Prep Physics Spring Review Questions
1. Name the four states of matter and briefly describe their distinguishing characteristics.
2. What theory is most effective in describing the properties of gases?
3. A section of a rubber band having a cross-sectional area of 3.14× 10−6 𝑚2 is stretched 2.00cm. If the
original length of the rubber band is 6.00 cm, how much force is required to stretch it?
4. How much will 1.000𝑚3 of mercury expand in volume for a 1.00 oC temperature change?
5. What is the average human body temperature in Kelvins?
6. What are the characteristics of an ideal gas?
7. How many moles of an ideal gas would it take to occupy 1.00 L at STP?
8. A gas occupies a volume of 2.00 L at 612 K and 760 torr. What volume does it occupy at306K and 760
torr?
9. According to the kinetic theory, describe how thermal energy is manifested in matter.
10. How is temperature related to thermal energy?
11. How much heat must be lost in order to completely condense 100.0 g of nitrogen at its condensation
point?
12. Which mechanism of heat transfer involve the physical movement of matter?
13. What seems to be the mechanism for the rapid transmission of thermal energy within metals?
14. How is the radiant energy of an object related to its Kelvin temperature?
15. A 20.0g lump of chromium has a heat capacity of 9.03 J/oC. What is the specific heat of chromium?
16. What is a barrier that conducts no thermal energy called?
17. To what is the area under a pressure-volume curve equivalent?
18. State the first two laws of thermodynamics?
19. a. What condition would have to occur for an ideal heat engine to be 100% efficient?
b. What principle states that this condition is not possible?
20. What property of a system does entropy describe?
21. A pressure of 1.52× 105 𝑃𝑎 forces a gas to compress from a volume of 5.00× 10−3 𝑚3to a volume of
of 2.50× 10−3 𝑚3 . How much work is done on the gas in N.m?
22. If the hot reservoir of a Carnot engine is at room temperature (24oC), what must be the temperature
of the cold reservoir in Celcius for the engine to have an efficiency of 50%?
23. What three factors determine the static pressure in any fluid at a given height or depth?
24. What is Archimedes’ Principle?
25. What two factors determine the buoyant force exerted on an object submerged in a fluid?
26. A block of solid oak (30.0𝑐𝑚 × 40.0𝑐𝑚 × 50.0𝑐𝑚) floats in fresh water. What percentage of the
block’s volume is not under water?
27. Describe the properties of an ideal fluid. What kinds of fluids approach the description of an ideal
fluid most closely?
28. A level pipe narrows from a cross-sectional area of 11.5 cm2 to a cross-sectional area of 5.00 cm2. If a
liquid moves at a speed of 0.50 m/s through the wider section , how fast will it go through the narrow
section?
29. What is the electrostatic force between two point charges 𝑞1 = +1.00𝐶 and 𝑞2 = −1.00𝐶 if the
distance between them is 1.00𝑚?
30. Why must the test charge that allows you to define the electric field strength vector be as small as
possible?
31. According to the accepted model of electric fields, where do lines of force begin and end?
32. What factors determine the capacitance of a capacitor?
33. What is the capacitance of a capacitor that has a plate area of 2.3 × 10−4 𝑚2 and a distance of
1.8 × 10−3 𝑚 between the plates? The dielectric is mylar (k=3.1)
34. A 3.00μC charge has an electrical potential energy of 9.00 × 10−5 𝐽. What is the electrical potential
of its position?
35. What is the resistance of a silver wire 10.0 m long and 0.05cm in diameter? (ρ=1.6 × 10−8 Ω. 𝑚)
36. How much power is used in a coil of copper wire 100.m long with a wire diameter of 0.010 cm if
there is 1.00A of current flowing through it?
37. State Kirchhoff’s Current rule.
38. State Kirchhoff’s voltage rule.
39. What is the correct procedure for connecting an ammeter into a circuit?
40. What is the correct procedure for using an ohmmeter to measure resistance?
41. What is the equivalent resistance of the resistors 1MΩ, 100Ω, and 1Ω a. connected in series?
b. connected in parallel?
42. A 55W bulb is connected in a circuit to a 110V voltage source. What current does it draw?
What is its resistance?
43. What condition can negate ferromagnetism in even the strongest magnets?
44. Ultimately, what two factors result in magnetism in a given material?
45. What variable has the direction of each finger in the right hand rule for magnetic force on a moving
positive charge?
46. What are the names of the three functional stages of a mass spectrograph?
47. What factors determine the magnitude of the magnetic force on a current moving through a straight
conductor in a magnetic field?
48. A velocity selector has a magnetic field of 3.0 × 10−4T and an electric field of 4.5 N/C. What velocity
does it select?
49. What is the definition of the Ampere?
50. What is Faraday’s Law?
51. What is Lenz’s Law? What conservation principle does it correspond to?
52. What diameter of a circular current loop would be required in order to produce an average magnetic
flux of 2.5 × 10−5 𝑊𝑏 if the average field generated perpendicular to the loop is 6.3 × 10−2 𝑇?
