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SAT Subject Test: hysics

Subjects : sat, science, physics
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The number of cycles executed by a system in one second. Frequency is the inverse of period - f = 1/T. Frequency is measured in hertz - Hz.






2. A negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of the atom.






3. The points midway between nodes on a standing wave - where the oscillations are largest.






4. The center of an atom - where the protons and neutrons reside. Electrons then orbit this nucleus.






5. The standing wave with the lowest frequency that is supported by a string with both ends tied down is called the fundamental - or resonance - of the string. The wavelength of the fundamental is twice the length of the string - .






6. Energy associated with the state of motion. The translational kinetic energy of an object is given by the equation .






7. A class of elementary particle whose mass is between that of a proton and that of an electron. A common kind of meson is the pion.






8. The ratio of the size of the image produced by a mirror or lens to the size of the original object. This number is negative if the image is upside-down.






9. The distance between the focal point and the vertex of a mirror or lens. For concave mirrors and convex lenses - this number is positive. For convex mirrors and concave lenses - this number is negative.






10. The acceleration of a body experiencing uniform circular motion. This acceleration is always directed toward the center of the circle.






11. The emf created by the motion of a charge through a magnetic field.






12. Indicates how "bouncy" or "stiff" a spring is. More specifically - the spring constant - k - is the constant of proportionality between the restoring force exerted by the spring - and the spring's displacement from equilibrium. The greater the value






13. A frequency - f - defined as the number of revolutions a rigid body makes in a given time interval. It is a scalar quantity commonly denoted in units of Hertz (Hz) or s-1.






14. The unit of magnetic flux - equal to one T · m2.






15. A system that no external net force acts upon. Objects within the system may exert forces upon one another - but they cannot receive any impulse from outside forces. Momentum is conserved in isolated systems.






16. A constant - J · s - which is useful in quantum physics. A second constant associated with Planck's constant is .

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17. In reference to oscillation - amplitude is the maximum displacement of the oscillator from its equilibrium position. Amplitude tells how far an oscillator is swinging back and forth. In periodic motion - amplitude is the maximum displacement in each






18. A body or set of bodies that we choose to analyze as a group.






19. A law - || = - which states that the induced emf is the change in magnetic flux in a certain time.

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20. The force transmitted along a rope or cable.






21. The angle between a reflected ray and the normal.






22. The energy associated with the configuration of bodies attracted to each other by the gravitational force. It is a measure of the amount of work necessary to get the two bodies from a chosen point of reference to their present position. This point of






23. The name of an electron released from the surface of a metal due to the photoelectric effect.






24. A positively charged particle that - along with the neutron - occupies the nucleus of the atom.






25. A wavelength - given by = h/mv - which is associated with matter. Louis de Broglie proposed the idea that matter could be treated as waves in 1923 and applied this theory successfully to small particles like electrons.






26. In a right triangle - the sine of a given angle is the length of the side opposite the angle divided by the length of the hypotenuse.






27. Any vector can be expressed as the sum of two mutually perpendicular component vectors. Usually - but not always - these components are multiples of the basis vectors - and ; that is - vectors along the x-axis and y-axis. We define these two vectors






28. The tendency of an object to remain at a constant velocity - or its resistance to being accelerated. Newton's First Law is alternatively called the Law of Inertia because it describes this tendency.






29. The series of standing waves supported by a string with both ends tied down. The first member of the series - called the fundamental - has two nodes at the ends and one anti-node in the middle. The higher harmonics are generated by placing an integra






30. A vector quantity defined as the rate of change of the velocity vector with time.






31. A form of radioactive decay where a heavy element emits an alpha particle and some energy - thus transforming into a lighter - more stable - element.






32. An area of high air pressure that acts as the wave trough for sound waves. The spacing between successive rarefactions is the wavelength of sound - and the number of successive areas of rarefaction that arrive at the ear per second is the frequency -






33. A wedge or a slide. The dynamics of objects sliding down inclined planes is a popular topic on SAT II Physics.






34. A quantity that possesses a magnitude but not a direction. Mass and length are common examples.






35. A pulley is a simple machine that consists of a rope that slides around a disk or block.






36. Waves that oscillate in the same direction as the propagation of the wave. Sound is carried by longitudinal waves - since the air molecules move back and forth in the same direction the sound travels.






37. If the net torque acting on a rigid body is zero - then the angular momentum of the body is constant or conserved.






38. A collision in which both kinetic energy and momentum are conserved.






39. Body diagram- Illustrates the forces acting on an object - drawn as vectors originating from the center of the object.






40. An experiment by Ernest Rutherford that proved for the first time that atoms have nuclei.






41. The study of the properties of visible light - i.e. - the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths between 360 and 780 nm (1 nm = m/s).






42. The number - N - of neutrons in an atomic nucleus.






43. With spherical mirrors - the center of the sphere of which the mirror is a part. All of the normals pass through it.






44. The stable position of a system where the net force acting on the object is zero.






45. The separation of different color light via refraction.






46. The phenomenon by which light traveling from a high n to a low n material will reflect from the optical interface if the incident angle is greater than the critical angle.






47. A measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules in a system. Temperature is related to heat by the specific heat of a given substance.






48. The energy stored in a thermodynamic system.






49. The cancellation of one wave by another wave that is exactly out of phase with the first. Despite the dramatic name of this phenomenon - nothing is "destroyed" by this interference—the two waves emerge intact once they have passed each other.






50. The force that binds protons and neutrons together in the atomic nucleus.