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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 constant in the numerator of a formula.






2. 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.






3. An electromagnetic wave of very high frequency.






4. A wave that interferes with its own reflection so as to produce oscillations which stand still - rather than traveling down the length of the medium. Standing waves on a string with both ends tied down make up the harmonic series.






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






6. A vector quantity defined as the rate of change of the velocity vector with time.






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






9. 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.






10. The energy of the molecules that make up an object. It is related to heat - which is the amount of energy transferred from one object to another object that is a different temperature.






11. The property by which a changing current in one coil of wire induces an emf in another.






12. The model of the atom according to which negatively charged electrons orbit a positively charged nucleus. This model was developed by Ernest Rutherford in light of the results from his gold foil experiment.






13. 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






14. The amount of heat necessary to transform a liquid at a given temperature into a gas of the same temperature - or the amount of heat needed to be taken away from a gas of a given temperature to transform it into a liquid of the same temperature.






15. The effect of force on rotational motion.






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






17. The angle between a reflected ray and the normal.






18. 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.






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






20. The number - N - of neutrons in an atomic nucleus.






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






22. The points of maximum negative displacement along a wave. They are the opposite of wave crests.






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






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






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






26. The process by which a gas turns directly into a solid because it cannot exist as a liquid at certain pressures.






27. 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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28. 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.






29. A measurement of a body's inertia - or resistance to being accelerated.






30. A mirror that is curved such that its center is farther from the viewer than the edges - such as the front of a spoon. Concave mirrors reflect light through a focal point.






31. The cancellation of one wave by another wave that is exactly out of phase with the first. Despite the dramatic name of this phenomenon - nothing is "destroyed" by this interference—the two waves emerge intact once they have passed each other.






32. 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






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






34. 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.






35. 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.






36. 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.






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






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






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






40. 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.






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






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






43. A scalar quantity. If an object is moved from point A to point B in space along path AB - the distance that the object has traveled is the length of the path AB. Distance is to be contrasted with displacement - which is simply a measure of the distan






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






45. The longest side of a right triangle - opposite to the right angle.






46. The energy stored in a thermodynamic system.






47. 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.






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

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49. The acceleration of a body experiencing uniform circular motion. This acceleration is always directed toward the center of the circle.






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