PhysicsLAB: MCAS 2022 Session 1

MCAS Physics Exams
MCAS 2022 Session 1

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The graph shows the speed of a rolling ball over time. In the graph, t₁ and t₂ represent two times during the ball’s motion.

Which of the following setups would cause the ball to roll with the motion shown in the graph?

The diagram shows two sets of charges.

Which of the following describes the electric force between the charges?

Set A has a larger force, which is attractive.
Set A has a larger force, which is repulsive.
Set B has a larger force, which is attractive.
Set B has a larger force, which is repulsive.

A simple circuit is shown.

Which of the following would reduce the total current in the circuit by half?

adding a 5 Ω resistor in parallel
adding a 10 Ω light bulb in series
replacing the 20 V battery with a 10 V battery
replacing the 20 V battery with a 40 V battery

The graph shows how the downward speed of a skydiver changes from the moment the skydiver jumps out of an airplane to just before the skydiver’s parachute opens.

Based on the graph, which diagram represents the forces acting on the skydiver at 30 seconds?

A 5.0 kg object is accelerated from rest by a force of 20 N to a final velocity of 5.0 m/s. What is the final momentum of the object?

4.0 kg • m/s25 kg • m/s100 kg • m/s500 kg • m/s

Part A: Object Y is released so that it is free to move.

Which of the following describes the energy of object Y just before it is released?

Object Y has kinetic energy as a result of object X’s electric field.
Object Y has potential energy as a result of object X’s electric field.
Object Y has kinetic energy as a result of object X’s relative motion.
Object Y has potential energy as a result of object X’s relative motion.

Referring back to Question #6, which of the following describes the energy and movement of object Y after it is released?

Object Y’s energy is converted into kinetic energy as it moves toward object X.
Object Y’s energy is converted into potential energy as it moves toward object X.
Object Y’s energy is converted into kinetic energy as it moves away from object X.
Object Y’s energy is converted into potential energy as it moves away from object X.

Part B: Which of the following diagrams represents the electric field lines around the two objects?

During an investigation, a student placed a compass above a wire in a circuit, as shown in the diagram.

The student recorded the position of the compass needle when the switch was open and when it was closed.

Which of the following claims is supported by evidence produced in this investigation?

An electric current produces a magnetic field.
A magnetic field produces an electric current.
An electric current flows from a negative to a positive terminal.
A magnetic field extends from the north pole of a magnet to its south pole.

A launcher was made with a spring held in place inside a tube. The diagrams show the launcher before and after energy was transferred from the spring to a block. Initially the block was held at rest, and the compressed spring stored 0.45 J of elastic potential energy.

After the spring was released, the block exited the launcher with 0.3 J of kinetic energy. What was the percent efficiency of the launcher?

15%67%75%150%

The diagram represents a light ray and its path as it travels from air to glass.

Which of the following best describes the angle of refraction as the light ray moves from air to glass?

The angle of refraction is equal to the angle of incidence because the speed of light increases.
The angle of refraction is smaller than the angle of incidence because the speed of light increases.
The angle of refraction is smaller than the angle of incidence because the speed of light decreases.
The angle of refraction is equal to the angle of incidence because the speed of light stays the same.

Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun can cause sunburn, but sitting in a classroom under visible light will not. This is because ultraviolet radiation particles have more energy than visible light particles.

Which of the following explains why ultraviolet radiation particles have more energy than visible light particles?

Ultraviolet radiation particles have a greater mass.
Ultraviolet radiation particles have a greater velocity.
Ultraviolet radiation particles have a greater frequency.
Ultraviolet radiation particles have a greater wavelength.

The diagram shows a series circuit containing a battery and three resistors.

What is the current in the circuit?

0.92 A1.1 A9.0 A16 A

The next four questions (#12 through #15) focus on an investigation that uses a motion detector. Read the information below and use it to answer the selected-response questions and constructed-response question that follow.

Students in a physics class conducted an investigation using a motion detector. A motion detector can be used to measure the position, velocity, and acceleration of an object at different times as the object moves. The students used the setup shown in the diagram for their investigation.

When the students attached a hanging object to the string, the hanging object moved downward, and the block moved from position X to position Y on the table. The block and the hanging object moved with the same constant acceleration. Friction and air resistance acted on both the block and the hanging object as they moved. The students completed five trials using the motion detector. In each trial, the block started from rest at position X. The students changed the mass of the hanging object for each trial. The table shows the data.

