Question 1
A negatively charged ball is brought near end A of a rod that has a net positive charge at end A (with some negative charge in the center). What happens to end A when the ball approaches closely for the first time?
Correct Answer:
It is attracted.
Explanation:
When charges are involved, opposite charges attract. The end A of the rod carries a net positive charge, while the approaching ball is negatively charged. The negative ball feels an attractive force toward the positive end because Coulomb’s law tells us that the force between opposite charges is directed along the line joining them and toward each other. Even though there is some negative charge in the center of the rod, that region is farther from the ball when it first comes near end A. Since the electrostatic force weakens with distance, the stronger, closer attraction from the positive end dominates. So the end A is pulled toward the ball (and equivalently, the ball is pulled toward end A). If the rod were free to move, that localized force could also produce torque, but the immediate effect at the first approach is an attractive interaction between the ball and the positively charged end.
Question 2
Four charges occupy the corners of a square: top-left -10 nC, top-right +q, bottom-left +Q, bottom-right -10 nC. What value of Q (in nC) makes the electrostatic force on the top-right charge q equal to zero?
Correct Answer:
+28 nC
Explanation:
Think of the force on the top-right charge q as a sum of forces from the other three charges (superposition). The two charges at the adjacent corners are at distance equal to the side of the square, so the forces from them on the top-right charge have equal magnitudes and point left and down, respectively. Specifically, each of those forces has magnitude F0 = k q (10 nC) / s^2, with one directed to the left and the other downward. The third charge, bottom-left, is diagonally opposite and sits a distance √2 s away. The force it exerts on the top-right charge has magnitude Fdiag = k q |Q| / (√2 s)^2 = k q |Q| / (2 s^2). Its direction depends on the sign of Q: if Q is positive, the force is along the diagonal away from bottom-left, i.e., up and to the right. For the net force on the top-right charge to be zero, the diagonal force must supply horizontal and vertical components that exactly cancel the leftward and downward forces. Along the diagonal (45 degrees), each component is Fdiag/√2. Thus we need: Fdiag/√2 = F0. Plugging in F0 = k q (10 nC) / s^2 and Fdiag = k q |Q| / (2 s^2), (k q |Q| / (2 s^2)) / √2 = k q (10 nC) / s^2. Cancel common factors to get |Q|/2 = √2 × 10 nC, so |Q| = 20 √2 nC ≈ 28 nC. Sign must be positive to point the diagonal force up and to the right, which cancels the left and down forces. Therefore Q ≈ +28 nC.
Question 3
If the loop radius R is doubled while keeping current I fixed, how does the magnetic field at the center change?
Correct Answer:
Halves
Explanation:
At the center of a circular loop, the magnetic field from a current I is B = μ0 I / (2R). This shows the field is inversely proportional to the radius for a fixed current. If the radius is doubled, the denominator doubles, so the field becomes half of its original value. The intuition is that spreading the same current over a larger loop weakens the magnetic influence at the center. The magnitude is halved (the direction would still be along the axis given by the right-hand rule, if you care about orientation).
Question 4
Brewster's angle for an interface from air (n1 = 1.00) into glass (n2 ≈ 1.50) is about
Correct Answer:
56.3°
Explanation:
Brewster’s angle is the incidence angle at which the reflected light becomes perfectly polarized parallel to the interface. At this angle, the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular to each other, which gives a simple relationship from Snell’s law. From Snell’s law, n1 sin θi = n2 sin θt, and at Brewster’s angle θi + θt = 90°, so sin θt = cos θi. This leads to n1 sin θi = n2 cos θi, and rearranging gives tan θi = n2 / n1. Plugging in n1 = 1.00 (air) and n2 ≈ 1.50 (glass), tan θB = 1.50, so θB = arctan(1.50) ≈ 56.3°. Therefore the Brewster angle for this air-to-glass interface is about 56.3°. The other angles don’t satisfy tan θ = 1.50 (for example, tan 34° ≈ 0.674, tan 45° = 1, tan 30° ≈ 0.577), so they aren’t Brewster angles here.
Question 5
The magnetic field inside a long solenoid with N turns per unit length carrying current I is given by which expression?
Correct Answer:
B = mu0 N I
Explanation:
Ampere's law applied to an ideal long solenoid gives a uniform magnetic field inside and negligible field outside. If you draw a rectangular Amperian loop with a long side of length L along the solenoid’s axis, the line integral is essentially B times L inside (the outside contribution is zero). The current enclosed by the loop is the total current from all turns within length L, which is (turns per unit length) times L times the current per turn: N L I. Ampere’s law then reads B L = μ0 (N L I), so the magnetic field inside is B = μ0 N I. This shows the field grows linearly with both the current and the density of turns.
Question 1
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Prepare with the University of Central Florida (UCF) PHY2054 General Physics with Calculus II Practice Exam practice quiz. This question bank includes 10 questions covering charges, charge, field, force, and doubled. Use it to review important concepts, identify knowledge gaps, and build confidence for the related exam, course, or assessment.

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University of Central Florida (UCF) PHY2054 General Physics with Calculus II Practice Exam

This practice set contains 10 questions from the matching question bank and focuses on charges, charge, field, force, and doubled. Work through each question carefully, review the provided solutions, and revisit topics that need more study before your next attempt.

This is an independent study resource intended for practice and review; it is not an official examination or an endorsement by any organization named in the title.

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