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American System Physics

A Physics Toolkit

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Representing Motion

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Accelerated Motion

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Forces in One Dimension

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Displacement and Force in Two Dimensions

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Motion in Two Dimensions

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Gravitation

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Rotational Motion

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Momentum and Its Conservation

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Energy and Its Conservation

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Thermal Energy

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States of Matter

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Vibrations and Waves

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Sound

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Fundamentals of Light

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Reflection and Refraction

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Interference and Diffraction

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Electrostatics

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Electric Current and Circuits

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Magnetic Fields

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Electromagnetic Induction and Electromagnetism

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Quantum Theory and the Atom

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Solid-State Electronics

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Nuclear and Particle Physics

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Quiz

7.3 Gravitational Fields, Weight and Tides – Quiz

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Gravitational Fields, Weight and Tides American Physics quiz: free practice for American System Physics. Work through this Gravitational Fields, Weight and Tides American Physics quiz and get instant feedback on every answer. If you get stuck, review the 7.3 Gravitational Fields, Weight and Tides — Notes lesson. More practice: American System Physics — all units. Syllabus: OpenStax free science textbooks.

  • Questions count: 50
  • Passing grade: A-
  • Time limit:
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1.
To measure the acceleration of a lift with bathroom scales, which measurement must be taken first?
The time taken to reach the top floor
The lift's maximum speed
The height of the building
The scale reading when the lift is at rest, to find mg
2.
A small probe can reach a maximum launch speed of 8.0 km/s. Using the chart, from which bodies could it escape without further propulsion?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 1
The Moon only
The Moon, Mars and Earth
The Moon and Mars only
All four bodies
3.
A student drops a ball from rest from several heights and times the fall with a hand-held stopwatch (table). Which change would most improve the accuracy of the value of g?
Use light gates or a video to time the fall instead of a hand-held stopwatch
Use a heavier ball so it falls faster
Drop the ball from lower heights
Record the times to more decimal places from the same stopwatch
4.
The diagram shows a 65 kg passenger on bathroom scales in a lift, with the lift's velocity and acceleration marked. What do the scales read? (g = 9.8 N/kg)
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 2
540 N
637 N
734 N
97.5 N
5.
A rover of mass 150 kg is taken from Earth to Mars. Using the table, what is its weight on Mars?
1470 N
555 N
150 N
56.6 N
6.
A harbour master records the tidal range (difference between high and low water) over one month (table). Which explanation fits the pattern?
Ranges are largest when the Moon is closest to the Sun
Ranges are largest near new and full moon (Sun and Moon aligned) and smallest at the quarter moons
The range depends only on the weather
Ranges are largest at the quarter moons, when the Sun and Moon pull at right angles
7.
A student of mass 80 kg records scale readings in a lift (table). Taking upward as positive and g = 9.8 N/kg, what was the lift's acceleration during "Starting upward"?
-2.0 m/s²
12 m/s²
4.0 m/s²
2.0 m/s²
8.
A glossary lists key words from this topic. Which pairing of term and definition is correct?
Free fall – gravity is the only force acting
Radial field – field lines are parallel and equally spaced
Uniform field – lines point towards a central point
Apparent weight – the gravitational force on an object
9.
The diagram shows the oceans stretched by the Moon's pull. At which labelled points is it high tide?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 3
A only
C and D
B only
A and B
10.
Using the diagram of the Sun, Earth and Moon, which description of the tides is correct?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 4
Spring tide – smallest tidal range
