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






2. The distance between the focal point and the vertex of a mirror or lens. For concave mirrors and convex lenses - this number is positive. For convex mirrors and concave lenses - this number is negative.






3. The current induced in a circuit by a change in magnetic flux.






4. 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 - .






5. Two materials are in thermal equilibrium if they are at the same temperature.






6. With spherical mirrors - the center of the sphere of which the mirror is a part. All of the normals pass through it.






7. 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






8. With spherical mirrors - the radius of the sphere of which the mirror is a part.






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






10. 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.






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






12. 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.






13. When a solid - liquid - or gas changes into another phase of matter.






14. A vector quantity - equal to the rate of change of the angular velocity vector with time. It is typically given in units of rad/s2.






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






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






17. The series of standing waves supported by a string with both ends tied down. The first member of the series - called the fundamental - has two nodes at the ends and one anti-node in the middle. The higher harmonics are generated by placing an integra






18. The center of a mirror or lens.






19. 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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20. An experiment in 1879 that showed that the speed of light is constant to all observers. Einstein used the results of this experiment as support for his theory of special relativity.






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






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






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






24. The stable position of a system where the net force acting on the object is zero.






25. The units of frequency - defined as inverse-seconds (1 Hz = 1 s-1). "Hertz" can be used interchangeably with "cycles per second."






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






27. 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






28. A transfer of thermal energy. We don't speak about systems "having" heat - but about their "transferring" heat - much in the way that dynamical systems don't "have" work - but rather "do" work.






29. The property by which a charge moving in a magnetic field creates an electric field.






30. 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).






31. 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.






32. When objects collide - each object feels a force for a short amount of time. This force imparts an impulse - or changes the momentum of each of the colliding objects. The momentum of a system is conserved in all kinds of collisions. Kinetic energy is






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






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






35. 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.






36. In the graphical representation of vectors - the tail of the arrow is the blunt end (the end without a point).






37. An electromagnetic wave of very high frequency.






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






39. 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.






40. 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.






41. A negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of the atom.






42. A system with many parts in periodic - or repetitive - motion. The oscillations in one part cause vibrations in nearby parts.






43. 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






44. The application of kinematics to understand why objects move the way they do. More precisely - dynamics is the study of how forces cause motion.






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






46. A wave on a string that is tied to a pole at one end will reflect back toward its source - producing a wave that is the mirror-image of the original and which travels in the opposite direction.






47. 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






48. A constant - J · s - which is useful in quantum physics. A second constant associated with Planck's constant is .

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49. 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.






50. A frequency - f - defined as the number of revolutions a rigid body makes in a given time interval. It is a scalar quantity commonly denoted in units of Hertz (Hz) or s-1.