PHYS 165 Module 1 Exam Physics Portage
Learning Official Practice Exam Actual
Exam 2026/2027 with Detailed Rationales |
Complete Exam-Style Questions | Pass
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SECTION 1: SI UNITS & UNIT CONVERSIONS Q1 – Q10
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Question 1 of 50
A physics student measures the length of a laboratory optics bench and records the value as
1.85 meters. For a calculation involving wavelength, the student needs this distance
expressed in millimeters.
A. 1850 mm ✓ CORRECT
B. 18.5 mm
C. 0.185 mm
D. 185 mm
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Converting meters to millimeters requires multiplying by 1000, since the prefix
milli- represents 10⁻³; therefore, 1.85 m × 1000 mm/m = 1850 mm. Choice B incorrectly
divides by 100 instead of multiplying, confusing the direction of metric prefix conversion.
Remember that moving from a larger base unit to a smaller prefixed unit always yields a
larger numerical value.
Question 2 of 50
An automotive engineer needs to express the engine displacement of 2500 cm³ strictly in SI
base units for a technical report submitted to an international standards committee.
A. 2500 m³
B. 2.5 × 10⁻³ m³ ✓ CORRECT
C. 25 m³
D. 0.25 m³
,Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Since 1 cm = 10⁻² m, then 1 cm³ = (10⁻² m)³ = 10⁻⁶ m³; multiplying 2500 cm³ by
10⁻⁶ m³/cm³ gives 2.5 × 10⁻³ m³. Choice A fails to cube the conversion factor, treating cubic
centimeters as if they were linear centimeters. When converting volume units, always cube
the linear conversion factor.
Question 3 of 50
A nurse administers an intravenous medication at a precise rate of 0.75 mg per minute. The
attending physician asks how many micrograms the patient will receive over a continuous
4-hour infusion.
A. 180 μg
B. 4500 μg
C. 180000 μg ✓ CORRECT
D. 3000 μg
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: First convert 4 hours to 240 minutes, then multiply by 0.75 mg/min to obtain 180
mg; since 1 mg = 1000 μg, the total is 180 × 1000 = 180000 μg. Choice A results from
forgetting to convert hours to minutes and using only 4 minutes in the calculation. Always
verify that time units are consistent before performing dosage calculations.
Question 4 of 50
At a collegiate track meet, a sprinter covers 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. A sports physicist
wants to report the athlete's average speed in kilometers per hour for a broadcast graphic.
A. 10.4 km/h
B. 27.8 km/h
C. 15.6 km/h
D. 37.6 km/h ✓ CORRECT
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Average speed equals distance divided by time, so 100 m / 9.58 s = 10.438 m/s;
converting to km/h requires multiplying by 3.6, yielding approximately 37.6 km/h. Choice B
incorrectly divides by 3.6 instead of multiplying, which is a common direction error when
converting between m/s and km/h. A useful memory aid is that 1 m/s = 3.6 km/h, so the
numerical value in km/h must be larger.
Question 5 of 50
A water storage tank at a research facility holds exactly 5000 liters when filled to capacity. At
4°C, what is the mass of the water in kilograms? (Density of water at 4°C = 1.00 g/cm³)
, A. 5000 kg ✓ CORRECT
B. 500 kg
C. 50000 kg
D. 50 kg
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Since 1 liter equals 1000 cm³ and the density of water is 1.00 g/cm³, 5000 liters
corresponds to 5.00 × 10⁶ cm³ with a mass of 5.00 × 10⁶ g, which converts to 5000 kg.
Choice B incorrectly uses a conversion factor of 10 instead of 1000 when moving from grams
to kilograms. Note that for water at 4°C, the numerical value in grams equals the numerical
value in cubic centimeters, making liter-to-kilogram conversions straightforward.
Question 6 of 50
In a dynamics experiment, a force of 45 N is applied to push a cart across a horizontal track.
A student is asked to express this force entirely in fundamental SI base units.
A. 45 kg·m/s
B. 45 kg·m/s² ✓ CORRECT
C. 45 kg·m²/s²
D. 45 kg/s²
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The newton is a derived unit defined as 1 N = 1 kg·m/s², so 45 N equals 45 kg·m/s²
in base units. Choice C confuses force with energy or work, since kg·m²/s² represents the
joule. When decomposing derived units, always trace back to the defining equation F = ma to
ensure the correct combination of mass, length, and time.
Question 7 of 50
A highway traffic study records a vehicle traveling at 65 miles per hour. An engineer needs
this speed converted to meters per second for a simulation model. (1 mile = 1609 m)
A. 104 m/s
B. 29 m/s
C. 29.0 m/s ✓ CORRECT
D. 17.4 m/s
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Multiply 65 mi/h by 1609 m/mi and divide by 3600 s/h to obtain 29.05 m/s, which
rounds to 29.0 m/s when reported with three significant figures. Choice B presents the
correct numerical value but drops the trailing zero, failing to maintain the precision implied by
the given data. In physics calculations, preserve significant figures to reflect measurement
uncertainty.