Neap tide – largest tidal range
Neap tide – smallest tidal range
Spring tide – largest tidal range
11.
The Moon has mass 7.35 × 10²² kg and radius 1.74 × 10⁶ m. What is the gravitational field strength at its surface? (G = 6.67 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²)
1.62 N/kg
2.82 × 10⁶ N/kg
0.405 N/kg
0.121 N/kg
12.
Using m = gR²/G and the data in the table, which planet has the greater mass?
Planet Q, with about 9.7 × 10²⁴ kg
Planet P, because it has the larger surface g
They have equal masses because g × R is similar
Planet Q, with about 1.4 × 10²⁴ kg
13.
Why is there a tidal bulge on the side of Earth facing away from the Moon?
The Moon pulls Earth's centre more strongly than the far-side ocean, so that water is left behind as a bulge
The Moon repels water on the far side
Earth's rotation throws the water outward only on the far side
The Sun always lies on the far side
14.
The size of tides depends on where the Sun and Moon are. Which pairing of alignment and tide type is correct?
New moon – neap tide
Sun and Moon at right angles – spring tide
Full moon – no tide
Full moon (Sun, Earth, Moon in line) – spring tide
15.
A 60 kg student stands on scales during a lift ride and a data logger records the graph shown. What is the lift's acceleration between t = 8 s and t = 11 s? (g = 9.8 N/kg, up positive)
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 5
1.8 m/s²
0 m/s²
-1.8 m/s²
8.0 m/s²
16.
Why can g be treated as constant when analysing a ball thrown in a sports stadium?
Because the ball's mass is small
Because gravity switches off above the stadium
Because the ball moves horizontally
The heights involved are tiny compared with Earth's radius, so the field there is effectively uniform
17.
A ball is dropped from rest through a light gate placed at different heights h below the release point, and its speed v is recorded (table). Which graph gives a straight line, and what does its gradient equal?
v against h; gradient = g
v² against h; gradient = g/2
v against h²; gradient = 2g
v² against h; gradient = 2g
18.
Surface gravitational field strength differs from body to body in the solar system. Which pairing of body and approximate surface g is correct?
Moon – 9.8 N/kg
Jupiter – 1.6 N/kg
Earth – 24.8 N/kg
Mars – 3.7 N/kg
19.
How far from Earth's centre is the gravitational field strength equal to 1.0 N/kg? (mE = 5.97 × 10²⁴ kg, G = 6.67 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²)
3.98 × 10¹⁴ m
1.36 × 10⁷ m
2.00 × 10⁷ m
6.37 × 10⁶ m
20.
A physics class compares two ways of defining mass. Which pairing of quantity and how it is measured is correct?
Inertial mass – spring balance reading only
Gravitational mass – comparing weights on a balance
Weight – beam balance comparison
Gravitational mass – timing a pendulum on a spring
21.
The diagram shows two gravitational field patterns. Which description is correct?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 6
Field 1 is radial; Field 2 is uniform
Field 1 is uniform (parallel, equally spaced lines); Field 2 is radial and weakens with distance
Both fields are uniform because the lines point towards the planet
Field 1 is stronger higher up because the lines are longer
22.
The surface field strength of the planet in the diagram is 3.7 N/kg. Using the diagram, what is the field strength at point D?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 7
0.740 N/kg
0.231 N/kg
0.148 N/kg
0.925 N/kg
23.
What causes the extra ≈ 50 minutes in the time between successive high tides at one place (about 12 h 25 min rather than 12 h)?
Earth's rotation slows down each day
The Moon moves along its orbit, so Earth must rotate a little further to face it again
The Sun's pull delays the tide
Water flows slowly around the globe
24.
The table lists escape velocities for four objects. Which object must be a black hole? (c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s)
Earth
The Sun
Object X
White dwarf W
25.
The free-body diagram shows the forces on a passenger standing in a lift. What can be concluded about the lift's acceleration? (g = 9.8 N/kg)
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 8
1.96 m/s² downward – the lift must be moving down
1.96 m/s² upward – the lift could be rising and speeding up or descending and slowing down
11.8 m/s² upward
0 m/s² – the lift moves at constant velocity
26.
A motion sensor records the velocity of a falling mass (graph). What is the acceleration of free fall found from the line of best fit?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 9
9.8 m/s²
4.9 m/s²
3.1 m/s²
19.6 m/s²
27.
A student in a lift whose cable has broken releases a coin from her hand. Ignoring air resistance, what does she see?
The coin stays level with her hand, because she, the coin and the lift all fall with acceleration g
The coin falls quickly to the floor
The coin rises to the ceiling
The coin falls slowly because its weight is reduced
28.
A 55 kg student in a lift in free fall stands on scales. What do the scales read?
0 N
539 N
55 N
1078 N
29.
The table gives measured values of g at three places on Earth. Which explanation best accounts for the lowest value?
