RIO SALADO COLLEGE-PHY 111 (COLLEGE PHYSICS
1) MIDTERM EXAM/PHY 111 MIDTERM ACTUAL
EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS A NEW UPDATED VERSION LATEST 2026-
2027 FULL REVISED EXAM WITH MOST TESTED
QUESTIONS|ALREADY GRADED A+
1. A student measures the mass of an object at 4.68 g and the volume of the
object at 2.3 mL. The student calculates the density as 2.03478 g/mL. A second
student disagrees with the density. Which of the following statements would
explain why the second student disagrees?
A) The mass measurement was inaccurate
B) The volume measurement was imprecise
C) The calculation used the wrong formula
D) The number of decimals in the answer does not show proper precision
The density should be reported with the correct number of significant figures.
Since the volume measurement (2.3 mL) has only two significant figures, the
density should be rounded to two significant figures: 2.0 g/mL, not 2.03478
g/mL.
2. An example of a unit in the English or metric system which is a mass unit is:
A) Pound and Newton
B) Slug and Kilogram
C) Slug and Pound
D) Gram and Newton
,The slug is the English unit of mass, and the kilogram is the metric unit of mass.
The pound and newton are units of force (weight).
3. Are metric units more accurate than English units?
A) Yes, metric units are inherently more accurate
B) No, the metric system is viewed as being easier but not more accurate
C) Yes, because they are based on natural constants
D) No, because English units are more precise
The metric system is preferred because of its ease of use with base-10
conversions, not because it is more accurate. Accuracy depends on measurement
techniques and instruments, not the system of units.
4. Which of the following is a scalar measurement?
A) Displacement
B) Velocity
C) Acceleration
D) Speed
Speed is a scalar quantity because it has magnitude only and no direction.
Displacement, velocity, and acceleration are all vector quantities that require
both magnitude and direction.
5. Convert 35.0 mph to m/s. (1 mi = 1.6 km)
A) 12.5 m/s
B) 15.6 m/s
C) 56.0 m/s
D) 78.4 m/s
35.0 mph × (1.6 km/1 mi) × (1000 m/1 km) × (1 h/3600 s) = 15.6 m/s. Proper unit
conversion requires multiplying by conversion factors that cancel the original
units.
,6. A student runs an experiment twice and obtains the following time
measurements: 35 s and 29 s. What is the percent difference between these
measurements?
A) 6%
B) 17%
C) 19%
D) 21%
Percent difference = |value1 - value2| / ((value1 + value2)/2) × 100 = |35 - 29| /
((35+29)/2) × 100 = 6/32 × 100 = 18.75% ≈ 19%.
7. A student measures the mass of an object at 4.68 g. Which of the following
statements is most accurate?
A) All three digits are measured
B) The first two digits are measured and the last digit is estimated
C) All three digits are estimated
D) Only the first digit is measured
In any measurement, the last digit is estimated (uncertain), while the preceding
digits are known with certainty. For 4.68 g, the "4" and "6" are certain, and the
"8" is estimated.
8. What is the area of a rectangular garden that is 12 m² in square
centimeters?
A) 1200 cm²
B) 12,000 cm²
C) 120,000 cm²
D) 1,200,000 cm²
1 m = 100 cm, so 1 m² = (100 cm)² = 10,000 cm². 12 m² × 10,000 cm²/m² =
120,000 cm².
9. Which of the following statements concerning significant figures is most
accurate?
, A) Zeros between non-zero digits are never significant
B) Zeros at the end of a number are always significant
C) Zeros between non-zero digits are always significant
D) Leading zeros are always significant
Zeros between non-zero digits (captive zeros) are always significant. Leading
zeros are never significant, and trailing zeros are significant only if the decimal
point is shown.
10. Convert a speed of 30 m/s to km/h.
A) 8.33 km/h
B) 30 km/h
C) 108 km/h
D) 300 km/h
30 m/s × (1 km/1000 m) × (3600 s/1 h) = 108 km/h. The conversion factors
cancel meters and seconds, leaving km/h.
11. Which of the following is the current standard for time measurement?
A) The rotation of Earth
B) The oscillation of a pendulum
C) Atomic cesium clock
D) The motion of the Moon
The atomic cesium clock is the current standard for time measurement. It is
based on the vibration of cesium-133 atoms, which provides extremely precise
timekeeping.
12. Which of the following best describes the relationship between
measurement units, standards, and instruments?
