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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. 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






2. A constant - - not to be confused with wavelength - that defines the speed at which a radioactive element undergoes decay. The greater is - the faster the element decays.






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






4. The number of hydrogen atoms in one gram of hydrogen - equal to . When counting the number of molecules in a gas - it is often convenient to count them in moles.






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






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






7. An area of high air pressure that acts as the wave crest for sound waves. The spacing between successive compressions is the wavelength of sound - and the number of successive areas of compression that arrive at the ear per second is the frequency -






8. An image created by a mirror or lens in such a way that light does not actually come from where the image appears to be.






9. 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






10. An object cannot be cooled to absolute zero.






11. A process that aligns a wave of light to oscillate in one dimension rather than two.






12. Given the period - T - and semimajor axis - a - of a planet's orbit - the ratio is the same for every planet.

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13. 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.






14. When dealing with reflection or refraction - the incident ray is the ray of light before it strikes the reflecting or refracting surface.






15. 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.






16. Defined as the rate at which work is done - or the rate at which energy is transformed. P is measured in joules per second (J/s) - or watts (W).






17. 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 -






18. 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.






19. A particle - identical to an electron. Beta particles are ejected from an atom in the process of beta decay.






20. 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.






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






22. To every action - there is an equal and opposite reaction. If an object A exerts a force on another object B - B will exert on A a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force exerted by A.

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23. The separation of different color light via refraction.






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






25. 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






26. A back-and-forth movement about an equilibrium position. Springs - pendulums - and other oscillators experience harmonic motion.






27. Life- The amount of time it takes for one-half of a radioactive sample to decay.






28. Waves produced by a source that is moving with respect to the observer will seem to have a higher frequency and smaller wavelength if the motion is towards the observer - and a lower frequency and longer wavelength if the motion is away from the obse






29. A transverse traveling wave created by the oscillations of an electric field and a magnetic field. Electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light - m/s. Examples include microwaves - X rays - and visible light.






30. 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.






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






32. The joule (J) is the unit of work and energy. A joule is 1 N · m or 1 kg · m2/s2.






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






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






35. The amount of heat necessary to transform a solid at a given temperature into a liquid of the same temperature - or the amount of heat needed to be removed from a liquid of a given temperature to transform it into a solid of the same temperature.






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






37. A push or a pull that causes an object to accelerate.






38. 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.






39. 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.






40. Waves in which the medium moves in the direction perpendicular to the propagation of the wave. Waves on a stretched string - water waves - and electromagnetic waves are all examples of transverse waves.






41. A unit vector is a vector with length 1.






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






43. 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.






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






45. 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 - .






46. 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.






47. The amplification of one wave by another - identical wave of the same sign. Two constructively interfering waves are said to be "in phase."






48. The amount of heat of a material required to raise the temperature of either one kilogram or one gram of that material by one degree Celsius. Different units may be used depending on whether specific heat is measured in s of grams or kilograms - and






49. If two systems - A and B - are in thermal equilibrium and if B and C are also in thermal equilibrium - then systems A and C are necessarily in thermal equilibrium.






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