Find aquiet, comfortable spot, turn off the TV, computer, and music, and try to diag-take the entire diagnostic test within the time allotted.. Once the diagnostic test is done it’s time
Trang 2About The Thomson Corporation and Peterson’s
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Trang 3Red Alert 1
About the Book 1
About the Physics Test 2
Scoring 3
Taking the Test 3
SAT II Physics Study Plans 4
Preliminary Preparations 5
The 18-week Plan 6
The 9-Week Plan 8
Panic Plan 9
Key Formulas and Equations 11
Units and Conversions 12
Diagnostic Test 13
Answers and Explanations 31
Chapter 1: Preliminary Concepts 45
Simple Equations and Algebra 47
Graphs 48
Right Triangles 52
Units and Conversions 56
Scalars and Vectors 57
Chapter Summary 67
Chapter 2: Mechanics 69
Statics 71
Trang 4Torques 77
Kinematics 80
Motion in Two Dimensions 87
Newton’s Laws of Motion 90
Work and Energy 96
Momentum 100
Circular and Rotary 103
Chapter Summary 109
Chapter 3: Waves 113
Wave Properties 115
Chapter Summary 135
Chapter 4: Heat and Thermodynamics 137
Temperature 139
Thermal Properties of Matter 140
Thermodynamics 149
Chapter Summary 160
Chapter 5: Electricity and Electromagnetism 161
Electrostatics 163
Electric Fields 166
Electric Circuits 168
Magnets and Magnetic Fields 179
Chapter Summary 191
Trang 5Chapter 6: Modern Physics 193
Particulate Theory of Light 195
Photoelectric Effect 198
Relativity 201
Chapter Summary 211
Chapter 7: The Atom 213
The Atom 215
Radioactivity 224
Particles 232
Chapter Summary 234
Practice Test 1 237
Practice Test 2 271
Practice Test 3 305
Practice Test 4 337
CONTENTS
Trang 7Peterson’s: www.petersons.com RED ALERT1
RED ALERT
ABOUT THE BOOK
Now that you have decided to tackle the SAT II Physics Test, you need
to develop a plan to maximize your chances of achieving a high score.The reason you want a high score is simple The higher your score, thebetter you look to the admissions officers at the college of your choice
The SAT II Physics Test is designed to measure the knowledge andachievement of high school students who have completed a collegepreparatory physics class This book will help you review for the SAT
II Physics Test If you have not taken a Physics class yet, it may be
advisable to wait until after you complete one before you progressfurther
This book is arranged in several sections, beginning with a nostic test The purpose of this test is to identify your strengths andweaknesses It will also help to familiarize you with the testing methodused by the College Board Do not skip the diagnostic test! Find aquiet, comfortable spot, turn off the TV, computer, and music, and try to
diag-take the entire diagnostic test within the time allotted If you run out
of time, mark on your answer sheet where you ran out of time Thenkeep going until you complete the test
After finishing the test, you deserve a break, so take one But besure to come back after no more than 15 minutes and check youranswers Then go back, reread the questions you missed, and try tofigure out what went wrong Did you jump to a conclusion, misreadthe question, stop at the first correct answer (sometimes there aremultiple correct answers to one question), or just not know the mate-rial? None of these reasons is cause for serious concern right now,because every reason mentioned can be overcome In fact, as you workthrough this book, each of these will be addressed
Once the diagnostic test is done it’s time to settle down to your
preparation for the real SAT II Physics Test Move on to the Physics
review and study each section as if you had to learn the material allover again Those sections you know well will go by smoothly and helpyou to build confidence, while your review of unfamiliar terms andconcepts will allow you to learn it quickly and effectively
Trang 8RED ALERT Peterson’s SAT II Success: Physics
RED ALERT
2
When you have finished your review, take the practice tests Onceagain, you should try to set up a test-like situation Make sure all theelectronic toys are out of the way (besides, the College Board doesn’tallow them), time yourself, and do your best After you check each test,read the explanations for those questions you missed, and for addi-tional reinforcement, reread the Review Section that covers the mate-rial in the question
ABOUT THE PHYSICS TEST
The SAT II Physics Test is a 75-question multiple-choice test The testcovers the following topics:
Because the material covered in high school physics courses canvary widely, you will probably find some questions on the test thatcover topics with which you are unfamiliar This may be impossible toavoid entirely; however, solid preparation and review of the conceptsand information covered in this book will go a long way to helping younavigate unfamiliar territory
The testing procedures for the SAT II Physics Test are similar tothose you already know from your high school classroom A fewquestions will be simple recall; about half of the questions will requireyou to be able to apply a physical concept for a given situation; and themore difficult questions will require that you be able to apply multipleconcepts to multiple relationships
In addition to a college preparatory physics course, you will alsoneed a solid working knowledge of algebra and trigonometry, as well
as laboratory experience Familiarity with the metric system is critical.Y
You arou arou are not pere not pere not permitted to use a calculator durmitted to use a calculator durmitted to use a calculator during the test.ing the test.The calculations focus on simple arithmetic and will not require acalculator
Trang 9do not count for or against you.
