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. 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.
2. Where will the weight of a person be maximum?
[A] At the Poles
[B] At the Tropic of Capricorn
[C] At the Tropic of Cancer
[D] At the Equator
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [At the Poles]
Notes:
The weight of a person would be maximum at the poles, due to the higher gravitational force acting upon them in these regions. This occurs because Earth is an oblate spheroid, flattened at its poles and bulging at the equator, resulting in a shorter distance from the Earth’s center at the poles and a consequent higher gravitational pull. At the equator, the force is slightly weaker due to a greater distance from the Earth’s center. Weights at the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn lie in-between the poles and equator, but are closer to the equator’s value.
3. In which of the following conditions, a Balloon filled with a gas such as Hydrogen will tend to rise up?
[A] If the buoyant force exerted by the air on a balloon is greater than the weight of the balloon
[B] If the buoyant force exerted by the air on a balloon is less than the weight of the balloon
[C] If the buoyant force exerted by the air on a balloon is equal to the weight of the balloon
[D] If the density of the air is greater than the density of the gas filled in balloon
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [ If the buoyant force exerted by the air on a balloon is greater than the weight of the balloon]
Notes:
A Balloon filled with a gas such as Hydrogen gas is much lighter in weight than the weight of air displaced by it. So the buoyant force exerted by the air on a balloon is greater than the weight of the balloon. The hydrogen gas which is lighter than air enables the balloon to float.
4. In which among the following, the speed of sound would be maximum?
[A] Dry air at 0°C
[B] Dry air at 30°C
[C] Humid air at 0°C
[D] Humid air at 30°C
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [ Humid air at 30°C]
Notes:
The speed of sound in a medium depends on temperature of the medium. The speed of sound decreases when we go from solid to gaseous state. In any medium as we increase the temperature the speed of sound increases.. The speed of sound will be highest in humid air at 30°C.
5. On heating a pure silicon circular disc with a circular hole at the centre, the diameter of the hole:
[A] will expand
[B] will contract
[C] will remain constant
[D] may expand or contract
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ will contract]
Notes:
Pure silicon has a negative coefficient of thermal expansion for temperatures and hence it shows contraction effect.
6. Who gave the Theory of Relativity?
[A] Isaac Newton
[B] Archimedes
[C] Albert Einstein
[D] Galileo Galilei
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Albert Einstein]
Notes:
Albert Einstein was the founder of Theory of Relativity. According to Einstein’s theory, mass m is equivalent to energy E given by the relation E = mc^2 where c is speed of light in vacuum. Albert Einstein was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution to the field of Theoretical Physics.
7. Which of the following units is NOT used for measuring length?
[A] Astronomical Unit
[B] Light year
[C] Par sec
[D] slug
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [ slug ]
Notes:
Astronomical Unit, Light year and Par sec are the units used to measure very large distances whereas slug is a unit to measure heavy masses. 1 slug = 14.57 kg
8. Which of the following is true about displacement of an object?
[A] It is always equal to the distance travelled by the object
[B] It can be less than the distance travelled by the object
[C] It can be greater than the distance travelled by the object
[D] It always less than the distance travelled by the object
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [It can be less than the distance travelled by the object]
Notes:
The displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and final position of an object in the given time. The displacement of an object is a vector quantity. It can be less than or equal to the distance but can never be greater than the distance travelled by that object
9. What is the relationship between the angle of friction and the angle of repose?
[A] Equal to the angle of repose
[B] Twice the angle of repose
[C] Greater than the angle of repose
[D] Lesser than the angle of repose
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Equal to the angle of repose]
Notes:
The angle of friction is indeed equal to the angle of repose. The angle of repose is, to put it simply, the steepest angle at which a sloping surface formed of a particular loose material is stable. It signifies the maximum angle at which an object can rest on an inclined plane without sliding.
10. The energy by virtue of its position is known as:
[A] Kinetic energy
[B] Potential energy
[C] Internal energy
[D] Heat energy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Potential energy]
Notes:
The energy by virtue of its position is known as Potential energy. The energy by virtue of its motion is known as Kinetic energy.
