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1) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

Which of the following conditions is necessary and sufficient for an object in equilibrium?
W) It is at rest
X) It is moving with constant velocity
Y) It is either moving with constant velocity or with constant acceleration
Z) It is moving with constant acceleration

ANSWER: X) IT IS MOVING WITH CONSTANT VELOCITY
1) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

An object with a mass of 1 gram is whirled in a horizontal circle with a radius of 0.5 meters at a constant speed of 2 meters per second. What is the work done on the object, in joules, during one revolution?

ANSWER: 0
2) Toss Up - Energy - Multiple Choice

Which of the following uses stored electricity and is required to get a gasoline-powered car's engine going?
W) Catalytic converter
X) Starter motor
Y) Fuel rail
Z) Alternator

ANSWER: X) STARTER MOTOR
2) Bonus - Energy - Short Answer

Most coals of the softer varieties are forms of which of the three major rock types?

ANSWER: SEDIMENTARY
3) Toss Up - Biology - Short Answer

What is the name of the phenomenon whereby microorganisms detect and respond to the microbial population density in their immediate surroundings?

ANSWER: QUORUM SENSING
3) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT true regarding juvenile hormone (JH) in the silkworm moth as it pertains to the hormonal control of insect metamorphosis?
W) JH is produced by the prothoracic [proh-tha-RAS-ik] gland
X) Levels of JH are higher in first instar larvae [LAHR-vee] relative to levels in fifth instar larvae y) Pupae [PYOO-pee] have little to no JH z) The interplay of ecdysone [EK-duh-sohn] and JH is important to the molting process

ANSWER: W) JH IS PRODUCED BY THE PROTHORACIC GLAND
4) Toss Up - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the number two killer among thunderstorm hazards?
W) Large hail
X) Lightning
Y) Flash flooding
Z) Tornadoes

ANSWER: X) LIGHTNING
4) Bonus - Earth And Space - Short Answer

According to records kept since 1897, the all-time record snow depth in the U.S. was 451 inches in 1911. In which state did this record occur?

ANSWER: CALIFORNIA
5) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

If the area of the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor is doubled, what will happen to the capacitance?

ANSWER: TWICE AS MUCH OR DOUBLED
5) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

What is the principle that states that the buoyant force on floating or submerged bodies is equal to the weight of the liquid displaced?

ANSWER: ARCHIMEDES' (PRINCIPLE)
6) Toss Up - Computer Science - Multiple Choice

On a spreadsheet, the intersection of a row and a column is called a
W) cell address
X) cell
Y) cell range
Z) current cell

ANSWER: X) CELL
6) Bonus - Computer Science - Short Answer

What is the term for a graphical representation of the sequence of events that comprise a computer program’s process?

ANSWER: FLOWCHART
7) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

What property of a sound wave is most commonly associated with loudness?

ANSWER: AMPLITUDE
7) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

What is the MOST common term for the behavior of light where it appears to bend around small obstacles or the spreading out of waves as light passes through pinholes or slits?

ANSWER: DIFFRACTION
8) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

When light is incident upon a material of a different index of refraction, some of the incident light is reflected and some is refracted. As the angle of the incident light from the normal increases from 0° to 90°, which is true?
W) more of the light is reflected
X) more of the light is refracted
Y) more of the light is polarized
Z) more of the light is phase shifted

ANSWER: W) MORE OF THE LIGHT IS REFLECTED
8) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

Mr. Maine is wandering in the desert. His internal compass steers him to what appears to be two bodies of water, in opposite directions. However, he knows that only one of the bodies of water is real. Luckily, he always carries polarized sunglasses. What will he observe about the real body of water as opposed to the tricky mirage?
W) the water will appear unpolarized while the mirage will appear polarized
X) the water will appear polarized while the mirage will appear unpolarized
Y) both sources are unpolarized - Mr. Maine is stuck.
Z) both sources are polarized - Mr. Maine is stuck anyway.

ANSWER: X) THE WATER WILL APPEAR POLARIZED WHILE THE MIRAGE WILL APPEAR UNPOLARIZED
9) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

Two balls of negligible radius with masses m and 2m are attached to opposite ends of an extremely light rod with length 2L. In terms of L, how far from the heavier mass is the center of mass?

