1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
1) The following problems are representative of the type problems that will be on the 1st semester exam.
Exam will cover Chapters 1 - 5.
2) Please solve/answer each of these - pay particular attention to the “type” solution required for each one.
3) You will not be given ANY additional material - any and all equations and/or constants that YOU think
you will need must be placed on either a 3x5 or 5x8 index card. This card must be submitted to me during
the exam review days and approved by me. The “approved/signed” cards may be used during the exam.
4) YOU MUST HAVE YOUR CARD, CALCULATOR and PENCILS WITH YOU WHEN THE BELL RINGS TO START
THE PERIOD. YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO GO GET ANYTHING AND/OR BORROW ANYTHING FROM
ANYONE!!!!
____
1. Since 1983 the standard meter has been defined in terms of which of the following?
a. specific alloy bar housed at Sevres, France
b. wavelength of light emitted by krypton-86
c. distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole
d. the distance light travels in a certain fraction of a second
____
2. Since 1967 the standard definition for the second has been based on which of the following?
a. characteristic frequency of the cesium-133 atom
b. average solar day
c. sidereal day
d. Greenwich Civil Time
____
3. In mechanics, physicists use three basic quantities to derive additional quantities. Mass is one of the three
quantities. What are the other two?
a. length and force
b. power and force
c. length and time
d. force and time
____
4. The prefixes which are abbreviated p, n, and G represent which of the following?
a. 102, 106, and 1015
b. 109, 106, and 1010
c. 1012, 109, and 109
d. 1015, 106, and 1012
____
5. The nuclei of atoms contain:
a. electrons only.
b. neutrons only.
c. protons and electrons.
d. protons and neutrons.
____
6. When was the existence of the neutron confirmed?
a. in ancient times
b. in 1895
c. in 1932
d. in 1969
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____
7. Which formula is dimensionally consistent with an expression yielding a value for velocity? (a is
acceleration, x is distance, and t is time)
a. v/t2
b. vx2
c. v2/t
d. at
____
8. Which expression is dimensionally consistent with an expression that would yield a value for time1? (v is
velocity, x is distance, and t is time)
a. v/x
b. v2/x
c. x/t
d. v2t
____
9. If the displacement of an object, x, is related to velocity, v, according to the relation x = Av, the constant, A,
has the dimension of which of the following?
a. acceleration
b. length
c. time
d. area
____ 10. The speed of a boat is often given in knots. If a speed of 5 knots were expressed in the SI system of units, the
units would be:
a. m.
b. s.
c. m/s.
d. kg/s.
____ 11. If a is acceleration, v is velocity, x is position, and t is time, then which equation is not dimensionally correct?
a. t = x/v
b. a = v2/x
c. v = a/t
d. t2 = 2x/a
____ 12. Areas always have dimensions ____ while volumes always have dimensions ____.
a. m2, m3
b. L2, L3
c. Both a and b are correct.
d. No answer is correct because of the "always".
____ 13. Which one of the choices below represents the preferred practice regarding significant figures when adding
the following: 12.4 + 11 + 67.37 + 4.201?
a. 94.971
b. 94.97
c. 95.0
d. 95
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 14. Which one of the choices below represents the preferred practice regarding significant figures when
multiplying the following: 10.5  8.8  3.14?
a. 290
b. 290.136
c. 290.1
d. 300
____ 15. Calculate (0.82 + 0.042)  (4.4  103), keeping only significant figures.
a. 3 800
b. 3 784
c. 3 793
d. 3 520
____ 16. The length and width of a standard sheet of paper is measured, and then the area is found by calculation to be
93.50 in2. The number of significant figures in the width measurement must be at least:
a. 1.
b. 2.
c. 3.
d. 4.
____ 17. On planet Q the standard unit of volume is called the guppy. Space travelers from Earth have determined that
one liter = 38.2 guppies. How many guppies are in 150 liters?
a. 5 730 guppies
b. 0.255 guppies
c. 3.93 guppies
d. 188 guppies
____ 18. A cereal box has the dimensions of 0.19 m  0.28 m  0.070 m. If there are 3.28 feet per meter, then what is
the volume of the box in cubic feet?
