Download Physics Exam Snapshot - American Board for Certification of

Physics Exam Snapshot
Time Allowed:
240 minutes
Format:
Multiple-choice
Number of Questions:
125
On-Screen Exhibits:
(available as relevant)
Scientific calculator; Formula sheet
Passing Score:
Proficient: 258
Distinguished: 344
Exam Summary:
(The number of questions answered
correctly is converted to a scaled
score ranging from 0 to 500.)
Content Domains
Approximate
Percentage of
Examination
General Science Knowledge
6%
Scientific Investigation
7%
Classical Mechanics
24%
Fluids and Thermodynamics
12%
Electricity and Magnetism
24%
Waves and Optics
15%
Modern Physics
12%
About This Exam
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence believes that highly skilled physics teachers should
possess a comprehensive body of scientific knowledge that is research-based and promotes student achievement.
The physics exam is a rigorous assessment of a candidate’s knowledge and application of general physics. The
topics assessed are characteristically covered in introductory college level physics courses, although some more
advanced questions are included, as teachers must hold a more sophisticated understanding of physics content than
that presented to their students.
- Page 1 -
Physics Exam Snapshot
General Science Knowledge
•
General science knowledge in the subjects of
biology, chemistry, and Earth science
Classical Mechanics (...continued)
Rotational Motion
Scientific Investigation
•
Relationships among kinematic angular
quantities
•
Relationships between kinematic and dynamic
angular quantities
•
Moments of inertia and the parallel axis
theorem for extended bodies
•
Scientific method
•
Accuracy, precision, and error
•
Scientific notation and significant digits
•
Conservation of energy
•
Procedures for the safe handling of laboratory
materials
•
Conservation of angular momentum
Universal Gravitation
Classical Mechanics
Kinematics and Dynamics
•
Cavendish experiment
•
Newton’s universal law of gravity
•
Kepler’s laws
•
Gravitational potential energy, force, field
strength, and energy conservation
•
The kinematic quantities position,
displacement, speed, velocity, and
acceleration
•
Free-body diagrams
•
Newton’s first, second, and third laws
Fluids and Thermodynamics
•
Inertial and non-inertial reference frames
Mechanics and Fluids
•
Uniform circular motion
•
Density and pressure of a fluid
•
Simple harmonic motion
•
Pascal’s principle
•
Archimedes’ principle
Work, Energy, Power, and Momentum
•
Work done by a constant or variable force
•
Fluid flow rates and fluid flux
•
Ideal and actual mechanical advantage of
simple machines
•
Bernoulli’s principle and the continuity
equation
•
Conservative and non-conservative forces
•
Work-energy theorem
•
Characteristics of the states of matter
•
The relationship between energy and power
•
Ideal gas law
•
Impulse-momentum theorem
•
Kinetic theory of gases
•
Conservation of linear momentum
•
Equipartition theorem
•
Pressure versus temperature phase diagrams
•
Mechanisms of heat flow
Thermodynamics
- Page 2 -
Physics Exam Snapshot
Fluids and Thermodynamics (...continued)
•
Calorimetry
•
0th, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laws of thermodynamics
•
Thermodynamic cycles of gases
Magnetism (...continued)
Electricity and Magnetics
•
Magnetic force on a current-carrying wire in a
uniform magnetic field
•
Biot-Savart law
•
Torque on a current-carrying loop in a uniform
magnetic field
•
Diamagnetism, paramagnetism, and
ferromagnetism
Electrostatics
•
Insulators and conductors
•
Coulomb’s law
•
Electric field and its relation to force and
charge
•
Ampère’s law, Faraday’s law, and Maxwell’s
equations
•
Ampère’s law
•
Faraday’s law
Electric flux and Gauss’ law
•
Self-inductance and mutual-inductance
•
Electrostatic potential
•
•
Electric dipoles
AC circuits containing series and parallel
combinations of capacitors, inductors, and
resistors
•
Capacitance
•
Maxwell’s equations
•
Energy density, energy flux, and radiation
pressure for electromagnetic waves
Electric Currents
•
Relationship between electric charge and
electric current
•
Microscopic model for charge flow in a
material
•
Ohm’s law
•
Energy and power relations in an electrical
circuit
•
Waves and Optics
Waves
Resistance of series and parallel networks of
resistors
•
Kirchhoff’s rules
•
Charging and discharging capacitors in timedependent RC circuits
Magnetism
•
Magnetic field lines for a bar magnet
•
Magnetic force on a charged particle moving
in a magnetic field
- Page 3 -
•
Mechanical waves
•
Electromagnetic waves and the
electromagnetic spectrum
•
Amplitude, wavelength, period, frequency,
angular frequency, speed, wave number,
phase, and polarization
•
Superposition and interference of waves
•
The Doppler effect
Physics Exam Snapshot
Waves and Optics (...continued)
Modern Physics (...continued)
Geometric (Ray) Optics
•
Photoelectric effect
•
Law of reflection
•
Bohr's model for a hydrogen atom
•
Refraction and reflection of light
•
α, β, and γ decay for radioactive nuclei
•
Total internal reflection
•
Thermonuclear fusion reactions
•
Dispersion of light
•
Polarization for light
•
Nature of polarization for light
•
Convex and concave mirrors
Physical (Wave) Optics
•
Huygens’ principle
•
Multi-slit interference
•
Diffraction of light
•
Interference phenomena involving a thin film
•
Michelson interferometer
Modern Physics
•
Michelson-Morley experiment
•
Thomson’s measurement of the charge-tomass ratio of the electron
•
M. Curie’s studies of radioactivity
•
Rutherford’s alpha particle scattering
experiments
•
Millikan’s oil-drop experiment
•
Compton scattering of x-rays
•
Theoretical contributions of Einstein, Planck,
Bohr, de Broglie, Schrödinger, Heisenberg,
and Pauli
•
Theory of special relativity
- Page 4 -