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PRAXIS II Physics: Content Knowledge (0261) Exam

This exam is designed for individuals who would like to teach physics at the secondary level. You will be given one hour to complete this 50 multiple-choice question exam. Usage of a calculator is not permitted. There will be 13 questions regarding special topics in modern physics and optics and waves, 17 questions regarding magnetism and electricity, and 20 questions regarding mechanics.

Special topics in Modern Physics: Optics and Waves
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of modern physics, light, sound, and waves. Questions regarding modern physics will cover natural and artificial radioactivity, binding energy, nuclear forces, relativity, black body radiation, photoelectric effect, Michelson-Morley experiment, de Broglie's hypotheses, and particle wave duality. Questions regarding light and sound will cover geometric optics, polarization, sound wave characteristics, air strings and columns, color and the electromagnetic spectrum. Questions regarding optics and waves will cover the properties of longitudinal and transverse waves, inference and super position of waves, standing waves, dispersion, diffraction, resonance and natural frequencies, the Doppler effect, scattering, transmission, absorption of waves, refraction, Snell's law, and reflection. The length, amplitude, speed, and frequency of waves will also be covered in the section of the exam.

Magnetism and Electricity
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of magnetism and electricity. Questions regarding magnetism will cover motors, transformers, Lorenz force law and applications, Lenz and Faraday's electromagnetic induction laws, Ampere and Biot-Savart's law, magnetic flux, magnetic force, and magnetic fields. Questions regarding electricity will cover electrical fields, electrical forces, electrical potential energy, Gauss's law, Coulomb's law, insulators, semiconductors, and conductors. Questions regarding circuits and currents will cover series and parallel circuits, EMF sources such as generators and batteries, capacitance, resistance, current, potential difference, resistance, insulator's, semiconductors and conductors.

Mechanics
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of dynamics and vectors. Questions regarding dynamics will cover Newton's law of gravity and motion, friction, inelastic and elastic collisions, rigid body motion, conservation laws of momentum and energy, momentum and impulse principles, potential energy and conservative forces, harmonica motion, springs and oscillations, mass versus weight, and statistics. Questions regarding vectors will cover velocity, periodic motion, reference frames, relative velocity, circular motion, projectile motion, and straight-line motion.

PRAXIS II Physics: Content Knowledge (0261) Practice Questions

1. Which of the following is not a core theory of physics?

A. Classical mechanics
B. Relativity
C. Geometry
D. Optics

2. Which of the following laws led to Einstein's Theory of Relativity?

A. Conservation of Mass and Energy
B. Invariance of the Speed of Light
C. Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
D. First Law of Thermodynamics

3. Motion is explained as:

A. velocity
B. acceleration
C. displacement
D. All of the above

4. Which of the following terms is not involved in the study of optics?

A. Synthesis
B. Electromagnetic
C. Radiation
D. Nanometer

5. Properties of a wave are:

A. moves through time and space
B. transfers energy
C. moves in an organized pattern
D. All of the above

Answer Key For Physics: Content Knowledge (0261)

1. Answer: C

Physics is a fundamental, experimental science that studies matter, motion, energy, space, and time and how they interact. Its goal is to understand the natural world by formulating and testing hypotheses in an effort to develop scientific laws that predict other phenomena. Physics is one of the oldest sciences. Humans have been trying to figure out how the world works for thousands of years.

Physicists specialize in either theoretical (the development of new theories) or experimental (testing theories and discovering new phenomena) research. Physics is divided into four disciplines: condensed matter physics; atomic, molecular, and optical physics; high-energy physics; and astronomy and astrophysics. Other sciences are complex applications of the laws of physics.

The core theories of physics, as described in Webster's New Explorer Desk Encyclopedia, are:

CLASSICAL MECHANICS: the motion of objects
ELECTROMAGNETISM: interaction between charged particles
RELATIVITY: measurement changes in various states of motion
THERMODYNAMICS: relationship between heat, work, temperature, and energy
QUANTUM MECHANICS: mathematical explanation of atomic and subatomic systems
OPTICS: production, propagation, changes, and manipulation of light

2. Answer: B

The following definitions are summarized from Webster's New Explorer Desk Encyclopedia.

NEWTON'S THREE LAWS OF MOTION define the relationship between the acceleration of an object and the forces acting on it:

Gravity: attractive force between a pair of masses
Conservation of Mass and Energy: The total of mass and energy is retained; either may change forms.
Conservation of Momentum: systems remain constant in a closed environment

LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS are specific examples of the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy:

The Zeroth Law describes the principle of thermal equilibrium between bodies.
First Law of Thermodynamics: relationship between energy, heat, and work within a system
Second Law of Thermodynamics: natural flow of heat in a closed system
Third Law of Thermodynamic: impossible to create a perfectly efficient thermodynamic process

ELECTROSTATIC LAWS are the relationships between electrically charged particles, which create electrostatic force and fields.

INVARIANCE OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT states that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant and is not measured differently in different frames of reference. This led to Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

3. Answer: D

The following definitions are based on information from The American Heritage College Dictionary:

MOTION is "the act or process of changing position or place." It is the continuous change of an object's location as a result of force (lift, push, or pull). It is explained as velocity (rate of speed), acceleration (increase in speed), displacement (the act of moving from its usual place), and time. Once an object is in motion, it acquires momentum (a measure of a body in motion).

SPACE is a fundamental quantity that describes the "expanse in which the solar system, stars, and galaxies exist, i.e., the universe." It is measured as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum.

TIME is "a nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future." This is the view held by Immanuel Kant who believed time is a measuring system devised by humans in an effort to sequence events. Sir Isaac Newton believed time is a fundamental, measurable dimension of the universe in which events occur in a sequence. However, Stephen Hawking notes that it is at least theoretically possible to travel forward or even backward in time. In terms of defining a specific point in space, time may be considered the fourth dimension.

4. Answer: A

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines optics as "the branch of physics that deals with physical light, vision, and ultraviolet and infrared electromagnetic radiation." Optics is the science that studies the behavior, properties, production, and propagation of light, its different manifestations, how each reacts in different situations, and its interaction with matter. The science of light has applications in several disciplines including optical physics, electrical engineering, and ophthalmology. Because light is used in a variety of ways, such as microwaves, X-rays, the images in mirrors, and lenses, it is considered a cross-disciplinary science.

The following definitions describe some of the terms used in the study of optics:

LIGHT: electromagnetic radiation that can be seen by the human eye
ELECTROMAGNETIC: exhibiting the physics of electricity and magnetism
RADIATION: energy transmitted in the form of rays, waves, or particles
ULTRAVIOLET: invisible radiation wavelengths from 4 nanometers to 380 nanometers
INFRARED: invisible radiation wavelengths from 750 nanometers to 1 millimeter
NANOMETER: one billionth of a meter

5. Answer: D

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines a wave as "a disturbance traveling through a medium by which energy is transferred from one particle of the medium to another without causing any permanent displacement of the medium itself." The wave moves through time and space as it transfers energy. It is measured separately from any medium through which it moves. If the wave is electromagnetic radiation or gravitational radiation, it does not need a medium; it can travel through a vacuum. These disturbances move from place to place in a regular, organized pattern with a fixed frequency (number of waves that pass a certain point in a specific time period) and wavelength (distance between corresponding points of two waves). Sound, light, and the motion of subatomic particles all oscillate much like the surface waves on the sea.