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I) Lecture Multiple Choice (22 questions, 132 points total)

Use the following scenario for the next two questions.

Suppose a block on a frictionless surface is attached to a massless horizontal spring

with a spring constant of 60 N/m. The block is displaced by 0.44 m from the
equilibrium position and let go causing the block to oscillate.

1. (6 points) At which of the following instants is the acceleration of the block maximum?

A) When the spring is at its equilibrium length.

B) When the kinetic energy of the block is maximum.
C) When the displacement from the equilibrium position of the block is maximum
D) When the potential energy stored in the spring is minimum.
E) Multiple choices above.

2. (6 points) When the block is 0.22 m from the equilibrium position (half of the initial displacement),
what percent of the total energy of the spring-block system is kinetic energy?

A) 25%
B) 50%
C) 71%
D) 75%
E) Not enough information is given.

Use the following scenario for the next two questions.

A wave pulse is generated at 𝑥 = 0. The resulting wave function at 𝑡 = 1.00 s is shown.

3. (6 points) At 𝑡 = 1.50 s, rank the displacements 𝐷𝑦 of points at the following

locations 𝑥𝐴 = 0.20 m, 𝑥𝐵 = 0.50 m, and 𝑥𝐶 = 0.60 m.
𝑥 (m)
A) 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐴 ) < 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐵 ) < 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐶 )
B) 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐴 ) < 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐶 ) < 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐵 )
C) 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐴 ) = 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐶 ) < 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐵 )
D) 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐶 ) < 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐵 ) = 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐴 )
E) 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐶 ) = 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐵 ) < 𝐷𝑦 (𝑥𝐴 )

4. (6 points) If the pulse generated as before, but the wave speed of the medium was halved, what
would be different about the wavefunction at 𝑡 = 1.00 s compared to that shown above?

A) The wavefunction would shrink by a factor of two, and the center would be at 0.125 m.
B) The wavefunction would shrink by a factor of two, and the center would be at 0.25 m.
C) The wavefunction would not shrink or stretch, but the center would be at 0.25 m.
D) The wavefunction would be stretched by a factor of two, and the center would be at 0.125 m.
E) The wavefunction would be stretched by a factor of two, and the center would be at 0.25 m.

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5. (6 points) Two guitar strings are under the same tension and fixed with the same length at both
ends (nut and bridge). If you pluck the strings in exactly the same way, string 1 produces a lower-
pitched note than string 2. What can you conclude about the wave speeds in strings 1, 𝑐1 , and 2, 𝑐2 ,
and the wavelengths in strings 1, 𝜆1 , and 2, 𝜆2 ?

A) 𝑐1 = 𝑐2 and 𝜆1 > 𝜆2
B) 𝑐1 = 𝑐2 and 𝜆1 < 𝜆2
C) 𝑐1 = 𝑐2 and 𝜆1 = 𝜆2
D) 𝑐1 < 𝑐2 and 𝜆1 = 𝜆2
E) 𝑐1 > 𝑐2 and 𝜆1 = 𝜆2

6. (6 points) A woman stands 2.4 m from a speaker producing a tone with a frequency of 170 Hz on a
day when the speed of sound is 340 m/s. Then another speaker, 3.4m from her, is turned on,
producing the same tone with the same intensity as the first. How does the sound she hears
change?

A) The sound gets louder.

B) The sound gets softer.
C) The sound remains about the same loudness.
D) Not enough information is given.

7. (6 points) Suppose you are standing 12 m away from a speaker that produces a sound in all
directions uniformly. The intensity level of the sound you hear is 32 dB. If you move so that the
intensity level of the sound you hear is now 64 dB, how far away are you from the speaker?

A) 7.6×10−3m
B) 0.30 m
C) 4.8 m
D) 6.0 m
E) 24 m

8. (6 points) One way to tune a piano is to strike a tuning fork, which emits note of frequency
261.626 Hz, then immediately strike the piano key for the frequency being sounded by the fork, and
listen for beats. A beat frequency of 1.60 Hz is heard, what should you do?