Clearly, the more incorrect answers you can eliminate from a set
of choices, the better your chances of finding or guessing the correctanswer
TAKING THE TEST
You will be given one hour (60 minutes) to complete seventy-fivequestions Because of the limited amount of time you have for each
question, it is vital that you adopt a test-taking strategy and stick to it.
There are several things that you can do to give yourself the bestpossible chance to score well on the test
Set up a study program for yourself and faithfully follow it Donot skip any part(s) of the program
1 When you take the diagnostic and practice tests, make sure tofamiliarize yourself thoroughly with the test directions, as theyare patterned after the actual directions on the SAT II PhysicsTest you will be taking Becoming familiar with the directionssaves you time in re-reading them on test day
2 Quickly read the entire test question by question Answer diately the questions you know or can do as you read through thetest the first time; skip those questions you can’t answer rightaway
3 Once you’ve gone through the entire test, go back to the ning and work on the questions you skipped Look for answers
begin-to eliminate The more answers you can eliminate, the better yourchances to recognize or guess the correct answer
4 If you finish the test before time is up, go back and look over
your answers Only change an answer if you are absolutely sure
you have the incorrect answer selected
5 Get a good rest the night before the test A primary reason forpoor test performance is lack of sleep
Trang 10RED ALERT Peterson’s SAT II Success: Physics
RED ALERT
4
SAT II PHYSICS STUDY PLANS
You already know the importance of a study plan when preparing forthis test Needless to say, the amount of time you have before you’re due
to take the test has a lot to do with which of the following plans you’llselect for your exam preparation
Those of you who are not taking the SAT II Physics Test in thenear future should follow our leisurely 18-week plan This plan isfavored because it gives you plenty of time to thoroughly prepare,review all required concepts, and restudy the material you find chal-lenging
The next option is the 9-week plan, which calls for a more centrated effort on your part You will have to pay more attention toyour diagnostic and practice test results in this plan, as those questionsyou miss become indicators for the material to which you should payextra attention
con-Finally, the last method is the Panic Plan This plan is for you ifyou’ve got hardly any time to prepare but still want to do your best,like when you find out your college of choice wants to see your SAT IIPhysics Test score and the next test administration is in just a fewweeks! Using this plan you will spend as much time as you have avail-able preparing for the SAT II Physics Test by using this book to line you
up for the test
Trang 11RED ALERT
RED ALERT5
Peterson’s: www.petersons.com
PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS
Browse through the book Look at the chapter summaries Take the
Diagnostic Test Follow the instructions for taking the test and thencheck your answers After you have taken the test and graded it, besure to read all the explanations for the answers Pay particular atten-tion to the explanations for the questions you missed Try to identifythe reasons why you answered a question incorrectly Was it careless-ness on your part? You would be surprised at the number of studentswho miss a question they knew by inadvertently marking the wrongchoice Perhaps you misread the question, or maybe you were hurryingtoo much
Look through the answers and explanations for the questions youmissed Be sure you understand why the correct answer is correct.Write down the numbers of the questions you missed or would like tounderstand a little better They are your benchmark questions If youmiss a lot of the questions about magnetism or thermodynamics, forexample, this tells you where to concentrate your efforts Identifyingthese weak areas is especially important if you are following the PanicPlan and will be helpful no matter how long you have to prepare.Sometimes students say the test questions are tricky, but thestudents who know the material are difficult to fool and quickly elimi-nate the “tricky” answers This is not to say that they don’t have tothink about what they are doing Some of the questions are trulychallenging and will require your best effort, so prepare yourself well.Start each chapter by reading the summary at the end, which listseverything in the chapter As you read through a chapter, work out theproblems on your own when you come to them When you reach theend of a chapter, read the summary again Repetition is a poRepetition is a poRepetition is a powwwerfulerfullearning tool
Trang 12RED ALERT Peterson’s SAT II Success: Physics
RED ALERT
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THE 18-WEEK PLAN
W
Week 1 eek 1 Diagnostic Diagnostic T T Test est
Review the answers to the Diagnostic Test.
