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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. A unit of measurement for energy on atomic levels. 1 eV = J.






2. An image created by a mirror or lens in such a way that light does actually come from where the image appears to be. If you place a screen in front of a real image - the image will be projected onto the screen.






3. For a reflected light ray - . In other words - a ray of light reflects of a surface in the same plane as the incident ray and the normal - and at an angle to the normal that is equal to the angle between the incident ray and the normal.






4. 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






5. A unit for measuring angles; also called a "rad." 2p rad = 360º.






6. The mass difference between a nucleus and the sum of the masses of the constituent protons and neutrons.






7. 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






8. Two quantities are directly proportional if an increase in one results in a proportional increase in the other - and a decrease in one results in a proportional decrease in the other. In a formula defining a certain quantity - those quantities to whi






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






10. The principle by which the displacements from different waves traveling in the same medium add up. Superposition is the basis for interference.






11. 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.






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






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






14. The units of frequency - defined as inverse-seconds (1 Hz = 1 s-1). "Hertz" can be used interchangeably with "cycles per second."






15. An experiment in 1879 that showed that the speed of light is constant to all observers. Einstein used the results of this experiment as support for his theory of special relativity.






16. An electromagnetic wave of very high frequency.






17. Represented by R = 8.31 J/mol · K - the universal gas constant fits into the ideal gas law so as to relate temperature to the average kinetic energy of gas molecules.






18. 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






19. With spherical mirrors - the radius of the sphere of which the mirror is a part.






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






21. The property of a vector that distinguishes it from a scalar: while scalars have only a magnitude - vectors have both a magnitude and a direction. When graphing vectors in the xy-coordinate space - direction is usually given by the angle measured cou






22. 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.






23. A vector quantity - or vector - is an object possessing - and fully described by - a magnitude and a direction. Graphically a vector is depicted as an arrow with its magnitude given by the length of the arrow and its direction given by where the arro






24. 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.






25. A model for the atom developed in 1913 by Niels Bohr. According to this model - the electrons orbiting a nucleus can only orbit at certain particular radii. Excited electrons may jump to a more distant radii and then return to their ground state - em






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






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






28. The unit for measuring pressure. One Pascal is equal to one Newton per meter squared - 1 Pa = 1 N/m2.






29. The reaction force of the ground - a table - etc. - when an object is placed upon it. The normal force is a direct consequence of Newton's Third Law: when an object is placed on the ground - the ground pushes back with the same force that it is pushe






30. The line perpendicular to a surface. There is only one normal for any given surface.






31. 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.






32. If a line is drawn from the sun to the planet - then the area swept out by this line in a given time interval is constant.

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33. A device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy by rotating a coil in a magnetic field; sometimes called a "dynamo."






34. F = ma. The net force - F - acting on an object causes the object to accelerate - a. The magnitude of the acceleration is directly proportional to the net force on the object and inversely proportional to the mass - m - of the object.

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35. A rough approximation of how gases work - that is quite accurate in everyday conditions. According to the kinetic theory - gases are made up of tiny - round molecules that move about in accordance with Newton's Laws - and collide with one another and






36. A vector quantity defined as the product of the force acting on a body multiplied by the time interval over which the force is exerted.






37. The current induced in a circuit by a change in magnetic flux.






38. 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.






39. The experience of being in free fall. If you are in a satellite - elevator - or other free-falling object - then you have a weight of zero Newtons relative to that object.






40. A vector quantity - equal to the rate of change of the angular velocity vector with time. It is typically given in units of rad/s2.






41. States that the net work done on an object is equal to the object's change in kinetic energy.






42. The cosine of an angle in a right triangle is equal to the length of the side adjacent to the angle divided by the length of the hypotenuse.






43. Objects that experience oscillatory or simple harmonic motion when distorted. Their motion is described by Hooke's Law.






44. A transfer of thermal energy. We don't speak about systems "having" heat - but about their "transferring" heat - much in the way that dynamical systems don't "have" work - but rather "do" work.






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






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






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






48. A property common to both vectors and scalars. In the graphical representation of a vector - the vector's magnitude is equal to the length of the arrow.






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






50. 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.