GHSGT Science Forces, Waves, and Electricity (GHSGT_Science_Forces)
Name:____________________________________________ Date:_______________________
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1.
Which type of wave has the shortest wavelength?
A. radio
B. gamma
C. ultraviolet
D. microwave
2.
What type of wave has the greatest wavelength?
A. radio
B. x-ray
C. infrared
D. gamma-ray
3.
The discovery that stars emit energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum led to which
of the following innovations?
A. radio telescope
B. microwave oven
C. cellular telephone
D. satellite communication
4.
Which of the following choices best describes an object's velocity?
A. The bus traveled at 50 mph for 20 minutes.
B. The airplane traveled southwest at 280 mph.
C. The car went from 35 mph to 45 mph.
D. The train made several stops, with an average rate of 57 mph.
5. An ohm is best defined as a unit of measure for
A. power.
B. magnetic fields.
C. electrical resistance.
D. electrical potential difference.
6. An astronaut on the moon drops a feather and a rock from the same height. They reach the
ground at the same time. Why does this happen on the moon but NOT on Earth?
A. The moon has no atmosphere.
B. The moon's weaker gravity pulls each with less force.
C. Objects dropped on Earth are not influenced by lunar gravity.
D. On Earth, the rock has more mass due to Earth's stronger gravity.
7. An electric generator converts
A. solar energy to electric energy.
B. thermal energy to electric energy.
C. chemical energy to electric energy.
D. mechanical energy to electric energy.
8. Ann and Carol each lift the timber with a force of 80 kg/m/s2. If they lift the timber a distance
of 1.25 meters, how much work is each woman doing?
A. 64.00 J
B. 78.75 J
C. 81.25 J
D. 100.00 J
9. Two objects of equal mass, a feather and a Ping-Pong ball, are dropped in a vacuum. Which of
the following will occur?
A. The objects will not fall in a vacuum.
B. The object with greater weight will fall faster.
C. The feather and ping pong ball will fall at the same rate.
D. The ping pong ball will fall faster due to its spherical shape.
10.
Which of the following situations best illustrates the principle of inertia?
A. Steve throws a ball straight up and notices it slowing down.
B. Emily asks for a push to get started on a swing.
C. Paula decides to sit in an outside seat of a merry-go-round so that she will have a wilder ride.
D. When Dave drops a bowling ball, it does not bounce as high as a basketball dropped from the
same height.
11. Which best describes the function of a lever?
A. using a small force at a great distance to move a large object a short distance
B. using a small force over a short distance to move a large object over a short distance
C. using a large force over a great distance to move a small object over a short distance
D. using a large force over a short distance to move a small object over a great distance
12. Which of the following electromagnetic waves has a shorter wavelength than visible light
waves?
A. radar
B. infrared
C. ultraviolet
D. microwave
13. Which color would have the shortest wavelength?
A. red
B. yellow
C. green
D. blue
14. Through which of the following does sound travel at the greatest speed?
A. air
B. steel
C. water
D. a vacuum
15. The speed of sound is 344 m/sec when the air is 20°C. How far away is the source of the
sound if it takes 8 seconds for the sound to reach you?
A. 43 m
B. 344 m
C. 2,580 m
D. 2,752 m
16. In which way do a permanent magnet and an electromagnet differ?
A. an electromagnet has a fixed magnetic strength
B. a permanent magnet's strength can be changed
C. a permanent magnet can be turned on or off
D. an electromagnet can be turned on or off
17. The sides of a sailboat slant sharply to help the boat move through the water. The boat itself
acts as what type of simple machine?
A. a wedge
B. a pulley
C. a screw
D. an inclined plane
18.
In what way are all simple machines alike?
A. All move about a fulcrum.
B. All make work easier.
C. All are made of a single piece of material.
D. All were used in all ancient civilizations.
19. Many public buildings now have entrance ramps in addition to entrance stairs. Which
principle explains the idea behind entrance ramps?
A. By increasing the distance, the required force decreases.
B. By increasing the distance, the required force increases.
C. By increasing the force, the required distance decreases.
D. By increasing the force, the required distance increases.
20. How does the effort used to lift a load with a second-class lever compare to the effort used to
lift the same load with a first-class lever?
