ChemPhys 273
- Semester
Review
First
Semester, 2013-2014
Background
Information
The physics exam for ChemPhys 273 will be held during the week
of
January 13 - affectionately known as "Finals Week." The exam will be
a 90-minute exam covering all topics learned during the first
semester. The exam will be started the moment the exam period begins
and will be collected at the end of the 90-minute exam period; extra
time will not be alloted. If there are special circumstances that
require that you need additional time, then see Mr. Henderson
privately before the day of the exam to discuss those circumstances;
unless such arrangements have been made in advance of exam day, no
extra time will be given.
Most of the questions are multiple-choice (approx. 75); there
are
approximately 10 problems to solve. Many of the multiple choice
questions include up to 10 possible choices - from
a through e
and such choices as ab,
ac, ad,
etc. Planning to guess on questions is unlikely to be a wise
alternative to planning to prepare. The exam answers will be placed
on GradeMaster forms. Each section will have a separate form of the
exam with nearly identical or at least very similar questions. The
exam is not likely to be curved; it would not be surprising if there
were a few perfect or near-perfect scores. Your exam score in physics
will be averaged with your exam score in chemistry. This averaged
score will comprise 20% of your semester grade in ChemPhys.
Contents of Exam
There are ~90 multiple choice questions on the final exam and
~8
problems. The multiple choice questions cover the following topics:
Topics
|
Approx.
# of Qs
|
Newton's
Laws and Their Applications:
- Newton's first law - concept of inertia; relationship
to mass
- Newton's second law - factors affecting acceleration;
meaning of net force; simple computations
- Newton's third law - action-reaction; identifying
force pairs in an interaction
- Free-body diagrams and analysis - computing
acceleration from known force values or determining an individual force
value from a known acceleration
- Combining a = Fnet/m with
kinematics
- Friction - static vs. kinetic; coefficient of
friction; equation; determining Ffrict
- Air resistance, teminal velocity
- Equilibrium - definition/concept; analyzing static
situations (e.g., hanging signs)
- Dynamic situations with forces at angles; SOH CAH TOA
and a = Fnet/m
- Inclined plane problems - resolution of force of
gravity; conceptual understanding; computations; analyzing to determine
the acceleration
- Two-body problems - system analysis to determine
acceleration; individual analysis to determine tension force or other
forces
|
~33 Qs
|
Circular
Motion and Gravitation:
- Uniform circular motion - conceptual understanding of
vector quantities - v, a, and Fnet; importance
of inertia in understanding the sensation of a centrifugal pull
(careful); centripetal force
- Simple computations of quantities such as v, a, Fnet,
T, etc.
- Mathematical analysis of physical situations
involving motion in circles; use of a = Fnet/m
and free-body diagrams to solve problems
- Newton's law of universal gravitation - universal
nature of gravity; conceptual understanding of the m-d-F relationships;
simple computations
- Satellite motion - variables effecting T, v, a, Fnet;
role of gravity
- Kepler's laws and their use to describe planets and
other satellites
- Weightlessness - conceptual understanding of the
cause of this sensation
|
~22 Qs
|
Static
Electricity:
- Charge interactions between like- and
opposite-charges, etc.
- Conductors vs. insulators
- Methods of charging objects - friction, conduction
(contact) and induction
- Grounding
- Polarization
- Electric force and Coulomb's law calculations
- Electric field - definition/concept, equation, units,
simple computations
- Electric field lines (SKIP for 2013-2014 exam)
- Lightning rods and electric fields (SKIP for 2013-2014 exam)
|
~22 Qs
|
Work and Energy:
- Work - concept, meaning, + or - or 0, units, formula and calculations
- Power - concept, meaning, formula, units, calculations
|
~3 Qs |
Science Reasoning:
This includes specific passage-based questions as well as questions
that are sprinkled throughout the test in which science reasoning (and not memorized information) is
used to answer the question.
- Interpolating and extrapolating from data and graphs
- Identifying conclusions that are consistent with presented data
- Identifying simple and complex relationships from presented data
- Combining info from two or more data presentations (graph, data table, diagram)
- Using a simple or complex relationship to make a prediction
- Predicting the result of an additional trial in an experiment
- Analyzing an experiment to identify the dependent and independent variables, the assumptions, and the error involved
- Extending the conclusions of an experiment in order to make a prediction regarding a new situation
- Etc.
- Etc.
|
~10 Qs |
Several of the questions require the use of a calculator; complex
analysis are not common. Many quantitative questions are accompanied
by a diagram - e.g., a free-body diagram - which forms the basis of
the computation. When a calculation is involved, it is usually a
straight-forward calculation (there are very few blue
problems). Lots of questions can be answered quickly. Many questions
are easy to very easy, others are of medium difficulty, few (if any)
are complex, and none are impossible. The questions
are much
more general than what you would normally find on unit tests; small
nuances are not the focus of the exam. Keep in mind that all
questions are worth the same number of points. So do not blow 10
minutes trying to solve a two-body problem at the expense of other
easier questions. If such a problem is that difficult for you, then
count it as a loss and continue on with those
questions which
you do know. Return to the troublesome questions at the end of the
test.
The following math equations will be provided on the test:
d = [(vi + vf)
/ 2] • t
|
d = vi • t + 0.5 • a • t2
|
vf = vi
+ a • t
|
vf2 =
vi 2 + 2 • a • d
|
Fnet = m • a
|
Fgrav = m • g
|
Ffrict = mu • Fnorm
|
SOH CAH TOA
|
a = v2/R
|
Fgrav = G • M1
• M2 / d2
|
G = 6.67 • 10-11 N•m2/kg2
|
g = G • M / R2
|
v = SQRT (G • M / R)
|
T2/R3
= k
|
Felect = k • Q1
• Q2 / d2
|
k = 9.0 • 109 N•m2/C2
|
E = F / q
|
E = k • Q / d2
|
Qelectron = -1.6 • 10-19
C
|
Fparallel = m • g • sine(theta)
|
Fperp = m • g • cosine(theta)
|
How to Prepare
There are numerous ways to prepare for the test. The best ways
are
those which help you learn the material. This will be different for
differnt learners with different learning styles. The main thing is
to devote some time to the preparation process. There are numerous
preparation tasks which can be done, all of which should help. The
following provides some ideas:
- Use the Unit Review sheets from The
Review Session for each of the four units which we have
completed.
- Review old quizzes (but do note that there are many topics
on the final which were not on quizzes).
- Use The
Physics Classroom or the Multimedia Physics Studios
to review topics which you have difficulty with or merely need to
review.
- Utilize Minds
On Physics to help prepare. Try any module you wish; there is
no need to submit codes to the database.
- Review concept sheets from the packet and sample problems
done in class.
- Review sections of your book and use the Reading Sheets
from the packet to assist in your review.
- Review the major types of calculations that are performed
with the equations listed above.
- Never under-estimate the power of a good night's sleep on the
evening before an exam. This may mean that you will have begin
preparations several days in advance.
Some absolute imperatives include:
- Know what each symbol in the given equations stand for;
questions about what a symbol means or represents will not be answered
on the test.
- Have a strong idea of what each type of problem might look
or sound like and of how to analyze it. When the problem appear, you
will need to have an instant understanding of how to approach the
problem and of what equations to use. (For instance, you ought to know
what a two-body problem looks or sounds like; and you ought to know
that there are always two questions which are asked; and finally, you
ought to be familiar with the problem solving approach. When it shows
up, you can quickly procede with your strategy to answer the two
questions.)