a. 0.13 cubic feet
b. 0.040 cubic feet
c. 0.012 cubic feet
d. 0.003 7 cubic feet
____ 19. A cement truck can pour 20 cubic yards of cement per hour. Express this in ft3/min.
a. 1/3 ft3/min
b. 1.0 ft3/min
c. 3 ft3/min
d. 9 ft3/min
____ 20. Note the expression: y = x2. Which statement is most consistent with this expression?
a. if y doubles, then x quadruples
b. y is greater than x
c. if x doubles, then y doubles
d. if x doubles, then y quadruples
____ 21. Note the expression: y = A/x3. Which statement is most consistent with this expression?
a. y is less than A
b. if x is halved, y is multiplied by eight
c. if x is doubled, y is multiplied by a factor of 8
d. y is greater than x
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 22. For which of the values below is x > x3?
a. x = 1.5
b. x = 0
c. x = 1.0
d. x = 1.5
____ 23. When SI units are plugged into an equation, it is found that the units balance. Which of the following can we
expect to be true for this equation?
a. The equation will be dimensionally correct.
b. The equation will be dimensionally correct except sometimes in cases when the right hand
side of the equation has more than one term.
c. The equation will not be dimensionally correct.
d. All constants of proportionality will be correct.
____ 24. How long has it been that scientists have accepted that the nucleus of the atom consists of neutrons and
protons? Think of your answers in terms of order of magnitude.
a. about a decade
b. about a century
c. about a thousand years
d. since Aristotle
____ 25. A change in a physical quantity w having initial value wi and final value wf is given by which of the
following?
a. wi  wf
b. wf  wi
c. (wf + wi)/2
d. none of the above
____ 26. Displacement is which of the following types of quantities?
a. vector
b. scalar
c. magnitude
d. dimensional
____ 27. Which of the following is not a vector quantity?
a. temperature
b. velocity
c. acceleration
d. displacement
____ 28. In one-dimensional motion where the direction is indicated by a plus or minus sign, the average velocity of an
object has which of the following properties?
a. It is positive.
b. It is negative.
c. It is zero.
d. It can be positive, negative, or zero.
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 29. An object moves 20 m east in 30 s and then returns to its starting point taking an additional 50 s. If west is
chosen as the positive direction, what is the sign associated with the average velocity of the object?
a. +
b. 
c. 0 (no sign)
d. any of the above
____ 30. A bird, accelerating from rest at a constant rate, experiences a displacement of 28 m in 11 s. What is the
average velocity?
a. 1.7 m/s
b. 2.5 m/s
c. 3.4 m/s
d. zero
____ 31. Jeff throws a ball straight up. For which situation is the vertical velocity zero?
a. on the way up
b. at the top
c. on the way back down
d. none of the above
____ 32. Changing the positive direction in a reference frame to the opposite direction does not change the sign of
which of the following quantities?
a. velocity
b. average velocity
c. speed
d. displacement
____ 33. On a position versus time graph, the slope of the straight line joining two points on the plotted curve that are
separated in time by the interval t, is which of the following quantities?
a. average steepness
b. average velocity
c. instantaneous velocity
d. average acceleration
____ 34. An x vs. t graph is drawn for a ball moving in one direction. The graph starts at the origin and at t = 5 s the
velocity of the ball is zero. We can be positive that at t = 5 s,
a. the slope of the curve is non-zero.
b. the ball has stopped.
c. the acceleration is constant.
d. the curve is at x = 0, t = 0.
____ 35. A v vs. t graph is drawn for a ball moving in one direction. The graph starts at the origin and at t = 5 s the
acceleration of the ball is zero. We know that at t = 5 s,
a. the slope of the curve is non-zero.
b. the velocity of the ball is not changing.
c. the curve is not crossing the time axis.
d. the curve is at v = 0, t = 0.
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 36. The value of an object's acceleration may be characterized in equivalent words by which of the following?
a. displacement
b. rate of change of displacement
c. velocity
d. rate of change of velocity
____ 37. A baseball catcher throws a ball vertically upward and catches it in the same spot when it returns to his mitt.
At what point in the ball's path does it experience zero velocity and non-zero acceleration at the same time?
a. midway on the way up
b. at the top of its trajectory
c. the instant it leaves the catcher's hand
d. the instant before it arrives in the catcher's mitt
____ 38. Which type of quantity is characterized by both magnitude and direction?
a. scalar
b. vector
c. trigonometric
d. algebraic variable
____ 39. Which of the following is an example of a vector quantity?
a. velocity
b. temperature
c. volume
d. mass
____ 40. When we subtract a velocity vector from another velocity vector, the result is:
a. another velocity.
b. an acceleration.
c. a displacement.
d. a scalar.
____ 41. When we add a displacement vector to another displacement vector, the result is:
a. a velocity.
b. an acceleration.
c. another displacement.
d. a scalar.