Learning Official Practice Exam Actual
Exam 2026/2027 with Detailed Rationales |
Complete Exam-Style Questions | Pass
Guaranteed – A+ Graded
══════════════════════════════════════
SECTION 1: SI UNITS & UNIT CONVERSIONS Q1 – Q10
══════════════════════════════════════
Question 1 of 50
A physics student measures the length of a laboratory optics bench and records the value as
1.85 meters. For a calculation involving wavelength, the student needs this distance
expressed in millimeters.
A. 1850 mm ✓ CORRECT
B. 18.5 mm
C. 0.185 mm
D. 185 mm
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Converting meters to millimeters requires multiplying by 1000, since the prefix
milli- represents 10⁻³; therefore, 1.85 m × 1000 mm/m = 1850 mm. Choice B incorrectly
divides by 100 instead of multiplying, confusing the direction of metric prefix conversion.
Remember that moving from a larger base unit to a smaller prefixed unit always yields a
larger numerical value.
Question 2 of 50
An automotive engineer needs to express the engine displacement of 2500 cm³ strictly in SI
base units for a technical report submitted to an international standards committee.
A. 2500 m³
B. 2.5 × 10⁻³ m³ ✓ CORRECT
C. 25 m³
D. 0.25 m³
,Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Since 1 cm = 10⁻² m, then 1 cm³ = (10⁻² m)³ = 10⁻⁶ m³; multiplying 2500 cm³ by
10⁻⁶ m³/cm³ gives 2.5 × 10⁻³ m³. Choice A fails to cube the conversion factor, treating cubic
centimeters as if they were linear centimeters. When converting volume units, always cube
the linear conversion factor.
Question 3 of 50
A nurse administers an intravenous medication at a precise rate of 0.75 mg per minute. The
attending physician asks how many micrograms the patient will receive over a continuous
4-hour infusion.
A. 180 μg
B. 4500 μg
C. 180000 μg ✓ CORRECT
D. 3000 μg
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: First convert 4 hours to 240 minutes, then multiply by 0.75 mg/min to obtain 180
mg; since 1 mg = 1000 μg, the total is 180 × 1000 = 180000 μg. Choice A results from
forgetting to convert hours to minutes and using only 4 minutes in the calculation. Always
verify that time units are consistent before performing dosage calculations.
Question 4 of 50
At a collegiate track meet, a sprinter covers 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. A sports physicist
wants to report the athlete's average speed in kilometers per hour for a broadcast graphic.
A. 10.4 km/h
B. 27.8 km/h
C. 15.6 km/h
D. 37.6 km/h ✓ CORRECT
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Average speed equals distance divided by time, so 100 m / 9.58 s = 10.438 m/s;
converting to km/h requires multiplying by 3.6, yielding approximately 37.6 km/h. Choice B
incorrectly divides by 3.6 instead of multiplying, which is a common direction error when
converting between m/s and km/h. A useful memory aid is that 1 m/s = 3.6 km/h, so the
numerical value in km/h must be larger.
Question 5 of 50
A water storage tank at a research facility holds exactly 5000 liters when filled to capacity. At
4°C, what is the mass of the water in kilograms? (Density of water at 4°C = 1.00 g/cm³)
, A. 5000 kg ✓ CORRECT
B. 500 kg
C. 50000 kg
D. 50 kg
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Since 1 liter equals 1000 cm³ and the density of water is 1.00 g/cm³, 5000 liters
corresponds to 5.00 × 10⁶ cm³ with a mass of 5.00 × 10⁶ g, which converts to 5000 kg.
Choice B incorrectly uses a conversion factor of 10 instead of 1000 when moving from grams
to kilograms. Note that for water at 4°C, the numerical value in grams equals the numerical
value in cubic centimeters, making liter-to-kilogram conversions straightforward.
Question 6 of 50
In a dynamics experiment, a force of 45 N is applied to push a cart across a horizontal track.
A student is asked to express this force entirely in fundamental SI base units.
A. 45 kg·m/s
B. 45 kg·m/s² ✓ CORRECT
C. 45 kg·m²/s²
D. 45 kg/s²
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The newton is a derived unit defined as 1 N = 1 kg·m/s², so 45 N equals 45 kg·m/s²
in base units. Choice C confuses force with energy or work, since kg·m²/s² represents the
joule. When decomposing derived units, always trace back to the defining equation F = ma to
ensure the correct combination of mass, length, and time.
Question 7 of 50
A highway traffic study records a vehicle traveling at 65 miles per hour. An engineer needs
this speed converted to meters per second for a simulation model. (1 mile = 1609 m)
A. 104 m/s
B. 29 m/s
C. 29.0 m/s ✓ CORRECT
D. 17.4 m/s
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Multiply 65 mi/h by 1609 m/mi and divide by 3600 s/h to obtain 29.05 m/s, which
rounds to 29.0 m/s when reported with three significant figures. Choice B presents the
correct numerical value but drops the trailing zero, failing to maintain the precision implied by
the given data. In physics calculations, preserve significant figures to reflect measurement
uncertainty.
