ATTENTION: All Division I students, START HERE.

All Division II students, skip the first ten questions, begin on

question 11.

1. A standard centimeter ruler is shown. Which recorded value is the most correct for the
location of the shaded object’s right end?

(a) 10 cm (b) 10. cm (c) 10.0 cm (d) 10.00 cm (e) 10. 0 cm

2. How thick is the average page of a physics textbook in micrometers?

(a) 0.1 (b) 1 (c) 10 (d) 100 (e) 1000

3. Two automobiles are 150 kilometers apart and traveling toward each other. One
automobile is moving at 60 km/h and the other is moving at 40 km/h. In how many
hours will they meet?

(a) 1.5 (b) 1.75 (c) 2.0 (d) 2.5 (e) 3.0

4. A particle moves on the x-axis. When the particle’s acceleration is positive and
increasing

(a) its velocity must be positive.

(b) its velocity must be negative.
(c) it must be slowing down.
(d) it must be speeding up.
(e) none of the above must be true.

5. The position-time, y vs. t, graph for the

motion of an object is shown. What would
be a reasonable equation for the acceleration
a that would account for this motion?

(a) a=0
(b) a = positive constant
(c) a = negative constant
(d) a = positive constant times t
(e) a = negative constant times t

Division I only 2 Division I only

6. A 500-kg car is moving at 28 m/s. The driver sees a barrier ahead. If the car takes 95
meters to come to rest, what is the magnitude of the minimum average net force
necessary to stop?

(a) 47.5 N
(b) 1400 N
(c) 2060 N
(d) 19600 N
(e) 133000 N

7. A mass connected to a string swings back and forth as a

pendulum with snapshots of the motion seen in the figure.
Ignore the friction in the system. Which of the
following statements about the pendulum-Earth
A
system is correct? E
(a) The total mechanical energy in the system is constant.
B D
(b) The total mechanical energy in the system is maximum
at B. C
(c) The potential energies at A and C are equal.
(d) The kinetic energies at C and D are equal.
(e) The kinetic energy at E equals the kinetic energy at C.

8. What does one obtain by dividing the distance of 12 Mm by the time of 4 Ts?

(a) 3 nm (b) 3 µ m (c) 3 mm (d) 3 km (e) 3 Gm

s s s s s

9. A block rests on an incline that makes the angle φ with the horizontal. The block
remains at rest as φ is slowly increased. The magnitudes of the normal force and the
static frictional force of the incline on the block

(a) both increase.

(b) both decrease.
(c) both remain the same.
(d) increase and decrease, respectively.
(e) decrease and increase, respectively.

10. Contact forces are examples of which of the fundamental forces?

(a) Strong (b) Electromagnetic (c) Weak (d) Gravitational (e) None of these

ATTENTION: All Division I students, turn page and continue through question 40.

Division I only 3 Division I only

ATTENTION: All Division I students, continue through question 40.
All Division II students, START HERE. Numbers 1-10 on your
answer sheet should remain blank. Your first answer should be
number 11.

11. A cart is initially moving at 0.5 m/s along a track. The cart comes to rest after
traveling 1 m. The experiment is repeated on the same track, but now the cart is
initially moving at 1 m/s. How far does the cart travel before coming to rest?

(a) 1 m (b) 2 m (c) 3 m (d) 4 m (e) 8 m

12. The definition of average velocity is

(a) the average acceleration multiplied by the time.

(b) distance traveled divided by the time.
(c)
1
(v f + v0 ) .
2
(d) radius multiplied by angular velocity.
(e) displacement divided by the time.

13. A student weighing 500 N stands on a bathroom scale in the school’s elevator. When
the scale reads 520 N, the elevator must be

(a) accelerating upward.

(b) accelerating downward.
(c) moving upward at a constant speed.
(d) moving downward at a constant speed.
(e) at rest.

14. An object moves to the East across a frictionless surface with constant speed. A person
then applies a constant force to the North on the object. What is the resulting path that
the object takes?

(a) A straight line path partly Eastward, partly Northward

(b) A straight line path totally to the North
(c) A parabolic path opening toward the North
(d) A parabolic path opening toward the East
(e) An exponential path opening upward toward the North

Both Divisions I and II 4 Both Division I and II

Two identical mass objects are launched with the same speed from the same starting
location. Object 1 is launched at an angle of 300 above the horizontal while Object 2 is
launched at an angle of 60 0 above the horizontal. Ignore air resistance and consider the
flight of each object from launch until it returns to the same launch height above the
ground. Questions 15 and 16 refer to this situation.

