Physics MCQ

2.1 Matter

1. The size of atom is the order of magnitude of the

A. Nano-meter
B. Micro-meter
C. Pico-meter

2. In both imperial S.I. units, a given amount of aviation kerosene:

A. has different measures for weight but the same measure for mass
B. have the same measure for density, when temperature stays the same
C. has the same specific gravity

3. Which is the unit of liquid?

A. Gallons
B. Kilograms
C. Litres

4. What is the most important result demonstrated by Brownian motion in a smoke cell?
A. matter is made up of tiny particles
B. particles are moving randomly
C. smoke particles are bombarded by air molecules (Page 5/2.1 Matter)

5. The substance is gas if

A. it takes the shape of its container
B. it takes the whole volume of its container
C. it takes the fixed shape

6. The units appropriate to measure the amount of liquid are

A. litres, gallons, newton
B. pounds, cubic feet, BTU
C. gallons, kilograms, litres

7. Given the mass, which of the following matter may have any size of volume?
A. solid
B. liquid
C. gas

8. Change from solid state to liquid state:

A. is called vaporization
B. happens at 0 degree for water
C. is accompanied by a loss of heat

9. When the cabin of an aircraft is on fire, the most probably changes of state are:
A. chemical combination and solidification
B. liquefication and sublimation
C. melting and evaporation
10. The reverse process of melting is
A. vaporization
B. solidification
C. boiling

11. Which density of water is biggest?

A. 0oC
B. 4oC
C. 20oC

12. When the temperature of water changes from 10oC to 1oC, the density will:
A. first increase then decrease
B. first decrease then increase
C. always decrease

13. The ice melts to water at 0 degree:

A. the internal energy increase
B. the internal energy decrease
C. the internal energy is the same

14. When ice melts to become water,

A. the latent heat is given off
B. density reduces regularity
C. intermolecular distance increases [the distance should decrease because the Dice<Dwater]

15. Plasma is:

A. it is the collection of electric and ions/ Ionized gas
B. another name for the state of gas
C. the state of matter that cannot be reproduced in the laboratory

16. Plasma are found:

A. in atoms of moon
B. interstellar space
C. in an X-ray tube

2.2.1 Statics

17. Which of the following is complete scalars?

A. distance, force, mass
B. distance, time, mass
C. displacement, temperature, velocity

18. The addition of force can be applied by

A. triangle method
B. direct addition method
C. rectangular method

19. What is the condition for three concurrent forces to be in equilibrium?

The forces vectors form a closed triangle.
20. When used to track and describe motion, the Cartesian coordinate system
Can be used to represent a displacement in any direction.

21. Which condition is stable equilibrium?

A. A ball stands on top of convex surface.
B. A ball stands on the bottom of concave surface.
C. A ball stands on a plane surface.

22. The gravitation force between two bodies is proportional to

A. the product of the masses.
B. the distance of separation.
C. the square of the distance of separation.

23. The distance between two points in a body can change. It means [incomplete 26/ May/ 2018]
A. It must be gas
B. It could be solid, liquid and gas.
C. It is elastic

24. When a test piece is subject to steady tensile load necking:

Marks the end of the elastic range

25. The static friction depends on

A. the nature of the surface
B. the normal contact force
C. both

26. The coefficient of kinetic friction and static friction depend on

A. the nature of the surface
B. the relative velocity of the body
C. the surface area of the body

27. If you push a body on a rough ground, before it move, the friction
A. is independent of the pushing force
B. is the same as the pushing force
C. has the magnitude that just balances the pushing force all the time

28. The cause of the friction is primarily

A. the interference of small indentations formed as one surface slides or rolls over another
B. the contact force of the object
C. the net external force acts on object

29. The wheel barrow is an example of

A. first class lever
B. second class lever
C. third class lever

30. The fulcrum of a lever is also known as

A. pivot
B. axis
C. hinge
31. With the first class lever, the fulcrum is ____?
Between the effort and load.

32. What is the unit of measure for moment?

A. lb.*ft.
B. newton
C. joule

33. The extensive use of screw threads in the aviation industry is related to the principle of ____?
Inclined planes.

2.2.2 Kinetics
34. The period of pendulum will not change by variation of
A. mass of rigid ball
B. length of string
C. gravitational acceleration due to earth

35. A penny is added on the bob of the pendulum clock

The clock will run faster, because the centre of gravity of the bob is raised.

