Science Bowl Questions/Answers for Physics

1 Science BowlPHYSICSP hysics - 1 PHYS-91; Multiple Choice: For the hydrogen atom, which series describes electron transitions tothe N=1 orbit, the lowest energy electron orbit? Is it the:w) Lyman seriesx) Balmer seriesy) Paschen seriesz) Pfund seriesANSWER: W -- LYMAN SERIESPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: Electric current may be expressed in which one of the followingunits?w) coulombs/voltx) joules/coulomby) coulombs/secondz) ohms/secondANSWER: Y -- COULOMBS/SECONDPHYS-91; Short Answer: In the SI system of measure, what is the unit of capacitance?ANSWER: FARADPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: A Newton is equal to which of the following? w) kilogram-meter per secondx) meter per second squaredy) kilogram-meter per second squaredz) kilogram per meter-secondANSWER: Y -- KILOGRAM-METER PER SECOND SQUAREDPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: For an object moving in uniform circular motion, the direction of theinstantaneous acceleration vector is: w) tangent to the path of motionx) equal to zeroy) directed radially outwardz) directed radially inwardANSWER: Z -- DIRECTED RADIALLY INWARDS cience BowlPHYSICSP hysics - 2 PHYS-91; Short Answer: A boy is standing on an elevator which is traveling downward with aconstant velocity of 30 meters per second.

2 The boy throws a ball vertically upward with avelocity of 10 meters per second relative to the elevator. What is the velocity of the ball,MAGNITUDE AND DIRECTION, relative to the elevator shaft the instant the boy releases theball?ANSWER: 20 METERS PER SECOND DOWNPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: Work is equal to which of the following? w) the cross product of force and ) the product of force times timey) force divided by timez) the dot product of force and displacementANSWER: Z -- THE DOT PRODUCT OF FORCE AND DISPLACEMENT PHYS-91; Multiple Choice: The work done by a friction force is: w) always positivex) always negativey) always zeroz) either positive or negative depending upon the situation.

3 ANSWER: X -- ALWAYS NEGATIVEPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: As defined in Physics , work is: w) a scalar quantityx) always a positive quantityy) a vector quantityz) always zeroANSWER: W -- A SCALAR QUANTITYS cience BowlPHYSICSP hysics - 3 PHYS-91; Multiple Choice: A pendulum which is suspended from the ceiling of a railroad car isobserved to hang at an angle of 10 degrees to the right of vertical. Which of the followinganswers could explain this phenomena? w) The railroad car is at ) The railroad car is accelerating to the ) The railroad car is moving with constant velocity to the right. z) The railroad car is accelerating to the : X -- THE RAILROAD CAR IS ACCELERATING TO THE LEFT.

4 PHYS-91; Multiple Choice: Two forces have magnitudes of 11 newtons and 5 newtons. Themagnitude of their sum could NOT be equal to which of the following values?w) 16 newtonsx) 5 newtonsy) 9 newtonsz) 7 newtonsANSWER: X -- 5 NEWTONSPHYS-91; Short Answer: A ball leaves a girl's hand with an upward velocity of 6 meters persecond. What is the maximum height of the ball above the girl's hand?ANSWER: METERSPHYS-91; Short Answer: A boy throws a ball vertically upward with a velocity of 6 meters persecond. How long does it take the ball to return to the boy's hand?ANSWER: SECONDS (accept: seconds)PHYS-91; Short Answer: A toy train moves in a circle of 8 meters radius with a speed of 4meters per second.

5 What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the train?ANSWER: 2 METERS PER SECOND SQUAREDPHYS-91; Short Answer: A certain machine exerts a force of 200 newtons on a box whose massis 30 kilograms. The machine moves the box a distance of 20 meters along a horizontal floor. What amount of work does the machine do on the box?ANSWER: 4000 JOULESS cience BowlPHYSICSP hysics - 4 PHYS-91; Short Answer: A box is initially at rest on a horizontal, frictionless table. If a force of10 Newtons acts on the box for 3 seconds, what is the momentum of the box at the end of the 3second interval?ANSWER: 30 NEWTON-SECONDS or 30 KILOGRAM-METER PER SECOND PHYS-91; Multiple Choice: A block of metal which weighs 60 newtons in air and 40 newtonsunder water has a density, in kilograms per meter cubed, of: w) 1000x) 3000y) 5000z) 7000 ANSWER: X -- 3000 PHYS-91; Short Answer: A 10 kilogram body initially moving with a velocity of 10 meters persecond makes a head-on collision with a 15 kilogram body initially at rest.