15. Which object returns to the starting height with the greatest speed?

(a) Object 1 since it keeps a lower trajectory.

(b) Object 2 since it is in the air for a longer time.
(c) Object 2 since there is more work done on the object during flight
(d) The speeds are the same.
(e) It cannot be determined without more information.

16. Which object experiences the greatest change in the linear momentum?

(a) Object 1 since it has a higher final speed.

(b) Object 2 since it has a higher final speed.
(c) Object 2 since it is in the air for a longer time.
(d) The change in momentum is the same for each.
(e) It cannot be determined without more information.

17. A toy car moves along the x-axis according to

the velocity versus time curve shown to the
right. When does the car have zero
acceleration?

(a) at 2 and 4 seconds

(b) at approximately 3.0 seconds
(c) at approximately 3.3 and 5.1 seconds
(d) the acceleration is always zero
(e) at no time

18. In which one of the following situations is the net force constantly zero on the object?

(a) A mass attached to a string and swinging like a pendulum.

(b) A stone falling freely in a gravitational field.
(c) An astronaut floating in the International Space Station.
(d) A snowboarder riding down a steep hill.
(e) A skydiver who has reached terminal velocity.

Both Divisions I and II 5 Both Division I and II

19. What net force is necessary to keep a 1.0 kg puck moving in a circle of radius 0.5 m on
a horizontal frictionless surface with a speed of 2.0 m/s?

(a) 0 N (b) 2.0 N (c) 4.0 N (d) 8.0 N (e) 16 N

20. A large wedge rests on a horizontal frictionless

surface, as shown. A block starts from rest and
slides down the inclined surface of the wedge,
which is rough. During the motion of the block,
the center of mass of the block and wedge system

(a) does not move.

(b) moves vertically with increasing speed.
(c) moves horizontally with constant speed.
(d) moves horizontally with increasing speed.
(e) moves both horizontally and vertically.

21. A box slides to the right across a horizontal floor. A person called Ted exerts a force T
to the right on the box. A person called Mario exerts a force M to the left, which is half
as large as the force T. Given that there is friction f and the box accelerates to the
right, rank the sizes of these three forces exerted on the box.

(a) f < M <T

(b) M < f <T
(c) M <T < f
(d) f = M <T
(e) It cannot be determined.

22. A mass m is pulled outward until the string of length L to which it is attached makes a
90-degree angle with the vertical. The mass is released from rest and swings through a
circular arc. What is the tension in the string when the mass swings through the bottom
of the arc?

(a) 0 (b) mg (c) 2mg (d) 3mg (e) It cannot be determined.

23. The period of a mass-spring system undergoing simple harmonic oscillation is T. If the
amplitude of the mass-spring system’s motion is doubled, the period will be

(a) ¼T (b) ½ T (c) T (d) 2T (e) 4T

Both Divisions I and II 6 Both Division I and II

24. A resonance occurs with a tuning fork and an air column of size
39 cm. The next highest resonance occurs with an air column of
65 cm. What is the frequency of the tuning fork? Assume that the
speed of sound is 343 m/s.

(a) 329.8 Hz
(b) 527.7 Hz
(c) 659.6 Hz
(d) 879.5 Hz
(e) 1319 Hz

25. If two protons are spaced by a distance R, what is the ratio of the gravitational force
that one proton exerts on the other to the electric force that one proton exerts on the
other? That is,

Fgravity
=
Felectric

(a) ≈ 10 −8 (b) ≈ 10 −16 (c) ≈ 10 −20 (d) ≈ 10 −36 (e) ≈ 10 −43

q2
26. For the diagram shown below, what is the ratio of the charges , where the
q1
diagram shown has a representation of the field lines in the space near the charges.

(a) − 3 (b) − 2 (c) 2 (d) 3 (e) 1

2 3 3 2

Both Divisions I and II 7 Both Division I and II

27. A junior Thomas Edison wants to make a brighter light bulb. He decides to modify the
filament. How should the filament of a light bulb be modified in order to make the
light bulb produce more light at a given voltage?

(a) Increase the resistivity only.

(b) Increase the diameter only.
(c) Decrease the diameter only.
(d) Decrease the diameter and increase the resistivity.
(e) Increase the length only.