36. Underdamped condition will reflect by

A. damping amplitude will gradually decrease and finally reach neutral position
B. damping amplitude will not decrease and finally reach neutral position
C. damping amplitude will gradually decrease and will not reach neutral position finally

37. A spring of stiffness K is used to suspend a mass M. The period of oscillation will increase as _____?
The mass M is increased, holding K constant./ Stiffness (K) decrease

38. Choose a harmonic motion from the following

A. the earth orbiting the round the sun
B. rebound of the shock strut after touchdown
C. free fall under gravity

39. During a free fall, where x=displacement, t=time, then x=____

(1/2)gt2

40. When the aircraft is taking off, it is

Not in equilibrium / Net force ( thrust) not equal zero / The net force is lift (≠ 0)

41. The law of inertia is

A. Newton’s first law
B. Newton’s second law
C. Newton’s third law

42. Inertia
A. is related to mass
B. is the same as mass
C. independent of the mass
43. Which of the following is a true inertial frame?
A. the earth surface
B. coordinate system referred to a fixed point in space
C. car moving on the road

44. 1N is equal to
A. 105dynes
B. 108dynes
C. 106dynes

45. The force causing the earth to fly away from a circular orbit is
A. centrifugal force
B. centripetal force
C. gravitational force

46. Which is the correct statement about a body in uniform circular motion?
A. The resultant force is zero
B. Its acceleration acts along the tangent direction
C. The tighter the radius, the bigger the magnitude of acceleration

47. A ball is connected to a string (constrained). If this ball do circular motion at vertical plane, which
position the centripetal force is the biggest (largest acceleration)?
A. at the bottom (6 O’clock)
B. at the Top (12 O’clock)
C. XXXXXXXXX

48. A particle moves around a circle with uniform angular speed. Its acceleration component include _____?
Only one in the radial acceleration

49. The conservation of angular momentum based on

A. net external force is zero
B. no gravity
C. conservation of mechanical energy

50. During the rotating body spinning about an axis, which is correct?
A. the farther away is distributed, the more angular momentum it will have
B. the farther away is distributed, the less angular momentum it will have
C. is not related the radius

51. A simple gyroscope is spinning anti-clockwise with its spin axis along the z-axis. When you press your
finger on the gyro wheel at the 3 o’clock position:
A. the gyro wheel will dip at the 12 o’clock position
B. the gyro wheel will dip at the 6 o’clock position
C. the gyro wheel will dip at the 9 o’clock position

52. A phenomenon of gyroscope can be best explained using

A. principle of conservation of angular momentum
B. principle of conservation of linear momentum
C. principle of conservation of mechanical energy
53. In a collision between a two railroad cars:
A. the linear momentum is conserved
B. a net external force increases the total momentum [reference answer?]
C. kinetic energy constant

54. Choose the WRONG answer

A. it’s almost impossible for mechanical system to have 100% efficiency
B. the reason why the efficiency cannot be 100% is the conservation of system energy into heat is not
recoverable
C. the conservation of energy is not influenced by other factors

55. Conservation force includes:

A. gravitational force
B. elastic force
C. both

56. Which is S.I. unit of power?

A. horsepower
B. J/S
C. both

2.2.4 Fluid dynamic

57. The buoyancy is determined by:

A. body volume
B. body volume dipping in the fluid
C. the measuring place

58. Ice floats on water because [updated 26/ May/ 2018]

A. XXXXXXXX
B. It displaces a volume of water equal to its weight
C. The buoyancy is “larger” than the weight of ice. [should be equal]

