Deck 21: Beyond Everyday Phenomena

Question 1

The farthest galaxies from the Milky Way appear to be receding from us at the rate of 76,000 miles/sec. An observer in one of these distant galaxies would consider our galaxy to be

A) one of the few moving galaxies in the universe.
B) standing still at the center of the universe.
C) standing still but not at the center of the universe.
D) moving at 76,000 miles/sec and located at the center of the universe.
E) moving away at 76,000 miles/sec.

Answer 1

moving away at 76,000 miles/sec.

Question 2

One fundamental difference between a particle and its antiparticle is the

A) charge, if the particle has a charge.
B) number of quarks contained in each particle.
C) mass.
D) spin.

Answer 2

charge, if the particle has a charge.

Question 3

The best evidence for quarks comes from

A) particles seen outside the nucleus with charge 1/3 the charge of a proton.
B) scattering experiments performed at very high energies.
C) the decay of electrons into quarks and mesons.
D) theories that would not make sense if quarks did not exist.

Answer 3

scattering experiments performed at very high energies.

Question 4

The result of a particle meeting its antiparticle will most likely be

A) the release of quarks contained in each particle.
B) the creation of a "black hole."
C) annihilation of the two particles and the release of photons.
D) the creation of a new particle with twice the mass of the original particles.

Question 5

The greatest red shifts are observed for those galaxies that are

A) the brightest.
B) nearest our galaxy.
C) at the greatest distance from us.
D) near our galactic equator.

Question 6

According to current theory, which of the following elementary particles does not contain quarks?

A) Protons
B) Mesons
C) Neutrons
D) Electrons

Question 7

The dominant semiconducting material now in use is

A) germanium.
B) silicon.
C) carbon.
D) gallium.

Question 8

Which of the following is not evidence for the Big Bang?

A) The expansion of the universe.
B) The existence of protons and neutrons.
C) The background of microwave radiation.
D) The ratio of hydrogen to helium observed in stars.

Question 9

The oxygen atoms in Earth's atmosphere were created

A) during the Big Bang.
B) when atoms first formed, about half a million years after the beginning of the universe.
C) by nuclear fusion in massive stars.
D) during the formation of the Earth.

Question 10

The term "solid-state electronics" refers to

A) the use of transistors rather than vacuum tubes.
B) the increased use of metals in electronic devices.
C) the replacement of positive charges with electrons in devices.
D) our ability to now use solids to make electronic devices.

Question 11

According to the Big Bang theory, atoms would have likely begun to form after approximately

A) 10 billion years.
B) 400,000 years.
C) 1 year.
D) 3 seconds.
E) 0.5 second.

Question 12

Semiconductor elements are "doped" in order to

A) increase their electrical conductivity.
B) make them less susceptible to temperature changes.
C) eliminate the possibility of incomplete bonds.
D) make them electrically charged.

Question 13

Atoms of materials that are good conductors of electricity have

A) mostly protons; thus, the negative charges jump easily from atom to atom.
B) only electrons, and so these electrons are easily moved.
C) outer electrons which are loosely bound and thus easily moved.
D) no electrons; thus, any that are given to them are easy to move about.

Question 14

There are several elements that we regard as semiconductors. The common property of these elements is that they have

A) electrons, which are randomly organized about the nucleus.
B) no electrons beyond a closed shell.
C) outer electrons which cannot move.
D) four outer electrons beyond a closed shell.

Question 15

Which of the following fundamental forces is hardest for theorists to incorporate into an overall unified theory of nature?

A) Gravitational interaction
B) Strong interaction
C) Weak interaction
D) Electromagnetic interaction

Question 16

The very first subatomic particle discovered was the

A) muon.
B) quark.
C) proton.
D) electron.
E) neutron.

Question 17

The dominant charge carrier in a n-type semiconductor is the

A) neutron.
B) electron.
C) proton.
D) hole.

Question 18

One of the intriguing questions for scientists of many ages has been "What are the elementary particles?" Which of the following is not considered an elementary particle?

