Basic Physics for Non-Science Majors
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
This course offers an accessible introduction to the fundamental principles of physics, designed specifically for students who are not majoring in science. Topics include the nature of motion, energy, forces, heat, waves, electricity, and magnetism, with real-world applications discussed throughout. Emphasis is placed on conceptual understanding rather than mathematical rigor, making physics relevant and engaging for everyday life and a variety of non-scientific careers. Students will develop scientific literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills through interactive lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on activities.
Recommended Textbook
The Physical Universe 13th Edition by Konrad Krauskopf
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19 Chapters
954 Verified Questions
954 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: The Scientific Method
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Sample Questions
Q1) The ongoing evolution of living things
A)is one of the basic concepts of biology.
B)is one of the basic concepts of Intelligent Design.
C)has no basis in observation.
D)is in conflict with all religions.
Answer: A
Q2) A day is the time needed for
A)the sun to drift completely around the sky.
B)the moon to drift completely around the sky.
C)the earth to turn completely on its axis.
D)None of the choices are correct.
Answer: C
Q3) High tides occur
A)less often than low tides.
B)as often as low tides.
C)more often than low tides.
D)Any of the choices, depending on location.
Answer: B
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3
Chapter 2: Motion
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Sample Questions
Q1) A car whose initial speed is 30 m/s undergoes a constant acceleration of 5 m/s<sup>2</sup>.In the first 6 s after the acceleration starts, the car travels
A)90 m.
B)120 m.
C)195 m.
D)270 m.
Answer: D
Q2) As a spacecraft moves upward,
A)its mass decreases.
B)its mass increases.
C)its weight decreases.
D)its weight increases.
Answer: C
Q3) The mass of a sack of potatoes whose weight is 200 N is
A)20.4 kg.
B)91 kg.
C)210 kg.
D)440 kg.
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Energy
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Sample Questions
Q1) A rocket is fired in space.As it moves, the total momentum of the rocket and its exhaust gases
A)decreases.
B)remains the same.
C)increases.
D)Any of the choices could be correct, depending on the nature of the rocket.
Answer: B
Q2) The speed of a 4000-kg truck whose KE is 1.8 MJ is
A)0.95 m/s.
B)30 m/s.
C)94 m/s.
D)900 m/s.
Answer: B
Q3) The work done in lifting 30 kg of bricks to a height of 20 m on a building under construction is
A)61 J.
B)600 J.
C)2940 J.
D)5880 J.
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Energy and the Future
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Sample Questions
Q1) The world's fastest-growing source of clean energy is A)wind.
B)geothermal.
C)hydropower.
D)solar.
Q2) Most oil today is used for A)transportation.
B)electricity.
C)heat.
D)chemical products.
Q3) Which of the following are the chief acids in acid rain?
A)sulfuric acid
B)hydrochloric acid
C)nitric acid
D)citric acid
E)Both A and C
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Matter and Heat
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Sample Questions
Q1) The average pressure of the atmosphere at sea level corresponds to which one or more of the following?
A)101 Pa
B)101 kPa
C)98 kPa
D)15 lb/in<sup>2</sup>
E)Both B and D
Q2) The work output of every heat engine
A)equals its heat intake.
B)equals the difference between its heat intake and heat exhaust.
C)depends only on its intake temperature.
D)depends only on its exhaust temperature.
Q3) When heat is added to a body of matter, the resulting temperature increase does not depend upon
A)its mass.
B)its shape.
C)what kind of material it consists of.
D)whether it is in the solid, liquid, or gaseous state.
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Chapter 6: Electricity and Magnetism
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Sample Questions
Q1) Superconductivity occurs in certain substances
A)only at very low temperatures.
B)only at very high temperatures.
C)at all temperatures.
D)only when they are in the liquid state.
Q2) Two charges repel each other with a force of 10<sup>-6</sup> N when they are 10 cm apart.When they are brought closer together until they are 2 cm apart, the force between them becomes
A)4 * 10<sup>-8</sup> N.
B)5 *10<sup>-6</sup> N.
C)8 * 10<sup>-6</sup> N.
D)2.5 * 10<sup>-5</sup> N.
