PhysicsLAB AAPT Quiz
PhysicsBowl 2010 (Part 1)
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All Division I students, START HERE.
All Division II students – skip the first 10 questions, begin on #11.

 
1. The very first PhysicsBowl took place in 1985. Approximately how many seconds ago did students compete in this first contest?
 
2. Which of the following is NOT a vector quantity?
 
3. The following three measurements of length are given: L1 = 22.05 m , L2 = 6.1123 m and L3 = 89.6 m. What is the sum of these measurements using rules of proper significant digits?
 
4. Which of the following relationships correctly ranks the three given speeds from least to greatest? The speeds are given as:
 
 
5. When computed with proper MKS units, the Universal Gas Constant divided by Boltzmann’s constant is equal to
 
6. Which of the following statements is most closely associated with Newton’s Third Law of Motion?




 
7. A small object is thrown straight downward on Earth with an initial speed of 12.0 m/s from a position 10.0 m above the ground. Ignoring air resistance, the speed of the object when it reaches the ground is
 
The next two questions share the same information Base your answers to questions 8 and 9 on the information and diagram below.

A mass is connected to the end of a spring and undergoes simple harmonic oscillation. The graph provided shows the position of the mass as measured from the floor as a function of time.
 
 
8. What is the period of the mass’s oscillation (in units of seconds)?
 
9. What is the amplitude of the mass’s oscillation (in units of meters)?
 

10. A particle travels at a constant speed around a circular path of radius R . If the particle makes one complete trip around the entire circle, what is the magnitude of the displacement for this trip?
 

ATTENTION: All Division 01 students, continue through question 40.
ATTENTION: All Division 02 students, START HERE. Numbers 1-10 on your answer sheet should be blank. Your first answer should be for #11.


11. Consider the motion of an object given by the velocity vs. time graph shown. For which time(s) is the acceleration of the object equal to 0 m/s2?




 
12. A scientist sets up an experiment with a proton of charge Q and mass M being placed near a helium nucleus (2 protons and 2 neutrons) of charge 2Q and mass 4M . The objects are each released from rest and begin to move. From the scientist’s point of view, which choice best describes the object that experiences the greatest magnitude of electric force from the other and which object experiences the greatest magnitude of acceleration? Ignore gravity.
 
13. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the largest particle accelerator in the world. To which of the following countries would you have to travel in order to visit the LHC?
 
14. What temperature change on the Kelvin scale is equivalent to a 27 degree change on the Celsius scale?
 
15. Three blocks, labeled A, B, and C, remain at rest on a table. The magnitude of the gravitational force on each block is indicated on the figure. What is the magnitude of the contact force on block C from block B?
 
 
16. A mass M1 = 40 kg is at the very edge of a 6.0 meter long plank which is pivoted about its center of mass located directly at the center of its length. How far from the center of the plank should the mass M2 = 80 kg be placed so that the plank remains in static equilibrium in a horizontal position?

 
 
17. A tube of air open at only one end is vibrating in the 5th harmonic from a tuning fork of frequency 120 Hz placed at the open end. If this tube of air were to vibrate at its fundamental frequency, what frequency tuning fork would be needed at the open end?
 
18. Of the following choices, which best describes a “rapidly rotating neutron star emitting radiation” ?
 
19. Which is the correct relationship for the speed (v) of the following three electromagnetic waves in vacuum? The waves are: X-rays, UV rays, microwaves.




 
20. A sample of ideal gas is in a container at a temperature of 100 ºC and a pressure of 2.50 atm. If the volume of the container is 25 L , approximately how many molecules of gas are in the container?
 
21. Which terminology is best associated with the amount of energy required to change the phase of a material per unit mass?
 
22. A small and uniform 10.0 kg object floats at rest with 75% of the object submerged in a cubical tank containing 50.0 m3 of water. What is the buoyant force acting on the object? Treat g = 10 m/s2.
 
23. A point object of mass M is connected to the end of a long string of negligible mass and the system swings as a simple pendulum with period T. The point object of mass M is now replaced with a point object of mass 4M. When this new system swings as a simple pendulum, what is its period?
 
24. By computing the area under the acceleration vs. time graph for a fixed time interval of an object’s motion, what quantity has been determined for that object?




 
25. Two point objects are launched straight upward with identical linear momentum. Object 1 has mass M and reaches a maximum height H above the launch point. If object 2 has mass 2M, what is its maximum attained height above the launch point in terms of H?
 



 
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