Concept Items
1.1 Physics: Definitions and Applications
-
Natural philosophy included all aspects of nature including physics.
-
Natural philosophy included all aspects of nature excluding physics.
-
Natural philosophy and physics are different.
-
Natural philosophy and physics are essentially the same thing.
Which of the following is not an underlying assumption essential to scientific understanding?
- Characteristics of the physical universe can be perceived and objectively measured by human beings.
- Explanations of natural phenomena can be established with absolute certainty.
- Fundamental physical processes dictate how characteristics of the physical universe evolve.
- The fundamental processes of nature operate the same way everywhere and at all times.
Which of the following questions regarding a strain of genetically modified rice is not one that can be answered by science?
- How does the yield of the genetically modified rice compare with that of existing rice?
- Is the genetically modified rice more resistant to infestation than existing rice?
- How does the nutritional value of the genetically modified rice compare to that of existing rice?
- Should the genetically modified rice be grown commercially and sold in the marketplace?
What conditions imply that we can use classical physics without considering special relativity or quantum mechanics?
-
- matter is moving at speeds of less than roughly 1 percent the speed of light,
- objects are large enough to be seen with the naked eye, and
- there is the involvement of a strong gravitational field.
-
- matter is moving at speeds greater than roughly 1 percent the speed of light,
- objects are large enough to be seen with the naked eye, and
- there is the involvement of a strong gravitational field.
-
- matter is moving at speeds of less than roughly 1 percent the speed of light,
- objects are too small to be seen with the naked eye, and
- there is the involvement of only a weak gravitational field.
-
- matter is moving at speeds of less than roughly 1 percent the speed of light,
- objects are large enough to be seen with the naked eye, and
- there is the involvement of a weak gravitational field.
-
Physics helps in predicting how burning fossil fuel releases pollutants.
-
Physics helps in predicting dynamics and movement of weather phenomena.
-
Physics helps in predicting the motion of tectonic plates.
-
Physics helps in predicting how the flowing water affects Earth’s surface.
-
Physical therapists do not require knowledge of physics because their job is mainly therapy and not physics.
-
Physical therapists do not require knowledge of physics because their job is more social in nature and unscientific.
-
Physical therapists require knowledge of physics know about muscle contraction and release of energy.
-
Physical therapists require knowledge of physics to know about chemical reactions inside the body and make decisions accordingly.
-
The law can explain everything in the universe.
-
The law is applicable to all physical phenomena.
-
The law applies everywhere in the universe.
-
The law is the most basic one and all laws are derived from it.
-
general theory of relativity
-
classical physics
-
quantum relativity
-
special theory of relativity
Why is Einstein’s theory of relativity considered part of modern physics, as opposed to classical physics?
- Because it was considered less outstanding than the classics of physics, such as classical mechanics.
- Because it was popular physics enjoyed by average people today, instead of physics studied by the elite.
- Because the theory deals with very slow-moving objects and weak gravitational fields.
- Because it was among the new 19th-century discoveries that changed physics.
1.2 The Scientific Methods
-
An observation is seeing what happens; a hypothesis is a testable, educated guess.
-
An observation is a hypothesis that has been confirmed.
-
Hypotheses and observations are independent of each other.
-
Hypotheses are conclusions based on some observations.
-
Modeling replaces the real system by something similar but easier to examine.
-
Modeling replaces the real system by something more interesting to examine.
-
Modeling replaces the real system by something with more realistic properties.
-
Modeling includes more details than are present in the real system.
-
A theory is supported by little evidence, if any, at first, while a hypothesis is supported by a large amount of available evidence.
-
A hypothesis is supported by little evidence, if any, at first. A theory is supported by a large amount of available evidence.
-
A hypothesis is supported by little evidence, if any, at first. A theory does not need any experiments in support.
-
A theory is supported by little evidence, if any, at first. A hypothesis does not need any experiments in support.
1.3 The Language of Physics: Physical Quantities and Units
-
the limitations of the measuring device
-
the skill of the person making the measurement
-
the regularities in the object being measured
-
other factors that affect the outcome (depending on the situation)
How does the independent variable in a graph differ from the dependent variable?
- The dependent variable varies linearly with the independent variable.
- The dependent variable depends on the scale of the axis chosen while independent variable does not.
- The independent variable is directly manipulated or controlled by the person doing the experiment, while dependent variable is the one that changes as a result.
- The dependent and independent variables are fixed by a convention and hence they are the same.
What could you conclude about these two lines?
- Line A has a slope of {-4.7}.
- Line B has a slope of 12.0.
-
Line A is a decreasing line while line B is an increasing line, with line A being much steeper than line B.
-
Line A is a decreasing line while line B is an increasing line, with line B being much steeper than line A.
-
Line B is a decreasing line while line A is an increasing line, with line A being much steeper than line B.
-
Line B is a decreasing line while line A is an increasing line, with line B being much steeper than line A.
Velocity, or speed, is measured using the following formula: where v is velocity, d is the distance travelled, and t is the time the object took to travel the distance. If the velocity-time data are plotted on a graph, which variable will be on which axis? Why?
- Time would be on the x-axis and velocity on the y-axis, because time is an independent variable and velocity is a dependent variable.
- Velocity would be on the x-axis and time on the y-axis, because time is the independent variable and velocity is the dependent variable.
- Time would be on the x-axis and velocity on the y-axis, because time is a dependent variable and velocity is a independent variable.
- Velocity would be on x-axis and time on the y-axis, because time is a dependent variable and velocity is a independent variable.
-
Uncertainty is the number of assumptions made prior to the measurement of a physical quantity.
-
Uncertainty is a measure of error in a measurement due to the use of a non-calibrated instrument.
-
Uncertainty is a measure of deviation of the measured value from the standard value.
-
Uncertainty is a measure of error in measurement due to external factors like air friction and temperature.