A. The second-class lever requires more effort.
B. The first-class lever requires more effort.
C. The effort required is the same for both types of levers.
D. The effort depends on the type of load, rather than the type of lever.
21.
One autumn day, Ethan was sitting under a tree. He repeatedly got hit on the head and shoulders
by falling acorns. He looked up at the huge oak tree and thought, "This is so much like the story
of Sir Isaac Newton and the apple tree." According to the story, what had Newton discovered?
A. gravity
B. E = mc2
C. momentum
D. conservation of energy
22.
Which of the following BEST describes why someone may NOT be able to lift a full
wheelbarrow by its handles?
A. The effort force is not great enough to raise the fulcrum.
B. The resistance force is not great enough to raise the fulcrum.
C. The resistance force is not great enough to overcome the effort force.
D. The effort force is not great enough to overcome the resistance force.
23.
Which of the following always has an effect on both static and sliding friction?
A. the speed of the objects in contact
B. the velocity of the objects in contact
C. the force applied to the object at rest
D. the force pressing the objects together
24. An inclined plane is used to move a heavy box from the ground into the bed of a truck.
If 100 N of force is required to move the load up the ramp, how much work is done?
Disregard any force of friction.
A. 100 J
B. 300 J
C. 400 J
D. 500 J
25. An airplane takes off from Boston for the 980 km trip to Detroit. The plane lands two hours
later. Which of the following best describes the average speed and direction of the airplane's
flight?
A. 325 km/h W
B. 490 km/h W
C. 980 km/h W
D. 1960 km/h W
This online assessment item contains material that has been released to the public by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
26. Which of the following devices relies on electromagnetic radiation in the radio wave region
of the spectrum for operation?
A. sun tanning lamp
B. electric light bulb
C. cellular telephone
D. electric toaster
This online assessment item contains material that has been released to the public by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
27. The graph below relates distance to time for a rolling ball.
What is the average speed of the ball?
A. 2 m/s
B. 6 m/s
C. 8 m/s
D. 72 m/s
This online assessment item contains material that has been released to the public by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
28.
High powered electromagnets are used in recycling centers to separate iron and steel waste from
plastics and paper products. You are an engineer that must increase the power of the magnet
without using any additional electrical power. What modification should you make to the
electromagnet?
A. insulate the coils
B. reduce the number of coils
C. increase the number of coils
D. increase the distance between the coils
29.
Which of these would be MOST LIKELY to contain an electric motor?
A. a blender
B. a television
C. a radio
D. a wristwatch
30.
The electric motor in the image is used in a vacuum cleaner. In order for the motor to rotate, the
current through the wires must
A. be increased.
B. be decreased.
C. change direction as it spins.
D. remain at exactly the same level at all times.
31.
The peregrine falcon is the fastest known bird in existence. Which is the BEST procedure for
calculating the velocity of this bird in a field experiment.
A. Time the bird flying a known distance, then divide distance by time.
B. Time the bird flying a known distance, then multiply distance by time.
C. Time the bird flying a known distance, then add distance and time.
D. Observe the bird flying next to a known velocity object such as an automobile or airplane.
32.
Professional baseball pitchers are able to accelerate baseballs to incredible velocities in very
short times.
Using the graph, determine the average acceleration of the baseball from 0 seconds to 0.625
seconds, the point where the ball is located on the graph.
A. 0.0156 m/s2
B. 32 m/s2
C. 64 m/s2
D. 140 m/s2
33.
A tailback with a mass of 80 kg and a fullback with a mass of 100 kg have equal inertia after
running five yards.
Explain how this is possible.
A. The tailback has more gravity.
B. The fullback has more weight.
C. The tailback runs with a greater velocity.
D. The fullback runs with greater velocity.
34.
A 16 kg bowling ball and a 8 kg shot put are held 10 meters above the ground outside an office
window. Which of these statements is true?
A. The bowling ball will hit the ground first.
B. The bowling ball will experience twice the velocity.
C. The bowling ball experiences twice as much gravitational force.
D. The bowling ball will accelerate twice as fast
35.
