Deck 1: Introduction to Physics

Question 1

The kilogram is currently defined as

A) the mass of a platinum-iridium cylinder kept in Sévres, France.
B) the weight of a platinum-iridium cylinder as measured on the Earth's moon.
C) the mass of 5.9786332 × 10²⁶ protons.
D) the mass of one liter of pure water, free of air, at standard temperature and pressure.
E) the mass of a cube of pure water, free of air, 10 cm on each side, at standard temperature and pressure.

Answer 1

the mass of a platinum-iridium cylinder kept in Sévres, France.

Question 2

Give examples of four quantities which are vectors.

Answer 2

displacement,velocity,acceleration,force

Question 3

The metric prefix for one one-thousandth is

A) milli.
B) centi.
C) kilo.
D) mega.
E) giga.

Answer 3

milli.

Question 4

What are the dimensions of acceleration?

Question 5

State the general rule for significant figures when multiplying or dividing numbers.

Question 6

When referring to the "mks" system what does the "m", the "k", and the "s" stand for ?

Question 7

The second is currently defined as

A) 1/86,400 of a mean solar day.
B) 1/86,164 of a sidereal day.
C) 1/31,557,600 of the period of the Earth's rotation around the Sun.
D) the time required for light to travel 1/299,792,458 of a meter.
E) the time that it takes the radiation from a Cesium-133 atom to complete 9,192,631,770 cycles of oscillation.

Question 8

When referring to the "cgs" system, what does the "c", the "g", and the "s" stand for?

Question 9

State the general rule for significant figures when adding or subtracting numbers.

Question 10

The meter is currently defined as

A) the distance between two etched lines in a platinum-iridium bar kept in S vres, France.
B) the distance between two etched lines in a platinum-iridium bar kept in Washington, D.C.
C) one ten-millionth of the distance between the North pole and the equator.
D) the distance traveled by light in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
E) 1,553,164.1 wavelengths of red cadmium light in dry air at 25°C.

Question 11

Describe an order-of-magnitude estimate.

Question 12

What are the dimensions of area?

Question 13

What are the dimensions of volume?

Question 14

Why is MASS considered a more basic property than WEIGHT?

Question 15

What does the prefix pico- stand for?

Question 16

Dimensional analysis can tell you whether an equation is physically correct.

Question 17

What are the dimensions of energy?

Question 18

Give examples of four quantities which are scalars.

Question 19

What does the prefix giga- stand for?

Question 20

What are the dimensions of velocity?

Question 21

Four students measure the mass of an object, each using a different scale. They record their results as follows:
Which student used the most precise scale?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) E

Question 22

The metric prefix for one thousand is

A) milli.
B) centi.
C) kilo.
D) mega.
E) giga.

Question 23

A scalar quantity is defined as

A) a quantity that is specified by a numerical value only.
B) a quantity that is specified by using both a numerical value and a direction.

Question 24

If you are measuring the mass of a small glass of milk, the most appropriate SI unit is the

A) teragram.
B) kilogram.
C) gram.
D) milligram.
E) microgram.

Question 25

A useful method of expressing very small or very large numbers is

A) scientific notation.
B) arabic numerals.
C) roman numerals.
D) significant figures.
E) greek letters.

Question 26

When subtracting several quantities, the number of decimal places in the result must always be

A) larger than the number of decimal places in the most accurate of the quantities.
B) equal to the number of decimal places in the most accurate of the quantities.
C) equal to the average number of significant digits in the most and least accurate of the quantities.
D) equal to the number of decimal places in the least accurate of the quantities.
E) smaller than the number of decimal places in the least accurate of the quantities.

Question 27

How many cm² equal a m²?

A) 10^-4
B) 10^-2
C) 10²
D) 10⁴
E) 10⁶

Question 28

The national debt is measured in trillions of dollars. Which of the following is a representation of a trillion?

