Students understand that the laws of force and motion are the same across the universe.

1. Describe the contribution of Newton to our understanding of force and motion, and give examples of and apply Newton’s three laws of motion and his theory of gravitation.

2. Explain and apply the ideas of relative motion and frame of reference.

3. Describe the relationship between electric and magnetic fields and forces, and give examples of how this relationship is used in modern technologies.

4. Describe and apply an understanding of how waves interact with other waves and with materials including reflection, refraction, and absorption.

5. Describe kinetic energy (the energy of motion), potential energy (dependent on relative position), and energy contained by a field (including electromagnetic waves) and apply these understandings to energy problems.

6. Describe and apply characteristics of waves including wavelength, frequency, and amplitude.

1.	A student bounces a ball on the ground. How does the force of the ground on the ball compare to the force of the ball on the ground? (A) The force of the ground on the ball has a greater magnitude. (B) The force of the ball on the ground has a greater magnitude. (C) The forces have equal magnitudes in the same direction. (D) The forces have equal magnitudes in opposite directions. Click here for the answer and explanation.
2.	Two cars are moving in opposite directions as shown in the diagram below. Using Car A as a frame of reference, what is the speed of Car B?   (A) 20 km/h (B) 30 km/h (C) 50 km/h (D) 80 km/h Click here for the answer and explanation.
3.	The diagram below shows four different observers. The velocities indicated are relative to the ground.   Which observer sees the horse running at a relative velocity of 12 m/s to the west? (A) cyclist (B) jockey (C) pilot (D) runner Click here for the answer and explanation.
4.	Lenses such as those in telescopes and microscopes depend on which property of light? (A) refraction (B) diffraction (C) interference (D) polarization Click here for the answer and explanation.
5.	An object’s momentum is mathematically defined as the product of its mass and its velocity.                                                               momentum = mass × velocity or      p = mv Momentum is a vector quantity; that is, to fully describe momentum you must give a number with appropriate units of measure and a direction. When determining the total momentum of colliding objects, the direction of the objects must be taken into account. These two spherical objects are about to collide as they travel along a straight line. A positive sign is used to represent one direction along the line and a negative sign is used to indicate the opposite direction along the line.       a. What is the momentum of object A before the collision?       b. What is the total momentum of the two objects before the collision?       c. If the total momentum is conserved, how will the total momentum after the collision compare to the total momentum           before the collision? Click here for the answer and explanation.
6.	Sound travels through the air by (A) mutual gravitational attraction between molecules. (B) repulsion between electrically charged molecules. (C) random motion of molecules. (D) regular vibration of molecules. Click here for the answer and explanation.
7.	Use the information below to answer this question.       Wires connect a lightbulb to the terminals of a 12-volt battery. The total resistance of the circuit is 4 ohms.   a.    Calculate the amount of current fl owing through the circuit. Show your work.  b.    Calculate the circuit’s power. Show your work.  c.     If the total resistance of the circuit were greater than 4 ohms, what would happen to the power? Explain your reasoning. Click here to see the explanation and sample answers.
8.	Earth's magnetic field most affects which of the following? (A) the rotation of Earth on its axis (B) the water cycle on Earth (C) the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates (D) the amount of radiation reaching Earth's surface Click here for the answer and explanation.
9.	In which diagram is the wavelength, X, of a sound wave correctly labeled? Click here for the answer and explanation.
10.	Two teams are playing tug-of-war with a rope that has a knot in the middle, as shown below.    When they pull with equal but opposite force, the knot is at rest. However, if the blue team pulls with a force of 2200 N and the green team pulls with a force of 2500 N, what is the magnitude and direction of the net (unbalanced) force? (A) 300 N to the left (B) 300 N to the right (C) 4700 N to the left (D) 4700 N to the right Click here for the answer and explanation.
11.	Click here for the answer and explanation.
12.	The diagram below shows two balls with the same mass, M, placed a distance, D, apart. When is the gravitational force between the two balls the greatest? (A) when M increases and D decreases (B) when M stays the same and D increases (C) when M decreases and D stays the same (D) when M decreases and D increases Click here for the answer and explanation.
13.	A ball is traveling through the air in the direction of the arrow as shown in the diagram below.   In which direction does the force of air friction push on the ball? Click here for the answer and explanation.
14.	A person is sitting on a train that is moving 100 km/h. From which frame of reference is the person moving 0 km/h? (A) the ground (B) the train (C) a train passing in the opposite direction (D) a car stopped at a crossing Click here for the answer and explanation.