1) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice
An electron moves 1 cm from one side of a parallel plate capacitor to the other, passing through a constant electric field of 1 N/C. What is its change in electric potential in volts?
W) -1
X) -0.01
Y) 0.01
Z) 1
1) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer
Two capacitors in series have a combined capacitance of 15 microfarads. One capacitor has twice the capacitance of the other, what is the capacitance of the larger capacitor in microfarads?
ANSWER: 452) Toss Up - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice
Which of the following statements is NOT true about the Gulf of Maine?
W) It is highly fertile
X) A gyre [JYUHR] circulates nutrients and pollution through the Gulf
Y) It is among the deepest gulfs in the world
z) It is sub-arctic, but has a wide range in water temperature
2) Bonus - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice
Which of the following natural phenomena are associated with a patterned seasonal occurrence that ranges from May 15 to November 30?
W) East Pacific Ocean hurricane season
X) Continental U.S. tornado season
Y) North Indian Ocean typhoon season
Z) American Southwest monsoon season
3) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer
A wooden block suspended by a cable and struck by a bullet. The block swings upward, and it’s maximum height is recorded. This is a description of what device?
ANSWER: BALLISTIC PENDULUM3) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer
A 1.98 kilogram block is suspended by a 3 meter long string. The block is struck by a 20 gram bullet moving at 500 meters per second. The bullet becomes lodged inside the block, which begins its swing at what speed?
ANSWER: 5 METERS PER SECOND4) Toss Up - Earth And Space - Short Answer
Order the four gas giants in size from the largest to the smallest.
ANSWER: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune4) Bonus - Earth And Space - Multiple Choice
Which one of these statements about Neptune's moon, Triton, is true?
W) It orbits in retrograde motion.
X) Its orbit is highly eccentric.
Y) It fractured billions of years ago and reformed.
Z) It does not have an atmosphere.
5) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer
Along with the word "radioactivity," Marie and Pierre Curie coined the names (discovered) which two radioactive elements. What are they?
ANSWER: POLONIUM AND RADIUM5) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer
Marie and Pierre Curie used two uranium minerals to test their theories of radioactivity. The more radioactive mineral was pitchblende. What was the other mineral?
ANSWER: TORBERNITE (OR CHALCOLITE6) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice
A four-chambered heart is found among reptiles in the order
W) Chelonia.
X) Crocodilia.
Y) Rhyncocephalia.
Z) Squamata.
6) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice
Gallstones are most often the result of:
W) gallbladder irritation
X) eating cherries and swallowing the pits
Y) precipitation of cholesterol
Z) accumulated bile pigment
7) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer
By passing current through a wire wrapped around an iron rod, William Sturgeon invented the:
ANSWER: ELECTROMAGNET7) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice
Which of the following is NOT true of Guglielmo Marconi’s experiments on wireless transmission:
W) in 1901 he transmitted a signal from Newfoundland to England
X) he defied current belief on line-of-sight transmission
Y) his work was a practical application of the work of James Clerk Maxwell
Z) his success was a vindication of his belief in the reflective properties of the ionosphere
8) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice
What is a flower called if it is cut longitudinally through the middle and produces 2 halves that are mirror images of each other:
W) actinomorphic
X) polymorphic
Y) bimorphic
Z) zygomorphic
8) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice
What would the fruit be known as if the separate carpels of one gynoecium (pronounced: GINE-ee-sea-um) fuse during development:
W) simple fruit
X) aggregate fruit
Y) multiple fruit
Z) complex fruit
9) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer
The control rods in a nuclear reactor must be filled with substances that will absorb neutrons. These are commonly known as?
ANSWER: NEUTRON POISONS9) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice
Which of the following is not a good neutron poison?
W) Cadmium
X) Hafnium
Y) Boron
Z) Gold
10) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer
What is the solution set of the inequality `(x-1)^2 <= 0` [the quantity x minus one squared is less than or equal to zero]?
ANSWER: 110) Bonus - Math - Multiple Choice
If function f is defined by `f(x) = (4x^2 - 12x)/(x^2 - 9)` [f of x equals a fraction with numerator 4 x squared minus 12 x and denominator x squared minus 9], then at x = 3, which of the following is true?
W) The graph of f has a vertical asymptote
X) The graph of f has a hole on the x axis
Y) The graph of f has a hole at (3, 2)
Z) f(x) = 0
11) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice
Which of the following is NOT true of helium?
W) deep sea divers breath a mixture of helium and oxygen
X) breathing helium causes a temporary change in the pitch and quality of one’s voice
Y) helium gas is commonly used by dentists as a mild anesthetic
Z) a mixture of helium and neon gas produced the first gas laser
11) Bonus - Chemistry - Short Answer
It is estimated that each person in the United States consumes an average of 100 pounds of sucrose each year. Which two simple sugars are linked to make a sucrose molecule?
ANSWER: GLUCOSE AND FRUCTOSE (ACCEPT: D-GLUCOSE AND D-FRUCTOSE OR ALDOHEXOSE AND KETOHEXOSE)12) Toss Up - Chemistry - Short Answer
The aldohexoses have 4 asymmetric carbon atoms and can therefore exist as how many stereoisomers?