Which of the following best describes what happened to the energy of the hanging object as it moved closer to the floor?

The kinetic energy of the hanging object increased as its thermal energy decreased.
The kinetic energy of the hanging object decreased as its gravitational potential energy increased.
The gravitational potential energy of the hanging object decreased as its kinetic energy increased.
The gravitational potential energy of the hanging object increased as its thermal energy increased.

Which pair of diagrams best compares the tension force acting on the block at position Y in trial 1 with the tension force acting on the block at position Y in trial 5?

In trial 5, the block traveled from position X to position Y in 0.69 s and had a velocity of 2.33 m/s at position Y. What was the kinetic energy of the block at position Y?

1.09 J1.61 J6.43 J8.04 J

Part A: Which free-body force diagram best represents the forces that acted on the block as it accelerated across the table?

Part B: As the block accelerated across the table, the speed of the block

increaseddecreasedremained the same

Open Response Question #16 is provided at the end of the page .

The velocity of a 75 kg skier increases from 8 m/s to 12 m/s. What is the change in momentum of the skier?

300 kg • m/s600 kg • m/s900 kg • m/s1500 kg • m/s

The diagram shows a negatively charged sphere suspended a distance, d, above another negatively charged sphere in a glass tube.

Which of the following would increase the distance, d, the most?

adding more negative charges to both spheres
removing some negative charges from both spheres
adding more negative charges to one sphere and making the other sphere neutral
removing some negative charges from one sphere and making the other sphere neutral

Which graph represents the motion of an object that has zero net force acting on it?

Open-Response Questions #16, #20, and #21

Refer to the following information for the next three questions.

Question #16 has three parts (A, B, and C). Write your response on the next page. Be sure to label each part of your response.

For a new trial, the students used the same setup, but the hanging object was 0.6 kg, and they collected different data. During the trial, the students recorded the time it took the block to travel from position X to position Y and the change in velocity of the block between those positions. The table shows the data.

A. Calculate the average acceleration of the system during the new trial. Show your calculations and include units in your answer.

B. The original distance between positions X and Y was 0.8 m. The students reduced the distance to 0.4 m. The students released the block from rest, allowing it to move the 0.4 m. Determine whether the velocity of the block at position Y was greater than, less than, or equal to 2.65 m/s. Explain your reasoning.

C. Describe one way the students could decrease the acceleration of the system without changing the mass of the hanging object. Explain your reasoning.

Refer to the following information for the next four questions.

Question #20 has four parts (A, B, C, and D). Write your response on the next page. Be sure to label each part of your response.

A diagram of a roller coaster track at an amusement park is shown. The location where passengers get into a car to ride along the track is labeled “Start.” Four additional points along the track are labeled W, X, Y, and Z.

For one ride, a car and its passengers had a total mass of 4500 kg. The car was pulled with a motor from the starting point to point W. The car was held at rest at point W until it was released. The car then moved along the track to point Z with negligible friction.

A. Identify the point on the roller coaster track where the car and its passengers had the greatest amount of gravitational potential energy.

B. Calculate the amount of gravitational potential energy the car and its passengers had at the point you identified in Part A. Show your calculations and include units in your answer.

C. Compare the amount of kinetic energy of the car and its passengers at point Y to the amount of kinetic energy of the car and its passengers at point Z. Explain your reasoning.

D. Identify the height at which the kinetic energy of the car and its passengers was equal to the gravitational potential energy of the car and its passengers. Explain your reasoning.

Refer to the following information for the next three questions.

Question #21 has three parts (A, B, and C). Write your response on the next page. Be sure to label each part of your response.

A person at a baseball game is seated 200 m away from a batter. The person sees the batter hit a ball, and then hears the sound of the ball being hit 0.58 s later.

A. Calculate the speed of the sound wave created when the bat hits the ball. Show your calculations and include units in your answer.

B. Besides the difference in speed of the two types of waves, describe two additional differences between the visible light waves and the sound waves produced when the ball is hit.

C. The game is also broadcast over the radio for people who cannot attend the game. Radio waves carry the broadcast signal.

One way that visible light waves differ from radio waves is that they can be seen by humans, while radio waves cannot. Describe a second difference between the two types of waves.