A) 1 × 10¹⁵
B) 1 × 10¹²
C) 1 × 10⁹
D) 1 × 10⁶
E) 1 × 10³

Question 29

If you are measuring the thickness of a strand of human hair, the most appropriate SI unit is the

A) kilometer.
B) meter.
C) centimeter.
D) millimeter.
E) micrometer.

Question 30

If you are measuring the mass of an elephant, the most appropriate SI unit is the

A) teragram.
B) kilogram
C) gram.
D) milligram.
E) microgram.

Question 31

The metric prefix for one one-hundredth is

A) milli.
B) centi.
C) kilo.
D) mega.
E) giga.

Question 32

When dividing several quantities, the number of significant digits in the result must always be

A) larger than the number of significant digits in the most accurate of the quantities.
B) equal to the number of significant digits in the most accurate of the quantities.
C) equal to the average number of significant digits in the most and least accurate of the quantities.
D) equal to the number of significant digits in the least accurate of the quantities.
E) smaller than the number of significant digits in the least accurate of the quantities.

Question 33

If you are measuring the length of a room, the most appropriate SI unit is the

A) kilometer.
B) meter.
C) centimeter.
D) millimeter.
E) micrometer.

Question 34

What is the conversion factor between km/h² and m/s²?

A) 7.72 × 10^-5 m/s²
B) 2.78 × 10^-1 m/s²
C) 1.30 × 10⁴ m/s²
D) 3.60 m/s²
E) 16.7 m/s²

Question 35

What is the conversion factor between km/h and m/s?

A) 7.72 × 10^-5 m/s
B) 2.78 × 10^-1 m/s
C) 1.30 × 10⁴ m/s
D) 3.60 m/s
E) 16.7 m/s

Question 36

A typical E. coli bacterium is measured in microns. Which of the following is a representation of a micron?

A) 1 × 10^-15
B) 1 × 10^-12
C) 1 × 10^-9
D) 1 × 10^-6
E) 1 × 10^-3

Question 37

When adding several quantities, the number of decimal places in the result must always be

A) larger than the number of decimal places in the most accurate of the quantities.
B) equal to the number of decimal places in the most accurate of the quantities.
C) equal to the average number of significant digits in the most and least accurate of the quantities.
D) equal to the number of decimal places in the least accurate of the quantities.
E) smaller than the number of decimal places in the least accurate of the quantities.

Question 38

What is the conversion factor between cm² and m²?

A) 0.01 m²/ cm²
B) 0.0001 m²/cm²
C) 10 m²/cm²
D) 100 m²/cm²
E) 10000 m²/cm²

Question 39

When multiplying several quantities, the number of significant digits in the result must always be

A) larger than the number of significant digits in the most accurate of the quantities.
B) equal to the number of significant digits in the most accurate of the quantities.
C) equal to the average number of significant digits in the most and least accurate of the quantities.
D) equal to the number of significant digits in the least accurate of the quantities.
E) smaller than the number of significant digits in the least accurate of the quantities.

Question 40

Four students measure the mass of an object, each using a different scale. They record their results as follows:
Which student used the least precise scale?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) E

Question 41

The period P of oscillation of a pendulum (the time interval needed to complete one full oscillation) can be expressed in terms of the mass m of the plumb bob, the length l of the string, and the acceleration due to gravity, g, as P = km^b1^cg^d, where k, b, c, and d are dimensionless constants. What must be the values of b, c, and d?

Question 42

The speed v of sound waves in a gas can be expressed in terms of the pressure p and the density ρ (mass per unit volume) of the gas, as v = ap^bρ^c, where a, b, and c, are dimensionless constants. The dimensions of pressure are [M]/[L][T]². What must be the values of b and c?

Question 43

Jane has a mass of 50 kilograms. Express her mass in grams and hectograms.

A) 50,000 g; 5,000 hg
B) 500,000 g; 500 hg
C) 500,000 g; 5,000 hg
D) 50,000 g; 500 hg
E) 50,000 g; 5,000 kg

Question 44

There are 640 acres in a square mile, and 5280 feet in one mile. How many acres are there in a hectare, a square one hundred meters on each side?

