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Test your basic knowledge |
SAT Subject Test: hysics
Start Test
Study First
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 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
Inertial reference frame
Neutrino
Tip
Cross product
2. The application of kinematics to understand why objects move the way they do. More precisely - dynamics is the study of how forces cause motion.
Gravitational Potential Energy
Dynamics
Photon
Nucleus
3. 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
Work function
Mass defect
Weber
Beats
4. 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
5. The line that every particle in the rotating rigid body circles about.
Axis of rotation
Dot product
Torque
Momentum
6. Kinematics is the study and description of the motion of objects.
Kinematics
Hertz (Hz)
Normal force
Component
7. A form of vector multiplication - where two vectors are multiplied to produce a third vector. The cross product of two vectors - A and B - separated by an angle - - is - where is a unit vector perpendicular to both A and B. To deine which direction
Cross product
Thermal energy
Static friction
Weber
8. The number of digits that have been accurately measured. When combining several measurements in a formula - the resulting calculation can only have as many significant digits as the measurement that has the smallest number of significant digits.
Isolated system
Frictional force
Significant digits
Phase
9. Linear momentum - p - commonly called "momentum" for short - is a vector quantity defined as the product of an object's mass - m - and its velocity - v.
Momentum
Isolated system
Weight
Unit vector
10. The amount of error that's possible in a given measurement.
Photoelectric effect
Margin of error
Cross product
Rarefaction
11. The points on a standing wave where total destructive interference causes the medium to remain fixed at its equilibrium position.
Sublimation
Node
Induced current
Dispersion
12. A body or set of bodies that we choose to analyze as a group.
Center of mass
System
Beta particle
Kepler's First Law
13. The substance that is displaced as a wave propagates through it. Air is the medium for sound waves - the string is the medium of transverse waves on a string - and water is the medium for ocean waves. Note that even if the waves in a given medium tra
Radioactive decay
Medium
Coherent light
Vector
14. A scalar quantity that tells us how fast an object is moving. It measures the rate of change in distance over time. Speed is to be contrasted with velocity in that there is no direction associated with speed.
Angular period
Lenz's Law
Strong nuclear force
Speed
15. A scale for measuring temperature - defined such that 0K is the lowest theoretical temperature a material can have. 273K = 0ºC.
Photon
Angular frequency
Rotational motion
Kelvin
16. Also called a diverging lens - a lens that is thinner in the middle than at the edges. Concave lenses refract light away from a focal point.
Concave lens
Force
Electronvolt
Gold foil experiment
17. A device that breaks incoming light down into spectral rays - so that one can see the exact wavelength constituents of the light.
Entropy
Spectroscope
Critical angle
Gravitational constant
18. Objects that experience oscillatory or simple harmonic motion when distorted. Their motion is described by Hooke's Law.
Latent heat of sublimation
Faraday's Law
Spring
Heat transfer
19. 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.
Boyle's Law
Impulse
Significant digits
Frequency
20. 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.
Electromagnetic wave
Law of reflection
Nucleus
Centripetal acceleration
21. A form of vector multiplication - where two vectors are multiplied to produce a scalar. The dot product of two vectors - A and B - is expressed by the equation A · B = AB cos .
Dot product
Angle of incidence
Sine
Thermal equilibrium
22. 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.
Alpha particle
Coefficient of volume expansion
Wavelength
Magnitude
23. 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
Center of mass
Virtual image
Angle of reflection
Reflection
24. The ray of light that is refracted through a surface into a different medium.
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Refracted ray
Alpha particle
Frictional force
25. 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.
Convex mirror
Magnetic flux
Index of refraction
Period
26. The state of a nonrotating object upon whom the net torque acting is zero.
Activity
Celsius
Equilibrium
Oscillation
27. The force between two surfaces that are not moving relative to one another. The force of static friction is parallel to the plane of contact between the two objects and resists the force pushing or pulling on the object.
Static friction
Conservation of Angular Momentum
Radian
Mass defect
28. Energy associated with the state of motion. The translational kinetic energy of an object is given by the equation .
Virtual image
Conduction
Kinetic energy
Rarefaction
29. The emf created by the motion of a charge through a magnetic field.
Index of refraction
Unit vector
Angular position
Motional emf
30. 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.
Magnification
Beta particle
Mass
Convex lens
31. 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 -
Reflection
Diffraction grating
Rarefaction
Angular velocity
32. A quantity that possesses a magnitude but not a direction. Mass and length are common examples.
Scalar
Antinode
Critical angle
Focal point
33. The velocity at any given instant in time. To be contrasted with average velocity - which is a measure of the change in displacement over a given time interval.
Work function
Angular period
Latent heat of fusion
Instantaneous velocity
34. The dot product of the area and the magnetic field passing through it. Graphically - it is a measure of the number and length of magnetic field lines passing through that area. It is measured in Webers (Wb).
Traveling waves
Conduction
Neutron number
Magnetic flux
35. The distance between successive wave crests - or troughs. Wavelength is measured in meters and is related to frequency and wave speed by = v/f.
Wavelength
Translational motion
Transverse waves
Ground state
36. 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
Newton's Second Law
Cosine
Nuclear fission
Spring constant
37. 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.
Angular acceleration
Heat engine
Pendulum
Isolated system
38. The net change - - in a point's angular position - . It is a scalar quantity.
Boiling point
Angular displacement
Speed
Cross product
39. The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. Light refracts toward the normal when going from a less dense medium into a denser medium and away from the normal when going from a denser medium into a less dense medium.
Pressure
Magnification
Refraction
Mass defect
40. A unit of measurement for energy on atomic levels. 1 eV = J.
Electronvolt
Basis vector
Angle of incidence
Gravitational Potential Energy
41. 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
Torque
Vector
Momentum
Translational motion
42. The joule (J) is the unit of work and energy. A joule is 1 N · m or 1 kg · m2/s2.
Radioactive decay
Joule
Bohr atomic model
Gold foil experiment
43. A scale for measuring temperature - defined such that water freezes at 0ºC and boils at 100ºC. 0ºC = 273 K.
Celsius
Kepler's First Law
Kelvin
Loudness
44. 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
Conduction
Moment of inertia
Snell's Law
Mechanical energy
45. When dealing with reflection or refraction - the incident ray is the ray of light before it strikes the reflecting or refracting surface.
Kinetic theory of gases
Centripetal force
Medium
Incident ray
46. The square of the amplitude of a sound wave is called the sound's loudness - or volume.
Force
Loudness
Transverse waves
Heat transfer
47. An electromagnetic wave of very high frequency.
Hooke's Law
Destructive interference
Gamma ray
Work-energy theorem
48. The acceleration of a body experiencing uniform circular motion. This acceleration is always directed toward the center of the circle.
Centripetal acceleration
Convex mirror
Concave mirror
Medium
49. A unit of force: 1 N is equivalent to a 1 kg · m/s2.
Kepler's Third Law
Convex mirror
Newton
Absolute zero
50. The constant of proportionality in Newton's Law of Gravitation. It reflects the proportion of the gravitational force and - the product of two particles' masses divided by the square of the bodies' separation. N · m2/kg2.
Gravitational constant
Index of refraction
Conduction
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