A) Quark
B) Muon
C) Proton
D) Electron

Question 19

The best electrically conducting elements are located __________ in the periodic table.

A) on the left side or in the transition regions
B) in the last two columns
C) in the first two rows
D) in the middle columns
E) randomly

Question 20

Which of the following is not a basic or fundamental force in nature?

A) Electromagnetic force
B) Strong nuclear force
C) Gravitational force
D) Frictional force

Question 21

To make an n-type semiconductor from silicon, one adds impurity atoms of

A) oxygen.
B) cobalt.
C) fluorine.
D) gallium.
E) arsenic.

Question 22

Nature's most basic electric charge quantities are associated with the elementary particles and anti-particles. These basic charge quantities are

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 23

Superconductors are materials that

A) are metallic.
B) have no electrical resistance.
C) can be easily made into wires.
D) are all of these.

Question 24

Two beams of particles can be made to collide head-on at the point where the reactions are studied, providing a larger collision energy than from collisions with a stationary target. This must be true because to calculate available energy

A) what counts is the velocity of the particles relative to the Earth's rotation.
B) what counts is the velocity of the particles relative to the distant stars.
C) actual velocities are more important than relative velocities.
D) actual velocities are less important than relative velocities.

Question 25

Adding a few impurity atoms, like arsenic or gallium, to a semiconductor can produce

A) gravitational repulsion of the impurity atoms, like the expanding universe.
B) abundant thermal inversion.
C) a significant increase in mass, even though the impurity atoms are quite sparse.
D) useful changes in the conductivity.

Question 26

Without transistors, computers

A) would be much larger.
B) could not be easily programmed.
C) could not be made.
D) could not use digital logic.

Question 27

For a few hundred thousand years after the Big Bang, atoms could not form. Electrons could not stay bound to protons or helium nuclei. However, eventually, atoms did combine when

A) there was enough angular momentum that protons and electrons acquired spins.
B) the universe had expanded and cooled sufficiently.
C) the curvature of spacetime increased by 50%.
D) the theory of everything became active.

Question 28

Liquid crystals have the useful property that

A) they can behave like liquid semiconductors and make computers more flexible.
B) they can change from a liquid state to a solid state instantly.
C) their transparency can be changed by applying an electric field.
D) they are very strong in one direction but very weak in another.

Question 29

To operate properly, superconductors must be kept below a critical temperature. The highest critical temperature for currently available superconductors is about

A) 300 K.
B) 200 K.
C) 100 K.
D) 25 K.
E) 10 K.

Question 30

A positron and its antiparticle, the electron, can annihilate each other and produce

A) high-energy photons.
B) protons and antiprotons.
C) green electrons and anti-green electrons.
D) quarks and antiquarks.

Question 31

The most accurate way of finding the distance to some very far away stars might be by observing

A) their orbiting planets
B) their motion relative to nearby stars
C) the variation in their position in the night sky on successive nights
D) the rate of variation in their luminosity

Question 32

The standard model of particle physics predicts the existence of three families of elementary particles with four particles in each family. All of these particles have been confirmed experimentally except for the tau neutrino. Most physicists think the reason it has not been found is that

A) it likely does not exist.
B) no current particle accelerator can generate enough energy to create a tau neutrino.
C) it is associated with the tau particle and the tau is difficult to trap.
D) neutrinos are very difficult to detect.

Question 33

All galaxies are expanding away from every other galaxy in the universe in a manner similar to

A) a tape recording that is played backwards at double speed.
B) a telephone that is on hold.
C) pancake syrup on a pancake on Saturday morning.
D) dots of ink on a balloon that is being inflated at a birthday party.

Question 34

The easiest way to remember which quarks make up a neutron is

A) A neutron is an inside-out proton: uud.
B) Neutrons are all about u-three up quarks: uuu.
C) The neutron is a real "dud"-a down quark, an up quark, and another down quark: dud.
D) Roses are red, violets are blue, neutrons are nosy but do not have u: ddd.