59. Hydrometer is an instrument to measure specific gravity is based on

A. Archimedes’ principle
B. Pascal’s law
C. Bernoulli theorem

60. The specific gravity values for aluminium, copper and iron are respectively
A. 2.7, 7.86, 8.9
B. 2.7, 8.9, 7.86
C. 8.9, 2.7, 7.86

61. Water finds its own level, this is because

Water transmits the same pressure throughout its body

62. 1Pa=
A. 1N/m2
B. lb/in2
 C. lb/m2

63. How to measure the pressure?

A. use the manometer
B. use the barometer
C. both

64. A siphon is used to extract water from a tank. It will fail to work
A. whenever the head at tank side is smaller than head at the delivery side
B. whenever the mouth of siphon is under the water surface
C. at places without gravity or atmospheric pressure

65. Siphon is an inverted U-tube with

A. one limb longer than the other
B. the ends of two limbs are in the same level
C. both

66. Choose a valid property of streamlines

A. the faster the flow, the closer the streamlines
B. the slower the flow, the closer the streamlines
C. both

67. In laminar flow

A. typical Reynold’s numbers are greater than 3000
B. there is no interchange of potential and kinetic energy
C. fluid elements do not cross streamlines

68. When you blow gently between two sheets of papers hung side by side
A. the sheets move together
B. the sheets move separate
C. the sheets do not move

69. Air flows through a venturi tube and external suction is applied at the throat or constriction. Then
A. air will move faster at the throat
B. air flow rate will increase [reference answer]
C. the static head at the throat will go up

70. In one scenario, flow parameters are measured for a venturi tube pump before and after suction applied
at the throat. You should apply the
A. Bernoulli theorem at the inlet and outlet after suction application
B. Bernoulli theorem at the inlet and outlet before suction application
C. Bernoulli theorem at the inlet and outlet both before and after the suction application

71. The equation of continuity for fluids is a statement of

A. conservation of mass (ρV1A1 = ρV2A2 , V = velocity & A = area )
B. conservation of energy
C. conservation of volume (gas is compressible, so volume sometimes is not conserved)

72. When a body moves through air, the viscous force

A. depends on the shape and speed of the body
B. is proportional to the specific gravity and local temperature
 C. is the result of the ideal gas behaviour

73. Reynold’s number is

A. the ratio of inertia force to the drag force
B. the ratio of drag force to the inertia force
C. is not related to the drag force and the inertia force

74. The reason for rejecting dry air as the working medium for a hydraulic press is that
It’s density changes in the operation / it is compressible

75. The human heart force about 70 ml of blood into the 1 cm radius aorta about 75 times per minute. The
average force of pushing blood is 5 N. The quicker heart beats, [incomplete 26/ May/ 2018]
A. XXXXXX
B. the fast the blood circulation.
C. The force heart push is larger ....

76. Bernoulli theorem in fluid mechanics is comparable to

Conservation of energy in particle mechanics

2.3 Thermodynamics

77. What is heat?

- The similar physical quantity as work and can be demonstrated so experimentally.
- It is the energy transferred due to temperature difference.

78. How to convert Calorie to Joule?

- 1 Calorie = 4.187 Joules

79. 2 kg of water at 80oC is mixed with 1 kg of water at 20oC. Assuming no energy lost, what is the final
temperature?
2 X C X (80oC-θ) = 1 X C X (θ-20oC)
160oC-2θ = θ-20oC
3θ = 180oC
θ = 60oC

80. In an experiment, 1 kg water at 0oC absorbs an amount of heat equal to its latent heat of fusion. What
is the result?
- Water becomes warmer but no phase change.

