PhysicsLAB: MCAS 2025 Practice Session 1

MCAS Physics Exams
MCAS 2025 Practice Session 1

This practice test contains a total of 30 questions. #1-15 are provided here on Practice Session 1; while #16-30 are provided on Practice Session 2.

An engineer is constructing a device that turns electrical energy into mechanical energy. The engineer notices that some of the electrical energy also turns into thermal energy. Which of the following describes how the device can reach maximum efficiency?

A The device must minimize electrical energy while maximizing thermal energy.
B The device must minimize mechanical energy while maximizing thermal energy.
C The device must minimize thermal energy while maximizing mechanical energy.
D The device must minimize mechanical energy while maximizing electrical energy.

Newton’s universal law of gravitation and Coulomb’s law have similar mathematical relationships, as shown.

Newton’s universal law of gravitation: F_g = Gm₁m₂/d²
Coulomb’s law: F = kq₁q₂/d²

Which of the following tables correctly identifies whether the force described applies to only Newton’s universal law of gravitation, only Coulomb’s law, or both laws?

The diagram shows a circuit with four switches: W, X, Y, and Z. A student wants the largest possible current to pass through location Q when the student closes two of the switches. Select the two switches the student should close.

A. WB. XC. YD. Z

A 2 kg cart is released from the top of a ramp that is 1 m high. Three positions of the cart are shown in the diagram. Assume friction is negligible.

Which of the following tables correctly shows the cart’s gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy at positions A, B, and C?

The diagram shows a negatively charged particle traveling toward two parallel charged plates.

What will most likely happen to the negatively charged particle when it travels between the charged plates?

A. It will accelerate as it travels in a straight line.
B. It will maintain its original speed as it travels in a straight line.
C. Its path will bend upward toward the negatively charged plate.
D. Its path will bend downward toward the positively charged plate.

This question has two parts.

The graph shows the acceleration of a 5 kg object over time.

Part A: What is the net force acting on the object?

A. 0.4 NB. 2.0 NC. 2.5 ND. 10.0 N

Part B: The mass of the object increases from 5 kg to 6 kg and the net force on the object remains the same. Which of the following describes what will happen to the acceleration of the object when its mass is increased?

A. The acceleration of the object will increase.
B. The acceleration of the object will decrease.
C. The acceleration of the object will stay the same.

The behavior of light can be described by both a wave model and a particle model, but certain observations support one model more than the other.

Two observations are described.

• Observation 1: A pattern of bright and dark spots is seen when light passes through two slits.

• Observation 2: The higher the frequency of the light shined on a metal surface, the greater the kinetic energy of the electrons that are knocked off the surface

Which of the following best describes the observations?

A. Observations 1 and 2 both support the wave model.
B. Observations 1 and 2 both support the particle model.
>C. Observation 1 supports the wave model and observation 2 supports the particle model.
D. Observation 1 supports the particle model and observation 2 supports the wave model.

The table shows the mass and specific heat of three samples.

Each sample was heated to an initial temperature of 50°C and then cooled to a final temperature of 20°C.

Which of the following correctly orders the samples from the least to the

greatest amount of heat they released while cooling?

A. W → Y → XB. X → W → YC. X → Y → WD. Y → X → W

A student pushes a 12 N book to the right with a force of 10 N. The book

experiences a frictional force of 3 N. The free-body force diagram shown

represents the forces acting on the book.

What is the magnitude of the net force acting on the book?

A. 7 NB. 11 NC. 13 ND. 37 N

This question has two parts.

Some atomic nuclei can be split apart into fragments and other particles, such as neutrons. Once a nucleus is split, fragments move away from each other very quickly. The fragments then slow down as they interact with the surrounding medium. An example of this process is shown in the diagram.

What type of nuclear process occurs when an atomic nucleus splits into fragments?

A. fissionB. fusion

Which of the following describes the energy during this nuclear process?

A. The fragments initially have kinetic energy, which is transferred to the surrounding medium as mass.
B. The fragments initially have gravitational energy, which is transferred to the surrounding medium as mass.
C. The fragments initially have kinetic energy, which is transferred to the surrounding medium as thermal energy.
D. The fragments initially have gravitational energy, which is transferred to the surrounding medium as thermal energy.

The table shows wavelengths and frequencies for some waves.

Which of the following claims is supported by the data in the table?

A. All the waves have the same period.
B. All the waves are traveling in a solid.
C. All the waves have the same amplitude.
D. All the waves are traveling at the same speed.

Three students each built a device to protect an egg when it was dropped to the ground from a height of 11.5 m. To keep the egg from breaking, each device needed to reduce the force applied to the egg to less than 25 N. The students dropped the devices with the eggs inside and recorded some data for each device, as shown in the table.

Which of the following tables correctly identifies whether the egg inside each device broke when the device hit the ground?

Kidney stones are deposits of calcium that can build up in the body and cause discomfort. Ultrasonic probes can be used to send out waves that cause the kidney stones to break apart, as shown in the diagram.

Based on this information, which conclusion can be made about the waves created by the ultrasonic probe?

A. The waves are transverse.
B. The waves are longitudinal.
C. The waves have low frequencies.
D. The waves have long wavelengths.

The following section focuses on collisions between two carts.

Read the information below and use it to answer the four selected-response questions and one constructed-response question that follow.

A group of students conducted two trials to investigate collisions between two carts, X and Y, on a straight, level track. Cart X has a mass of 0.5 kg and cart Y has a mass of 1.0 kg. The students used motion detectors to determine the velocities of the carts as they moved along the track. Assume friction was negligible.

Trial 1

The students attached sticky tape on one end of each cart, as shown in the diagram, so that the carts would stay together after the collision.

A student pushed cart X toward cart Y and let go of the cart. Cart X then collided with cart Y. The graph shows the velocity of each cart before, during, and after the collision.

Trial 2

The students removed the sticky tape and attached a small, strong magnet on the front of each cart, as shown. The north ends of the magnets were facing each other.

The student again pushed cart X toward cart Y and let go of the cart. Cart X collided with cart Y. The graph shows the velocity of each cart before, during, and after the collision.

What was the momentum of cart X before the collision in trial 1?

A. 0.2 kg • m/sB. 0.3 kg • m/sC. 0.6 kg • m/sD. 0.8 kg • m/s

Which of the following graphs represents the data from trial 2?