High School Physics : High School Physics
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for High School Physics
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Understanding Refraction
Light strikes a crystal from the air at an angle of 
To solve this problem, use Snell's law:
We are given the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction. The index of refraction for air is 
Example Question #6 : Understanding Refraction
A beam of light hits a crystal at an angle of 
To solve this problem, use Snell's law:
Remember that air has an index of refraction of 
Example Question #1 : Understanding Refraction
A beam of light hits a crystal at an angle of incidence of 
To solve this problem, use Snell's law:
Remember that air has an index of refraction of 
Example Question #751 : High School Physics
A gas undergoes a thermodynamic process. During this process, no work is done. Which of the following is the best description of the process?
Isovolumetric
Adiabatic
Isobatic
Isothermal
Isobaric
Isovolumetric
There are two equations that may be relevant for this problem: the first law of thermodynamics and the work equation.
If the work done is zero, then we can conclude that:
So, the change in internal energy is equal to the heat input, and either the force or the distance will remain unchanged. Of these options, only an isovolumetric process is given as a possible answer. In this process, the size of the gas will remain constant, leading to a displacement of zero in the work equation.
Example Question #752 : High School Physics
Which of these is an example of an isovolumetric process?
The temperature of a gas is raised, all of the energy transfers to work, and no heat is released
A gas maintains a constant level of heat, temperature, and work
The temperature of a gas is raised, all of the energy transfers to heat, and no work is done
A gas takes in heat, does work, and the internal temperature of the gas does not change
Work is done on a gas, its temperature rises, and no energy is released in the form of heat
The temperature of a gas is raised, all of the energy transfers to heat, and no work is done
When evaluating different types of processes, the most useful formula is usually the first law of thermodynamics:
In an isovolumetric process there is no change in volume, which means that the container does not expand and there is no change in distance or radius. Based on the equation for work, we can see that an isovolumetric process must also have zero work done.
Returning to the first equation, we can conclude that the change in internal energy (
Essentially, all energy that enters the system as heat is converted to internal energy because no work is done by the system. The result of this increase in internal energy is an increase in temperature.
Example Question #61 : Introductory Principles
Michael buys several bags of balloons. On the package, it says that each bag has 100 balloons. He opens the bags and only one of them has 100 balloons inside; the other bags either have too many or too few.
How would you describe the bag of balloons with 100 balloons inside?
Accurate, but the precision cannot be determined
Neither accurate nor precise
Both accurate and precise
Precise, but not accurate
Accurate, but not precise
Accurate, but not precise
This bag is accurate because it provided the correct number of balloons, however, the process is not precise as the results were clearly not repeatable.
Accuracy deals with how close the measurement got to the accepted measurement. Precision deals with how consistent the measurement is. The bag with 100 balloons inside matched the claim made on the bag, meaning it was accurate. It was not precise because the other measurements show that the number of balloons is variable.
Example Question #2 : Understanding Accuracy And Precision
Michael's scale measures the mass of objects as consistently 
It is neither accurate nor precise
Accuracy and precision are synonyms
It is both accurate and precise
It is precise, but not accurate
It is accurate, but not precise
It is precise, but not accurate
Precision measures is how consistently a device records the same answer. In this case, Michael's scale is ALWAYS 
Accuracy is how well a device measures something against its accepted value. In this case, Michael's scale is not accurate because it is always off by 
Example Question #2 : Understanding Accuracy And Precision
An brand of fruit snacks claims that each bag of fruit snacks has a mass of 
How can Wally describe the accuracy and precision of the first bag he measured?
Accurate and precise
Neither accurate nor precise
Precise, but not accurate
Accurate, but not precise
There are insufficient data points to draw a conclusion
Accurate, but not precise
The claim for the mass of the first bag is accurate; the brand says there should be 
The claim on the first bag is not precise, as the results are not replicated universally throughout the experiment. The masses of the bags fluctuate, with the average of all three bags equal to 
Example Question #3 : Understanding Accuracy And Precision
A bowman is shooting arrows at a target. Which of the following demonstrates high accuracy but low precision?
The bowman consistently hits to the right of the bullseye
The bowman consistently hits around the target but never hits the bullseye
The bowman consistently hits to the left of the target
The bowman consistently misses the target and hits a tree in the same spot
The bowman consistently hits the bullseye
The bowman consistently hits around the target but never hits the bullseye
Accuracy is measured as the degree of closeness to the actual measurement. In our case, accurate shots will hit the bullseye. Precision is measured as the degree of closeness of one measurement to the next. In our case, precise shots will be clustered together.
To get high accuracy but low precision, measurements must center around the target value but be variable. The bowman's arrows will not be clustered (low precision), but will be accurately distributed around the bullseye. If all the shots were averaged, the bullseye would be at the center.
Example Question #271 : Gre Subject Test: Chemistry
Which of these is an example of high precision?
An archer hits the same spot on the target three times in a row
A student correctly calculates the acceleration due to gravity to be
A student correctly calculates the mass of an object to be 54kg
An archer hits the bulls-eye
A student tries to throw a pencil into the garbage can and makes it in
An archer hits the same spot on the target three times in a row
Precision is a measure of reproducibility. If multiple trials produce the same result each time with minimal deviation, then the experiment has high precision. This is true even if the results are not true to the theoretical predictions; an experiment can have high precision with low accuracy.
In contrast, accuracy is the measure of difference between a calculated value and the true value of a measurement. High accuracy demands that the experimental result be equal to the theoretical result.
An archer hitting a bulls-eye is an example of high accuracy, while an archer hitting the same spot on the bulls-eye three times would be an example of high precision.
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