ANSWER: 16 (Solution: 24=16)12) Bonus - Chemistry - Short Answer
Calculate the molecular weight of an ether if a 500 milliliter flask is filled with 0.6 grams of the gas at 300K and at a pressure of 380 mmHg:
ANSWER: 60G/MOL (ACCEPT: 60) PV (Solution: n = rt ; = 0; = 0.0104mol; 0.6g/0.01mol = 60g/mol))13) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer
Find the sum of the squares of all roots of the polynomial `x^5 - 3x^3 + 5x^2 + 6x + 7`.
ANSWER: 613) Bonus - Math - Short Answer
Find the product of the real roots of the polynomials `x^4 + x^2 - 2`.
ANSWER: -114) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice
Which vitamin is water soluble?
W) Vitamin A
X) Vitamin K
Y) Vitamin E
Z) Vitamin B12
14) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice
Which if the following is a purine?
W) Uracil
X) Cytosine
Y) Guanine
Z) Thymine
15) Toss Up - Chemistry - Short Answer
Which element is represented by the symbol B?
ANSWER: Boron15) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice
The IUPAC (pron: I-U-PAC) name for formaldehyde is
W) methanone.
X) acetal.
Y) methanal.
Z) propanone.
16) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice
Which of the following catabolic pathways liberates carbon dioxide?
W) Electron transport
X) Glycolysis [gly-KOL-uh-sis]
Y) Citric acid cycle
Z) Cori cycle
16) Bonus - Chemistry - Short Answer
If one mole of a substance with a molar mass of 20 is burned at constant pressure and 800 kilojoules of energy is released as heat, what is the standard enthalpy change, in kilojoules, when a 5-gram sample of this substance is burned at constant pressure?
ANSWER: -200 (MUST INCLUDE NEGATIVE SIGN IN ANSWER)17) Toss Up - General Science - Multiple Choice
A common type of distortion in CRT monitors in which horizontal and vertical lines bend outwards towards the edge of the display is called:
W) barrel distortion
X) pincushion distortion
Y) spherical distortion
Z) trapezoid distortion
17) Bonus - General Science - Multiple Choice
The largest number of individuals of a particular
species that can by be maintained indefinitely in a given part of the environment is defined by what ecological term:
W) biomic load
X) biomass limit
Y) cohort load
Z) carrying capacity
18) Toss Up - Astronomy - Short Answer
For someone standing at 22° North latitude, how many degrees above the horizon will the north celestial pole be?
ANSWER: 2218) Bonus - Astronomy - Multiple Choice
Which of the following is NOT true:
W) the rotation of the Sun’s surface is faster at the equator than at the poles
X) the apparent magnitude of an RR Lyrae depends most on its distance from the Earth
Y) Venus appears its largest to nighttime observers when it is in its full phase
Z) a star’s light curve typically plots brightness verses time
19) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice
Which of the following is not a difference between light and sound waves?
W) sound requires a medium; light does not
X) sound is a longitudinal wave; light is a transverse wave
Y) light waves are quantized; sound waves are not
Z) light propagates at the same speed in all reference frames; sound does not
19) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer
A group of passengers have been traveling on a spaceship for 15 years, as measured by an observer at their origin. When they emerge, they have aged 10 years. Assuming that their speed was roughly constant throughout the trip, what was it? Your answer should be in terms of c, the speed of light.
ANSWER: SQRT(5) * C / 320) 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
20) Bonus - Math - Short Answer
What is the theorem that states that every positive integer has a unique prime factorization?
ANSWER: Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic21) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice
The identity of an element is determined by
W) the number of protons in its nucleus
X) its atomic mass
Y) the number of neutrons in its nucleus
Z) the density of the solid
21) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice
Which of the following gases effuses most rapidly?
W) nitrogen
X) oxygen
Y) hydrogen chloride
Z) ammonia
22) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer
What is the most common statistical term for the assumption, when comparing sample means, that there is no significant difference between the two samples?
ANSWER: Null Hypothesis22) Bonus - Math - Short Answer
In order, what are the prime numbers between 30 and 50?
ANSWER: 31, 37, 41, 43, 4723) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice
Which of the following scientists did not discover the electron, neutron, or proton?
W) Rutherford
X) Chadwick
Y) Thomson
Z) Yukawa
23) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer
A 50 kg man climbs up Half Dome from the floor of Yosemite Valley, ascending 1500 meters. To two significant figures, how many kilocalories does he convert into gravitational potential energy? Take g to be 10 meters per second squared.
ANSWER: 180 KILOCALORIES24) Toss Up - Earth Science - Multiple Choice
On a topographic map, lines that indicate water depth are termed:
W) isogonic lines
X) bathymetric lines
Y) isopachs
Z) none of these
24) Bonus - Earth Science - Multiple Choice
In the oceans, waves and surf currents are generated by:
W) wind
X) El-Nino
Y) salinity and temperature gradients
Z) the Intertropical Convergence Zone
25) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer
What is the quantum for vibrational energy?
ANSWER: PHONON25) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice
Which of the following is not a gauge boson?
W) photon
X) gluon
Y) muon
Z) Z boson