E1: Physics Basics

Which type of measurement do physicists generally prefer and why?

• Qualitative, because it is based on descriptions

• Quantitative, because it provides numerical data for analysis

• Qualitative, because it is easier to obtain

• Quantitative, because it is always more accurate

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

Which of the following best describes a qualitative measurement?

• Describes characteristics without using numbers

• Uses numbers and units to describe a quantity

• Always involves a ruler or scale

• Is more accurate than quantitative measurement

Kelly is practicing archery and shoots several arrows at a target. Which result best represents high accuracy and high precision?

• All arrows land close together and near the center of the target

• Arrows are spread out but near the center of the target

• Arrows are close together but far from the center of the target

• Arrows are randomly spread out on the target

According to the 5% rule, what is the first step in determining if a set of quantitative measurements is accurate or precise?

• Find the average of the data set

• Subtract the lowest value from the highest value

• Determine 5% of the actual value

• Divide the actual value by the number of data points

If a student’s measurements are all very close to each other but far from the actual value, what does this indicate about their results?

• The results are accurate but not precise

• The results are precise but not accurate

• The results are both accurate and precise

• The results are neither accurate nor precise

James is studying the population of a small country, which is 8,200,000 people. What is the scientific notation for this number?

• 8.2 x 10⁶

• 8.2 x 10⁵

• 8.2 x 10⁷

• 8.2 x 10⁴

If you move the decimal point to the right when converting to scientific notation, what happens to the exponent?

• The exponent is positive

• The exponent is negative

• The exponent is zero

• The exponent doubles

Alex is measuring the mass of a small dust particle and finds it to be 0.0000237 grams. How should Alex write this mass in scientific notation?

• 2.37 x 10⁻⁵

• 2.37 x 10⁻⁴

• 2.37 x 10⁻⁶

• 2.37 x 10⁻³

A housefly is approximately 0.01 meters in length. Which prefix best represents this measurement?

• milli

• centi

• kilo

• nano

Maria is learning about the distance from the Earth to the Moon, which is approximately 3.8 x 10⁵ kilometers. What is this distance in standard form?

• 380,000

• 3,800,000

• 38,000

• 3,800

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3