Scientific Experiments and Problems

The term for a hypothetical substance once thought to fill all space and to be the medium that carried light waves is called _______.

• ether

• plasma

• neutrino

• quark

_______ is the theory developed by Einstein that describes gravity as a property of the curvature of spacetime.

• general relativity

• quantum mechanics

• special relativity

• string theory

_______ is the theory developed by Einstein that deals with the physics of objects moving at constant speeds close to the speed of light.

• special relativity

• quantum mechanics

• general relativity

• classical mechanics

According to the passage, what is a frame of reference?

• A frame of reference is a fixed point or group of connected points chosen to measure motion relative to it.

• A frame of reference is a device used to measure temperature changes.

• A frame of reference is a method for calculating the speed of light.

• A frame of reference is a tool for recording sound waves.

In the traditional view, if you are running at 3 m/s and throw a ball forward at 10 m/s, what is the net speed of the ball?

• 13 m/s

• 7 m/s

• 10 m/s

• 3 m/s

What is the speed of light represented by in the passage?

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1

NGSS.HS-PS4-3

What method is suggested in the passage for measuring elapsed time more accurately during a drag race?

• Using a stopwatch

• Using the arrival of light from the event

• Human reaction times

• Guessing

An astronaut on the moon receives a message from mission control on Earth. The signal is sent by a form of electromagnetic radiation and takes 1.28 s to travel the distance between Earth and the moon. What is the distance from Earth to the moon?

• 2.34×10⁵ km

• 2.34×10⁸ km

• 3.84×10⁵ km

• 3.84×10⁸ km

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1

Two people swim away from a raft that is floating downstream. One swims upstream and returns, and the other swims across the current and back. If this scenario represents the Michelson–Morley experiment, what do (i) the water, (ii) the swimmers, and (iii) the raft represent?

• the ether rays of light Earth

• rays of light the ether Earth

• the ether Earth rays of light

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-1

NGSS.HS-PS4-3

If Michelson and Morley had observed the interference pattern shift in their interferometer, what would that have indicated?

• The speed of light is the same in all frames of reference.

• The speed of light depends on the motion relative to the ether.

• The speed of light changes upon reflection from a surface.

• The speed of light in vacuum is less than 3.00×10^8 m/s.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS4-3