Chapter 1:
Electricity
Practice Test
1.
Suppose you are standing on top of a hill on a cloudy day. You notice that all the hair on your arms and on the top of your head is standing on end. What should you do?
a.
run away
b.
comb your hair
c.
open an umbrella
d.
hide beneath a nearby tree
Hint
2.
What is the function of a battery in a circuit?
a.
to maintain a potential difference
b.
to overcome resistance
c.
to regulate the conversion of electrical energy to thermal energy
d.
All of the above.
Hint
3.
What is electric potential difference?
a.
the difference between electrical energy and thermal energy
b.
the difference between electrical energy and potential energy
c.
change in electric charge of a circuit divided by time
d.
change in potential energy of a circuit divided by the total charge
Hint
4.
What is the term for the property of material that indicates how much energy changes to thermal energy and light as an electrical charge flows through the material?
a.
voltage
b.
current
c.
resistance
d.
potential difference
Hint
5.
How are potential difference and current related?
a.
As potential difference decreases, current increases.
b.
As potential difference increases, current increases.
c.
As potential difference increases, current decreases.
d.
Potential difference and current are not related.
Hint
6.
What causes lightning to strike?
a.
a discharge of charged particles between clouds and the ground
b.
a large potential difference between clouds and the ground
c.
separation of positive and negative charges in a cloud
d.
All of the above.
Hint
7.
Suppose a piece of wire with a resistance of 2 Ω is connected to the terminals of a 10-V battery. What is the current in the newly formed circuit?
a.
10A
b.
20A
c.
5A
d.
8A
Hint
8.
A rubber sheath around a power cord is an example of what kind of material?
a.
conductor
b.
electrostatic
c.
circuit
d.
insulator
Hint
9.
Metals, like copper, make good material for power cables because they are ductile and electrical charges pass freely through. What is the term used to describe the electrical properties of copper?
a.
resistor
b.
conductor
c.
insulator
d.
ductile
Hint
10.
Who was the first person to apply the word
electricity
to the force produced when rubbing amber with wool?
a.
William Gilbert
b.
Thomas Edison
c.
Benjamin Franklin
d.
Thales of Miletus
Hint
11.
Rubbing wool and amber together causes the amber to develop a concentration of electricity. What is the term used for this concentration of electricity?
a.
static electricity
b.
like charge
c.
unlike charge
d.
electrical charge
Hint
12.
What units are used to measure current?
a.
amperes
b.
watts
c.
ohms
d.
volts
Hint
13.
Which of the following describes the behavior of the two kinds of electrical charge?
a.
Unlike charges attract like charges.
b.
Unlike charges attract one another; like forces repel one another.
c.
ohms
d.
All of the above.
Hint
14.
What law describes the relationship among current, resistance, and potential difference?
a.
Gilbert's law
b.
Ampere's law
c.
Coulomb's law
d.
Ohm's law
Hint
15.
What hypothesis do scientists have to explain why electric eels do not electrocute themselves?
a.
The brain and heart of the eel are packed in a fatty tissue.
b.
Electric eels are a myth.
c.
Coulomb's law
d.
All of the above.
Hint