A) Increase the tension in the string by 0.61%

B) Decrease the tension in the string by 0.61%
C) Increase the tension in the string by 1.2%
D) Decrease the tension in the string by 1.2%
E) Either C or D

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9. (6 points) Suppose that optical fiber with an index of refraction of 1.7 is

surrounded by a cladding material with an index of refraction of 1.4. What is
the maximum angle 𝜃 at which rays can enter the fiber from air as shown and
undergo total internal reflection on the fiber-cladding boundary?

A) 1.3˚
B) 36˚
C) 46˚
D) 55˚
E) 75˚

10. (6 points) What kind of image is formed when an object is placed closer to a convex mirror than the
magnitude of its focal length?

A) Real, inverted, reduced

B) Virtual, inverted, enlarged
C) Real, inverted, enlarged
D) Virtual, upright, reduced
E) Virtual, upright, enlarged

Use the following scenario for the following two questions.

A converging lens with a focal length of 12 cm is used to project the image

of an arrow onto a screen. The arrow is 26 cm away from the lens.

11. (6 points) Where should you place the screen to see the image, and is
the image enlarged or shrunk?

A) 8.2 cm from the lens, and image is enlarged

B) 8.2 cm from the lens, and image is shrunk
C) 22 cm from the lens, and image is enlarged
D) 22 cm from the lens, and image is shrunk
E) 38 cm from the lens, and image is enlarged

12. (6 points) A piece of black tape is now placed over the upper half of
the lens. Which of the follow is true?

A) Only the lower half of the object (i.e., the arrow tail) will show on
the screen.
B) Only the upper half of the object (i.e., the arrow head) will show
on the screen.
C) The whole object will still show on the screen with the same brightness.
D) The whole object will still show on the screen, but dimmer.
E) The whole image disappears.

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Use the following scenario for the next two questions.

A metal surface with a work function of 3.2×10−19 J is struck with blue light, and electrons are released.

13. (6 points) If the maximum kinetic energy of the ejected electrons is 2.2×10−19 J, what is the
minimum wavelength of ejected electrons? The mass of an electron is 9.11×10−31 kg. Hint: the
𝑝2
kinetic energy of a particle, 𝐾, can be expressed in terms of its momentum, 𝑝, as 𝐾 = 2𝑚, where 𝑚
is the mass of the particle.

A) 2.3 × 10−28 m
B) 3.0 × 10−15 m
C) 3.3 × 10−15 m
D) 1.0 × 10−9 m
E) 1.7 × 10−9 m

14. (6 points) If the blue light is replaced by red light with a wavelength of 650 nm of the same intensity,
what is the result?

A) No electrons are emitted.

B) Emitted electrons are more energetic.
C) Emitted electrons are less energetic.
D) More electrons are emitted in a given time interval.
E) Fewer electrons are emitted in a given time interval.

15. (6 points) A glass tube is at rest on a flat, level table. Two openings are
A D H
exposed to the atmosphere, while a stopper closes the other opening.
There is no air between the water and the stopper. The density of the oil
in the left column is less than that of water. Is the pressure at point 𝐴 B Oil E G
greater than, less than, or equal to the pressure at point 𝐻? Points 𝐴 and
𝐻 are at the same height.

A) The pressure at point 𝐴 is greater than the pressure at point 𝐻.

B) The pressure at point 𝐴 is less than the pressure at point 𝐻. C F
C) The pressure at point 𝐴 is equal to the pressure at point 𝐻.
D) There is not enough information to answer this question.

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16. (6 points) Water is flowing through a pipe of diameter 𝑑1 at a speed 𝑣. The pipe then branches off
into two identical pipes of diameter 𝑑2 . The water continues to move at speed 𝑣 through the two
identical pipes. Which of the following correctly relates 𝑑1 and 𝑑2 ? Treat water as an ideal fluid.

A) 𝑑2 = 𝑑1 /4
B) 𝑑2 = 𝑑1 /2
C) 𝑑2 = 𝑑1 /√2
D) 𝑑2 = 2𝑑1
E) 𝑑2 = 4𝑑1

17. (6 points) Initially a toy boat with a rock on board floats in a small tub of water. You remove the
rock from the boat and place it in the water, where it sinks to the bottom of the tub. Compared to
the initial state with the rock on the boat, when the rock is placed in the water the water level ___.

