Physical Science: Matter, Forces & Energy — Sample exam
Parent / teacher answer keyA rehearsal paper with separate worked solutions; use it before the final.
16 questions · 34 points · suggested 45 minutes
Student instructions
- Suggested time: 60 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 or tool | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Density | ρ=m/V; use equal units of volume. Water is approximately 1 g/mL in the introductory examples. |
| Motion | Average speed=distance/time; velocity=displacement/time; acceleration=change in velocity/time. |
| Force and work | Fnet=ma; W=Fd for an aligned constant force. Use the stated g value. |
| Energy and machines | KE=½mv²; ΔGPE=mgΔh; MA=output force/input force; efficiency=useful output/input×100%. |
| Particle and reaction models | Keep atom identity during a physical change; balance equations by coefficients, not subscripts. |
Coverage and marks
| Chapter | Questions | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Properties of Matter | 1, 2 | 4 |
| Phases of Matter | 3, 4 | 4 |
| Chemistry | 5, 6 | 4 |
| Forces | 7, 8 | 4 |
| Motion | 9, 10 | 4 |
| Work & Machines | 11, 12 | 4 |
| Energy & Heat Transfer | 13, 14 | 4 |
| Waves, Sound & Light | 15, 16 | 6 |
Name: ____________________ Date: ____________________
Question 1 · 1 point
Where are protons and neutrons located in an atom?
- In the nucleus
- Orbiting the nucleus
- Outside the atom entirely
- Only in charged atoms
Question 2 · 3 points
Bag A survives 2 trips and uses 20 g of material; bag B survives 20 trips and uses 100 g. Compare material per trip, ignoring other impacts.
Question 3 · 1 point
While a pure liquid boils at fixed pressure, what happens to its temperature during the phase change?
- It stays the same until all the liquid has boiled away
- It rises steadily
- It drops suddenly
- It becomes negative
Question 4 · 3 points
Two equal-mass water samples at 20°C and 60°C mix in an insulated container. Estimate the final temperature.
Question 5 · 1 point
Mixing two clear solutions produces a cloudy solid that settles to the bottom. This solid is called a…
- reactant
- catalyst
- precipitate
- solvent
Question 6 · 3 points
Compare the hydrogen-ion activity in solutions of pH 3 and pH 5.
Question 7 · 1 point
If the net force on an object is zero, the object…
- must be at rest
- is either at rest or moving at constant velocity
- must be accelerating
- must be speeding up
Question 8 · 3 points
A 200 N force is spread over 0.5 m². Find pressure and compare with the same force on 0.25 m².
Question 9 · 1 point
A train travels 300 km in 4 hours. What is its average speed?
Question 10 · 3 points
A net horizontal force of 12 N acts on a 4 kg cart. Calculate acceleration and identify the reaction to a hand's push.
Question 11 · 1 point
You push a wall that remains still. Mechanical work on the wall is…
- zero
- equal to your mass
- always 100 J
- infinite
Question 12 · 3 points
A lift takes in 200 J and gives the load 150 J. Find efficiency and account for the remaining energy.
Question 13 · 1 point
A 10 kg object sits on a shelf 2 m high. Find its gravitational potential energy. (g = 9.8 m/s²)
Question 14 · 3 points
Two bulbs are in series and one connection is removed. What happens? Compare with two independent parallel branches.
Question 15 · 3 points
Two sources complete 8 and 12 cycles in 0.04 s with equal 2 mm amplitudes. Compare frequency, expected pitch and what remains unknown about received loudness.
Question 16 · 3 points
An illustrative receiver uses threshold 0.5. Readings 0.7, 0.3, 0.52 and 0.2 form a message. Decode it and explain how ordinary sound and magnetic interaction differ across a vacuum gap.