ANSWER: 2/3 L
9) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

Two balls of negligible radius with masses m and 3m are attached to opposite ends of a uniform rod with mass 4m and length 4L. In terms of L, how far from the center of the rod is the center of the mass?

ANSWER: L / 2
10) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

In DNA replication, which of the following molecules is synthesized in the same direction that the replication fork is moving?
W) Leading strand
X) Okazaki fragment
Y) Primer
Z) Lagging strand

ANSWER: W) LEADING STRAND
10) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the type of RNA that codes for a complete gene on the sense strand of a DNA molecule?
W) Ribosomal RNA [ry-BUH-soh-muhl]
X) Mitochondrial RNA [my-tuh-KON-dree-uhl]
Y) Pre-messenger RNA
Z) Transfer RNA

ANSWER: Y) PRE-MESSENGER RNA
11) Toss Up - Computer Science - Multiple Choice

How many colors can GIF and JPG files support?
W) GIF supports 256, JPG supports 512
X) GIF supports 512, JPG supports 1.2 million
Y) GIF supports 256, JPG supports 16.7 million
Z) GIF supports 512, JPG supports 8.6 million

ANSWER: Y) GIF SUPPORTS 256, JPG SUPPORTS 16.7 MILLION
11) Bonus - Computer Science - Short Answer

Information retrievals that are executed “on the fly” are called what type of database queries?

ANSWER: AD HOC
12) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

Neglecting friction, a 33-kilogram cart rolls down a slope that is 20 meters high and 60 meters long. Using 10 meters per second squared for g, what is the velocity in meters per second at the base of the slope?

ANSWER: 20
12) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

A long straight wire carries a 10 ampere current north. Give the magnitude in teslas and the direction of the magnetic field induced at a point 10 centimeters directly under the wire?

ANSWER: 2 x 10^-5 WEST
13) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

With respect to the hydrocarbon chain, where is the carbonyl group in an aldehyde located?
W) in the middle of the chain
X) in the interior of the chain
Y) anywhere on the chain
Z) at the end of the chain

ANSWER: Z-- AT THE END OF THE CHAIN
13) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

The number prefix is not used when naming an aldehyde because
W) all aldehydes have the same composition.
X) only one aldehyde is known to exist.
Y) the carbonyl group is always at the end of the chain.
Z) the functional group is free to move along the chain.

ANSWER: Y-- THE CARBONYL GROUP IS ALWAYS AT THE END OF THE CHAIN
14) Toss Up - Chemistry - Short Answer

Calculate the atom percent composition, rounded to the nearest whole number, for each atom in acetic acid:

ANSWER: C = 25%; H = 50%; O = 25%
14) Bonus - Chemistry - Short Answer

Calculate the mass percent composition, rounded to the nearest whole number, for each atom in acetic acid:

ANSWER: C = 40%; H = 7%; O = 53% (Solution: C = 24/60 x 100% = 40%; H = 4/60 x 100% = 6.7%; O = 32/60 x 100% = 53.3%)
15) Toss Up - Earth And Space - Short Answer

What discovery in the second half of the 20‘h century led to the acceptance of the Big Bang theory and the abandonment of the steady state model?

ANSWER: COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND
15) Bonus - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice

Which of the following classes of objects is distributed around the Sun with spherical symmetry?
W) Asteroids
X) Trans-Neptunian objects
Y) Kuiper belt objects [KY-per]
Z) Long-period comets

ANSWER: Z) LONG-PERIOD COMETS
16) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

For an ideal monatomic gas, its internal energy depends only upon what property?

ANSWER: TEMPERATURE
16) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

The isobaric molar heat capacity, Cp, theoretically has a value of what for a monoatomic gas ideal gas?
W) 3/2 R
X) 5/2 R
Y) 7/2 R
Z) 9/2 R

ANSWER: X) 5/2 R
17) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

Solve the following equation for x over the integers: `x^2 = 3x`

ANSWER: 0; 3
17) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

Solve the following inequality for x, giving your answer in fractional form: `x/3 + 2/3 < 5x/6 - 2`

ANSWER: `x > 16/3`
18) Toss Up - Math - Multiple Choice

If x >39 and 39, x and x + 9 are the sides of a right triangle, which of the following is the value of x?
W) 60
X) 70
Y) 80
Z) 90

ANSWER: Y) 80
18) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

What is the theorem that states that every positive integer has a unique prime factorization?