A prybar is a simple machine that acts as a lever, similar to a crowbar. It can do the job of
quickly and easily removing nails, boards or other attached items. In the image, a force of 100 N
pushes downward over 0.25 m. The imbedded nail is moved vertically upward a distance of 5
cm. The length of the prybar is 0.5 m. Determine the input work done in this example.
A. 5 N
m
B. 25 N
m
C. 50 N
m
D. 500 N
m
36.
A prybar is a simple machine that acts as a lever, similar to a crowbar. It can do the job of
quickly and easily removing nails, boards or other attached items. In the image, a force of 100 N
pushes downward over 0.25 m. The imbedded nail is moved vertically upward a distance of 5
cm. The length of the prybar is 0.5 m. Determine the mechanical advantage of the simple
machine (prybar) in this example.
A. 0.5
B. 2
C. 5
D. 400
37.
A light wave emitted from a bulb.
A radio wave picked up by your car stereo.
An ocean wave carrying a surfer to the beach.
An earthquake (wave) leveling homes on the west coast.
All of the above have what in common?
A. They all transfer energy.
B. They all have equal wavelength.
C. They all travel at the same speed.
D. They all need a medium to travel through.
38.
Assuming all graphs are to the same scale, which of the electromagnetic waves has the
GREATEST energy?
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
39.
In the image the distance between each water wave peak represents the wavelength. A
representation of a water wave with higher energy would have
A. a shorter distance between the peaks.
B. a longer distance between the peaks.
C. higher peaks.
D. lower peaks.
40.
When a bear sees a fish in the water, it uses practical experience with refraction to know exactly
where the fish is actually located. The image of the fish appears in a different location because
the light rays forming this image
A. are bent due to the difference in index of refraction between the water and air.
B. are bent due to the different direction the fish is swimming.
C. are bent due to the dissolved particulates in the water..
D. are bent due to the time of day.
41.
Points A and B are examples of a common wave phenomena that occurs with water waves as
well as when light and sound waves combine with one another. If sources C and D are in phase,
describe the effects on the wave energy at points A and B.
A. The wave energy would stop.
B. The wave energy would cycle.
C. The wave energy would increase.
D. The wave energy would decrease.
42.
The diagram illustrates a common wave phenomena that occurs with water waves as well as
when light and sound waves go through small openings. This is called
A. reflection.
B. refraction.
C. diffraction.
D. interference.
43.
In many old western movies, cowboys would put their ears on railroad tracks (made of iron) to
listen for an oncoming train. This method gave the cowboy advance warning of the train because
the sound of the train rumbling on the track carried much faster than the sound of the engine or
horn through the air. This increase in the speed of sound through the rail is primarily due to what
property of the train track?
A. temperature
B. conductivity
C. density
D. unique shape
Answer Key
1. B) gamma
2. A) radio
3. A) radio telescope
4. B) The airplane traveled southwest at 280 mph.
5. C) electrical resistance.
6. A) The moon has no atmosphere.
7. D) mechanical energy to electric energy.
8. D) 100.00 J
9. C) The feather and ping pong ball will fall at the same rate.
10. B) Emily asks for a push to get started on a swing.
11. A) using a small force at a great distance to move a large object a short distance
12. C) ultraviolet
13. D) blue
14. B) steel
15. D) 2,752 m
16. B) a permanent magnet's strength can be changed
17. A) a wedge
18. B) All make work easier.
19. A) By increasing the distance, the required force decreases.
20. A) The second-class lever requires more effort.
21. A) gravity
22. D) The effort force is not great enough to overcome the resistance force.
23. D) the force pressing the objects together
24. C) 400 J
25. B) 490 km/h W
26. C) cellular telephone
27. A) 2 m/s
28. C) increase the number of coils
29. A) a blender
30. C) change direction as it spins.
31. A) Time the bird flying a known distance, then divide distance by time.
32. D) 140 m/s2
33. C) The tailback runs with a greater velocity.
34. C) The bowling ball experiences twice as much gravitational force.
35. B) 25 N
m
36. C) 5
37. A) They all transfer energy.
38. C) C
39. C) higher peaks.
40. A) are bent due to the difference in index of refraction between the water and air.
41. C) The wave energy would increase.
42. C) diffraction.
43. C) density