Practice Tests for AP Physics 1 - 4

Question 1

A velocity-time graph for a moving object shows a straight line starting at v = 4 m/s at t = 0 s and reaching v = 12 m/s at t = 4 s. What is the acceleration of the object?

Accepted Answer

2 m/s²

Answer

3 m/s²

Answer

4 m/s²

Answer

8 m/s²

Question 2

Which of the following is a scalar quantity?

Accepted Answer

Speed

Answer

Displacement

Answer

Velocity

Answer

Acceleration

Question 3

A ball is launched horizontally from the edge of a cliff at 15 m/s. The ball takes 3 s to reach the ground below. What is the horizontal distance traveled by the ball?

Accepted Answer

45 m

Answer

30 m

Answer

60 m

Answer

22.5 m

Question 4

A projectile is launched from the ground at an angle above the horizontal. At the highest point of its trajectory, which of the following best describes the object's acceleration and velocity?

Accepted Answer

Acceleration is directed downward at 9.8 m/s&sup2;; vertical velocity is zero but horizontal velocity is nonzero

Answer

Both acceleration and velocity are zero at the highest point

Answer

Acceleration is zero; only horizontal velocity remains

Answer

Acceleration is directed upward at 9.8 m/s&sup2;; only vertical velocity remains

Question 5

A 4 kg block starts from rest at the top of a frictionless ramp that is 5 m high. What is the speed of the block at the bottom of the ramp? (g = 9.8 m/s²)

Accepted Answer

9.9 m/s

Answer

7.0 m/s

Answer

14.0 m/s

Answer

4.9 m/s

Question 6

A person carries a heavy box horizontally across a flat floor at constant velocity. Which of the following correctly describes the work done by the normal force on the box?

Accepted Answer

Zero, because the normal force is perpendicular to the displacement

Answer

Positive, because the normal force supports the box against gravity

Answer

Negative, because the normal force opposes the upward displacement

Answer

Zero, because the box moves at constant velocity and no net work is done by any force

Question 7

A block slides from rest down a rough inclined surface. An energy bar chart (LOL diagram) is drawn for the system consisting of the block and Earth. Which of the following correctly describes the energy bar chart at the bottom of the ramp compared to the top?

Accepted Answer

Gravitational PE bar decreases; KE bar increases by a smaller amount; thermal energy bar increases

Answer

Gravitational PE bar decreases; KE bar increases by the same amount; thermal energy bar remains zero

Answer

Gravitational PE bar remains constant; KE bar increases; thermal energy bar decreases

Answer

Both gravitational PE and KE bars remain constant; only the thermal energy bar increases

Question 8

A student lifts objects of different masses to the same fixed height and records the time required for each lift. The student's goal is to study how the time interval affects power output. Which of the following correctly identifies the independent variable (IV) and dependent variable (DV) in this experiment?

Accepted Answer

IV: time interval; DV: power output

Answer

IV: height lifted; DV: mass of object

Answer

IV: mass of object; DV: time interval

Answer

IV: power output; DV: height lifted

Question 9

A 0.2 kg ball moving at 5 m/s to the right strikes a wall and rebounds at 5 m/s to the left. The contact time is 0.01 s. Taking rightward as positive, which of the following correctly states the magnitude and direction of the impulse experienced by the ball?

Accepted Answer

2 N&middot;s directed to the left

Answer

1 N&middot;s directed to the right

Answer

0 N&middot;s, because the speeds before and after are equal

Answer

0.1 N&middot;s directed to the left

Question 10

A 3 kg cart moving at 4 m/s to the right collides with a 1 kg cart initially at rest. The two carts stick together after the collision. What is the velocity of the combined system immediately after the collision?

Accepted Answer

3 m/s to the right

Answer

4 m/s to the right

Answer

2 m/s to the right

Answer

1 m/s to the right

Question 11

A force-time graph shows a constant force of 10 N applied for 0.5 s to a stationary 2 kg object on a frictionless surface. What is the object's speed immediately after the force is removed?

