Physics & Environmental Science — Sample exam

A rehearsal paper with separate worked solutions; use it before the final.

22 questions · 44 points · suggested 90 minutes

Student instructions

Suggested time: 90 minutes; allow breaks or accommodations and record them.
Work independently with a calculator, blank paper and the reference relationships printed in this paper. Grades 9, 11 and 12 may also use the course-linked NYSED reference tables. Use no lesson notes or answer key during an assessed attempt.
Show reasoning and units for written tasks. All supplied datasets are illustrative; do not present them as measurements you collected.
Objective items: 1 point each. Written items: 3 points each, one per criterion. A parent or teacher marks the written work; the app never grades an explanation automatically.
Sample exam: try the whole paper before opening the worked key, then revisit the linked chapters. The sample and final are different papers; this is a course assessment, not an official Regents examination.

Reference relationships

Relationship, constant or reference	Use / conditions
Components	Ax=Acosθ; Ay=Asinθ; θ from +x; use correct quadrant
Constant acceleration	v=v₀+at; x−x₀=v₀t+½at²; Constant a only
Force	ΣF=ma; weight=mg; Selected object and vector components
Circular acceleration	ac=v²/r; Inward; supplied by actual interactions
Torque	τ=rFsinθ; Specify pivot and angle
Mechanical energy	K=½mv²; Ug=mgh; Us=½kx²; Define height zero and valid spring range
Impulse	J=Δp=FavgΔt; Vector signs; negligible external impulse for total p conservation
Waves	v=fλ; T=1/f; Medium and mode conditions
Optics	n=c/v; n₁sinθ₁=n₂sinθ₂; Angles from normal
Electricity	I=Q/t; V=IR; P=VI; E=Pt; Ohmic R for V=IR; component values
Capacitor	Q=CV; U=½CV²; Linear capacitance model
Photon	E=hf=hc/λ; Kmax=hf−φ; Emission requires threshold energy
Relativity	γ=1/√(1−v²/c²); Inertial-frame definitions required
Population	dN/dt=rN(1−N/K); Instantaneous continuous-model rate
Diversity	D=1−Σpi²; State this index convention and sampling
Resource budget	Δstorage=inputs−outputs; Common boundary and interval
Capacity factor	Eactual/(Prated×time); Not conversion efficiency
NA=6.022×10²³ mol⁻¹	Avogadro constant, rounded for school calculations
h=6.626×10⁻³⁴ J·s	Planck constant, rounded
c=3.00×10⁸ m/s	Vacuum light speed, rounded
e=1.602×10⁻¹⁹ C	Elementary charge magnitude; 1 eV=1.602×10⁻¹⁹ J
g=9.8 m/s²	Typical near-surface Earth approximation; use a supplied local value if given
R=8.314 J/(mol·K)	Use SI pressure Pa and volume m³
R=0.0821 L·atm/(mol·K)	Use atmosphere pressure and liter volume
F≈96485 C/mol electrons	Faraday constant
1 u·c²≈931.5 MeV	Mass-energy conversion for consistent nuclear mass accounting
T(K)=T(°C)+273.15	Use 273 only when a question specifies that rounded convention
1 L=1000 mL; 1 mL=1 cm³	Volume conversions
1 kWh=3.60×10⁶ J	Energy conversion
cwater≈4.18 J/(g·°C)	Approximate liquid-water specific heat in ordinary conditions
Lf,water≈334 J/g; Lv,water≈2260 J/g	Water fusion and vaporization near ordinary-pressure transition conditions

Coverage and marks

Chapter	Questions	Points
Measurement & Vector Foundations	1, 2	4
Motion & Kinematics	3, 4	4
Forces, Rotation & Equilibrium	5, 6	4
Work, Energy & Momentum	7, 8	4
Waves, Sound & Optics	9, 10	4
Electricity, Magnetism & Circuits	11, 12	4
Modern Physics	13, 14	4
Ecology, Populations & Biodiversity	15, 16	4
Energy, Water & Material Resources	17, 18	4
Pollution, Carbon & Climate Evidence	19, 20	4
Conservation, Systems & Environmental Design	21, 22	4

Name: ____________________ Date: ____________________

Question 1 · 1 point

Convert 450 milliseconds to seconds.

Question 2 · 3 points

A 10N force is 30° above horizontal. Resolve it.

Question 3 · 1 point

A jogger runs 8 km east then 5 km west along one road. What is the magnitude of the displacement?

Question 4 · 3 points

A rock is dropped from rest and falls 44.1 m to the ground. How long does it take — and would a rock launched horizontally from that same height take longer? (g = 9.8 m/s²)

Question 5 · 1 point

A club strikes a 0.045 kg golf ball, giving it an acceleration of 2,000 m/s². What net force did the club apply?

Question 6 · 3 points

A 6N load at .20 m balances an input at .60 m on the other side. Find input.

Question 7 · 1 point

A crane lifts a 150 kg steel beam 8.0 m upward at constant speed. How much work does it do against gravity? (g = 9.8 m/s²)

Question 8 · 3 points

A 2N·s impulse acts over .010 s versus .100 s. Compare average forces.

Question 9 · 1 point

A wave has a period of 0.004 s. Find its frequency.

Question 10 · 3 points

Same source recedes.

Question 11 · 1 point

A charge of 2 μC (2 × 10⁻⁶ C) sits at a point where it feels an electric force of 0.1 N. Find the electric field strength there.

Question 12 · 3 points

A paper-model device uses 1.2 kW for 2h at supplied price .20 currency/kWh.

Question 13 · 1 point

Using hc=1240 eV·nm, find photon energy at 620 nm.

Question 14 · 3 points

A detector gives 120 counts in 60 s; background 30 in 60 s. Estimate net count rate.

Question 15 · 1 point

A wetland's producers have a GPP of 18,000 kcal/m²/yr and spend 7,000 kcal/m²/yr on respiration. What is the net primary productivity (NPP)?

Question 16 · 3 points

Counts across three 1 m² quadrats are 4,8,6. Find mean density.

Question 17 · 1 point

Which fossil fuel typically releases the LEAST carbon dioxide per unit of energy when burned?

Coal
Oil (petroleum)
Natural gas
Peat

Question 18 · 3 points

A2 kW source produces 12 kWh in 24h. Find capacity factor.

Question 19 · 1 point

Biomagnification refers to the way that

decomposers break pollutants down into harmless molecules
a pollutant spreads evenly through the air until it is harmless
a factory's scrubber removes pollutants before they leave the smokestack
a persistent pollutant becomes more concentrated in organisms at each higher step of a food chain

Question 20 · 3 points

Change baseline from 14.0 to 14.2°C for absolute temperature 15.0°C.

Question 21 · 1 point

An invasive species is best described as

a non-native species that spreads rapidly in a new area and harms native species
any large predator at the top of a food chain
a native species that has lived in an ecosystem for thousands of years
any species that is currently close to extinction

Question 22 · 3 points

A10W reduction operates 2000h/year. Find saved energy.

Revisit the covered chapters

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