53. A transformer has 200 primary winding turns and 300 secondary winding turns. What is its function?
If the load connected to the secondary side draws 1.5A (rms), how many amps flow through the primary
windings?
54. The inductance of an inductor is 15.0 H. If it normally has 0.90A flowing through it, what is the total
magnetic flux in the inductor?
55. What is the speed of light in a medium which has an electrical permittivity of ε and a magnetic
permeability of μ?
56. Discuss the characteristics of an electromagnetic wave. What kind of medium is required for the
propagation of EM waves?
57. What is the source of gamma rays?
58. What is Huygen’s Principle?
59. What are the two key properties of laser light?
60. What is the sign convention for the three distances in the mirror equation?
61. What is a convex mirror useful for?
62. An object placed 20.0cm from a concave mirror has an image of the same size at 20.0 cm from the
mirror. What is the mirror’s focal length?
63. How does refraction occur?
64. What is the critical angle for a diamond-air interface? (𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑑 = 2.42, 𝑛𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 1.0003 )
65. What is the sign convention of the distances in the thin lens equation?
66. What does the superposition principle state?
67. What is the physical condition that will produce constructive interference between two rays
resulting from a double slit experiment?
68. What causes the rainbow colors seen in thin film interference?
69. What is the significance of Rayleigh’s angle?
70. What is the principal cause of the red color of sunsets?
71. Name two ways to polarize light?
72. How closely should the lines on a diffraction grating be spaced if you want the first-order maximum
from green light (λ=550nm) to be at 29.7o?
73. What is the illuminance of an omnidirectional lamp that produces 251lm on a flat surface that faces
the lamp 3.0m away?
74. How is the overall magnification of a compound microscope related to the individual magnifications
of the lenses?
75. What is the magnification of a refractor telescope having a 1.5m focal length objective and a 30mm
focal length ocular?
76. Discuss what is meant by relativity.
77. What are the two postulates of special relativity?
78. Describe four predictions made by the special theory of relativity.
79. A meteoroid with a rest mass of 1.00g is moving at 0.8c in an observer’s reference frame. What is
the mass of the meteoroid according to the observer?
80. What is the main restriction on the special theory of relativity?
81. Discuss three predictions of general relativity.
82. What does general relativity describe?
83. How does electromagnetic radiation incident on a metal surface produce the photoelectric effect?
84. What is the Compton effect? What was its historical significance?
85. What causes bremsstrahlung radiation?
