CONCEPTUAL Physics 2a Test Bank
Chapter 2.
1. A change in a physical quantity w having initial value wi and final value wf is given by which of the
following?
a. wi − wf
b. wf − wi
c. (wf + wi)/2
d. none of the above
b. wf − wi
2. Displacement is which of the following types of quantities?
a. vector
b. scalar
c. magnitude
d. dimensional
a. vector
4. Which of the following is not a vector quantity?
a. temperature
b. velocity
c. acceleration
d. displacement
a. temperature
5. In one-dimensional motion, the average speed of an object that moves from one place to another and
then back to its original place has which of the following properties?
a. It is positive.
b. It is negative.
c. It is zero.
d. It can be positive, negative, or zero.
a. It is positive.
6. In one-dimensional motion where the direction is indicated by a plus or minus sign, the average
velocity of an object has which of the following properties?
a. It is positive.
b. It is negative.
c. It is zero.
d. It can be positive, negative, or zero.
d. It can be positive, negative, or zero.
, 7. An object moves 10 m east in 30 s and then returns to its starting point taking an additional 50 s. If
west is chosen as the positive direction, what is the sign associated with the average velocity of the
object?
a. +
b. −
c. 0 (no sign)
d. any of the above
c. 0 (no sign)
12. Jeff throws a ball straight up. For which situation is the vertical velocity zero?
a. on the way up
b. at the top
c. on the way back down
d. none of the above
b. at the top
16. Changing the positive direction in a reference frame to the opposite direction does not change the
sign of which of the following quantities?
a. velocity
b. average velocity
c. speed
d. displacement
c. speed
17. On a position-versus-time graph, the slope of the straight line joining two points on the plotted curve
that are separated in time by the interval Δt, is which of the following quantities?
a. average steepness
b. average velocity
c. instantaneous velocity
d. average acceleration
b. average velocity
18. Consider the magnitude of the average speed, vavg, speed, mag, and the magnitude of the average
velocity, vavg, velocity, mag, for the same trip. Which of the following is always true?
a. vavg, speed, mag = vavg, velocity, mag
b. vavg, speed, mag ≥ vavg, velocity, mag
c. vavg, speed, mag ≤ vavg, velocity, mag
d. none of the above
b. vavg, speed, mag ≥ vavg, velocity, mag
21. An x vs. t graph is drawn for a ball moving in one direction. The graph starts at the origin and at t = 5
s the velocity of the ball is zero. We can be positive that at t = 5 s,
a. the slope of the curve is non-zero.
b. the ball has stopped.
Chapter 2.
1. A change in a physical quantity w having initial value wi and final value wf is given by which of the
following?
a. wi − wf
b. wf − wi
c. (wf + wi)/2
d. none of the above
b. wf − wi
2. Displacement is which of the following types of quantities?
a. vector
b. scalar
c. magnitude
d. dimensional
a. vector
4. Which of the following is not a vector quantity?
a. temperature
b. velocity
c. acceleration
d. displacement
a. temperature
5. In one-dimensional motion, the average speed of an object that moves from one place to another and
then back to its original place has which of the following properties?
a. It is positive.
b. It is negative.
c. It is zero.
d. It can be positive, negative, or zero.
a. It is positive.
6. In one-dimensional motion where the direction is indicated by a plus or minus sign, the average
velocity of an object has which of the following properties?
a. It is positive.
b. It is negative.
c. It is zero.
d. It can be positive, negative, or zero.
d. It can be positive, negative, or zero.
, 7. An object moves 10 m east in 30 s and then returns to its starting point taking an additional 50 s. If
west is chosen as the positive direction, what is the sign associated with the average velocity of the
object?
a. +
b. −
c. 0 (no sign)
d. any of the above
c. 0 (no sign)
12. Jeff throws a ball straight up. For which situation is the vertical velocity zero?
a. on the way up
b. at the top
c. on the way back down
d. none of the above
b. at the top
16. Changing the positive direction in a reference frame to the opposite direction does not change the
sign of which of the following quantities?
a. velocity
b. average velocity
c. speed
d. displacement
c. speed
17. On a position-versus-time graph, the slope of the straight line joining two points on the plotted curve
that are separated in time by the interval Δt, is which of the following quantities?
a. average steepness
b. average velocity
c. instantaneous velocity
d. average acceleration
b. average velocity
18. Consider the magnitude of the average speed, vavg, speed, mag, and the magnitude of the average
velocity, vavg, velocity, mag, for the same trip. Which of the following is always true?
a. vavg, speed, mag = vavg, velocity, mag
b. vavg, speed, mag ≥ vavg, velocity, mag
c. vavg, speed, mag ≤ vavg, velocity, mag
d. none of the above
b. vavg, speed, mag ≥ vavg, velocity, mag
21. An x vs. t graph is drawn for a ball moving in one direction. The graph starts at the origin and at t = 5
s the velocity of the ball is zero. We can be positive that at t = 5 s,
a. the slope of the curve is non-zero.
b. the ball has stopped.