Q3) The particle easiest to remove from an atom is a(an) A)electron.
B)proton.
C)neutron. D)nucleus.
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8
Chapter 7: Waves
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Sample Questions
Q1) Relative to the focal length of a wide-angle camera lens, the focal length of a telephoto lens is A)shorter. B)the same.
C)longer.
D)Any of theses choices could be correct, depending on the camera.
Q2) Sound waves travel slowest in A)a vacuum. B)gases.
C)liquids. D)solids.
Q3) Radio amateurs are permitted to communicate on the "10-meter band." What frequency of radio waves corresponds to a wavelength of 10 meters? The speed of radio waves is 3 * 10<sup>8</sup> m/s.
A)3.3 * 10<sup>-8</sup> Hz
B)3.0 * 10<sup>7</sup> Hz
C)3.3 * 10<sup>7</sup> Hz
D)3.0* 10<sup>9</sup> Hz
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Chapter 8: The Nucleus
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Sample Questions
Q1) The electromagnetic waves emitted by a nucleus are called A)ultraviolet rays.
B)X-rays.
C)gamma rays.
D)quarks.
Q2) After 10 years, 75 g of an original sample of 100 g of a certain radioactive isotope has decayed.The half-life of the isotope is A)5 years.
B)7.5 years.
C)20 years.
D)40 years.
Q3) Slightly enriched uranium can be the energy source of which one or more of the following?
A)nuclear fission reactors
B)nuclear fusion reactors
C)nuclear weapons
D)X-rays
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Page 10
Chapter 9: The Atom
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Sample Questions
Q1) An increase in the voltage applied to an X-ray tube causes an increase in the X-rays'
A)wavelength.
B)speed.
C)energy.
D)number.
Q2) Which of the following electron jumps in a hydrogen atom absorbs the photon of highest frequency?
A)n = 1 to n = 2
B)n = 2 to n = 1
C)n = 2 to n = 3
D)n = 3 to n = 2
Q3) The speed of the wave packet that corresponds to a moving particle is
A)less than the speed of light.
B)equal to the speed of light.
C)greater than the speed of light.
D)Any of these choices could be correct, depending on the frequency.
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11
Chapter 10: The Periodic Law
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Sample Questions
Q1) An atom whose outer electron shell lacks one electron from being filled is A)a halogen.
B)an active metal.
C)an inactive metal.
D)an inert gas.
Q2) The most abundant element in the universe is A)hydrogen. B)helium.
C)oxygen. D)carbon.
Q3) Potassium forms K<sup>+</sup> ions and sulfur forms S<sup>2-</sup> ions.The formula of potassium sulfide is A)KS.
B)K<sub>2</sub>S.
C)KS<sub>2</sub>.
D)K<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>.
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Chapter 11: Crystals, Ions, and Solutions
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Sample Questions
Q1) With increasing temperature, the solubility of a gas in a liquid
A)decreases.
B)increases.
C)remains the same.
D)Any of these choices could be correct, depending on the particular gas and liquid.
Q2) At room temperature and atmospheric pressure, ammonia is a A)gas whose formula is NH<sub>3</sub>.
B)liquid whose formula is NH<sub>3</sub>.
C)gas whose formula is NH<sub>4</sub>.
D)liquid whose formula is NH<sub>4</sub>.
Q3) An example of a molecular solid is A)ice.
B)diamond.
C)table salt.
D)tin.
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13
Chapter 12: Chemical Reactions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Oxidation-reduction reactions are not involved in A)electrolysis.
B)acid-base neutralization.
C)the operation of a storage battery.
D)the operation of a fuel cell.
Q2) A mole of any compound contains Avogadro's number of A)atoms.
B)ions.
C)molecules.
D)formula units.
Q3) Which of the following statements about ozone is incorrect?
A)The formula of ozone is O<sub>3</sub>.
B)Ozone molecules are more stable than those of ordinary oxygen.
C)At low altitudes ozone contributes to smog.
D)At high altitudes ozone absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation.
Q4) Approximately 4/5 of dry air consists of A)oxygen.
B)nitrogen.