A) They are all the same thing
B) Units describe what is measured, standards are the criteria for
measurement, and instruments are the tools used
1) MIDTERM EXAM/PHY 111 MIDTERM ACTUAL
EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS A NEW UPDATED VERSION LATEST 2026-
2027 FULL REVISED EXAM WITH MOST TESTED
QUESTIONS|ALREADY GRADED A+
1. A student measures the mass of an object at 4.68 g and the volume of the
object at 2.3 mL. The student calculates the density as 2.03478 g/mL. A second
student disagrees with the density. Which of the following statements would
explain why the second student disagrees?
A) The mass measurement was inaccurate
B) The volume measurement was imprecise
C) The calculation used the wrong formula
D) The number of decimals in the answer does not show proper precision
The density should be reported with the correct number of significant figures.
Since the volume measurement (2.3 mL) has only two significant figures, the
density should be rounded to two significant figures: 2.0 g/mL, not 2.03478
g/mL.
2. An example of a unit in the English or metric system which is a mass unit is:
A) Pound and Newton
B) Slug and Kilogram
C) Slug and Pound
D) Gram and Newton
,The slug is the English unit of mass, and the kilogram is the metric unit of mass.
The pound and newton are units of force (weight).
3. Are metric units more accurate than English units?
A) Yes, metric units are inherently more accurate
B) No, the metric system is viewed as being easier but not more accurate
C) Yes, because they are based on natural constants
D) No, because English units are more precise
The metric system is preferred because of its ease of use with base-10
conversions, not because it is more accurate. Accuracy depends on measurement
techniques and instruments, not the system of units.
4. Which of the following is a scalar measurement?
A) Displacement
B) Velocity
C) Acceleration
D) Speed
Speed is a scalar quantity because it has magnitude only and no direction.
Displacement, velocity, and acceleration are all vector quantities that require
both magnitude and direction.
5. Convert 35.0 mph to m/s. (1 mi = 1.6 km)
A) 12.5 m/s
B) 15.6 m/s
C) 56.0 m/s
D) 78.4 m/s
35.0 mph × (1.6 km/1 mi) × (1000 m/1 km) × (1 h/3600 s) = 15.6 m/s. Proper unit
conversion requires multiplying by conversion factors that cancel the original
units.
,6. A student runs an experiment twice and obtains the following time
measurements: 35 s and 29 s. What is the percent difference between these
measurements?
A) 6%
B) 17%
C) 19%
D) 21%
Percent difference = |value1 - value2| / ((value1 + value2)/2) × 100 = |35 - 29| /
((35+29)/2) × 100 = 6/32 × 100 = 18.75% ≈ 19%.
7. A student measures the mass of an object at 4.68 g. Which of the following
statements is most accurate?
A) All three digits are measured
B) The first two digits are measured and the last digit is estimated
C) All three digits are estimated
D) Only the first digit is measured
In any measurement, the last digit is estimated (uncertain), while the preceding
digits are known with certainty. For 4.68 g, the "4" and "6" are certain, and the
"8" is estimated.
8. What is the area of a rectangular garden that is 12 m² in square
centimeters?
A) 1200 cm²
B) 12,000 cm²
C) 120,000 cm²
D) 1,200,000 cm²
1 m = 100 cm, so 1 m² = (100 cm)² = 10,000 cm². 12 m² × 10,000 cm²/m² =
120,000 cm².
9. Which of the following statements concerning significant figures is most
accurate?
, A) Zeros between non-zero digits are never significant
B) Zeros at the end of a number are always significant
C) Zeros between non-zero digits are always significant
D) Leading zeros are always significant
Zeros between non-zero digits (captive zeros) are always significant. Leading
zeros are never significant, and trailing zeros are significant only if the decimal
point is shown.
10. Convert a speed of 30 m/s to km/h.
A) 8.33 km/h
B) 30 km/h
C) 108 km/h
D) 300 km/h
30 m/s × (1 km/1000 m) × (3600 s/1 h) = 108 km/h. The conversion factors
cancel meters and seconds, leaving km/h.
11. Which of the following is the current standard for time measurement?
A) The rotation of Earth
B) The oscillation of a pendulum
C) Atomic cesium clock
D) The motion of the Moon
The atomic cesium clock is the current standard for time measurement. It is
based on the vibration of cesium-133 atoms, which provides extremely precise
timekeeping.
12. Which of the following best describes the relationship between
measurement units, standards, and instruments?
A) They are all the same thing
B) Units describe what is measured, standards are the criteria for
measurement, and instruments are the tools used