6 The two objects sticktogether. What is the velocity of the combined system just after the collision?ANSWER: 4 METERS PER SECONDPHYS-91; Short Answer: A certain spring is known to obey Hooke's Law. If a force of 10newtons stretches the spring 2 meters, how far will a 30 newton force stretch the spring?ANSWER: 6 METERSPHYS-91; Short Answer: A helicopter is ascending vertically with a constant speed of 6 metersper second relative to the ground. At the instant the helicopter is 60 meters above the ground itreleases a package. What is the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the package, relative tothe ground, the instant the package is released by the helicopter?

7 ANSWER: 6 METERS/SECOND UPScience BowlPHYSICSP hysics - 5 PHYS-91; Multiple Choice: If the distance between two objects, each of mass 'M', is tripled, theforce of attraction between the two objects is: w) 1/2 the original forcex) 1/3 the original forcey) 1/9 the original forcez) unchangedANSWER: Y -- 1/9 THE ORIGINAL FORCEPHYS-91; Short Answer: A 40 kilogram girl climbs a vertical distance of 5 meters in twentyseconds at a constant velocity. How much work has the girl done?ANSWER: 2000 JOULES or 1960 JOULESPHYS-91; Short Answer: A machine performs 8 Joules of work in 2 seconds. How much poweris delivered by this machine?ANSWER: 4 WATTSPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: In Physics , a radian per second is a unit of: w) angular displacementx) angular velocityy) angular accelerationz) angular : X -- ANGULAR VELOCITYPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: If the resultant force acting on a body of constant mass is zero, thebody's momentum is:w) increasingx) decreasingy) always zeroz) constantANSWER: Z -- CONSTANTS cience BowlPHYSICSP hysics - 6 PHYS-91; Short Answer: What is the name of the first American physicist to win two Nobelprizes?

8 ANSWER: (JOHN) BARDEENPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: Which of the following scientists is responsible for the exclusionprinciple which states that two objects may NOT occupy the same space at the same time? Wasit:w) Heisenbergx) Bohry) Tellerz) PauliANSWER: Z -- PAULIPHYS-91; Short Answer: Who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909 with GuglielmoMarconi for his contribution to the development of wireless telegraphy?ANSWER: (CARL FERDINAND) BRAUNPHYS-91; Short Answer: Who first theoretically predicted the existence of the positron, apositively charged electron? He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in : (PAUL ADRIEN MAURICE) DIRACPHYS-91; Short Answer: Name the female physicist who received the Nobel Prize in 1963 forher discovery concerning the shell structure of the nucleus.

9 ANSWER: (MARIA GOEPPERT) MAYERPHYS-91; Short Answer: The constant potential difference across a 2 ohm resistor is 20 volts. How many watts of power are dissipated by this resistor?ANSWER: 200 WATTSPHYS-91; Short Answer: The potential difference across a 4 ohm resistor is 20 volts. Assumingthat all of the energy dissipated by this resistor is in the form of heat, how many joules of heat areradiated in 10 seconds? ANSWER: 1000 JOULESS cience BowlPHYSICSP hysics - 7 PHYS-91; Multiple Choice: The force acting between two point charges can be computed usingwhich of the following laws?w) Ohm's Lawx) Ampere's Lawy) Coulomb's Lawz) Newton's Second : Y -- COULOMB'S LAWPHYS-91; Short Answer: Five volts are applied across the plates of a parallel plate capacitor.

10 The distance of separation of the plates is .02 meters. What is the magnitude of the electric fieldinside the capacitor? ANSWER: 250 VOLTS PER METER or 250 NEWTONS PER COULOMB PHYS-91; Short Answer: Used normally, a 150-watt, 120 volt light bulb requires how manyamps of current?ANSWER: AMPSPHYS-91; Short Answer: If 10 joules of energy are required to move 5 coulombs of chargebetween two points, the potential difference between the two points is equal to how many volts?ANSWER: 2 VOLTSPHYS-91; Multiple Choice: Induced electric currents can be explained using which of thefollowing laws?w) Gauss's Lawx) Faraday's Lawy) Ohm's Lawz) Ampere's LawANSWER: X -- FARADAY'S LAWS cience BowlPHYSICSP hysics - 8 PHYS-91; Multiple Choice: For a negative point charge, the electric field vectors:w) circle the chargex) point radially in toward the chargey) point radially away from the chargez) cross at infinityANSWER: X -- POINT RADIALLY IN TOWARD THE CHARGEPHYS-91.