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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. 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






2. The time - T - required for a rigid body to complete one revolution.






3. 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.






4. When an object is held in circular motion about a massive body - like a planet or a sun - due to the force of gravity - that object is said to be in orbit. Objects in orbit are in perpetual free fall - and so are therefore weightless.






5. For two given media - the smallest angle of incidence at which total internal reflection occurs.






6. Done when energy is transferred by a force. The work done by a force F in displacing an object by s is W = F · s.






7. 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.






8. The force transmitted along a rope or cable.






9. 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.






10. The process by which a solid turns directly into gas - because it cannot exist as a liquid at a certain pressure.






11. 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






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






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






14. 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






15. A vector quantity - commonly denoted by the vector s - which reflects an object's change in spatial position. The displacement vector points from the object's starting position to the object's current position in space. If an object is moved from poi






16. The disorder of a system.






17. 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).






18. In an interference or diffraction pattern - the places where there is the least light.






19. 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.






20. 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.






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






22. 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.






23. 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.






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






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






26. 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.






27. 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.






28. The center of a mirror or lens.






29. The mass number - A - is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus. It is very close to the weight of that nucleus in atomic mass units.






30. 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






31. Heat transfer via electromagnetic waves.






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






33. Heat transfer by molecular collisions.






34. 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.






35. Another word for the frequency of a sound wave.






36. 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.






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






38. 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.






39. 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






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






41. The distance between successive wave crests - or troughs. Wavelength is measured in meters and is related to frequency and wave speed by = v/f.






42. Kinematics is the study and description of the motion of objects.






43. Also called a converging lens - a lens that is thicker in the middle than at the edges. Convex lenses refract light through a focal point.






44. A collision in which the colliding particles stick together.






45. The principle stating that for any isolated system - linear momentum is constant with time.






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

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47. A wedge or a slide. The dynamics of objects sliding down inclined planes is a popular topic on SAT II Physics.






48. A measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules in a system. Temperature is related to heat by the specific heat of a given substance.






49. 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






50. Relates the angle of incidence to the angle of refraction: .

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