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. Whenever there are high winds, such as in storms, thin metal roofs on sheds as well as concave roofs on huts are sometimes blown away. Which among the following explains this correctly?
[A] During windstorm , the atmospheric pressure above the roof is very high in comparison to below the roof
[B] During windstorm , the atmospheric pressure above the roof is very low in comparison to below the roof
[C] The high velocity wind exerts tangential force on the roof surface
[D] The high velocity wind exerts vertical force on the roof surface
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [During windstorm , the atmospheric pressure above the roof is very low in comparison to below the roof]
Notes:
During the storm, the velocity of wind above the roof surface is very high and hence pressure is low. The pressure below the roof is atmospheric which is higher than the pressure of upper surface. Due to this pressure difference, the roof blows.
3. The alpha radiation is not used in radiotherapy because:
[A] It is an ionizing radiation
[B] It is unable to penetrate human skin
[C] It is toxic to human tissues
[D] It is not cost effective
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ It is unable to penetrate human skin]
Notes:
Alpha radiation is not used in radiotherapy because it cannot penetrate human skin. Alpha particles are a highly ionizing form of particle radiation with a short range. They can be stopped by a few centimeters of air or by skin. This means that external therapy would be useless because the alpha radiation would not be able to enter the body. Alpha particles have a very large atomic volume. They are given additional mass by the two neutrons they contain. This facilitates ionization by coulombic interaction or direct collision of the alpha particle with atomic electrons. Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses ionizing radiation to kill or control the growth of malignant cells. It is often delivered by a linear particle accelerator.
4. If the time taken in an echo is 5 seconds, which among the following will be the approximate distance of the object from source of sound? (assume normal room temperature at 20°C)
[A] 1715 meters
[B] 1256 meters
[C] 857 meters
[D] 554 meters
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ 857 meters]
Notes:To calculate the distance of the object from the source of sound based on the time taken for the echo, we can use the formula for distance traveled by sound:
Distance = (Speed of Sound × Time) / 2
The speed of sound in air at normal room temperature (20°C) is approximately 343 meters per second (m/s).
Given that the time taken in the echo is 5 seconds, we can plug the values into the formula:
Distance = (343 m/s × 5 s) / 2 Distance = 1715 meters / 2 Distance ≈ 857.5 meters
So, the approximate distance of the object from the source of sound is approximately 857.5 meters.
5. Echoes are heard when we shout in an empty hall. But when the hall is full of people no echoes are heard why?
[A] Echoes are subdued in the noise of people
[B] Soft clothes of people absorb sound instead of reflecting it
[C] Destructive interference of sound takes place
[D] Excessive reverberations take place
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [ Excessive reverberations take place]
Notes:
When we shout in an empty hall, we hear your own sound after a short time. This is because the empty room reflects the sound, so there is an echo.
When a hall is full of people, the sound produced is reflected multiple times by the people. This causes the sound to overlap with the original sound, so the listener can’t distinguish between the two.
For an echo to be heard, the surfaces need to reflect the sound, or there needs to be more clarity. For example, big open spaces are good for hearing echoes.
6. 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.
7. The spray bottles used as window or household cleaner or perfume spray works on:
[A] Capillary action
[B] Bernoulli’s Principle
[C] Pascal’s Law
[D] Stoke’s Law
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ Bernoulli’s Principle]
Notes:
When we press the top of bottle the pressure at top of the bottle decreases and hence, the velocity of liquid flow increases. Bernoulli’s Principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid produces a decrease in pressure and that a decrease in the speed of a fluid produces an increase in pressure. The principle states that the total energy of a moving fluid remains constant at all times.
8. Which among the following is the correct sequence of the terms used for various phases of the rocky object from space entering earth’s atmosphere and reaching on earth?
[A] Meteoroid – Meteor – Meteorite
[B] Meteorite – Meteoroid – Meteor
[C] Meteor – Meteorite – Meteoroid
[D] Meteoroid – Meteorite – Meteor
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [ Meteoroid – Meteor – Meteorite]
Notes:
A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body travelling through space. When such an object enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it heats up from atmospheric friction and produces a streak of light, both from the glowing object and the trail of glowing particles that it leaves in its wake. This phenomenon is called a meteor, or colloquially a “shooting star” or “falling star”. If a meteoroid, comet or asteroid or a piece thereof withstands ablation from its atmospheric entry and impacts with the ground, then it is called a meteorite. (Wikipedia)
9. Who among the following gave the Uncertainity principle?
[A] R.A Milkman
[B] Ernset Rutherford
[C] S.N Bose
[D] Werner Heisenberg
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Werner Heisenberg]
Notes:
Werner Heisenberg, a german Physicist, discovered the Uncertainity principle. As per the uncertainty principle, we cannot measure the position (x) and the momentum (p) of a particle with absolute precision. The more accurately we know one of these values, the less accurately we know the other. It represnts the effects of wave-particle duality on the properties of subatomic objects.
10. Which of these branches of Physics deal with heat and temperature and their relation to energy and work?
[A] Geophysics
[B] Mechanics
[C] Atomic Physics
[D] Thermodynamics
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Thermodynamics]
Notes:
Thermodynamics is that branch of physics which deals with heat and temperature and their relation to energy (such as mechanical, electrical, or chemical energy) and work. The behaviour of these quantities is governed by the four laws of thermodynamics