____ 42. A student adds two vectors with magnitudes of 200 and 40. Which one of the following is the only possible
choice for the magnitude of the resultant?
a. 100
b. 200
c. 260
d. 40
____ 43. The first displacement is 6 m and the second displacement is 3 m. They cannot add together to give a total
displacement of:
a. 2 m.
b. 3 m.
c. 6 m.
d. 9 m.
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 44. An object, initially moving in the negative x-direction, is subjected to a change in velocity in the positive
y-direction. If the resulting velocity vector is drawn from the origin, into which quadrant does this vector
point?
a. 1st
b. 2nd
c. 3rd
d. None, since the object is now moving in the y-direction.
____ 45. An object moves at a constant velocity of 11 m/s to the southwest for an interval of 20 s. Halfway through this
interval, what is the magnitude of its instantaneous velocity?
a. It can be any value from 0 to 22 m/s.
b. 11 m/s
c. 5.5 m/s
d. More information is needed.
____ 46. In a 2-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system the x-component of a given vector is equal to that vector's
magnitude multiplied by which trigonometric function, with respect to the angle between vector and x-axis?
a. sine
b. cosine
c. tangent
d. cotangent
____ 47. A jogger runs halfway around a circular path with a radius of 60 m. What, respectively, are the magnitude of
the displacement and the distance jogged?
a. 60 m, 188 m
b. 120 m, 188 m
c. 0 m, 377 m
d. 120 m, 377 m
____ 48. A baseball is thrown by the center fielder (from shoulder level) to home plate where it is caught (on the fly at
shoulder level) by the catcher. At what point is the magnitude of the acceleration at a minimum? (air
resistance is negligible)
a. just after leaving the center fielder's hand
b. just before arriving at the catcher's mitt
c. at the top of the trajectory
d. acceleration is constant during entire trajectory
____ 49. A baseball is thrown by the center fielder (from shoulder level) to home plate where it is caught (on the fly at
shoulder level) by the catcher. At what point does the magnitude of the vertical component of velocity have
its minimum value? (air resistance is negligible)
a. just after leaving the center fielder's hand
b. just before arriving at the catcher's mitt
c. at the top of the trajectory
d. magnitude of vertical component of velocity is constant
____ 50. Which of the following is an example of the type of force that acts at a distance?
a. gravitational
b. magnetic
c. electrical
d. all of the above
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 51. If we know an object is moving at constant velocity, we may assume:
a. the net force acting on the object is zero.
b. there are no forces acting on the object.
c. the object is accelerating.
d. the object is losing mass.
____ 52. Which of the following expresses a principle, which was initially stated by Galileo and was later incorporated
into Newton's laws of motion?
a. An object's acceleration is inversely proportional to its mass.
b. For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction.
c. The natural condition for a moving object is to remain in motion.
d. The natural condition for a moving object is to come to rest.
____ 53. What condition must apply to a system's state of motion for it to be regarded as an inertial frame of reference?
a. in decreasing velocity
b. in constant velocity
c. in constant acceleration
d. in increasing acceleration
____ 54. A 7.0-kg bowling ball experiences a net force of 5.0 N. What will be its acceleration?
a. 35 m/s2
b. 7.0 m/s2
c. 5.0 m/s2
d. 0.71 m/s2
____ 55. An astronaut applies a force of 500 N to an asteroid, and it accelerates at 7.00 m/s2. What is the asteroid's
mass?
a. 71 kg
b. 135 kg
c. 441 kg
d. 3 500 kg
____ 56. The acceleration due to gravity on the Moon's surface is one-sixth that on Earth. An astronaut's life support
backpack weighs 300 lb on Earth. What does it weigh on the Moon?
a. 1 800 lb
b. 300 lb
c. 135 lb
d. 50 lb
____ 57. If we know that a nonzero net force is acting on an object, which of the following must we assume regarding
the object's condition? The object is:
a. at rest.
b. moving with a constant velocity.
c. being accelerated.
d. losing mass.
____ 58. In the terminology a 500-N block, the 500-N refers to the block's:
a. mass.
b. force.
c. weight.
d. None of the above.
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 59. The statement by Newton that "for every action there is an opposite but equal reaction" is regarded as which
of his laws of motion?
a. first
b. second
c. third
d. fourth
____ 60. It is late and Carlos is sliding down a rope from his third floor window to meet his friend Juan. As he slides
down the rope faster and faster, he becomes frightened and grabs harder on the rope, increasing the tension in
the rope. As soon as the upward tension in the rope becomes equal to his weight:
a. Carlos will stop.
b. Carlos will slow down.
c. Carlos will continue down at a constant velocity.
d. the rope must break.