28. Which statement about a system of point charges that are fixed in space is necessarily
true?

(a) If the potential energy of the system is negative, net positive work by an external
agent is required to take the charges in the system back to infinity.
(b) If the potential energy of the system is positive, net positive work is required to
bring any new charge not part of the system in from infinity to its final resting
location.
(c) If the potential energy of the system is zero, no negative charges are in the
configuration.
(d) If the potential energy of the system is negative, net positive work by an external
agent was required to assemble the system of charges.
(e) If the potential energy of the system is zero, then there is no electric force anywhere
in space on any other charged particle not part of the system.

29. In the circuit diagram below, all of the bulbs

are identical. Which bulb will be the brightest?
A
(a) A
(b) B D
10 V
(c) C
(d) D B
(e) The bulbs all have the same brightness.

C
30. In the following circuit diagram, which one of the bulbs will not light?

(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D B
A
(e) They all light. C

Both Divisions I and II D 8 Both Division I and II

31. James Clerk Maxwell's great contribution to electromagnetic theory was his idea that

(a) work is required to move a magnetic pole through a closed path surrounding a current.
(b) a time-changing electric field acts as a current and produces a magnetic field.
(c) the speed of light could be determined from simple electrostatic and magnetostatic
experiments and finding the values of µo and εo.
(d) the magnetic force on a moving charge particle is perpendicular to both its velocity
and the magnetic field.
(e) magnetism could be explained in terms of circulating currents in atoms.

32. What does LASER stand for?

(a) Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation

(b) Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
(c) Light Amplification by Simultaneous Emission of Radiation
(d) Light Amplification by Systematic Emission of Radiation
(e) Light Amplification by Serendipitous Emission of Radiation

33. For the circuit shown, the ammeter reading is

initially I. The switch in the circuit then is closed.
Consequently:

(a) The ammeter reading decreases.

(b) The potential difference between E and F
increases.
(c) The potential difference between E and F
stays the same.
(d) Bulb #3 lights up more brightly.
(e) The power supplied by the battery decreases.

34. For the solenoids shown in the diagram (which are

assumed to be close to each other), the resistance of
the left-hand circuit is slowly increased. In which
direction does the galvanometer needle in the right-
hand circuit move in response to this change?

(a) The needle deflects to the left.

(b) The needle deflects to the right.
(c) The needle oscillates back and forth.
(d) The needle rotates in counterclockwise circles.
(e) The needle never moves.

Both Divisions I and II 9 Both Division I and II

35. Two objects labeled K and L have equal mass but densities 0.95D0 and D0,
respectively. Each of these objects floats after being thrown into a deep swimming
pool. Which is true about the buoyant forces acting on these objects?

(a) The buoyant force is greater on Object K since it has a lower density and displaces
more water.
(b) The buoyant force is greater on Object K since it has lower density and lower
density objects always float “higher” in the fluid.
(c) The buoyant force is greater on Object L since it is denser than K and therefore
“heavier.”
(d) The buoyant forces are equal on the objects since they have equal mass.
(e) Without knowing the specific gravity of the objects, nothing can be determined.

36. A driveway is 22.0 m long and 5.0 m wide. If the atmospheric pressure is 1.0 x 105 Pa,
what force does the atmosphere exert on the driveway?

(a) 9.09 x 10-8 N

(b) 1.1 x 10-3N
(c) 909 N
(d) 4545 N
(e) 1.1 x 107 N

37. A place of zero displacement on a standing wave is called

(a) an antinode.
(b) a node.
(c) the amplitude.
(d) the wavenumber.
(e) the harmonic.

38. Absolute zero is best described as that temperature at which

(a) water freezes at standard pressure.

(b) water is at its triple point.
(c) the molecules of a substance have a maximum kinetic energy.
(d) the molecules of a substance have a maximum potential energy.
(e) the molecules of a substance have minimum kinetic energy.

Both Divisions I and II 10 Both Division I and II

39. A mass of material exists in its solid form at its melting temperature 10 0 C . The
following processes then occur to the material:

Process 1: An amount of thermal energy Q is added to the material and ¾ of the

material melts.
Process 2: An identical additional amount of thermal energy Q is added to the material
and the material is now a liquid at 500 C.

What is the ratio of the latent heat of fusion to the specific heat of the liquid for this
material?

