Physics Practice Review Questions_

The diagram below shows a glider on an air track with three photogates. Each photogate determines the velocity of the glider as it moves down the air track. Which graph best represents the glider’s velocity as it moves down the air track?

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Answer explanation

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-1

A turn on a racetrack is 915 meters long and can be considered a semicircle with a radius of 291 meters. What is the centripetal acceleration of a car that completes the semicircular turn at a constant speed in 15.0 seconds?

• 0 m/s²

• 3.14 m/s²

• 12.8 m/s²

• 61.0 m/s²

Answer explanation

To find centripetal acceleration, use the formula a = v²/r. First, calculate speed: v = distance/time = 915m/15s = 61m/s. Then, a = (61m/s)² / 291m = 12.8 m/s². Thus, the correct answer is 12.8 m/s².

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-1

A car is traveling at 21.0 m/s. It slows to a stop at a constant rate over 5.00 s. How far does the car travel during those 5.00 seconds before it stops?

• 4.20 m

• 52.5 m

• 105 m

• 158 m

Answer explanation

To find the distance, use the formula: distance = initial velocity × time + 0.5 × acceleration × time². The car decelerates from 21.0 m/s to 0 m/s in 5.00 s, giving an average speed of 10.5 m/s. Thus, distance = 10.5 m/s × 5.00 s = 52.5 m.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-1

The diagram below shows a 6.0 V battery connected to three resistors. How much current is the circuit drawing from the battery?

• 0.17 A

• 0.55 A

• 1.8 A

• 3.3 A

Answer explanation

To find the current, use Ohm's Law: I = V/R. The total resistance in the circuit is 3.33 ohms (calculated from the resistors). Thus, I = 6.0 V / 3.33 ohms = 1.8 A, which is the correct answer.

Which satellite will experience the same magnitude of gravitational force as Satellite X does in its orbit?

• A 1

• B 2

• C 3

• D 4

Answer explanation

Satellite 1 will experience the same magnitude of gravitational force as Satellite X because gravitational force depends on mass and distance from the central body, which are the same for both satellites.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-4

A student wants to generate an electric current using a bar magnet and a coil of wire. Possible Laboratory Setups: Lab Setup | Wire Diameter | Number of Loops K | Thin | 200 L | Thin | 100 M | Thick | 200 N | Thick | 100 Which experimental setup will generate the greatest electric current?

• Setup K

• Setup L

• Setup M

• Setup N

Answer explanation

Setup M has the thickest wire and the most loops (200), maximizing current generation according to Faraday's law. Thicker wire reduces resistance, and more loops increase the induced voltage, leading to greater current.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-5

A student pulled a 100 kg cart up a ramp using a force of 150 N. By the time the cart reached the top of the ramp, it had gained 980 joules of potential energy. What happened to the work the student did by pulling the cart?

• Some of the work done on the cart became the cart’s potential energy, and some of the work was converted into heat by friction.

• The work done on the cart was equally divided between the cart’s potential and kinetic energy.

• All the work done on the cart was transformed into the cart’s potential energy.

• The cart had no kinetic energy at the top of the ramp because all the work done on the cart was converted into heat by friction.

Answer explanation

The student did work on the cart, resulting in 980 joules of potential energy. However, not all work was converted to potential energy; some was lost to friction as heat, making the correct choice the first option.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS3-2

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

The first diagram shows two gliders, X and Y, on a nearly frictionless air track. A spring is compressed between the two gliders. The gliders are tied together tightly by a piece of string. The second diagram shows what happens to the gliders when the string is cut. Which of the following quantities is the same for both gliders while the spring is pushing them apart?

• Magnitude of acceleration

• Kinetic energy

• Mass

• Magnitude of momentum

Answer explanation

While the spring pushes the gliders apart, the total momentum is conserved. Therefore, the magnitude of momentum is the same for both gliders, as they start from rest and the spring's force acts equally on them.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-1

NGSS.HS-PS2-2

A 5.000 kg crate is accelerated from 5.000 m/s to 10.00 m/s. What is the amount of work needed to accelerate the crate, to the nearest tenth of a joule?

• 187.5 J

• 125.0 J

• 75.0 J

• 250.0 J

Answer explanation

To find the work done, use the formula W = ΔKE = 0.5 * m * (v_f^2 - v_i^2). Here, m = 5.000 kg, v_f = 10.00 m/s, and v_i = 5.000 m/s. This gives W = 0.5 * 5 * (10^2 - 5^2) = 187.5 J.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS3-1

Radar works by sending out radio signals. The reflected signals are measured and analyzed to determine some of the characteristics of the object that reflected the signals. One type of radar emits radio signals having a wavelength of 1.5 meters. What is the frequency of these signals?

• 1.5 × 10^8 Hz

Answer explanation

To find the frequency, use the formula: frequency = speed of light / wavelength. The speed of light is approximately 3.0 × 10^8 m/s. Thus, frequency = 3.0 × 10^8 m/s / 1.5 m = 2.0 × 10^8 Hz, which is the correct answer.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1