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 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.
2. Which among the following explains the radiation emitted by black bodies?
[A] Big-bang theory
[B] Quantum Theory
[C] Piezoelectric Effect
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Quantum Theory]
Notes:
The correct answer is Quantum Theory. Black body radiation refers to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by an idealized object that absorbs all incident radiation. Max Planck introduced the concept in 1900, leading to the development of quantum mechanics. This theory explains that energy is quantized, emitted in discrete packets called quanta or photons, resolving the ultraviolet catastrophe predicted by classical physics.
3. Which of the following waves can be used to measure the speed of a approaching car?
[A] Light waves
[B] Micro waves
[C] Radio waves
[D] Sound waves
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Radio waves]
Notes:
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves have frequencies as high as 300 gigahertz to as low as 30 hertz. It is used to measure the speed of an approaching car.
4. Which among the following works while we wipe with a towel.?
[A] evaporation
[B] osmosis
[C] capillary action
[D] surface tension
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [capillary action]
Notes:
Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of, or even in opposition to, external forces like gravity. The capillary action is among the following works while we wipe with a towel.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. The recoiling of gun is an example of which of the following?
[A] Law of Conservation of Angular Momentum
[B] Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum
[C] Conversion of Kinetic Energy to Potential Energy
[D] Law of Conservation of Energy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum]
Notes:
The recoiling of gun is an example of Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum. When gun fires a bullet, it experiences a force in forward direction (action) , as a result the gun exerts a backward force (reaction) on the shoulder. Thus, it is in accordance with Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum which is also the Newton’s 3rd law of motion.
8. The force between charged particles is called as:
[A] Nuclear Force
[B] Gravitational Force
[C] Centrifugal Force
[D] Electromagnetic Force
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Electromagnetic Force]
Notes:
Electromagnetic force is the force between charged particles. It can be attractive for unlike charges and repulsive for like charges. It does not need any intervening medium to act and is enormously strong as compared to gravitational force.
9. Which of the following is NOT correct about Vectors addition?
[A] Vectors addition is associative
[B] Vectors addition is commutative
[C] Vectors of different natures can be added
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Vectors of different natures can be added]
Notes:
Vectors addition is associative and commutative. But vectors of the same nature alone can be added. Example: a Force vector cannot be added to velocity vector as they are of different nature.
10. What is the relationship between Kinetic and limiting friction?
[A] Kinetic friction is slightly greater than limiting friction
[B] Kinetic friction is slightly less than limiting friction
[C] Kinetic friction is equal to limiting friction
[D] No relationship
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Kinetic friction is slightly less than limiting friction]
Notes:
The Kinetic friction is always slightly less than the limiting friction. This is because once the motion has started, the inertia of has been overcome and irregularities of one surface have little or no time to get locked into the irregularities of the other surface.