Liberal Arts Physics
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Liberal Arts Physics offers a broad exploration of foundational physical principles and concepts tailored for students from non-science disciplines. The course emphasizes the relevance of physics in everyday life, touching on topics such as motion, energy, heat, electricity, magnetism, light, and the structure of matter. Using accessible language, real-world examples, and minimal mathematics, students develop critical thinking skills while understanding the scientific methods that shape our knowledge of the universe. This course fosters scientific literacy and an appreciation for the role of physics in culture, technology, and society.
Recommended Textbook
The Physical Universe 13th Edition by Konrad Krauskopf
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19 Chapters
954 Verified Questions
954 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3132
Page 2
Chapter 1: The Scientific Method
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/62071
Sample Questions
Q1) Relative to the stars, the moon seems to move
A)northward.
B)southward.
C)eastward.
D)westward.
Answer: C
Q2) If the earth were to revolve on its axis slower than it does today, its shape
A)would be closer to a perfect sphere.
B)would be farther from a perfect sphere.
C)and size would be unchanged.
D)would not change but it would expand in size.
Answer: A
Q3) When a planet is farthest from the sun in its orbit,
A)its speed is greatest.
B)its speed is the same as when it is farther away.
C)its speed is least.
D)Any of the choices, depending on which planet it is.
Answer: C
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3
Chapter 2: Motion
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60 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The speed of an object moving in a circle is doubled.The centripetal force needed is
A)one-quarter as much as before.
B)half as much as before.
C)twice as much as before.
D)four times as much as before.
Answer: D
Q2) Which of the following sets of displacements might be able to return a car to its starting point?
A)2, 8, 10, and 25 km
B)5, 20, 35, and 65 km
C)60, 120, 180, and 240 km
D)100, 100, 100, and 400 km
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following units could be associated with a vector quantity?
A)km/s<sup>2</sup>
B)kg/s
C)hours
D)m<sup>3</sup>
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Energy
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47 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When the speed of a moving object is halved,
A)its KE is halved.
B)its PE is halved.
C)its rest energy is halved.
D)its momentum is halved.
Answer: D
Q2) Which of the following is not a unit of work?
A)newton-meter
B)joule
C)kilogram-meter
D)watt-hour
Answer: C
Q3) An 800-kg car moving at 80 km/h overtakes a 1200-kg car moving at 40 km/h in the same direction.If the two cars stick together, the wreckage has an initial speed of A)8 km/h.
B)40 km/h.
C)56 km/h.
D)60 km/h.
Answer: C
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Energy and the Future
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The proportion of world energy supplied by sources other than fossil fuels is about A)15 percent.
B)25 percent.
C)50 percent.
D)85 percent.
Q2) The energy the world uses in a year is comparable with the energy that arrives from the sun every A)hour.
B)day.
C)week.
D)month.
Q3) Fuel cells
A)store energy.
B)need regular recharging with electric current.
C)need continuous supplies of fuel.
D)produce hydrogen from water.
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Chapter 5: Matter and Heat
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64 Verified Questions
64 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) If a heat engine that exhausts heat at 400 K is to have an efficiency of 33%, it must take in heat at a minimum of
A)133 K.
B)449 K.
C)532 K.
D)600 K.
Q2) Heat can be transferred through a liquid by which one or more of the following?
A)conduction
B)convection
C)radiation
D)condensation
E)Both A, B, and C
Q3) Heat can be transferred through a gas by which one or more of the following?
A)conduction
B)convection
C)radiation
D)condensation
E)Both A, B, and C
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Chapter 6: Electricity and Magnetism
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50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The primary coil of a transformer has 200 turns and its secondary coil has 40 turns. If the current in the secondary coil is 25 A, the current in the primary coil is
A) 5 A.
B) 6.4 A.
C) 2.5 A.
D) 125 A.
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 current in a 24-W, 12-V light bulb is
A) 0.5 A.
B) 2 A.
C) 12 A.
D) 288 A.
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8
Chapter 7: Waves
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56 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A changing electric field gives rise to A)a magnetic field.
B)electromagnetic waves.
C)sound waves.
D)nothing in particular.
Q2) In a transverse wave, the individual particles of the medium move
A)in circles.
B)in ellipses.
C)parallel to the direction of travel.
D)perpendicular to the direction of travel.
Q3) Sound waves whose frequency is 300 Hz have a wavelength relative to sound waves in the same medium whose frequency is 900 Hz that is
A)one-third as great.
B)the same.
C)three times as great.
D)nine times as great.
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Chapter 8: The Nucleus
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Sample Questions
Q1) The number of quarks in a proton or a neutron is A)1.
B)2.
C)3.
D)4.
Q2) The particle that most resembles the proton is the A)positron.
B)neutron.
C)antiproton.
D)quark.
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) Which one or more of the following can be explained by the electromagnetic theory of light?
A)interference
B)diffraction
C)the photoelectric effect
D)matter waves
E)Both A and B
Q2) Which one or more of the following can be explained by the quantum theory of light?
A)interference
B)diffraction
C)the photoelectric effect
D)matter waves
Q3) The energy difference between adjacent energy levels in an atom
A)is the same for all quantum numbers.
B)is smaller for small quantum numbers.
C)is larger for large quantum numbers.
D)shows no regularity.
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11
Chapter 10: The Periodic Law
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Sample Questions
Q1) The inert gases
A)have the same atomic number.
B)are in the same period of the periodic table.
C)are in the same group of the periodic table.
D)join in pairs to form diatomic molecules.
Q2) Which one of the following substances is a heterogeneous mixture?
