Practice Exam

Chapter 24 Geometric Optics

1.

Two mirrors are joined together along a common side, the planes of the mirrors
separated by the angle . If the joined mirrors can be used as a retroreflector when a
beam of light strikes both surfaces (one after the other), what is the value of ?
a. 30
b. 45
c. 90
d. 135

2.

Which of the following best describes the image from a plane mirror?
a. virtual and magnification greater than one
b. real and magnification less than one
c. virtual and magnification equal to one
d. real and magnification equal to one

3.

Three flat layers of transparent material are stacked upon one another. The top layer has
index of refraction n1, the middle n2 and the bottom one n3. If n1 > n2 > n3, and a ray
of light in air strikes the top layer, at which surface given can total internal
reflection occur first?
a. the top surface
b. the surface between materials with indices n1 and n2
c. the surface between materials with indices n2 and n3
d. Total internal reflection cannot occur at any of these surfaces.

4.

A ray of light strikes a thick sheet of glass (n = 1.5) at an angle of 25 with the normal.
Find the angle of the refracted ray within the glass with respect to the normal.
a. 56
b. 46
c. 25
d. 16

5.

A ray of light travels from a glass-to-liquid interface at an angle of 35.0. Indices of

refraction for the glass and liquid are, respectively, 1.52 and 1.63. What is the angle
of refraction for the ray moving through the liquid?
a. 23.2
b. 32.3
c. 38.4
d. 46.0

6.

A fiber optic cable (n = 1.50) is submerged in water (n = 1.33). What is the critical
angle for light to stay inside the cable?
a. 83.1
b. 62.5
c. 41.8
d. 27.6

7.

A concave mirror forms a real image at 25.0 cm from the mirror surface along the
principal axis. If the corresponding object is at a 10.0 cm distance, what is the
mirrors focal length?
a. 1.43 cm
b. 16.7 cm
c. 12.4 cm
d. 7.14 cm

8.

Which of the following best describes the image of a concave mirror when the objects
distance from the mirror is less than the focal point distance?
a. virtual, upright and magnification greater than one
b. real, inverted and magnification less than one
c. virtual, upright and magnification less than one
d. real, inverted and magnification greater than one

9.

An object is placed at a distance of 30 cm from a thin convex lens along its axis. The
lens has a focal length of 10 cm. What are the values, respectively, of the image
distance and magnification?
a. 60 cm and 2.0
b. 15 cm and 2.0
c. 60 cm and 0.50
d. 15 cm and 0.50

10. What is the image distance of an object 1.00 m in front of a converging lens of focal
length 20.0 cm?
a. +16.7 cm
b. +20.0 cm
c. +25.0 cm
d. +33.3 cm

Chapter 25- Wave Optics

11. Light of wavelength 500 nm shines on a soap bubble film (n = 1.46). For what soap film
thickness, other than the minimum thickness, will constructive interference occur?
a. 63 nm
b. 86 nm
c. 172 nm
d. 257 nm
12

Upon reflection, light undergoes a 180 phase change:

a. always.
b. if the incident medium has the higher index of refraction.
c. if the incident medium has the lower index of refraction.
d. whenever the incident angle is less than the critical angle.

13

A Youngs double slit has a slit separation of 2.50 105 m on which a monochromatic
light beam is directed. The resultant bright fringes on a screen 1.00 m from the
double slit are separated by 2.30 102 m. What is the wavelength of this beam? (1
nm = 109 m)
a. 373 nm
b. 454 nm
c. 575 nm
d. 667 nm

14

A single-slit diffraction pattern is produced from a light source of wavelength 580 nm.
The light goes through a single slit and onto a screen 1.0 m away. The first dark
fringe is 5.0 mm from the central bright fringe. What is the slit width? (1 nm = 10 9
m)
a. 0.24 mm
b. 0.12 mm
c. 0.10 mm
d. 0.081 mm

15

At what angle will the highest order (m value) maximum appear for a wavelength 450
nm using a grating with 600 lines per mm?
a. 36
b. 54
c. 81
d. 90

Chapter 26 Optics Applications

16

A given individual is unable to see objects clearly when they are beyond 100 cm. What
focal length contact lens should be used to correct this problem?
a. 100 cm
b. 33.3 cm
c. 75 cm
d. 75 cm

17

You are building a compound microscope with an objective lens of focal length 0.70 cm
and an eyepiece lens of focal length 5.0 cm. You mount the lenses 18 cm apart. What
is the approximate magnification of your microscope?
a. 3.1
b. 7.3
c. 67
d. 130

18

A refracting astronomical telescope has objective and eyepiece lenses of focal lengths
20.0 cm and 0.40 cm, respectively. What is the angular magnification of this
instrument?
a. 19.6
b. 27
c. 50
d. 94

19

A camera lens is initially set at f/16 for a shutter speed of 1/60 s. If the amount of lighting
on the subject is unchanged, and the lens is set at f/5.6, what is the proper shutter
speed at this setting?
a. 1/500 s
b. 1/250 s
c. 1/8 s
d. 1/16 s