81. When compare the specific heat of water, the specific heat of ice
A. same
B. bigger
C. half of its value (Page 8/2.3 Thermo)

82. Which material, aluminium or copper is more suitable for making a heat sink?
A. aluminium (Page 8/2.3 Thermo)
B. copper
C. it depends on the mass of material used
83. If the energy loss to the surrounding is ignored, less energy is required to heat 1 kg of water from
25oC to 30oC than that from 90oC to 95oC.
A. True
B. False
C. Uncertain

84. Heat required to change unit mass of water higher or lower than silver by 1oC?
- Higher [Specific heat of water is 4 times more than a times that of aircraft light metals
(aluminium)]

85. What is the function of the expansion joints in railways?

- Prevent thermal stressing during extreme conditions.

86. A bimetallic strip is made of steel on one side and aluminium on the other. When temperature
increases, what is the phenomenon?
- The strip bends with the aluminium strip on the outside arc

87. Do you think the liquid in glass thermometer and bimetallic strip are using the same principle?
- Yes, both work on the thermal expansion principle.

88. Which kind of thermometer suitable to measure temperature range from -30oC to 3000oC?
A. Liquid-in-glass thermometer
B. Electronic thermometer
C. Infrared pyrometer (Page 2/2.3 Thermo)

89. Two Celsius thermometer, one mercury column and one resistance wire, are calibrated at 0oC and
100oC. If they show different readings 84.3oC and 84.5oC for the same condition, what is wrong?
- Neither is wrong. They are correct according to its scale.

90. The Rankine is depends on Fahrenheit,

0 R=-460o F [R=F+460]

91. The heat of vaporization of water is released when

A. water becomes solid
B. at 100oC
C. gradually during evaporation [reference answer] [it should be condensation]

92. Which metal has the biggest coefficient of linear expansion?

A. steel
B. aluminium (Page 5/2.3 Thermo)
C. titanium

93. Radiation is the means of heat transfer

A. without presence of matter
B. due to air currents
C. by physical contact
94. An aircraft engine cools by
A. conduction and convection
B. radiation
C. lubricant

95. After shut down in a stagnant atmosphere, an aircraft engine cools down by
- Conduction and radiation

96. What is the difference between boiling and evaporation?

A. Boiling requires latent heat of vaporization but evaporation does not.
B. At 100oC, water is boiling but not evaporating
C. Boiling occurs within the liquid but evaporating takes place at the surface of the liquid.

97. Is a good heat conductor also a good electrical conductor?

- Yes

98. Descending order of thermal conductivity on glass, silver and brick?

- Silver (0.970000) , glass (0.00250) , brick (0.00150)

99. Conditions of two bodies come to thermal equilibrium?

- Temperatures are the same. (Page 11/2.3 Thermo)
- No heat transfer between two bodies and achieve common temperature

100. Second law of thermodynamics

A. Conservation of energy
B. Conservation of momentum
C. Permissible heat flow direction (Page 14/2.3 Thermo)

101. What is the Second law of thermodynamics [incomplete 26/May/ 2018]

A. Has the largest (biggest) molecular disorder on its own accord
B. .... conservation
C. Without external work, the heat flow “either” from hot body to cold body.

102. Which theory describes the fact that a gas will choose to stay at in a state of minimum energy?
- Second law of thermodynamics

103. First law of thermodynamics is

- Extension of conservation of energy

104. To determine the pressure of the oxygen in mass of air, we use

- Dalton’s law of pressure

105. What happens to the pressure P and volume V of the air inside the syringe with its nozzle opened?
A. P decreases as V increases
B. P increases as V increases
C. P is constant as V increases

106. What is the volume of an ideal gas when at absolute zero temperature?
 - Volume is zero.

107. Temperature of gas is the effect of

A. heat transfer
B. speed of molecule movement (Page 4/2.3 Thermo)
C. potential energy of the mass of the gas

108. For ideal gas, internal energy is directly proportional to

- The absolute temperature.