(a) 80 0 C
(b) 60 0 C
(c) 40 0 C
(d) 20 0 C
(e) More information is needed to answer this question.

40. Which is not true of an isochoric process on an enclosed ideal gas in which the
pressure decreases?

(a) The work done is zero.

(b) The internal energy of the gas decreases.
(c) The heat is zero.
(d) The rms speed of the gas molecules decreases.
(e) The gas temperature decreases.

Both Divisions I and II 11 Both Division I and II

ATTENTION: All Division I students, STOP HERE. Your last answer should be
number 40. Numbers 41-50 should remain blank for Division I
students.
All Division II students, continue to question 50.

41. For the diagram shown, what is the magnitude of the

torque from the applied force as measured from the
center of the disk?

(a) Fd sin 300

(b) Fd tan 300
(c) Fd sin 900
(d) Fd sin 1200
(e) Fd cos1200

42. A solid spherical conductor has charge + Q and

radius R . It is surrounded by a solid spherical
shell with charge − Q , inner radius 2 R , and outer
radius 3R . Which of the following statements is
true for the labeled points in the diagram?
Assume these objects are isolated in space and
that the electric potential is zero as the distance
from the spheres approaches infinity. Point A is
at the center of the inner sphere, Point B is
located at r = R + δ , Point D is located at
r = 3R + δ and Point C is located at
r = 2 R − δ where δ is an infinitesimal amount
and all distances are from the center of the inner
sphere.

(a) The electric potential has a maximum magnitude at C and the electric field has a
maximum magnitude at A.
(b) The electric potential has a maximum magnitude at D and the electric field has a
maximum magnitude at B.
(c) The electric potential at A is zero and the electric field has a maximum magnitude
at D.
(d) The electric potential at A is zero and the electric field has a maximum magnitude
at B.
(e) Both the electric potential and electric field achieve a maximum magnitude at B.

Division II only 12 Division II only

43. Which of the following best represents the ray diagram construction for finding the
image formed for the virtual object shown? The solid dots on either side of the lens
locate the equal magnitude foci of the lens.

44. A person vibrates the end of a string sending transverse waves down the string. If the
person then doubles the rate at which he vibrates the string, the speed of the waves

(a) doubles and the wavelength is unchanged

(b) doubles and the wavelength doubled
(c) doubles while the wavelength is halved
(d) is unchanged while the wavelength is doubled
(e) is unchanged while the wavelength is halved.

45. If the temperature of a material doubles on the Kelvin scale, by how much does the
time-rate at which energy is radiated from the material change?

(a) It is unchanged
(b) It is doubled
(c) It is 4 times greater
(d) It is 8 times greater
(e) It is 16 times greater

Division II only 13 Division II only

46. An ideal gas undergoes a reversible isothermal expansion at T = 300 K. The total
change in entropy of the gas is 2.5 J/K. How much work was done by the
environment on the gas during this process?

(a) -750 J
(b) -120 J
(c) 120 J
(d) 750 J
(e) More information is required to answer this question.

47. Two spaceships travel along paths that are at right angles to each other. Each ship
travels at 0.60c where c is the speed of light in a vacuum according to a stationary
observer. If one of the ships turns on a green laser and aims it at a right angle to the
direction of its travel, with what speed does the other speed record the speed of the
green light?

(a) 0.40 c
(b) 0.85 c
(c) 1.00 c
(d) 1.17 c
(e) More information is required about the direction that the light is traveling in order
to answer the question.

48. How fast must an observer move so that a stationary object appears to be one-half of
its proper length?

(a) 0.50 c
(b) 0.67 c
(c) 0.75 c
(d) 0.87 c
(e) 0.93 c

49. The ratio λ1/λ2 of the deBroglie wavelengths of two non-relativistic particles with
masses m1 and m2 and the same kinetic energy, is equal to

(a) m2/ m1 (b) m1/ m2 (c) m2 / m1 (d) m1 / m2 (e) 1

50. A gas undergoes radioactive decay with time constant τ . A sample of 10000 particles
is put into a container. After one time constant has passed, the experimenter places
another 10000 particles into the original container. How much time passes from the
addition of the particles until the container of gas reaches 10000 total particles again?

(a) (0.405) τ (b) (0.500 ) τ (c) (0.693) τ (d) τ (e) 2τ

Division II only 14 Division II only