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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 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






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






3. In the Bohr model of the atom - the state in which an electron has the least energy and orbits closest to the nucleus.






4. The energy of a particle rotating around an axis.






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






6. A small particle-like bundle of electromagnetic radiation.






7. 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.






8. 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 - .






9. The points on a standing wave where total destructive interference causes the medium to remain fixed at its equilibrium position.






10. An object at rest remains at rest - unless acted upon by a net force. An object in motion remains in motion - unless acted upon by a net force.

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11. 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.






12. A measure of force per unit area. Pressure is measured in N/m2 or Pa.






13. 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






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






16. A property of a metal - the minimum frequency of electromagnetic radiation that is necessary to release photoelectrons from that metal.






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






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






19. Given the trajectory of an object or system - the center of mass is the point that has the same acceleration as the object or system as a whole would have if its mass were concentrated at that point. In terms of force - the center of mass is the poin






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






21. 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.






22. 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






23. 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






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






25. An object cannot be cooled to absolute zero.






26. A nuclear reaction that takes place only at very high temperatures. Two light atoms - often hydrogen - fuse together to form a larger single atom - releasing a vast amount of energy in the process.






27. 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






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






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






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






31. The index of refraction n = c/v of a substance characterizes the speed of light in that substance - v. It also characterizes - by way of Snell's Law - the angle at which light refracts in that substance.






32. The net change - - in a point's angular position - . It is a scalar quantity.






33. For a gas held at constant pressure - temperature and volume are directly proportional.

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34. 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.






35. A principle derived by Werner Heisenberg in 1927 that tells us that we can never know both the position and the momentum of a particle at any given time.






36. Essentially a restatement of energy conservation - it states that the change in the internal energy of a system is equal to the heat added plus the work done on the system.






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






38. A means of defining the direction of the cross product vector. To define the direction of the vector - position your right hand so that your fingers point in the direction of A - and then curl them around so that they point in the direction of B. Th






39. 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.






40. The energy of a particle moving in space. It is defined in s of a particle's mass - m - and velocity - v - as (1/2)mv2.






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






42. 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).






43. 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






44. 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.






45. The force between two surfaces moving relative to one another. The frictional force is parallel to the plane of contact between the two objects and in the opposite direction of the sliding object's motion.






46. The effect of force on rotational motion.






47. A scale for measuring temperature - defined such that water freezes at 0ºC and boils at 100ºC. 0ºC = 273 K.






48. The particles and energy released by the fission or fusion of one atom may trigger the fission or fusion of further atoms. In a chain reaction - fission or fusion is rapidly transferred to a large number of atoms - releasing tremendous amounts of ene






49. A scale for measuring temperature - defined such that 0K is the lowest theoretical temperature a material can have. 273K = 0ºC.






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