109. According to the kinetic theory of gas, what does the average kinetic energy of a gas depends on?
- The temperature of a gas (Page4/2.3 Thermo)

110. Internal energy of ideal gas is a function of

- Temperature

111. Thermal cycle consists two isothermal and two adiabatic lines is known as
- Carnot cycle

112. Ideal gas goes through isothermal process

- Boyle’s law applies

113. No heat flowing in and out of the system in an

- Adiabatic process

114. Efficiency of a machine can be increased by

Eliminating loss; cooling

115. Volume of a fixed amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) cannot easily changed by applying pressure. It
Indicates [question means “blue area in the following picture” CO2 exists in liquid or solid form.
(on textbook Ch. 2.3-P17-region C)]
A. System is lower than critical temperature [Red curve is an isothermal process T=Tc; updated
May/ 26/ 2018]
B. It must be liquified
C. CO2 exists in liquid and vapour equilibrium. [It is for green area in the picture.]
2.4 Optics (Light)

116. An airplane can be seen in the sky because of

A. reflection of light
B. refraction of light
C. diffusion of light (Page 5/2.4 Light)

117. When you see an airplane in the sun from any direction around it, it is because of
- Diffused reflection (Page 5/2.4 Light)

118. The image formed by an inspection mirror is

A. Magnified
B. Vertically inverted
C. Laterally inverted

119. Microwave antennas are an application of

A. thin lenses
B. curved mirrors (reflectors) [Page 12/2.4 Light]
C. reflection and refraction

120. Newtonian telescope

A. consists of a zoom lens assembly
B. combines thin converging lens
C. uses a mirror to focus light (Page20/2.4 Light) [convex mirror]

121. The image produced by an object at the focus of a convex lens

A. is found at infinity
B. is at the focus on the opposite side
C. is at twice the focal length

122. As the human eyes see an object, what kind of image is formed on the retina?
- Inverted and real

123. What is the image produced by a magnifying glass?

- Magnified, virtual and erect

124. For the normal human eye, the far and near points are respectively at
Infinity and 25cm

125. With respect to optical lenses, spherical aberration is the effect in which
A. rays from one source point incident at an angle to the axis produce a blurred image.
B. rays parallel to the axis fail to intersect at the same point. (Page 15/2.4 Light)
C. rays spread according to the wavelengths.

126. Chromatic aberration

A. can be removed by geometrical shaping of a single lens
B. can be compensated by using a gradient index lens
C. can be compensated by using compound lens (Page 15/2.4 Light)
127. A simple varifocal (zoom) lens
A. consists of two components of equal and opposite focal length
B. varies the separation of the lenses to vary the effective focal length
C. utilizes both designs (Page 14/2.4 Light)

128. Choose the biggest refractive index from the following

A. Glass, red light
B. Glass, green light
C. Glass, purple light (page 2/2.4 Light)

129. Choose the biggest refractive index from the following

A. Glass
B. Water
C. Diamond (page 6/2.4 Light)

130. For a typical optical fibre, the refractive index of the core is ____ that of the cladding
A. same as
B. greater than (Page 16/2.4 Light)
C. smaller than

131. Refractive index

A. is 1 for water
B. is higher for diamond than acrylic (Page 6/2.4 Light)
C. is lower for 4oC (water) than for 0oC (ice)

132. Snell’s law of refraction is about

A. bending of light rays depends on particular materials (Page 6/2.4 Light)
B. light also show wave characteristics
C. light travels at the same speed in all transparent media as in vacuum.

133. For the class of transparent or translucent materials, refractive index

A. can be calculated from the grazing angle at which total internal reflection occurs
B. is bigger for red light than violet light
C. is the same for all colours of light

134. The deviation of light rays transmits through a small-top-angle prism

A. depends on the angle of incidence
B. is proportional to the prism top angle
C. is determined by refractive angle

135. For small angle prism, the deviation of light rays

A. depends on the angle of incidence
B. is proportional to the prism angle
C. is determined by the refractive index only

136. An endoscope used for internal examination consists of two glass fibres. One fibre
A. must be used to locate the area to examined
B. must send modulated light signals to the area to be examined
C. must be used to shoot down a ray of light beam.(Page 16/2.4 Light)
137. Optical fibres in communication
A. carries less information than metal wires but are less expensive [more information]
B. are resistant to noise caused by stray electromagnetic signals (Page 17/2.4 Light)
C. operate by the principle of light refraction. [total internal reflection]