Question 35

A transistor consists of

A) a layer of p-type semiconductor.
B) a layer of n-type semiconductor.
C) a combination of 2 doped layers, p and n.
D) a combination of 3 doped layers, such as n-p-n.

Question 36

High-temperature superconductors are made of

A) metallic hydrogen.
B) noble gases like helium layered with highly reactive gases like hydrogen.
C) ceramics with copper, yttrium, barium, and oxygen.
D) 99.999% pure copper.

Question 37

Galaxies that are far away from us have spectra that are redshifted more than galaxies that are closer to us. It is thought that the reason for this is that

A) we are at the edge of the universe and moving away from the center.
B) we are at the center of an expanding universe.
C) space itself is expanding.
D) the stars in more distant galaxies are older and cooler than those nearby.

Question 38

Which of these elements is classified as a semiconductor?

A) Aluminum
B) Chlorine
C) Germanium
D) Sodium
E) Arsenic

Question 39

A modern day device that does not need to have a computer chip built into it is

A) a cell phone
B) a blood pressure meter
C) an MP3 player
D) a hand held calculator

Question 40

The gravitational interaction was the first force figured out by scientist Sir Isaac Newton. However,

A) it is not a fundamental force of nature, only a symptom of inertia.
B) it will never be incorporated into a "theory of everything" because it is an attractive force.
C) gravitation has been the hardest force to unite with electroweak and strong nuclear interactions.
D) until we can detect gravitational waves, it will remain a mystery.

Question 41

Superconductors lose their superconducting property above their ___________ temperature.

Question 42

In present day technology, a substance can become a superconductor

A) at temperatures above 0 Kelvin but less than 100 Kelvin.
B) only at absolute zero temperature.
C) at room temperature.
D) at a temperature above the boiling point of water.

Question 43

Transistors are most useful devices electronic devices because

A) they are excellent conductors
B) they are excellent insulators
C) they are excellent signal amplifiers
D) they are highly inductive

Question 44

Current technology is in the process of developing electronic circuit elements with distances between elements of only

A) picometers
B) nanometers
C) microns
D) millimeters
Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 45

There are three ________________ of elementary particles in the standard model.

Question 46

A hologram is produced from the ______________ of a reference beam and an object beam.

Question 47

To make a p-type semiconductor from silicon, one element that might be added as an impurity is _______________.

Question 48

A proton, according to the present theory, consists of ____ (number) up quark(s) and ___ (number) down quark(s).

Question 49

Observations of the shift toward the red in stellar absorption spectra for stars in galaxies outside out own implies that

A) objects observed in the light of these stars will appear more blue than red.
B) these stars are part of a rapidly spinning galaxy.
C) these stars are headed toward us.
D) these stars are receding away from us.

Question 50

The spectra of stars in other galaxies show a Doppler shift of spectral lines toward the ______ (color) end of the spectrum, thus providing evidence for the expansion of the universe.

Question 51

The reason that some bright objects appearing in photographs of distant objects in the night sky appear to be blurry is that

A) they are really other galaxies, collections of billions of stars.
B) they are really nearby objects that can appear to move relative to distant and dimmer objects much further away
C) they are exploding supernovae very near to the Earth
D) they would really look blurry even if you were right next to them

Question 52

A tiny device containing many transistors, diodes, and resistors is a(n) _____________________________

Question 53

Evidence that the universe is expanding is provided by Hubble's Law which states that

A) the farther away a star is from us, the greater its velocity of recession.
B) the farther away a star is from us, the less its luminosity.
C) the farther away a star is from us, the less its velocity of recession.
D) the nearer to us a star is, the greater its velocity of recession.

Question 54

Galactic redshifts indicate the ___________ of the universe.

Question 55

A device that has a very small resistance to current flowing in one direction but very high resistance to current flowing in the opposite direction is a _____________.

Question 56

The proton is a member of the ________________ family of particles.

Question 57

According to the Big Bang theory, ordinary matter did not exist in the first microsecond after the beginning. All the matter in the universe was a sea of ________________.

Question 58

Theories that attempt to unify the electromagnetic, weak nuclear force, and strong nuclear force are called ___________________.