Question 45

A jar of peanut butter costs $3.29. Express its price in dekadollars and decidollars.

A) 0.329 dekadollars; 0.329 decidollars
B) 32.9 dekadollars; 0.329 decidollars
C) 329 dekadollars; 32.9 decidollars
D) 0.329 dekadollars; 32.9 decidollars
E) 32.9 dekadollars; 329 decidollars

Question 46

A typical ruby-throated hummingbird is 8 centimeters long. Express its length in millimeters and dekameters.

A) 80 mm; 0.8 dam
B) 80 mm; 0.008 dam
C) 800 mm; 0.008 dam
D) 800 mm; 0.8 dam
E) 0.8 mm; 80 dam

Question 47

The density of a solid object is defined as the ratio of the mass of the object to its volume. The dimension of density is

A) [M]/[L].
B) [L]³/[M].
C) [M] [L]^-3.
D) [M][L][T].
E) [M][L].

Question 48

In solving a physics problem you end up with m in the numerator and m/s in the denominator. The units for your answer are

A) m²/s.
B) m².
C) m.
D) s.
E) 1/s.

Question 49

Hydraulicists often express rainfall in acre-feet. This is the amount of water required to cover an area of one acre to a depth of one foot. There are 640.0 acres in a square mile, and 5280 feet in one mile. How many cubic feet are there in one acre-foot?

Question 50

A vector quantity is defined as

A) a quantity that is specified by a numerical value only.
B) a quantity that is specified by using both a numerical value and a direction.

Question 51

In fluid flow, the character of the flow can be determined by the Reynolds number, Re, which is a dimensionless quantity that can be expressed in terms of the speed v of the fluid, the density ρ (mass per unit volume) of the fluid, the viscosity η of the fluid, and a length D which is characteristic to the flow. Re can be expressed in the form Re = kvη^aρ^bD^c, where k, a, b, and c are dimensionless constants. What must be the values of b, c, and d? The dimensions of viscosity are [M]/[L][T].

A) b = 1, c = -1, d = 1
B) b = 1, c = -1, d = -1
C) b = -1, c = 1, d = 1
D) b = -1, c = 1, d = -1
E) b = -1, c = -1, d = 1

Question 52

How many significant figures are in 0.00054?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
E) 6

Question 53

In the year 2000, the average size of a transistor in a microprocessor was 250 nanometers. A human hair has a diameter of 70 microns (micrometers). How many transistors fit across a human hair?

A) 280
B) 28
C) 2800
D) 2.8
E) 0.28

Question 54

The prefix yotta (Y) signifies a multiple of 10²⁴. How many yottameters are there in a gigameter?

Question 55

There are 2.00 dry pints to 1.00 dry quart, 8.00 dry quarts to 1.00 peck, 4.00 pecks to 1.00 bushel. A farmer wants to pick enough berries to fill 40,000 pint containers. How many bushels of berries does the farmer need?

Question 56

The position, x, of an object is given by the equation x = A + Bt +Ct², where t refers to time. What are the dimensions of A, B, and C?

A) distance, distance, distance
B) distance, time, time
C) distance, time, time²
D) distance, distance/time, distance/time²
E) distance/time, distance/time², distance/time³

Question 57

Hydraulicists often express rainfall in acre-feet. This is the amount of water required to cover an area of one acre to a depth of one foot. There are 640.0 acres in a square mile, and 5280 feet in one mile. How many cubic yards are there in one acre-foot?

Question 58

The speed v of an object falling with a constant acceleration g can be expressed in terms of g and the distance traveled from the point of release, h, as v = ag^bh^c, where a, b, and c, are dimensionless constants. What must be the values of b and c?

Question 59

The period of a pendulum is the time it takes the pendulum to swing back and forth once. If the only dimensional quantities that the period depends on are the acceleration of gravity, g, and the length of the pendulum, L, what combination of g and L must the period be proportional to? Acceleration has dimensions of [L][T^-2].

