Test your basic knowledge |

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 angle between a reflected ray and the normal.






2. A logorithmic unit for measuring the volume of sound - which is the square of the amplitude of sound waves.






3. 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






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






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






6. The line that every particle in the rotating rigid body circles about.






7. A vector quantity - commonly denoted by the vector s - which reflects an object's change in spatial position. The displacement vector points from the object's starting position to the object's current position in space. If an object is moved from poi






8. The force involved in beta decay that changes a proton to a neutron and releases an electron and a neutrino.






9. The amount of error that's possible in a given measurement.






10. A reference frame in which Newton's First Law is true. Two inertial reference frames move at a constant velocity relative to one another. According to the first postulate of Einstein's theory of special relativity - the laws of physics are the same i






11. The sum of a system's potential and kinetic energy. In many systems - including projectiles - pulleys - pendulums - and motion on frictionless surfaces - mechanical energy is conserved. One important type of problem in which mechanical energy is not






12. The distance between successive wave crests - or troughs. Wavelength is measured in meters and is related to frequency and wave speed by = v/f.






13. In the graphical representation of vectors - the tip of the arrow is the pointy end.






14. 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.






15. A mirror that is curved such that its center is closer to the viewer than the edges - such as a doorknob. Convex mirrors reflect light away from a focal point.






16. In radioactive substances - the number of nuclei that decay per second. Activity - A - will be larger in large samples of radioactive material - since there will be more nuclei.






17. States that the current induced in a circuit by a change in magnetic flux is in the direction that will oppose that change in flux. Using the right-hand rule - point your thumb in the opposite direction of the change in magnetic flux. The direction y


18. A pendulum consists of a bob connected to a rod or rope. At small angles - a pendulum's motion approximates simple harmonic motion as it swings back and forth without friction.






19. The effect of force on rotational motion.






20. When two waves of slightly different frequencies interfere with one another - they produce a "beating" interference pattern that alternates between constructive (in-phase) and destructive (out-of-phase). In the case of sound waves - this sort of inte






21. The principle stating that for any isolated system - linear momentum is constant with time.






22. In a right triangle - the tangent of a given angle is the length of the side opposite the angle divided by the length of the side adjacent to the triangle.






23. A form of radioactivity where an excited atom releases a photon of gamma radiation - thereby returning to a lower energy state. The atomic structure itself does not change in the course of gamma radiation.






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






25. An object is called radioactive if it undergoes radioactive decay.






26. Relates the angle of incidence to the angle of refraction: .


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






28. A neutrally charged particle that - along with protons - constitutes the nucleus of an atom.






29. The coefficient of static friction - for two materials is the constant of proportionality between the normal force and the maximum force of static friction. It is always a number between zero and one.






30. A conserved scalar quantity associated with the state or condition of an object or system of objects. We can roughly define energy as the capacity for an object or system to do work. There are many different types of energy - such as kinetic energy -






31. The time it takes a system to pass through one cycle of its repetitive motion. The period - T - is the inverse of the motion's frequency - f = 1/T.






32. Heat transfer via electromagnetic waves.






33. When objects collide - each object feels a force for a short amount of time. This force imparts an impulse - or changes the momentum of each of the colliding objects. The momentum of a system is conserved in all kinds of collisions. Kinetic energy is






34. The temperature at which a material will change phase from solid to liquid or liquid to solid.






35. The force that causes simple harmonic motion. The restoring force is always directed toward an object's equilibrium position.






36. A coefficient that tells how much the volume of a solid will change when it is heated or cooled.






37. In an interference or diffraction pattern - the places where there is the most light.






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


39. The property by which a charge moving in a magnetic field creates an electric field.






40. The points of maximum displacement along a wave. In traveling waves - the crests move in the direction of propagation of the wave. The crests of standing waves - also called anti-nodes - remain in one place.






41. A device that breaks incoming light down into spectral rays - so that one can see the exact wavelength constituents of the light.






42. A unit of force: 1 N is equivalent to a 1 kg · m/s2.






43. A machine that operates by taking heat from a hot place - doing some work with that heat - and then exhausting the rest of the heat into a cool place. The internal combustion engine of a car is an example of a heat engine.






44. The path of each planet around the sun is an ellipse with the sun at one focus.


45. An equation - PV = nRT - that relates the pressure - volume - temperature - and quantity of an ideal gas. An ideal gas is one that obeys the approximations laid out in the kinetic theory of gases.






46. A collision in which momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not.






47. The phenomenon of light bouncing off a surface - such as a mirror.






48. Another word for the frequency of a sound wave.






49. The motion of a body in a circular path with constant speed.






50. The amount heat necessary to cause a substance to undergo a phase transition.