138. The range of core diameters for optical fibres

A. 50-100 microns (Page 17/2.4 Light)
B. 10-120 microns
C. about 500 microns

139. For optical fibres, the reference index of the cladding compared to that of the core
A. is always smaller (Page 16/2.4 Light)
B. is always bigger
C. can be either bigger or smaller depending on specification

140. An optical fibre function like

A. a waveguide (Page 16/2.4 Light)
B. a resistor
C. a conductor

141. In the visible spectrum, wavelength ____ from violet light (400 nm) towards red light (670 nm).
- Increases (Page 2/2.4 Light)

2.5 Wave motion and Sound

142. Interference property of waves is demonstrated

A. when you listen to music on a stereo system
B. when you see a rainbow in the sky
C. when you transmit light rays along a thin conduit

143. Sound waves are

A. standing pressure waves
B. longitudinal pressure waves (Page 2/2.5 Wave)
C. transverse pressure waves

144. The speed of sound is greatest in

A. air
B. copper
C. water

145. Noise will begin to cause pain at a level of

A. 70dB
B. 120dB (Page 10/2.5 Wave)
C. 170dB

146. With respect to sound waves, give an example to show difference in pitch and quality.
- The voice of a male and a female.

147. What is the range of sound signals?

- From 20 Hz - 20 kHz. (Page 13/2.5 Wave)
148. What is the unit of sound intensity?
- Decibel (dB)

149. The higher pitch sound is generated from one wire of a string instrument if the wire has a shorter or
longer length?
- Shorter length.

150. How to generate ultrasounds?

- Using piezoelectric effect

151. When viewed as the eardrum and auditory canal assembly, what is the human ear closest in operation
to?
An organ pipe

152. Which material commonly used on aircraft has a lighter sound absorption coefficient?
- Honeycomb panel or carpet

153. What kind of light patterns on the surface of a CD?

- Light interference.(Page 6/2.5 Wave)

154. Describe a wave

- A disturbance that transfers energy from one point to another without imparting motion on the
medium.(Page 3/2.5 Wave)

155. When two water waves of the same amplitude and slightly different frequencies add to produce a
wave, what is the resulting amplitude?
- Oscillate with a beat frequency. (Page 5/2.5 Wave)

156. An open end instrument, the standing wave [incomplete 26/May/2018]

A. Nodes (節點) is formed at the end. Antinodes (波腹) is between
B. XXXXXXXXX
C. Antinodes is formed at the end. Nodes is between

157. When the ends of a strings are fixed , a resonant frequency

Corresponds to the standing wave pattern on the string

158. Hear protection earphone (noise cancelling) works as

A. destructive interference of sound (Page20/2.5 Wave)
B. diffraction of sound
C. constructive interference of sound

159. When two water waves interact, what is the resulting displacement at any point?
Sum of amplitudes of two waves

160. What is the principle of noise cancelling headphones?

- Destructive interference. (Page 20/2.5 Wave)

161. What does the single-slit diffraction experiment prove?

- Light spreads out in wave fronts that can interfere with each other. (Page 7/2.5 Wave)
162. What is the direction of the transmission axis in the Polaroid used in sunglasses?
- Vertically and so absorbs horizontally polarized sunlight. (Page 8/2.5 Wave)

163. Ideal polarizer

- Transmits only 50% of the incident light.

164. What happen to the apparent frequency of sound heard by an observer when the source is moving
away from listener?
- The frequency will decrease. (Page 19/2.5 Wave)

165. Give an example of the application of the Doppler Effect.

- Radar waves used to detect the speed of moving cars or Red Shift. (Page 18/2.5 Wave)

166. Transmission takes place at speed of light on

- Electromagnetic wave

END OF PAPER