1. Conceptual Physics Concept Test Questions Forces and Inertia The following slides were created through a collaboration of the Industry Initiatives in Science and Math Education (IISME) and Stanford University

2. Soccer balls always eventually stop somewhere. This is because.. a. gravity and friction work together to stop soccer balls. b. no matter how smooth they feel, there is always some roughness to the surface of soccer balls. c. it is the natural motion of all objects to be at rest. d. you can never get enough air inside them.

3. Satellites orbit the earth for a number of years before eventually spiraling back to the surface. The reason that satellites eventually spiral back to the surface is.. a. they are all designed to come home. b. it is the natural motion of all things to eventually be at rest. c. the moon pushes them back to earth. d. dust and garbage collide with the satellite, slowing it down enough that it can no longer maintain an orbit.

4. Which of the following is the natural state of motion for a large rock? a. At rest on the ground b. Falling from a cliff under the influence of gravity c. Hurtling through space at tens of thousands of kilometers per hour. d. a and b e. a and c f. b and c

5. A spaceship is flying through space at a very high velocity with the engines firing as shown. The astronaut shuts the engines off. The spaceship will.. a. stop moving immediately. b. slow down gradually and stop. c. continue with whatever speed it had when the engines were cut off.

6. The force that moves this jet ski forward comes from.. a. inside the jet ski. b. the person riding the jet ski. c. the ocean under the jet ski. d. the water pushed back by the jet ski. e. none of the above.

7. The rider of the jet ski cuts off the engines. The jet ski gradually comes to a rest in the water because.. a. the jet ski has no more force. b. the water pushing the ski forward is no longer pushing it forward. c. the water resists the ski's motion. d. none of the above.

8. Ronald McDonald is sitting still on top of a mountain. True or False - there is no force acting on him. a. True b. False

9. A 2,200 kg elephant and a 2,200 kg cube of lead are each placed at equal distances from the pivot point of a seesaw. What is the most likely outcome of this situation? a. The lead will drop and the elephant rise because lead is a heavy metal. b. The elephant will drop and the lead will rise because the elephant is bigger. c. The elephant will drop and the lead will rise because the elephant is alive. d. The elephant and the cube will remain level as they balance each other out.

10. An elephant and a lion are both attempting to push a box. The elephant wants it to move left, the lion to the right. Who wins the pushing match? a. The lion wins because his muscles are stronger. b. The lion wins because his claws give him more friction to push against the ground. c. The elephant wins because she is bigger. d. Not enough information is provided.

11. Two identical scales measure the weights of two different objects. On the left is 12 kg of bricks. On the right is 12 kg of peanut shells. Which scale will read more weight? a. the scale with the bricks because bricks are heavier than peanut shells. b. the scale with the peanut shells because it is bigger. c. neither a nor b.

12. The Voyager 1 satellite was launched in 1977 to explore the outer solar system. Now it is about 17 billion kilometers away from the Sun. What do you think Voyager is doing? a. Sitting still in space b. Moving with constant speed c. Accelerating away from the Sun d. Slowing down and will eventually stop

13. The net force on a boat that is moving at 20 km/h is zero. The boat will.. a. Slow to a stop b. Continue to move at 20 km/h c. Continue to move at 20 km/h for a while, then slow to a stop d. This situation is impossible

14. If it were possible for a sky diver to experience no net force during a fall, what would be the motion state of the sky diver? a. Not moving b. Slowing down c. Constant velocity d. Accelerating e. That's not possible

15. A deep space probe is traveling far from any planet or star. To keep the probe moving at a constant velocity, there must be.. a. Nothing is required to keep it moving at constant velocity. b. An occasional rocket burst. c. A continuous rocket burn. d. Nothing is strong enough to keep it moving forever. It will eventually stop.

16. Coach Diego Maradonna is known for getting easily excited. Imagine if he were sliding on a frictionless pond of ice instead of on the soccer field. a. He would slide forever at constant velocity - or at least until he hit a tree. b. He would slide for a long time, but eventually stop. c. He would slide just a little farther than he does on the grass, but still stop. d. He would slide at constant velocity only if somebody kept kicking him from behind.

17. A space capsule that was supposed to return to Earth is now moving out of control far from the gravitational pull of the Earth and Sun. a. The capsule will eventually stop because no force is acting on it. b. The capsule will continue to move with constant velocity until it is pulled by the gravity of another solar system.

18. A dragonfly is hovering in the air and remains in place relative to the ground. Which of the following must be true? a. There are no forces acting on it. b. There is one force acting on it. c. There are at least two forces acting on it.

19. Ronald McDonald is placed in the center of the earth's core. Ignore the fact that he would burst into flame. True or False. At this extreme location, there are no forces acting him. a. True b. False