Study guide for Physical Science Exam 3

1. True/False - You will need to distinguish between true and false statements based on the principles discussed in the book and in class.  This can include such things as identifying appropriate units, identifying terms and their definitions, proper use of symbols, etc.
2. Multiple Choice - You will need to draw conclusions from presented material and choose the best answer. This can include such things as identifying appropriate units, performing simple calculations, identifying terms that go with a definition, proper use of symbols, etc. Multiple choice also makes it easy to ask questions about the concepts presented in the chapters and how they apply to specific situations. These questions may require you to interpret how one quantity may affect another quantity. An example of the last statement is "If the net unbalanced force on an object is doubled, what will happen to the acceleration of that object? Will it (A) be half as large, (B) be the same, (C) be twice as large, or (D) be four times as large." You would need to apply the formula "F=ma" to decide on the appropriate response.
3. Equations - Some questions on the exam will require you to use the formulas available in the book. I will provide a copy of the formulas on the exam so you do not need to memorize them. However, you should know what the symbols of the formula mean and how to use the formulas. Some questions can be answered by knowing the relationship between some of the variables within the exam. Other questions will require you to perform a calculation. You should bring a calculator with you to the exam.
4. Essay - I will place two short essay questions on the exam worth 10 pts each. These essays are to test whether you understand the broader principles and issues that come into play when studying physical science. I will provide a list of essay questions I may possibly ask so you can think through the issues ahead of time.

Use the organization of the text book to help you prepare for the exam. The following features of the text will help you

1. Important terms at the end of each chapter. You should be able to define the words presented and know how they apply to the material we have studied.
2. Exercises and Questions at the end of the chapter will give you practice using the concepts and facts of each chapter. There are also problems at the end of chapters 2 and 3. Although I will not put a strong emphasis on calculation based problems, you should be able to do calculations similar to the ones I performed in class. The problems will give you some practice in solving these types of problems.

Possible Essay Questions

• Although obeying the laws of physics, the motion of small particles is unpredictable and random. Yet, by combining the motion of trillions of particles, it is possible to have well defined behavior that is predictable and non-random on the large scale. Give an example from class of this connection between the small scale and the large scale and then discuss the implications of this connection to the concept of determinism.
• The Shroud of Turin is claimed to be the burial cloth of Christ. Several years ago a small portion of the cloth was tested for Carbon-14 to determine its age. The test results indicated that the Shroud was only 1000 yrs old rather than the expected 2000 yrs. What assumptions go into determining the age of the shroud and how confident are you that these assumptions are true?
• One day at work you have a co-worker come up and accuse you of destroying the environment.  The reason for their accusation is that you are a Christian and they heard that the Bible says that God lets man do anything he wants with the earth.  How would you respond to this individual in a way that would allow you to be a witness for Christ?
  

Chapter 6

1. Reductionism, holism, and emergence
2. Refraction
3. Dispersion
4. Rainbows
5. Diffraction
6. Constructive and destructive interference
7. Harmonic series
8. Resonance
9. Diffraction grating
10. Interferometry
11. Electromagnetic spectrum
12. Doppler effect
13. Limitation of senses

Chapter 7

1. Structure of the Atom
2. Elements and Isotopes
3. Atomic mass, atomic number and symbol representing nuclides
4. Alpha decay, beta decay and gamma rays
5. Half-life of radioactive materials
6. Nuclear fission and fusion
7. Concerns with nuclear power
8. Promises of nuclear fusion
9. Grand unified theory and the standard model of matter and forces in the universe

Chapter 8

1. Photoelectric effect
2. Energy wavelength relationship for photons of light
3. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle
4. Blackbody radiation
5. Matter waves
6. Wave/particle paradox for electrons
7. Emission and absorption spectra of atoms
8. Bohr model of Hydrogen
9. Greenhouse gases and atmospheric windows
10. Lasers
11. Quantum numbers and the periodic table
12. Why electron behavior is predictable in atoms although you can never measure them exactly?

Chapter 9

1. Period and groups of the periodic table
2. Chemical symbols and names
3. Mixtures and compounds
4. Order that energy shells are filled as electrons are added to an atom
5. Categories of elements
6. Trends in the periodic table
7. Metals and their properties
8. Valence and valence electrons
9. Using the octet rule
10. Lewis symbols
11. Ionic and covalent bonds
12. Predict ratio of elements in a compound
13. Polyatomic ions

I will not include

1. Formula mass and percentage of an element by mass
2. Naming compounds
3. Reactants and products of chemical reactions
4. Balancing chemical equations

A page of information will be available on the exam. It will contain formulas, conversion relationships, and important constants. You should know when and how to apply this information.


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