Physics Exam Prep

Harder Practice Test

Full coverage of all four sections. Answer each question and see the correct answer instantly.

0 / 55 answered
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Sections 1 & 2: Science Method & Motion

Scientific method, kinematics, velocity, acceleration, projectile motion

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/ 13 pts
Q1A scientific hypothesis must be...
A
impossible to disprove
B
testable and falsifiable
C
proven before the experiment
D
based purely on observation, not prediction
Q2In an experiment, the variable that the scientist deliberately changes is called the...
A
dependent variable
B
controlled variable
C
independent variable
D
random variable
Q3A "scalar" quantity is one that has only...
A
magnitude (size), no direction
B
direction but no magnitude
C
magnitude and direction
D
none of these
Q4A car travels 60 km north and then 80 km east. Its total displacement is...
A
140 km
B
60 km north
C
80 km east
D
100 km, northeast
Q5An object moving at constant velocity has an acceleration of...
A
9.81 m/s²
B
zero
C
equal to its speed
D
cannot be determined
Q6A ball is thrown upward. At the very top of its trajectory, its instantaneous velocity is...
A
9.81 m/s upward
B
9.81 m/s downward
C
zero
D
equal to its initial speed
Q7A rock is dropped from a 45-m cliff. How long does it take to reach the ground? (g = 10 m/s²)
A
3 seconds
B
4.5 seconds
C
9 seconds
D
1.5 seconds
Q8When an object is launched horizontally off a cliff, its horizontal component of velocity during flight...
A
increases due to gravity
B
decreases due to air resistance (ideal case)
C
becomes zero at the peak
D
remains constant throughout the flight
Q9Two objects of different masses are dropped simultaneously from the same height in a vacuum. They reach the ground...
A
at different times; heavier one first
B
at the same time
C
at different times; lighter one first
D
depends on their shape
Q10The area under a velocity-time graph represents...
A
displacement
B
acceleration
C
force
D
speed
Q11A ball is fired horizontally from a tower at 20 m/s. Neglecting air resistance, after 2 seconds, its horizontal distance traveled is...
A
10 m
B
20 m
C
40 m
D
80 m
Q12The slope of a position-time graph gives you the object's...
A
velocity
B
acceleration
C
force
D
displacement
Q13In the "Monkey and Hunter" scenario, gravity pulls BOTH the bullet and the monkey downward at the same rate. This means the hunter should aim...
A
above the monkey
B
directly at the monkey
C
below the monkey
D
it depends on the distance
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Section 3: Dynamics & Newton's Laws

Forces, Newton's three laws, friction, torque, circular motion, gravity

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/ 15 pts
Q1A 5-kg object is accelerated at 3 m/s². The net force acting on it is...
A
15 N
B
1.67 N
C
8 N
D
0 N
Q2According to Newton's First Law, a hockey puck sliding on a frictionless surface will...
A
slowly come to a stop
B
gradually speed up
C
continue at the same velocity forever
D
accelerate due to its own inertia
Q3When you push a wall, the wall pushes back on you with equal force. This is an example of...
A
Newton's First Law
B
Newton's Third Law
C
Newton's Second Law
D
Conservation of Energy
Q4A 20-kg object is pushed with 60 N east and 20 N west. What is its acceleration?
A
4 m/s² west
B
1 m/s² east
C
3 m/s² west
D
2 m/s² east
Q5The "normal force" on a book resting on a flat table is...
A
equal to the book's weight, directed upward
B
equal to the book's weight, directed downward
C
greater than the book's weight
D
the same as the gravitational force between the book and Earth
Q6If you triple the distance between two gravitationally attracting objects, the gravitational force becomes...
A
1/3 as strong
B
3 times stronger
C
1/9 as strong
D
9 times stronger
Q7Torque is calculated as force multiplied by...
A
mass
B
the lever arm (perpendicular distance from pivot)
C
acceleration
D
velocity
Q8Drag (air resistance) force on an object increases as the object's speed...
A
increases (drag ∝ v²)
B
decreases
C
stays constant regardless of speed
D
is independent of speed
Q9An object moving in a circle at constant speed is...
A
not accelerating, because speed is constant
B
accelerating outward (centrifugal)
C
decelerating because the direction changes
D
accelerating toward the center (centripetal)
Q10The weight of an object on the Moon compared to on Earth is...
A
the same
B
less, because lunar gravity is weaker
C
more, because space adds weight
D
zero, because there's no gravity on the Moon
Q11A rocket accelerates by expelling exhaust gas backward. This is best explained by...
A
Newton's Third Law: the gas pushes the rocket forward
B
Newton's First Law: inertia keeps it moving
C
The exhaust pushes against air
D
Gravity pulls the exhaust down, lifting the rocket
Q12The "inertia" of an object is directly related to its...
A
weight
B
velocity
C
mass
D
acceleration
Q13What is the gravitational force between two objects if one object's mass is doubled?
A
stays the same
B
doubles
C
quadruples
D
halves
Q14A ball on a string is swung in a horizontal circle. If the string breaks, the ball will...
A
spiral outward
B
fall straight down
C
continue in a circle
D
fly off in a straight tangential line
Q15Which of the following is true about static friction vs. kinetic friction?
A
Static friction is generally greater than kinetic friction
B
Kinetic friction is always greater than static friction
C
They are always equal for the same surfaces
D
Static friction does not exist on flat surfaces
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Section 4: Momentum, Energy & Thermodynamics

