GED Science

Read the passages and answer the questions that follow.

If we want to calculate the average velocity of an object, we must know two things. First,
we must know its displacement: the distance it has covered. Second, we must know the
time it took to cover this distance. Once we are in possession of this information, the
formula for average velocity is quite simple: average velocity = ∆ position / ∆ time. In
other words, the average velocity is equal to the change in position (final position -
original position) divided by the change in time (final time - original time). This
calculation will indicate the amount of distance that was covered in each unit of time.
Average velocity is a vector, though it will always have the same sign as the
displacement (since time is always positive).

1. Which two pieces of information are required to calculate average velocity?

A: time and velocity
B: acceleration and displacement
C: displacement and time
D: displacement and gravity

2. What does the symbol ∆ mean?

A: performed by
B: change in
C: against
D: combined

3. What is the relation between the vector arrow in velocity and the direction of
displacement?
A: they are identical
B: they are opposite
C: there is no relation
D: they are perpendicular to one another

4. If an object has traveled 6 miles in 30 minutes, what is its average velocity?

A: 0.2 miles per second
B: 2 miles per second
C: 0.2 miles per hour
D: 2 miles per hour

5. If an object has an average velocity of 25 meters per second, and has been traveling for
12 seconds, how far has it gone?
A: 300 meters
B: 200 miles
C: 250 meters
D: 320 meters
Before Newton formulated his laws of mechanics, it was generally thought that some
force had to act on an object continuously in order for it to move at a constant velocity.
This seems to make sense: when an object is briefly pushed, it will eventually come to a
rest. Newton, however, determined that unless some other force acted on the object (most
notably friction or air resistance), it would continue in the direction it was pushed at the
same velocity forever. In this light, a body at rest and a body in motion are not all that
different, and, indeed, Newton's first law makes little distinction. It states that a body at
rest will tend to remain at rest, while a body in motion will tend to remain in motion. One
fact that emerges from this law is that if the net force on an object is zero, it will be
possible to find reference frames in which the body has no acceleration.

6. Before Newton, what did physicists believe was necessary to maintain constant
velocity?
A: continuous force
B: increasing force
C: decreasing force
D: no resistance

7. Which of the following forces does NOT prevent an object in motion from remaining
in motion?
A: friction
B: centripetal
C: drag
D: air resistance

8. In a total vacuum, what would you expect to happen if an object was given a slight
push?
A: It would move quickly at first but would eventually stop.
B: It would move with increasing speed.
C: It would move in the same direction at a continuous speed forever.
D: It would move in fits and starts.

9. According to Newton's first law, there is little difference between the behavior of a
body at rest and:
A: a body accelerating
B: a body decelerating
C: a body in orbit
D: a body in motion.

10. Given the context of the passage, what is a likely definition for 'reference frame'?
A: the context in which an object is considered
B: the lens of the camera through which the object is viewed
C: the encyclopedia entry for the object
D: the average velocity of the object