A) rises
B) falls
C) stays the same
D) Need more information

Use the following situation for the next two problems.

Consider a closed system of monatomic gas where the mass of each gas atoms is
5.0×10−26 kg. As shown, a partition divides the gas into two compartments that
have equal volumes, and the gas can transmit energy between compartments.
There are 14 gas molecules in compartment A and 6 in compartment B. Initially the
gas molecules in compartment A have a thermal energy of 8.4×10−20 J and those
in compartment B have a thermal energy 7.0×10−20 J.

18. (6 points) What is the initial rms speed of the gas in compartment A?

A) 3.5×102 m/s
B) 4.2×102 m/s
C) 4.9×102 m/s
D) 1.3×103 m/s
E) 1.6×103 m/s

19. (6 points) At thermal equilibrium what is the thermal energy in compartment A?

A) 4.6×10−20 J
B) 5.9×10−20 J
C) 8.4×10−20 J
D) 10.8×10−20 J
E) 15.4×10−20 J

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Use the following situation for the next three problems.

1 2
An engine undergoes a cycle as shown in the 𝑃𝑉 diagram. During a
complete cycle the work done by the gas is 28.5×103 J and the energy
transferred thermally out is 99.4×103 J. There are 1.5×1024 gas molecules
and they have three active degrees of freedom.

4 3
20. (6 points) During which process(es) is energy transferred thermally into
the gas?

A) 1→2
B) 2→3
C) 4→1
D) 1 → 2 and 4 → 1
E) None of the above

21. (6 points) What is the maximum temperature of the gas?

A) 273 K
B) 306 K
C) 856 K
D) 1070 K
E) 3000 K

22. (6 points) What is the efficiency of the heat engine?

A) 0.22
B) 0.29
C) 0.40
D) 0.60
E) 0.78

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II) Lab Multiple Choice (6 questions, 32 points total)

Questions 23—24 below show the intensity graphs of the interference and/or diffraction patterns
produced on a screen when either a single slit or a pair of slits is/are illuminated by a laser light of
wavelength 633 nm. The distance of the screen from the slit(s) is 1.00 m. Match each pattern with its slit
specification. (a=slit width, d=distance between slits)

23. [5 pts]

a) Single slit, a=0.04 mm

b) Single slit, a=0.08 mm
c) Double slit, a=0.04 mm, d=0.12 mm
d) Double slit, a=0.04 mm, d=0.24 mm
e) Double slit, a=0.08 mm, d=0.24 mm

24. [6 pts]

a) Single slit, a=0.04 mm

b) Single slit, a=0.08 mm
c) Double slit, a=0.04 mm, d=0.12 mm
d) Double slit, a=0.04 mm, d=0.24 mm
e) Double slit, a=0.08 mm, d=0.24 mm

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Questions 25—27 below involve two perfectly smooth glass plates with various shapes and orientations.
For each case, decide which of the interference patterns A—H you would observe if the plates were
illuminated from above with a sodium lamp.

Note: When the glass plates are shaped and oriented as below, one observes interference pattern B.

25. [5 pts] For the glass plates shaped and oriented as below, which of the interference patterns would
you observe?

a) pattern A
b) pattern B
c) pattern C
d) pattern D
e) pattern E

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26. [5 pts] For the glass plates shaped and oriented as below, which of the interference patterns would
you observe?

a) pattern E
b) pattern C
c) pattern F
d) pattern G
e) pattern H

27. [5 pts] For the glass plates shaped and oriented as below, which of the interference patterns would
you observe?

a) pattern D
b) pattern C
c) pattern F
d) pattern G
e) pattern H

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In a spectroscopy experiment, a diffraction grating is set-up to measure the wavelength of light. The
grating has 500 slits/mm. The distance of the grating from the screen is D = 250 mm. A light source (not
a laser) produces a first order (m=1) spectral line located at x1 = 60 mm.

28. [6 pts] What is the wavelength of this line?

a) 169 nm
b) 273 nm
c) 344 nm
d) 467 nm
e) 546 nm

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