86. What is the Pauli exclusion Principle?
87. What is Heisenburg’s Uncertainty Principle?
88. What is the difference between an orbit and an orbital?
89. For the following equations, give each variable’s name and SI unit:
Equations of Thermodynamics
𝜌=
𝑚
𝑉
P=F/A
Young’s Modulus
𝜎=
𝐹
𝐴
ε=Δl/l
E=σ/ε
Thermal Expansion
Δl/l=αΔT
ΔV/V=βΔT
Temperature
𝑇𝑐 = 5/9(𝑇𝐹 + 40°) − 40°
𝑇𝐹 = (9/5(𝑇𝐶 + 40°) − 40°
T=𝑇𝑐 +273.15
𝑇𝑐 = 𝑇 − 273.15
Gas Laws
Combined
𝑃1 𝑉1 𝑃2 𝑉2
=
𝑇1
𝑇2
Boyle
𝑃1 𝑉1 = 𝑃2 𝑉2
Charles
𝑉1 𝑉2
=
𝑇1 𝑇2
Gay-Lussac
𝑃1 𝑃2
=
𝑇1 𝑇2
Universal
PV=nRT
STP: P=1atm T=273.15K
R=0.08207 L.atm/(K.mol)
Heat Transfer
𝑄
𝐶 = ∆𝑇
𝑄
𝐶𝑠𝑝 = 𝑚∆𝑇
Q=m𝐿𝑓
Q=m𝐿𝑣
∆𝑄
∆𝑡
= 𝑒𝜎𝐴𝑇 4
σ=5.67x10−8 W/(𝑚2 𝐾 4 )
First Law of Thermodynamics
𝑄 + 𝑊𝑛𝑐𝑓 = ∆𝑈
𝑊 = 𝑃∆𝑉
𝑇𝐻 −𝑇𝐶
𝑋100%
𝑇𝐻
ε=
|𝑄𝑐 |
K=|𝑊
𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑒 |
∆𝑆 =
∆𝑄
𝑇
Fluids
𝐹𝑏 = 𝜌|𝑔|𝑉
𝑃𝑑 =𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑓 +𝜌𝑔𝑑
𝑃 = 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑓 𝑒 [−(𝜌𝑟𝑒𝑓 /𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑓 )|𝑔|ℎ]
Continuity
𝐴1 𝑣1 = 𝐴2 𝑣2
Bernoulli
1
2
𝑃1 + 𝜌(𝑣1 )2 + 𝜌𝑔ℎ1 =
1
𝑃2 + 2 𝜌(𝑣2 )2 + 𝜌𝑔ℎ2
Hydraulic Jack
𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑛𝐹𝑖𝑛
Equations of Electromagnetics
𝐹=𝑘
𝑞1 𝑞2
;
𝑟2
k = 8.988x109 N.𝑚2 /𝐶 2
𝐶=
|𝑄|
|𝑉|
𝐶=
𝜅𝜀𝑜 𝐴
𝑑
Capacitors in series
1
𝐶𝑟
1
1
1
1
2
3
=𝐶 +𝐶 +𝐶 +⋯
Capacitors in parallel
𝐶𝑟 = 𝐶1 + 𝐶2 + 𝐶3 + ⋯
𝐸=
𝐹
𝑞
𝐸=
𝑘𝑄
𝑟2
𝑈=
𝑘𝑄𝑞
𝑟
𝑈 = 𝑞𝐸𝑟
𝑉=
𝛥𝑈
𝑞
𝑉=𝐼𝑅
𝑅=𝜌𝐿/𝐴
Resistors in parallel
1
𝑅𝑟
1
1
1
=𝑅 +𝑅 +𝑅 +⋯
1
2
3
Resistors in series
𝑅𝑟 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅2 + 𝑅3 + ⋯
𝑊=𝑉𝑄
𝑃=𝑊/Δ𝑡
𝑃=𝑉𝑄/Δ𝑡
𝐼=𝑄/Δ𝑡
𝑃 = 𝑉𝐼
𝑃=𝐼 2 𝑅
𝑃=
𝑉2
𝑅
𝐹𝑚𝑎𝑔 = |𝑞|𝑣𝐵𝑠𝑖𝑛Ɵ
𝐸
𝑣=𝐵
𝑚=
|𝑞|𝐵𝑟
𝑣
𝐹𝑚𝑎𝑔 = 𝐼𝑙𝐵𝑠𝑖𝑛Ɵ
𝐹𝑚𝑎𝑔 /𝑙 =
𝑘𝐼1 𝐼2
𝑑
K=2× 10−7N/A/A
𝛷 = 𝐵𝐴
∆𝛷
𝑉𝐼 = − 𝛥𝑡
𝐿=
𝑛𝛷
𝐼
Inductors in parallel
1
𝐿𝑟
1
1
1
1
2
3
= 𝐿 +𝐿 +𝐿 +⋯
Inductors in series
𝐿𝑟 = 𝐿1 + 𝐿2 + 𝐿3 + ⋯
𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑠 = 2𝜋
𝑉𝑠
𝑉𝑝
1
√𝐿𝐶
𝐼𝑝
𝑛
= 𝑛𝑠 =
𝐼𝑠
𝑝
Equations of Optics
𝑐 = 3.0 × 108 m/s
𝑣=
1
√µ𝜀
𝑣 = 𝜆𝑓
Mirrors
𝑛=
1
𝑓
360
−
Ɵ
1
1
=𝑑 +𝑑
𝐼
𝐻𝐼
𝐻𝑜
1
=−
𝑜
𝑑𝐼
𝑑𝑜
𝐻
; 𝑚 = | 𝐼|
𝐻
𝑜
Snell’s Law
𝑛𝑖 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃𝑖 = 𝑛𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃𝑟
Thin Lenses
1
𝑓
1
1
=𝑑 −𝑑
𝐻𝐼
𝐻𝑜
𝐼
𝑑
𝑜
𝐻
= 𝑑 𝐼 ; 𝑚 = |𝐻 𝐼 |
𝑜
𝑜
𝜃
𝑓
Telescope: 𝑀 = 𝜃𝐼 = 𝑓𝑜
𝑜
𝑒
Young’s Double Slit
Maxima: 𝑦/𝐿=𝑛λ/𝑑
Minima: 𝑦/𝐿=((𝑛−1/2)λ)/𝑑
Grating diffraction
𝑛𝜆
𝑑
𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 =
𝜆
𝜃𝑅 = 1.22 𝑑
𝑛𝑟
𝑛𝑖
tan(Ɵ) =
Ф
𝐸 = 𝑟2
𝐸 = ℎ𝑓
h=6.626× 10−34 J.s
𝑑𝑢𝑛𝑘 2
)
𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑑
𝐼𝐿,𝑢𝑛𝑘 = 𝐼𝐿 𝑠𝑡𝑑 (
Special Relativity
𝑥=
𝑥 ′ +𝑣𝛥𝑡 ′
𝑣
√1−(𝑐)2
𝑣𝑥′
t=
𝑡 ′+ 2
𝑐
√1−(𝑣)
2
𝑐
𝛥𝑡 =
𝑚=
𝛥𝑡 ′
𝑣
√1−(𝑐)2
𝑚𝑜
𝑣
√1−(𝑐)2
𝑣 2
𝑐
∆𝑙 = Δ𝑙′ √1 − ( )
𝑣𝑟 =
𝑣𝑟′ +𝑣
′
𝑣𝑣
1+( 2𝑟 )
𝑐
E=m𝑐 2
𝐸𝑜 =𝑚𝑜 𝑐 2
𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑘 ′ 𝑠 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝐸(𝑓) =
8𝜋𝑓2
1
.
𝑐 3 𝑒 ℎ𝑓/(𝑘𝑇) −1
De Broglie Wavelength
ℎ
𝜆 = 𝑚𝑣