Accepted Answer

2.5 m/s

Answer

5 m/s

Answer

1 m/s

Answer

10 m/s

Question 12

A force of 20 N is applied perpendicular to a wrench handle at a distance of 0.3 m from the bolt (pivot point). What is the magnitude of the torque produced about the pivot?

Accepted Answer

6 N&middot;m

Answer

20 N&middot;m

Answer

60 N&middot;m

Answer

0.15 N&middot;m

Question 13

A uniform horizontal beam of mass 10 kg and length 4 m is supported at its left end by a pivot. A student applies a downward force of 50 N at the right end of the beam. What is the net torque about the pivot due to the weight of the beam and the applied force? (g = 9.8 m/s²)

Accepted Answer

396 N&middot;m clockwise

Answer

4 N&middot;m clockwise

Answer

200 N&middot;m clockwise

Answer

196 N&middot;m clockwise

Question 14

Two solid disks have the same mass but different radii. Disk X has radius R and Disk Y has radius 2R. The rotational inertia of a solid disk about its central axis is given by I = ½mR². Which of the following correctly compares their rotational inertias?

Accepted Answer

Disk Y has greater rotational inertia because rotational inertia scales with the square of the radius

Answer

Disk X has greater rotational inertia because it is more compact and concentrates mass near the axis

Answer

Both disks have the same rotational inertia because they have the same mass

Answer

Disk Y has greater rotational inertia because it has a greater angular velocity when spinning

Question 15

A flywheel with rotational inertia I = 2 kg·m² spins at an angular velocity of 6 rad/s. What is the rotational kinetic energy of the flywheel?

Accepted Answer

36 J

Answer

12 J

Answer

72 J

Answer

6 J

Question 16

A figure skater spinning with arms extended has a rotational inertia of 4 kg·m² and an angular velocity of 2 rad/s. She pulls her arms inward, reducing her rotational inertia to 1 kg·m². What is her new angular velocity? (Assume no external torques act on the skater.)

Accepted Answer

8 rad/s

Answer

0.5 rad/s

Answer

4 rad/s

Answer

2 rad/s

Question 17

A solid sphere of radius 0.5 m rolls without slipping along a flat horizontal surface. The center of mass of the sphere moves at 3 m/s. What is the angular velocity of the sphere?

Accepted Answer

6 rad/s

Answer

1.5 rad/s

Answer

3 rad/s

Answer

12 rad/s

Question 18

A student doubles the amplitude of a mass-spring oscillator while keeping the mass and spring constant unchanged. Which of the following correctly describes the effect on the period of oscillation?

Accepted Answer

The period remains the same, because the period of a mass-spring system is independent of amplitude

Answer

The period doubles, because greater amplitude means the mass travels a longer path

Answer

The period is halved, because the restoring force increases at larger amplitudes

Answer

The period increases by a factor of &radic;2, because energy scales with amplitude squared

Question 19

A 0.4 kg mass is attached to a spring with spring constant k = 100 N/m and set into oscillation. What is the period of oscillation?

Accepted Answer

0.4 s

Answer

0.2 s

Answer

1.0 s

Answer

0.8 s

Question 20

A mass attached to a spring oscillates with amplitude A. At which position does the mass have maximum kinetic energy and minimum elastic potential energy?

Accepted Answer

At the equilibrium position (x = 0), because the restoring force is zero and all energy is kinetic

Answer

At the amplitude position (x = A), because the spring is fully stretched and stores maximum energy

Answer

Halfway between equilibrium and amplitude, because energy is equally split at that point

Answer

At the amplitude position, because the spring converts maximum stored energy directly to kinetic energy

Question 21

A hydraulic piston has a circular surface area of 0.02 m². A force of 500 N is applied perpendicular to the piston surface. What is the pressure exerted on the fluid by the piston?

Accepted Answer

25,000 Pa

Answer

10 Pa

Answer

500 Pa

Answer

2,500 Pa

Question 22

Two containers are filled with water to the same depth h. Container X has a wide base and Container Y has a narrow base. A student claims that the pressure at the bottom of Container X is greater than the pressure at the bottom of Container Y because Container X has a larger base area. Which of the following best evaluates the student's claim?