A)air
B)water
C)concrete
D)sugar
Q3) According to the periodic table, the chemical properties of the elements are periodic functions of their
A)density.
B)atomic number.
C)atomic mass.
D)mass number.
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Chapter 11: Crystals, Ions, and Solutions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Polar molecules behave as though they
A)contain tiny magnets.
B)have a positive charge at both ends.
C)have a negative charge at both ends.
D)have a positive charge at one end and a negative charge at the other.
Q2) Which of the following has the lowest pH?
A)pure water
B)concentrated sugar solution
C)concentrated sodium hydroxide solution
D)gastric fluid
Q3) When an acid is added to a basic solution, the pH of the solution
A)increases.
B)decreases.
C)is unchanged.
D)Any of these choices could be correct, depends on the natures of the acid and base.
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13
Chapter 12: Chemical Reactions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Chemical reactions in solution do not depend to any great extent upon A)pressure.
B)temperature.
C)concentration.
D)catalysts.
Q2) The number of moles of Al needed to react with each mole of CuSO<sub>4</sub> in the reaction 2Al + 3CuSO<sub>4</sub> \(\rarr\) 3 Cu + Al<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub> is
A)1/3.
B)1/2.
C)2/3.
D)3/2.
Q3) Most chemical reactions
A)absorb energy.
B)occur at rates that are independent of temperature.
C)are reversible.
D)produce precipitates.
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Chapter 13: Organic Chemistry
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ethanol
A)is also known as methyl alcohol.
B)is not poisonous.
C)has OH groups in its molecules.
D)ionizes when added to water.
Q2) The unique properties of Teflon, which is composed of carbon and fluorine, arise from the strength of
A)C-C bonds.
B)F-F bonds.
C)C-F bonds.
D)rings of F atoms.
Q3) Methane is not
A)a hydrocarbon.
B)an alkane.
C)present in natural gas.
D)present in gasoline.
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Page 15
Chapter 14: Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
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52 Verified Questions
52 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The cloud streaks left by aircraft at high altitudes consist of
A)water droplets.
B)ice crystals.
C)carbon dioxide crystals.
D)unburned fuel.
Q2) The highest of the following is/are
A)the summit of Mt.Everest.
B)cirrus clouds.
C)the ozone layer.
D)the ionosphere.
Q3) Atmospheric pressure is half its sea-level value at an altitude of
A)1 km (3300 ft).
B)5 km (16,400 ft).
C)20 km (12.4 mi).
D)100 km (62 mi).
Q4) Ice ages
A)have occurred only a few times in the past.
B)have occurred often in the past.
C)are unlikely to occur again.
D)cover the entire earth with sheets of ice.
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Chapter 15: The Rock Cycle
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53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The light-colored silicate minerals all contain A)iron.
B)sulfur.
C)calcium.
D)aluminum.
Q2) An example of a light-colored, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock is A)granite.
B)shale.
C)gneiss.
D)basalt.
Q3) A general characteristic of igneous rocks is A)fine gains.
B)coarse grains.
C)random arrangement of grains.
D)grains arranged in layers.
Q4) Of the following rocks, the least resistant to chemical weathering is A)limestone.
B)slate.
C)chert. D)quartzite.
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Chapter 16: The Evolving Earth
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51 Verified Questions
51 Flashcards
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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) During the Cenozoic era
A)Laurasia and Gondwana split into today's continents.
B)lithospheric plates stopped moving.
C)shallow seas covered most of the continents.
D)mammals became the dominant form of animal life.
Q3) Which one of the following is not a fossil?
A)an insect trapped in amber
B)the track of a dinosaur
C)a tooth of an extinct species of horse
D)ancient raindrop impressions preserved in shale
Q4) The youngest of the following mountain ranges is the A)Sierra Nevada.
B)Rockies.
C)Appalachians.
D)Himalayas.
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Chapter 17: The Solar System
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52 Verified Questions
52 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most of the mass in the solar system is located in A)the asteroids.
B)the sun.
C)Jupiter and Saturn.
D)Uranus and Neptune.
Q2) The Oort Cloud, which lies outside the orbit of Neptune, consists mainly of A)comets.
B)meteoroids.
C)asteroids.
D)various gases.
Q3) Of the following planets, the one with the thinnest atmosphere is A)Mercury.
B)Venus.
C)Mars.
D)Uranus.
Q4) The solar wind
A)blows over the sun's surface.
B)consists of photons streaming from the sun.
C)consists of ions streaming from the sun.
D)consists of hydrogen atoms streaming from the sun.
Page 19
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Chapter 18: The Stars
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Sample Questions
Q1) Relatively few stars become
A)members of the main sequence.
B)red giants.
C)white dwarfs.
D)supernovas.
Q2) Neutron stars are about
A)the size of a large house.
B)20 km in diameter.
C)the size of the moon.
D)the size of Jupiter.
Q3) The number of sunspots
A)remains approximately constant.
B)increases and decreases at random intervals.
C)increases and decreases in a yearly cycle.
D)increases and decreases in an 11-year cycle.
Q4) Stars seem to twinkle because of
A)variations in their brightnesses.
B)variations in their colors.
C)turbulent movements in their atmospheres.
D)turbulent movements in the earth's atmosphere.
Page 20
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Chapter 19: Universe
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Sample Questions
Q1) Dark energy
A)is the energy equivalent of dark matter.
B)is the energy of black holes.
C)is the energy of neutrinos.
D)has an unknown nature as yet.
Q2) 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.
Q3) The cosmic background radiation today
A)is present only in galaxies.
B)is present everywhere in the universe.
C)accounts for less of the radiation in the universe than starlight.
D)is visible as a faint glow in the sky on dark nights.
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