Review Chapter 1: Preliminary Concepts
W
Week 2 eek 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Mechanics : Mechanics
StaticsKinematicsDynamicsW
Week 3 eek 3 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Mechanics : Mechanics
Work and EnergyMomentumCircular and Rotary MotionW
Week 4 eek 4 Chapter 3: Chapter 3: W W Wa aa aav v ves es
Wave PropertiesReflectionRefractionW
Week 5 eek 5 Chapter 3::::: W W Wa aa aav v ves es
Polarization of LightInterference
DiffractionW
Week 6 eek 6 Chapter 4 Chapter 4::::: Heat and Heat and Heat and Ther Ther Thermod mod modynamics ynamics
Thermal Properties of MatterKinetic Molecular TheoryGases
W
Week 7 eek 7 Chapter 4::::: Heat and Heat and Heat and Ther Ther Thermod mod modynamics ynamics
Laws of ThermodynamicsHeat Engines
CalorimetryW
Week 8 eek 8 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Electricity and Electromagnetism : Electricity and Electromagnetism
Coulombs LawElectric Fields and Potential
DC CircuitsW
Magnets and Magnetic Fields
Trang 13Week 11 eek 11 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Modern Physics : Modern Physics
RelativityHeisenbergComptondeBrogliaW
Week 12 eek 12 Chapter 7 Chapter 7::::: The The The Atom Atom
The NucleusAtomic SpectraBohr’s AtomW
Week 13 eek 13 Chapter 7::::: The The The Atom Atom
Nuclear Reactions, Equations, and RadiationFission and Fusion
Binding Energy and Mass Defect
W
Week 14 eek 14 Pr Practice actice actice T T Test est 1 and Pr 1 and Pr 1 and Practice actice actice T T Test 2 est 2
Review Answers and ExplanationsReread all the chapter summariesW
Week 15 eek 15
Review the material from the questions you missed on
Practice Test 1 and Practice Test 2
Reread the chapter summariesW
Week 16 eek 16 Pr Practice actice actice T T Test est 3 and Pr 3 and Pr 3 and Practice actice actice T T Test 4 est 4
Review Answers and ExplanationsReread all the chapter summariesW
Week 17 eek 17
Review the material from the questions you missed on
Practice Test 3 and Practice Test 4
Reread the chapter summariesW
Week 18 eek 18
Start the week by reading all of the chapter summaries
Go over all of the test questions you missed on the
Diagnostic Test and the four practice tests Review the material
you are not sure you have mastered! Think positive You are
ready!
Trang 14RED ALERT Peterson’s SAT II Success: Physics
RED ALERT
8
THE 9-WEEK PLAN
W
Week 1 eek 1 Diagnostic Diagnostic T T Test est
Chapter 1::::: Pr Pr Preliminar eliminar eliminary Concepts y Concepts W
Week 2 eek 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Mechanics : Mechanics
Week 8 eek 8 Pr Practice actice actice T T Tests ests ests 1 1 1 and 2 and 2
Review the answers to the questions you missedW
Week 9 eek 9 Pr Practice actice actice T T Tests ests 3 and 4 3 and 4
Review the answers to the questions you missed
Reread the chapter summaries, paying particular attention
to any material you missed previously