
A. It will move.
B . It will become larger.
C . It will become smaller.
D . It will become more clear.
Passage IV Q 94-99 MCAT 1
Q 97
What is the approximate number of wavelengths of
light that can travel in one direction within a retroreflecting bead that has a diameter of 5 x 10-5 m?
(Note: The speed of light is 3 x 108 m/s, and its
frequency is approximately 1015 Hz.)
A. 0.6
B . 1.7 x 102
C . 1.5 x 104
D . 3.3 x 106
Passage IV Q 94-99 MCAT 1
Q 98
If a single-wavelength laser is used in place of the light
source and pinhole, how will the image on the viewing
screen change?
A. It will be larger.
B . It will be less bright.
C . It will be shifted.
D . It will show stronger patterns of interference.
Passage IV Q 94-99 MCAT 1
Q 99
With the screen removed, an observer at Point A sees a
virtual image of the pinhole. Which of the following
indicates that the observer is viewing a virtual image?
A. It moves as the observer changes the angle of view.
B . It is larger than the real image.
C . It is dimmer than the real image.
D . It is fuzzier than the real image.
No Passage MCAT 1
Q 113
When a downward force is applied at a point 0.06 m to
the left of a fulcrum, equilibrium is obtained by placing
a mass of 10-7 kg at a point 0.40 m to the right of the
fulcrum. What is the magnitude of the downward
force?
A. 1.5 x 10-7 N
B . 6.5 x 10-7 N
C . 9.8 x 10-7 N
D . 1.5 x 10-6 N
No Passage MCAT 1
Q 115
A 0.5 kg ball accelerates from rest at 10 m/s2 for 2 sec.
It then collides with and sticks to a 1.0 kg ball that is
initially at rest. After the collision, approximately how
fast are the balls going?
A. 3.3 m/s
B . 6.7 m/s
C . 10.0 m/s
D . 15.0 m/s
No Passage MCAT 1
Q 117
A vertically oriented spring is stretched by 0.15 m when
a 100 g mass is suspended from it. What is the
approximate spring constant of the spring?
A. 0.015 N/m
B . 0.15 N/m
C . 1.5 N/m
D . 6.5 N/m
Passage X Q 134-138 MCAT 1
Q 135
Which of the following statements as(are) true about
the kinetic energy of the projectile when it returns to
the elevation from which it was launched?
I. It is the same as when as when it was launched.
II. It is dependent on the initial velocity.
III. It is dependent on the value of p.
A. II only
B . I and II only
C . I and III only
D . II and III only
Passage X Q 134-138 MCAT 1
Q 136
What is the approximate total energy of the projectile
at the highest point in its path? (Note: Assume the the
effects of air resistance are negligible.)
A. 92 J
B . 133 J
C . 184 J
D . 225 J
Passage X Q 134-138 MCAT 1
Q 138
What is the magnitude of the horizontal component of
the air resistance on the projectile at any point during
flight? (Note: vx = horizontal speed.)
A. (pv2)cos 40°
B . (pv2)/2
C . (pvx2)sin 40°
D . pvx2