Physics MCQs
Physics Objective (Multiple Choice) General Knowledge & General Science Questions & Answers for SSC-CGL, UPPSC, NDA, CDS and all one day examinations of India.
1. Zero point energy is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may have. “Who among the following proposed this concept?
[A] Max Planck
[B] Albert Einstein and Otto Stern
[C] Hendrik B. G. Casimir
[D] Gribbin, John
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Albert Einstein and Otto Stern]
Notes:
Albert Einstein and Otto Stern proposed the concept of Zeropoint energy. It is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may have.
2. A pendulum is taken to Moon, what will happen to its time period?
[A] Increases
[B] Decreases
[C] Remains constant
[D] Either increase or decrease
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Increases]
Notes:
When the simple pendulum is taken to the moon, value of gravitational constant g will decrease and thus, its time period will increase.
3. Which among the following is true about Total Internal Reflection?
[A] A ray passing from rarer to denser medium and not able to pass to denser medium at an angle greater than critical angle
[B] A ray passing from denser to rarer medium and not able to pass to rarer medium at an angle greater than critical angle
[C] A ray passing from either denser to rarer medium or rarer to denser medium and not able to pass any medium at an angle smaller than critical angle
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [A ray passing from denser to rarer medium and not able to pass to rarer medium at an angle greater than critical angle]
Notes:
A ray passing from denser to rarer medium and not able to pass to rarer medium at an angle greater than critical angle. Critical angle is the angle in which the incident ray is 90 degrees to that of the refracted ray.
4. Which of these is in action in the process of a liquid rising in the syringe when the piston is pulled up?
[A] Capillary action
[B] surface tension
[C] atmospheric pressure
[D] cohesive forces
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [atmospheric pressure]
Notes:
Atmospheric pressure is the force that causes liquid to rise in a syringe when the piston is pulled up. When the syringe is placed with its opening in a liquid and the plunger is pulled up, the air pressure inside the barrel becomes much less than the atmospheric pressure acting on the liquid. Fluids flow from a high pressure area to a low pressure area. Once the pressure inside the syringe is lower than the pressure outside the syringe, the fluid will flow into the syringe.
5. Which among the following is the most acceptable range of LEO (Low Earth orbit)?
[A] 350 – 2,600 kms
[B] 200-2000 kms
[C] 160 – 2,000 kms
[D] 160-1600 kms
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [160 – 2,000 kms]
Notes:
This range is commonly used and accepted in the context of satellite orbits within the Earth’s atmosphere. It extends from approximately 160 kilometers (the Kármán line, which is often used as the boundary of space) to around 2,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
6. “Svedberg Unit” is a measure of?
[A] Concentration
[B] Size
[C] Density
[D] Time
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Time]
Notes:
A Svedberg unit (S/ Sv) is utilized to denote sedimentation coefficients, providing specific measurement of a particle based on its sedimentation rate under acceleration. Essentially, it computes how quickly a particle settles to the bottom of a solution. In terms of the time dimension, a Svedberg unit amounts to exactly 10−13 seconds, indicating that it is essentially a measure of time.
7. A pressure cooker on a stove with its lid tightly closed and the whistle in position is an example of:
[A] open system
[B] closed system
[C] isolated system
[D] adiabatic system
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ closed system]
Notes:
A pressure cooker on a stove with its lid tightly closed and the whistle in position is an example of a closed-system thermodynamic process. In a closed-system thermodynamic process, the container (in this case, the pressure cooker) is sealed, and there is no exchange of matter with the surroundings. The pressure cooker is designed to be airtight, so no air or steam can escape while it’s cooking. This sealed environment allows for the buildup of pressure and temperature inside the cooker, which, in turn, speeds up the cooking process.
8. A container is filled with water at 4°C. The water will overflow if the temperature of water is __:
[A] Increased
[B] Decreased
[C] Increased or decreased
[D] None of them
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Increased or decreased]
Notes:
The reason is the anomalous expansion of water. The maximum density of water occurs at 4°C. So the water expands whether it is heated above 4°C or cooled below 4°C.
9. Nuclear Reactors are based on which of the following phenomenon?
[A] Magnetic confinement of Plasma
[B] Nuclear Fusion
[C] Controlled Nuclear Fission
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Controlled Nuclear Fission]
Notes:
Nuclear Reactors uses Controlled Nuclear Fission to generate electricity. A nuclear reactor splits the atoms of nuclear fuel (eg. uranium) to generate energy to turn water into steam to drive turbine generators. Nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter ones. Fission was discovered in 1938 by the German scientists Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassmann.
10. Who was the first scientist to discover Electrons?
[A] Albert Einstein
[B] Isaac Newton
[C] J.C. Bose
[D] J.J Thompson
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [J.J Thompson]
Notes:
J.J Thompson was the first scientist to discover and identify the electrons and to make the discovery of the first subatomic particle. He was also the first scientist to find evidence for isotopes of a stable (non-radioactive) element in 1913, as part of his exploration into the composition of canal rays (positive ions). His experiments to determine the nature of positively charged particles led to the development of the mass spectrograph. J.J Thompson belonged to United Kingdom. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906 for his work on the conduction of electricity in gases.