____ 61. An object weighs 100 N. If the gravitational constant G were half of what it is currently, what would the
weight of the object be?
a. 100 N
b. 50 N
c. 25 N
d. 200 N
____ 62. The unit of work, joule, is dimensionally the same as:
a. newton/second.
b. newton/kilogram.
c. newton-second.
d. newton-meter.
____ 63. Rupel pushes a box 5.00 m by applying a 25.0-N horizontal force. What work does she do?
a. 10.0 J
b. 25.0 J
c. 125 J
d. 550 J
____ 64. A horizontal force of 100 N is applied to move a 45-kg cart across a 9.0-m level surface. What work is done
by the 100-N force?
a. 405 J
b. 500 J
c. 900 J
d. 4 500 J
____ 65. Which of the following is an example of a nonconservative force?
a. gravity
b. magnetism
c. friction
d. Both choices A and B are valid.
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 66. Which of the following is that form of energy associated with an object's motion?
a. potential
b. thermal
c. bio-chemical
d. kinetic
____ 67. Which of the following is that form of energy associated with an object's location in a conservative force
field?
a. potential
b. thermal
c. bio-chemical
d. kinetic
____ 68. What is the kinetic energy of a 0.135-kg baseball thrown at 40.0 m/s (90.0 mph)?
a. 54.0 J
b. 87.0 J
c. 108 J
d. 216 J
____ 69. If both mass and velocity of a ball are tripled, the kinetic energy is increased by a factor of:
a. 3.
b. 6.
c. 9.
d. 27.
____ 70. If during a given physical process the only force acting on an object is friction, which of the following must
be assumed in regard to the object's kinetic energy?
a. decreases
b. increases
c. remains constant
d. cannot tell from the information given
____ 71. A very light cart holding a 300-N box is moved at constant velocity across a 15-m level surface. What is the
net work done in the process?
a. zero
b. 1/20 J
c. 20 J
d. 2 000 J
____ 72. A 7.00-kg bowling ball falls from a 2.00-m shelf. Just before hitting the floor, what will be its kinetic energy?
(g = 9.80 m/s2 and assume air resistance is negligible)
a. 14.0 J
b. 19.6 J
c. 29.4 J
d. 137 J
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 73. As an object is lowered into a deep hole in the surface of the earth, which of the following must be assumed
in regard to its potential energy?
a. increase
b. decrease
c. remain constant
d. cannot tell from the information given
____ 74. When an object is dropped from a tower, what is the effect of the air resistance as it falls?
a. does positive work
b. increases the object's kinetic energy
c. increases the object's potential energy
d. None of the above choices are valid.
____ 75. Samantha pushes a 50-N crate up a ramp 25.0 m in length and inclined at 10 with the horizontal. What
potential energy change does the crate experience?
a. 13 J
b. 55 J
c. 120 J
d. 220 J
____ 76. A hill is 100 m long and makes an angle of 12 with the horizontal. As a 50-kg jogger runs up the hill, how
much work does gravity do on the jogger?
a. 49 000 J
b. 10 000 J
c. 10 000 J
d. zero
____ 77. A 2.00-kg ball has zero kinetic and potential energy. Ernie drops the ball into a 10.0-m-deep well. Just before
the ball hits the bottom, the sum of its kinetic and potential energy is:
a. zero.
b. 196 J.
c. 196 J.
d. 392 J.
____ 78. Two blocks are released from the top of a building. One falls straight down while the other slides down a
smooth ramp. If all friction is ignored, which one is moving faster when it reaches the bottom?
a. The block that went straight down.
b. The block that went down the ramp.
c. They both will have the same speed.
d. Insufficient information to work the problem.
____ 79. The quantity of work equal to one joule is also equivalent to which of the following?
a. watt
b. watt /s
c. watt  s
d. watt /s2
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1st Semester Honors Physics Exam Study Guide
____ 80. The rate at which work is done is equivalent to which of the following?
a. increase in potential energy
b. thermal energy
c. potential energy
d. power
____ 81. The unit of power, watt, is dimensionally the same as:
a. joule-second.
b. joule/second.
c. joule-meter.
d. joule/meter.
____ 82. A 200-hp engine can deliver, in SI units, an average power of ____. (1 hp = 746 W)
a. 200 W
b. 74 600 W
c. 149 000 W
d. 298 000 W
____ 83. The area under the force vs. displacement curve represents:
a. area.
b. force.
c. work.
d. coefficient of static friction.
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