PhysicsLAB MCAS Physics Exams
MCAS 2008 Session 2
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A teenager removes the plastic wrapping from a CD. The pieces of wrap cling to her hand. Which of the following forces causes the wrap to cling to her hand?
 
A bicycle rider is traveling at 7 m/s. During an 8 s period, the bicycle rider then slows down with a constant acceleration to a speed of 3 m/s. How far does the bicycle rider travel during the 8 s?
 
Which of the following ammeters is shown with an incorrect reading?
 
Which of the following increases when a metal spring is stretched horizontally?
 
Two students stretch a rope horizontally between them. One student moves one end of the rope up and down repeatedly for a short time. Which of the following describes the frequency of the waves in the rope?



 
An engineering student is gathering data on the motion of a model car traveling down a ramp. If energy is conserved, the potential energy of the car at the top of the ramp should equal the kinetic energy of the car at the bottom of the ramp. After the first trial, the student calculates that the kinetic energy at the bottom of the ramp is less than the potential energy at the top of the ramp. Which of the following can best explain this difference?



 
The distance of the star Vega from Earth is 1.6 million times greater than the distance of the Sun from Earth. Which of the following best describes the gravitational influence of Vega on Earth?



 
What is the momentum of a metal disc with a mass of 1.5 kg sliding on a frictionless surface at 0.75 m/s?
 
A heated rock is placed in a container of water that is cooler than room temperature. Which of the following statements best describes what happens?



 
Which of the following is possible due to longitudinal waves?



 
A student hypothesizes that the mass of a substance affects how the temperature of the substance changes when it is heated. The student uses the following procedure to test the hypothesis.
 
  • Each sample is initially at room temperature before heating.
  • Each sample is heated for the same amount of time with the same heat source.
  • The final temperature is measured for each sample.
 
Which of the following would be the best way to select the samples for testing the student’s hypothesis?



 
The distance between two charges is represented by d. In which of the following diagrams is the attractive force between the two charges the greatest?



 
A boat tied to a dock is stationary. Water waves constantly pass by the boat. The crests of the waves are 3 m apart and a crest passes the front of the boat every 4 s. What is the velocity of the waves?
 
A window washer noticed that, from the same distance and with no breeze, the smell of ammonia glass cleaner reached him faster on a hot day (30°C) than on a cold day (5°C). Which of the following explains this observation?



 
A student standing on the edge of a swimming pool sees a painted mark on the bottom of the pool. The mark appears to be at a shallower depth than the actual depth of the pool. Which of the following descriptions of light waves best explains this observation?



 
Which of the following is a scalar quantity?



 
A student is sitting in a large stadium far away from the starting line of a footrace, while listening to the footrace on the radio. As the race starts, the student hears the sound of the starting pistol on the radio. Shortly after that, the student hears the sound of the starting pistol from inside the stadium. Which of the following best explains these observations?



 
People perceive sound differently in air than they do under water. Which of the following correctly compares the motion of sound waves in air and in water?



 
A performer pulls a tablecloth out from under a complete set of dinnerware as shown in the illustration below.
 
 
Which of the following best explains the performer’s success at leaving all the dinnerware on the table?



 
 
 
Open-Response Questions
  • BE SURE TO ANSWER AND LABEL ALL PARTS OF THE QUESTION.
  • Show all your work (diagrams, tables, or computations) in your Student Answer Booklet.
  • If you do the work in your head, explain in writing how you did the work.
 
 
Refer to the following information for the next three questions.

An elastic cord made for bungee jumping is being tested. A weight of 800 N is attached to one end of the bungee cord. Then the weight is released from a tall tower and it moves downward. When the elastic cord is fully extended, it exerts an opposing force of 900 N on the weight.
a.  Draw and label a force diagram for this situation.
 

b.  Calculate the net force on the weight. Show your calculations and include units in your answer.
 

c.  Explain what would happen if the elastic cord exerted a maximum force of only 700 N on the weight.
 

Refer to the following information for the next three questions.

The diagram below shows what happens when a particular light wave strikes a boundary.
 
 
a.  Identify each light ray, A, B, and C, as an incident, a refracted, or a reflected ray.
 

b.  Describe the relationship between angles x1 and x2.
 

c.  Describe how this setup could be changed so that the size of angle x3 is different.
 

Refer to the following information for the next five questions.

A circuit with three identical light bulbs is shown in the diagram below.
 
a. Identify the symbol labeled J in the circuit.
 

b. Describe what each light bulb does in each of the following situations:
 
  • when switches 1 and 2 are open
 

  • when switches 1 and 2 are closed
 

  • when switch 1 is open and switch 2 is closed
 

  • when switch 1 is closed and switch 2 is open
 




 
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