Accepted Answer

The claim is incorrect; pressure at a given depth depends only on fluid density and depth, not the shape or area of the container

Answer

The claim is correct; a larger base area means the fluid exerts a greater total force, so pressure is greater

Answer

The claim is correct; more water sits above the wider base, increasing the pressure at the bottom

Answer

The claim is incorrect; pressure is greater in the narrower container because the fluid is forced to move faster

Question 23

Water flows steadily through a horizontal pipe that narrows from a cross-sectional area of 0.04 m² to a cross-sectional area of 0.01 m². The water speed in the wide section is 2 m/s. What is the water speed in the narrow section?

Accepted Answer

8 m/s

Answer

0.5 m/s

Answer

4 m/s

Answer

2 m/s

Question 24

A student submerges objects of different densities fully in water to study the factors that affect buoyant force. The student measures the volume of water displaced for each object. Which of the following is a controlled variable in this experiment?

Accepted Answer

Density of the fluid (water)

Answer

Density of the submerged object

Answer

Volume of the submerged object

Answer

Mass of displaced water

Question 25

A student drops balls of different masses from the same height and measures the time each ball takes to reach the ground. The student wants to determine whether mass affects the time of free fall. Which of the following would most undermine the validity of the experiment's conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The student uses balls of different sizes, which introduces different amounts of air resistance

Answer

The student measures time using a handheld stopwatch instead of a photogate

Answer

The student repeats each trial three times and averages the results

Answer

The student drops all balls from exactly the same height each trial

Question 26

A 5 kg block starts from rest and is pushed along a horizontal surface by a constant applied force of 30 N over a distance of 10 m. A constant kinetic friction force of 10 N opposes the motion throughout. What is the final kinetic energy of the block?

Accepted Answer

200 J

Answer

300 J

Answer

100 J

Answer

400 J

Question 27

In which of the following collision types is kinetic energy conserved?

Accepted Answer

An elastic collision only, because no kinetic energy is converted to other forms

Answer

A perfectly inelastic collision, because the objects move together and energy is redistributed evenly

Answer

All collisions, because the total energy of a closed system is always conserved

Answer

An inelastic collision, because momentum conservation implies kinetic energy conservation

Question 28

A student places a uniform meter stick on a pivot at its center (50 cm mark). A 200 g mass is hung at the 30 cm mark. Where must a 100 g mass be placed on the opposite side of the pivot to balance the meter stick?

Accepted Answer

90 cm mark

Answer

70 cm mark

Answer

60 cm mark

Answer

80 cm mark

Question 29

A solid sphere rolls without slipping down a ramp and reaches the bottom with a translational speed v. Which of the following correctly describes the total kinetic energy of the sphere at the bottom of the ramp?

Accepted Answer

KE = &frac12;mv&sup2; + &frac12;I&omega;&sup2;, because both translational and rotational motion contribute to total kinetic energy

Answer

KE = &frac12;mv&sup2; only, because translational motion is the only relevant form of kinetic energy

Answer

KE = &frac12;I&omega;&sup2; only, because the sphere rotates as it rolls

Answer

KE = mgh only, because all gravitational PE is fully converted without loss

Question 30

A position-time graph for a mass attached to a spring shows sinusoidal simple harmonic motion. At the instant the position reaches its maximum positive value (the amplitude), which of the following correctly describes the velocity and acceleration of the mass at that instant?

Accepted Answer

Velocity is zero; acceleration is at its maximum magnitude and directed toward the equilibrium position

Answer

Velocity is maximum and positive; acceleration is zero

Answer

Both velocity and acceleration are zero at the amplitude

Answer

Both velocity and acceleration are at their maximum positive values simultaneously

Practice Tests for AP Physics 1 - 4 Grade 11 MCQs & solutions - Free

MCQ Practice Test & Solutions: Practice Tests for AP Physics 1 - 4 (40 Questions)