C)carbon dioxide.
D)argon.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Organic Chemistry
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Sample Questions
Q1) Photosynthesis produces A)carbohydrates.
B)proteins.
C)lipids.
D)All of these choices are correct.
Q2) A molecule in which three bonds occur between carbon atoms is
A)C<sub>2</sub>H.
B)C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>.
C)C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>.
D)C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>.
Q3) An organic acid molecule contains one or more carboxyl groups whose molecular formula is
A)CO.
B)OH.
C)COH.
D)COOH.
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Chapter 14: Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) Rain is not usually associated with A)a warm front.
B)a cold front.
C)a cyclone.
D)an anticyclone.
Q2) Tsunamis
A)are extremely rare.
B)occur mainly in the Atlantic Ocean.
C)are caused by undersea earthquakes.
D)are caused by hurricanes.
Q3) The process by which air heated by contact with a warm part of the earth's surface rises upward is called A)the Coriolis effect.
B)conduction.
C)convection.
D)insolation.
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Chapter 15: The Rock Cycle
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Sample Questions
Q1) A wall of igneous rock that cuts across existing rock layers might consist of A)marble.
B)slate.
C)granite.
D)mica.
Q2) The chief source of the energy that powers geological processes today is A)the sun.
B)heat left over from the earth's formation.
C)electric currents in the earth's core.
D)radioactivity in the earth's interior.
Q3) Most crustal rocks
A)were formed from compacted sediments.
B)were formed from chemical or biochemical precipitates.
C)solidified from a molten state.
D)were metamorphosed by heat and pressure under the earth's surface.
Q4) Volcanic gases do not include A)hydrogen.
B)carbon dioxide.
C)ozone.
D)water vapor.
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Chapter 16: The Evolving Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) The dinosaurs disappeared at the end of A)Precambrian time.
B)the Paleozoic era.
C)the Mesozoic era.
D)the Cenozoic era.
Q2) The ancient supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana were separated by the A)Atlantic Ocean.
B)Pacific Ocean.
C)Tethys Sea.
D)Caribbean Sea.
Q3) Gondwana did not contain A)North America.
B)South America.
C)Africa.
D)Australia.
Q4) Birds are descended from A)mammals.
B)dinosaurs.
C)fish.
D)insects.
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Chapter 17: The Solar System
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Sample Questions
Q1) A planet that has no rings around it is A)Mars.
B)Jupiter.
C)Saturn.
D)Uranus.
Q2) Venus is very unlikely to support life because
A)it has no atmosphere.
B)its escape speed is too low.
C)its surface is too cold.
D)its surface is too hot.
Q3) The spacecraft that landed on Mars found A)signs of life.
B)liquid water.
C)a dense atmosphere.
D)lava flows.
Q4) The maria of the moon
A)are found only on the hemisphere that faces the earth.
B)are found only on the hemisphere that faces away from the earth.
C)are found everywhere on the moon's surface.
D)regularly change size and shape.
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Chapter 18: The Stars
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Sample Questions
Q1) The least common of the following are
A)white dwarfs.
B)red dwarfs.
C)brown dwarfs.
D)black dwarfs.
Q2) The sun does not
A)have a magnetic field.
B)have a solid core.
C)revolve about an axis.
D)consist largely of ions.
Q3) The source of the sun's energy is A)radioactivity.
B)nuclear fission.
C)nuclear fusion.
D)combustion.
Q4) What keeps light from escaping from a black hole is its A)strong electric field.
B)strong magnetic field.
C)strong gravitational field.
D)absorbing atmosphere.
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Chapter 19: Universe
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the light of current evidence, a reasonable figure for the age of the universe is
A)13.7 million years.
B)13.7 billion years.
C)100 billion years.
D)15 trillion years.
Q2) Information about the origin of the universe does not come from the A)fact that spiral galaxies rotate.
B)red shifts in galactic spectra.
C)relative abundances of hydrogen and helium.
D)cosmic background radiation.
Q3) Galactic spectra show
A)red and blue shifts.
B)red shifts of the same magnitude.
C)red shifts that decrease with distance.
D)red shifts that increase with distance.
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