Momentum, conservation laws, work, energy, heat, thermodynamics

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/ 15 pts
Q1Momentum is defined as...
A
force × time
B
force × distance
C
mass × velocity
D
mass × acceleration
Q2A 3-kg ball moving at 4 m/s collides and sticks to a stationary 1-kg ball. Their combined speed after collision is...
A
3 m/s
B
4 m/s
C
1 m/s
D
12 m/s
Q3Impulse is defined as...
A
force × distance
B
force × time (change in momentum)
C
mass × acceleration
D
½ mv²
Q4A gymnast bends their knees when landing to reduce injury. This works because bending the knees...
A
increases the change in momentum
B
decreases the change in momentum
C
increases the impulse force
D
increases the time of impact, reducing the force
Q5Work is defined as...
A
mass × velocity²
B
force × time
C
force × displacement (in the direction of force)
D
mass × acceleration × time
Q6A 10-kg box is lifted 2 meters vertically. The work done against gravity is (g = 10 m/s²)...
A
200 J
B
20 J
C
100 J
D
50 J
Q7Kinetic energy depends on an object's speed. If the speed doubles, kinetic energy...
A
doubles
B
quadruples (×4)
C
stays the same
D
increases by 8 times
Q8A spinning ice skater pulls in their arms. Their rotation speed...
A
decreases due to less torque
B
stays the same
C
increases due to conservation of angular momentum
D
decreases due to friction
Q9Heat flows naturally from...
A
hot objects to cold objects
B
cold objects to hot objects
C
objects with less mass to objects with more mass
D
randomly in both directions
Q10The first law of thermodynamics states that energy is...
A
always lost as heat in any process
B
conserved; it cannot be created or destroyed
C
always converted entirely into useful work
D
proportional to the temperature of the system
Q11Using a longer ramp to raise an object to the same height requires...
A
more total work than lifting it straight up
B
less total work than lifting it straight up
C
more force and more total work
D
less force but the same total work
Q12Entropy is a measure of a system's...
A
disorder or randomness
B
total kinetic energy
C
temperature in Kelvin
D
potential energy
Q13At absolute zero (0 Kelvin), particles theoretically have...
A
maximum kinetic energy
B
average kinetic energy
C
minimum (near zero) kinetic energy
D
negative kinetic energy
Q14When a pendulum swings from its highest point to the lowest point, which energy transformation occurs?
A
kinetic energy → potential energy
B
potential energy → kinetic energy
C
thermal energy → kinetic energy
D
no energy transformation; energy is destroyed
Q15An engine cannot be 100% efficient because...
A
friction always exists in moving parts
B
energy is always created during operation
C
kinetic energy increases indefinitely
D
the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics requires some energy to be lost as heat
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Section 5: Electricity & Circuits

Electrostatics, electric fields, voltage, current, resistance, circuits

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/ 12 pts
Q1According to Coulomb's Law, if the distance between two charges doubles, the electrostatic force...
A
becomes 1/4 as strong
B
becomes 1/2 as strong
C
doubles
D
stays the same
Q2An object that gains electrons becomes...
A
positively charged
B
neutral
C
negatively charged
D
a conductor
Q3Electric field lines point...
A
toward positive charges and away from negative charges
B
away from positive charges and toward negative charges
C
always upward, in the direction of gravity
D
in random directions around each charge
Q4Ohm's Law states that voltage (V) equals...
A
current ÷ resistance
B
resistance ÷ current
C
power × current
D
current × resistance
Q5A 50-ohm resistor has 2 A of current through it. The voltage across it is...
A
100 V
B
25 V
C
52 V
D
0.04 V
Q6In a series circuit with three resistors of 2Ω, 3Ω, and 5Ω, the total resistance is...
A
less than 2 Ω
B
5 Ω
C
10 Ω
D
cannot be determined
Q7In a parallel circuit, if one light bulb burns out, the others...
A
also go out, because the circuit is broken
B
continue to shine, because each has its own path
C
shine brighter because total resistance drops
D
dim because voltage decreases
Q8Conventional current in a circuit flows from...
A
positive terminal to negative terminal
B
negative terminal to positive terminal
C
always clockwise
D
from ground to the device
Q9A conductor placed in an electric field allows charge to...
A
remain stationary no matter what
B
be destroyed
C
resist all flow
D
flow freely through it
Q10Household electricity uses alternating current (AC) rather than direct current (DC) because AC is...
A
safer at high voltages
B
produced only by batteries
C
easier to transmit over long distances at high voltage
D
produced more naturally in nature
Q11Voltage can be thought of as electrical...
A
the speed of electrons
B
potential energy per unit charge
C
the number of electrons flowing
D
resistance of the circuit
Q12A circuit breaker "trips" (shuts off) when...
A
the current exceeds the safe rated limit
B
the voltage drops too low
C
resistance becomes too high
D
AC switches to DC