Chapter 27 Relativity
20

A ground observer measures the period of a pendulum moving as a part of an inertial

frame of reference to be 2.30 s as the inertial frame moves by at a velocity of 0.600
c. What would the observed period be of the same pendulum if its inertial frame
were at rest with respect to the observer?
a. 4.25 s
b. 2.07 s
c. 3.03 s
d. 1.84 s

21

A space probe has an 18.0 m length when measured at rest. What length does an observer
at rest measure when the probe is going by at a speed of 0.700 c?
a. 25.2 m
b. 12.9 m
c. 12.6 m
d. 9.18 m

22

How fast would a rocket have to move past a ground observer if the latter were to
observe a 4.0% length shrinkage in the rocket length? (c = 3.00 108 m/s)
a. 0.12 108 m/s
b. 0.28 108 m/s
c. 0.84 108 m/s
d. 1.2 108 m/s

23

As measured from the Earth, a spacecraft is moving at speed 0.80 c when it releases a
probe at speed 0.60 c relative to the spacecraft in a forward direction. What would be
the speed of the probe as measured from the Earth?
a. c
b. 0.70 c
c. 0.81 c
d. 0.95 c

24

An electron of mass 9.11 10-31 kg has a momentum of 3.64 10-22 kgm/s. What is its
speed?
a. 0.467 c
b. 0.632 c
c. 0.800 c
d. It cannot have this momentum since it would require a speed greater than c.

25

A nuclear reaction, which gives off a total of 1.0 1017 J of energy, expends how much
mass in the process? (c = 3.00 108 m/s)
a. 11 kg
b. 1.1 kg
c. 0.11 kg
d. 90 kg

26

The gravitational field is equivalent to:

a. the inertial mass.
b. an accelerated frame of reference.
c. an event horizon.
d. a clock running slowly.

Chapter 28 Quantum Mechanics

27

A quantum of radiation has an energy of 2.0 keV. What is its frequency? (h = 6.63
1034 Js and 1 eV = 1.60 1019 J)
a. 3.2 1017 Hz
b. 4.8 1017 Hz
c. 6.3 1017 Hz
d. 7.3 1017 Hz

28

The de Broglie wavelength of a 0.060 kg golf ball is 4.28 10 34 m. What is its speed? (h
= 6.63 1034 Js)
a. 15 m/s
b. 26 m/s
c. 31 m/s
d. 48 m/s

29

The wave function as derived in Schrdingers equation is best described as being a

measure of which of the following?
a. photon beam frequency
b. photon wavelength
c. particle wavelength
d. probability

30

Of the following energies for photons, which is the least energy that could result in
photoelectron production if the work function is 3.00 eV?
a. 1.50 eV
b. 2.90 eV
c. 3.50 eV
d. 6.01 eV

Chapter 29 Atomic Theory

31

The ionization energy for the hydrogen atom is 13.6 eV. What is the energy of a photon
that is emitted as a hydrogen atom makes a transition between the n = 4 and n = 2
states?
a. 0.85 eV
b. 2.55 eV
c. 3.40 eV
d. 6.80 eV

32

When an electron moves from the n = 1 to the n = 2 orbit:

a. both the radius and the angular momentum double.
b. both the radius and the angular momentum increase by a factor of 4.
c. the radius doubles and the angular momentum increases by a factor of 4.
d. the radius increases by a factor of 4, and the angular momentum doubles.

33

In an analysis relating Bohrs theory to the de Broglie wavelength of electrons, when an

electron moves from the n = 1 level to the n = 2 level, the circumference for its orbit
becomes 4 times greater. This occurs because:
a. there are four times as many wavelengths in the new orbit.
b. the wavelength of the electron becomes four times as long.
c. there are twice as many wavelengths, and each wavelength is twice as long.
d. the electron is moving four times as fast.

34

How many possible substates are available in a hydrogen atom where the principal
quantum number is 3?
a. 6
b. 9
c. 18
d. 36

35

The ground state electronic configuration for aluminum is 1s22s22p63s23p1. Which of the
following elements would be expected to be chemically similar to aluminum?
a. carbon with configuration 1s22s2p2
b. boron with configuration 1s2s22p1
c. lithium with configuration 1s22s1
d. sodium with configuration 1s22s2p63s1

36

The stimulated emission of photons from the excited atoms in a gas laser is prompted by
which of the following?
a. high voltage
b. high flux of electrons
c. nearby presence of photons of same wavelength as those emitted
d. high temperature

Answers
Chapter 24 Geometric Optics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

C
c
b
d
b
b
d
a
d
c

Chapter 25- Wave Optics

11.
12
13
14
15

d
c
c
b
b

Chapter 26 Optics Applications

16
17
18
19

a
d
c
a

Chapter 27 Relativity
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

d
B
C
D
c
b
b

Chapter 28 Quantum Mechanics

27
28
29
30

B
B
D
C

Chapter 29 Atomic Theory

31
32
33
34
35
36

B
D
C
C
b
c