A) g/L
B) gL²
C) gL
D)
E)

Question 60

The time P required for a spring-mass system to complete one full oscillation can be expressed in terms of the attached mass m and the spring constant of the spring k in the form P = km^bk^c, where k, b, and c are dimensionless constants. What must be the values of b and c? The dimensions of k are [M]/[T]².

Question 61

How many significant figures are in 120.07?

A) 6
B) 5
C) 4
D) 3
E) 2

Question 62

How many significant figures are in 10,002?

A) ambiguous
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5

Question 63

How many significant figures are in 576,000?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6
E) ambiguous

Question 64

0.0001776 can also be expressed as

A) 1.776 × 10^-3.
B) 1.776 × 10^-4.
C) 17.72 × 10⁴.
D) 1772 × 10⁵.
E) 177.2 × 10⁷.

Question 65

What is the sum of 1.53 + 2.786 + 3.3?

A) 8
B) 7.6
C) 7.62
D) 7.616
E) 7.6160

Question 66

How long does it take for a train traveling 60.4 miles per hour to travel 81 miles?

A) 0.75 hours
B) 0.745 hours
C) 1.34 hours
D) 1.3 hours
E) 1 hour

Question 67

What is 56 + ( 32.00)/(1.2465 + 3.45) written with the correct number of significant figures?

A) 62.8
B) 62.812
C) 62.81
D) 63
E) 62.8123846

Question 68

What is the cosine of 55°?

A) 0.6
B) 0.57
C) 0.574
D) 0.5736
E) 0.57360

Question 69

A pepperoni pizza has 2.80 megacalories. Juan eats exactly 1/3 of the pizza. How many kilocalories has he consumed? (One food "calorie" is actually a kilocalorie.)

A) 930 kcal
B) 933 kcal
C) 933.3 kcal
D) 933.33 kcal
E) 933.333 kcal

Question 70

How many significant figures are in 0.0067?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5

Question 71

Jane has about $536 in her checking account, about $2107 in her savings account and exactly $7.62 in her purse. To the best precision possible, how much money does Jane have?

A) $2651
B) $2,650
C) $2,650.6
D) $2,650.62
E) $2,650.620

Question 72

Convert 1.2 × 10^-3 to decimal notation.

A) 1.200
B) 0.1200
C) 0.0120
D) 0.0012
E) 0.00012

Question 73

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is approximately 193 meters tall. What is its height in feet?

A) 58.8 feet
B) 64.3 feet
C) 633 feet
D) 759 feet
E) 7,590 feet

Question 74

Mrs. Jones went on a diet and lost 15 kilograms. How many pounds did she lose?

A) 68 pounds
B) 42 pounds
C) 38 pounds
D) 33 pounds
E) 6.8 pounds

Question 75

A train travels at a constant speed of 60.4 miles per hour for 101.5 minutes. What distance does the train cover?

A) 100 miles
B) 102 miles
C) 102.2 miles
D) 102.18 miles
E) 102.181 miles

Question 76

To get to school, Alice walks 0.25 mile to the bus stop. She takes the bus 1.2 miles to the train station. She takes the train 13 miles and walks the remaining 0.17 mile to work. How far is her commute?

A) 14.6 miles
B) 10 miles
C) 15 miles
D) 14.62 miles
E) 14.620 miles

Question 77

What is the difference between 103.5 and 102.24?

A) 1
B) 1.3
C) 1.26
D) 1.260
E) 1.2600

Question 78

What is 34 + ( 3) × (1.2465) written with the correct number of significant figures?

A) 37.7
B) 37.74
C) 4 × 10¹
D) 38
E) 37.7395

Question 79

What is the product of 11.24 and 1.95?

A) 22
B) 21.9
C) 21.92
D) 21.918
E) 21.9180

Question 80

A dog has three puppies. Spot weighs 12 ounces. Rascal weighs 9.5 ounces. Socks weighs 10.2 ounces. What is the total weight of the litter?

A) 31.7 ounces
B) 31 ounces
C) 32 ounces
D) 30 ounces
E) 31.70 ounces