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






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






3. 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.






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






5. A unit of force: 1 N is equivalent to a 1 kg · m/s2.






6. The process by which unstable nuclei spontaneously release particles and/or energy so as to come to a more stable arrangement. The most common forms of radioactive decay are alpha decay - beta decay - and gamma decay.






7. 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.






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






9. A positively charged particle that - along with the neutron - occupies the nucleus of the atom.






10. When a light ray strikes a surface - the angle of incidence is the angle between the incident ray and the normal.






11. 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.






12. 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.






13. A pulley is a simple machine that consists of a rope that slides around a disk or block.






14. Two oscillators that have the same frequency and amplitude - but reach their maximum displacements at different times - are said to have different phases. Similarly - two waves are in phase if their crests and troughs line up exactly - and they are o






15. A transfer of thermal energy from one system to another.






16. 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).






17. 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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18. 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






19. Objects that experience oscillatory or simple harmonic motion when distorted. Their motion is described by Hooke's Law.






20. In oscillation - a cycle occurs when an object undergoing oscillatory motion completes a "round-trip." For instance - a pendulum bob released at angle has completed one cycle when it swings to and then back to again. In period motion - a cycle is the






21. The point of a mirror or lens where all light that runs parallel to the principal axis will be focused. Concave mirrors and convex lenses are designed to focus light into the focal point. Convex mirrors and concave lenses focus light away from the fo






22. 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.






23. The gravitational force exerted on a given mass.






24. A coefficient that tells how much the volume of a solid will change when it is heated or cooled.






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






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






27. Energy cannot be made or destroyed; energy can only be changed from one place to another or from one form to another.






28. 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






29. A particle - which consists of two protons and two neutrons. It is identical to the nucleus of a helium atom and is ejected by heavy particles undergoing alpha decay.






30. A coefficient that tells how much a material will expand or contract lengthwise when it is heated or cooled.






31. 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).






32. For a heat engine - the ratio of work done by the engine to heat intake. Efficiency is never 100%.






33. 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.






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






35. 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

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36. Heat transfer via the mass movement of molecules.






37. 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






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






39. The building blocks of all matter - quarks are the constituent parts of protons - neutrons - and mesons.






40. 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.






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






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






43. The unit of magnetic flux - equal to one T · m2.






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






45. 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.






46. The motion of a body in a circular path with constant speed.






47. The five equations used to solve problems in kinematics in one dimension with uniform acceleration.






48. A vector quantity defined as the rate of change of the displacement vector with time. It is to be contrasted with speed - which is a scalar quantity for which no direction is specified.






49. 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






50. A force caused by the roughness of two materials in contact - deformations in the materials - and a molecular attraction between the materials. Frictional forces are always parallel to the plane of contact between two surfaces and opposite the direct