Air at the equator is warmer, which weakens gravity
There is less mass directly under the poles
g depends on the latitude of the Moon
At the equator the surface is farther from Earth's centre and Earth's rotation reduces the measured value
30.
The reading on bathroom scales, equal to the normal force, is called the _____ weight.
true
apparent
inertial
gravitational
31.
Gravitational field strength is the gravitational force per unit _____ on a small test mass.
mass
volume
charge
distance
32.
Tides with the smallest range, when the Sun and Moon are at right angles as seen from Earth, are called _____ tides.
spring
ebb
neap
flood
33.
An object whose escape velocity exceeds the speed of light, so that not even light can leave it, is called a _____.
neutron star
white dwarf
black hole
red giant
34.
A field in which g has the same size and direction everywhere is called a _____ field.
radial
uniform
central
variable
35.
The escape velocity from Earth is about _____.
7.7 km/s
9.8 km/s
3.0 × 10⁸ m/s
11.2 km/s
36.
A lift moving upward at constant velocity makes the scales read more than the passenger's weight. True or false?
True
True only when the velocity is large
False, because the scales read zero at constant velocity
False, because at constant velocity a = 0, so the scales read exactly mg
37.
A spring tide happens only at full moon. True or false?
True
True only when the Moon is closest to Earth
False, because spring tides only occur in spring
False, because spring tides occur at both new and full moon, whenever the Sun, Moon and Earth are in line
38.
Escape velocity from a planet depends on the mass of the object being launched. True or false?
True
True only when the object is very heavy
False, because escape velocity depends on the planet's mass and radius, not the object's mass
False, because escape velocity is the same for every planet
39.
Near Earth's surface, the acceleration of free fall and the gravitational field strength have the same numerical value. True or false?
False
True
False, because free fall acceleration is twice g
True only when the object is heavy
40.
On a gravitational field-line diagram, the field is strongest where the lines are closest together. True or false?
False
False, because the field is strongest where lines are furthest apart
True
True only when the lines are parallel
41.
Tides are caused mainly by the difference in the Moon's gravitational pull across Earth's diameter. True or false?
True
False
False, because the Moon's pull is the same on all parts of Earth
True only when the Moon is full
42.
Bathroom scales in a lift accelerating upward read more than the person's true weight. True or false?
False
True
False, because scales always read true weight
True only when the lift is moving downward
43.
Most coasts have one high tide roughly every 24 h 50 min. True or false?
True
False, because there are two tidal bulges, so most coasts get two high tides in that time
True only when the Moon is new
False, because high tides occur every 12 h exactly
44.
If a lift's cable breaks, a passenger's true weight becomes zero. True or false?
True
True only when the lift is at the top of the shaft
False, because the true weight mg is unchanged; only the support force (apparent weight) becomes zero
False, because the passenger's mass becomes zero
45.
Gravitational field lines around a planet point radially outward from its centre. True or false?
True
True only when the planet is rotating
False, because field lines are always parallel
False, because the lines point inward, towards the planet, in the direction of the force on a mass
46.
The units N/kg and m/s² are equivalent, so g can be described both as a field strength and as an acceleration. True or false?
False
False, because N/kg measures force and m/s² measures speed
True
True only when the object is in free fall
47.
When the distance between two planets is multiplied by 4, the gravitational force between them falls to 1/16 of its original value. True or false?
True
False
False, because the force falls to 1/4 of its original value
True only when the two planets have equal masses
48.
The Sun's tidal effect on Earth is larger than the Moon's because the Sun's total pull on Earth is much larger. True or false?
False, because tides depend on the change in pull across Earth, which is larger for the nearby Moon; the Sun's tidal effect is about half the Moon's
True
True only when the Sun and Moon are in line
False, because the Sun has no tidal effect at all
49.
A student carries a sensitive gravimeter up a high mountain and expects the reading of g at the summit to be slightly larger than at sea level. This expectation is correct. True or false?
False, because the summit is farther from Earth's centre, so g is slightly smaller
True
True only when the mountain is very dense
False, because g is exactly the same everywhere on Earth
50.
An object's mass is smaller on the Moon than on Earth. True or false?
True
False, because mass is the same everywhere; only weight changes
True only when the object is on the Moon's far side
False, because the Moon has no gravity
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