ANSWER: Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
19) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

If a car is accelerating along a road, the force acting on the car that causes it to move forward is the reaction force from the car pushing on the ground. What is this reaction force due to?

ANSWER: FRICTION BETWEEN THE TIRE AND THE GROUND (ACCEPT: FRICTION)
19) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

If a car is accelerating along a road, what force due to the air does the frictional force have to oppose?

ANSWER: DRAG
20) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

Paramagnetic material:
W) is affected by an external magnetic field but retains no permanent magnetization
X) is not affected by an external magnetic field but is permanently magnetized
Y) is affected by an external magnetic field and is permanently magnetized
Z) is not affected by an external magnetic field and retains no permanent magnetization

ANSWER: W) IS AFFECTED BY AN EXTERNAL MAGNETIC FIELD BUT RETAINS NO PERMANENT MAGNETIZATION
20) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

The Curie temperature in a ferrogmagnetic material is analogous to what in an antiferromagnetic material? W) paramagnetic temperature X) Neel temperature Y) Graham temperature Z) transition temperature

ANSWER: X) NEEL TEMPERATURE
21) Toss Up - Energy - Short Answer

What is the term for a kind of landfill technology, currently in research and development, that accelerates the biological decomposition of organic wastes in a landfill by promoting the conditions necessary for the microorganisms that degrade the waste?

ANSWER: BIOREACTOR
21) Bonus - Energy - Short Answer

When water levels drop in a spent nuclear fuel pool, temperatures in the fuel assembly rise, accelerating the oxidation of the material that encases uranium oxide pellets. If the oxidation reactions become self-sustaining, a fire can form that proceeds as a burn front along the axis of the fuel rod toward the source of the oxidant. What is the name of the encasing material that is burning?

ANSWER: ZIRCONIUM CLADDING (ACCEPT: ZIRCONIUM)
22) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Type 1 diabetes is to pancreatic islets as Parkinson’s is to:
W) pituitary
X) amigdyla (Pron: am-ig-dee-law)
Y) thalamus
Z) substantia nigra

ANSWER: Z) SUBSTANTIA NIGRA
22) Bonus - Biology - Short Answer

Which germ layer in mammals is predominantly responsible for forming skin, hair, and nails?

ANSWER: ECTODERM
23) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

The speed of light in a vacuum divided by the speed of light in a specific material is a way to compute what common optical value:

ANSWER: INDEX OF REFRACTION
23) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

What is the potential difference, in volts, if 35 joules of work is needed to move 5 coulombs of charge in a uniform electric field?

ANSWER: 7 (Solution: v = 35/5 = 7 volts)
24) Toss Up - Earth And Space - Short Answer

What international agreement, initially drafted in 1987, was designed to phase out production of chlorofluorocarbons [klohr-oh-floor-oh-KAHR-buhns] that cause damage to the stratospheric ozone layer?

ANSWER: MONTREAL PROTOCOL
24) Bonus - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice

The shells of which of the following zooplankton groups are used in carbon-14 dating of ocean sediments?
W) Polycistina
X) Foraminifera [fuh-ram-uh-NIF-er-uh] y) Acantheria [uh-kan-THUH-ree-uh] z) Ciliata [sil-ee-AY-tuh]

ANSWER: X) FORAMINIFERA
25) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

In an application where ductility is required, which of the following materials would be your BEST choice:
W) grey cast iron
X) copper
Y) granite
Z) 1040 steel

ANSWER: X) COPPER
25) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements is NOT correct:
W) percent elongation compared to the known value for a material is sometimes used to detect impurities in metal
X) the modulus of elasticity for a material is derived from its stress-strain curve
Y) ductile materials usually fail with little or no plastic deformation
Z) a steel sample that is loaded beyond its elastic limit will not return to its original shape when the load is removed

ANSWER: Y) DUCTILE MATERIALS USUALLY FAIL WITH LITTLE OR NO PLASTIC DEFORMATION