Physics Multiple Choice Quiz: Work,

Energy, Power & Torque

Instructions
Select the best answer for each question. Show all work for calculation problems. Units
must be included in answers where applicable.

Questions
1. What is the definition of work in physics?
A) Any force applied to an object
B) The amount of time spent on a task
C) Force acting upon an object to cause displacement
D) The energy stored in a system
2. In the equation W = F ⋅ d ⋅ cos(θ) , what does θ represent?
A) The angle between force and displacement vectors
B) The total distance traveled
C) The magnitude of force
D) The work done on the object
3. Calculate the work done when a force of 100N is applied at a 30° angle to move an
object 5 meters.
A) 500 J
B) 433.0 J
C) 250 J
D) 866.0 J
4. What is the kinetic energy of a 2kg object moving at 4 m/s?
A) 8 J
B) 16 J
C) 32 J
D) 4 J
5. A 10 kg box is lifted to a height of 2 meters. What is the gravitational potential energy
gained by the box?
A) 20 J
B) 196 J
C) 392 J
D) 98 J
6. How much power is required to lift a 50 kg weight 10 meters in 5 seconds?
A) 100 W
B) 980 W
C) 500 W
D) 200 W
7. If an engine does 6000 J of work in 60 seconds, what is its power output?
A) 10 W
B) 100 W
C) 60 W
D) 1000 W
8. What is the relationship between horsepower and watts?
 A) 1 horsepower = 746 watts
B) 1 horsepower = 1000 watts
C) 1 horsepower = 500 watts
D) 1 horsepower = 550 watts
9. Calculate the torque produced by a 10 N force applied perpendicular to a lever arm 2
meters long.
A) 5 Nm
B) 20 Nm
C) 10 Nm
D) 15 Nm
10. If a torque of 50 Nm causes an angular acceleration of 5 rad/s² on a wheel, what is the
moment of inertia?
A) 10 kg·m²
B) 5 kg·m²
C) 50 kg·m²
D) 25 kg·m²
11. A 0.5 kg mass is spinning in a circular path with a radius of 1 meter at a speed of 3 m/s.
What is its centripetal force?
A) 1.5 N
B) 9 N
C) 4.5 N
D) 3 N
12. What is the work-energy principle?
A) Energy cannot be created or destroyed
B) The work done on an object is equal to the change in its kinetic energy
C) The total energy of an isolated system remains constant
D) A force applied to an object will always cause acceleration
13. How is the efficiency of a machine calculated?
A) Input power divided by output power
B) Output work divided by input work
C) Output energy divided by input energy times 100 percent
D) Work input divided by work output
14. An object is in equilibrium if the net force acting on it is:
A) Positive
B) Negative
C) Zero
D) Exactly equal to its weight
15. If the kinetic energy of an object is quadrupled, what happens to its speed?
A) Doubled
B) Quadrupled
C) Halved
D) Remains the same
16. What is the unit of energy in the SI system?
A) Newton
B) Joule
C) Watt
D) Pascal
17. An electric motor has an efficiency of 80% and an input power of 200 W. What is the
output power?
A) 160 W
B) 180 W
C) 200 W
D) 220 W
18. In which of the following cases is work not done on an object?
A) A man pushes a wall with all his might
B) A boy pulls a toy car for a distance
 C) A woman lifts a box from the floor to the table
D) Force applied causes displacement in the direction of force
19. Two springs with spring constants of 200 N/m and 300 N/m, respectively, are connected
in series. What is the equivalent spring constant?
A) 500 N/m
B) 100 N/m
C) 83.33 N/m
D) 250 N/m
20. What is the mechanical advantage of a lever if the effort arm is 3 meters and the load
arm is 1 meter long?
A) 3
B) 0.33
C) 1
D) 2
21. When a ball is dropped from a height of 10 m, ignoring air resistance, what will be its
speed just before hitting the ground?
A) 14 m/s
B) 20 m/s
C) 44 m/s
D) 98 m/s
22. A force is applied to a wheelbarrow to move it across a flat surface. The force applied is
150N, and it moves 10m. If the force is applied at a 45-degree angle to the direction of
motion, how much work is done?
A) 1500 J
B) 1060 J
C) 530 J
D) 0 J
23. A 60-watt light bulb is operated for 2 hours. How much energy does it consume in
kilowatt-hours?
A) 0.12 kWh
B) 1.2 kWh
C) 0.06 kWh
D) 3.6 kWh
24. A cyclist climbs a hill with a height of 40 m and achieves a speed of 2 m/s on top. If his
mass is 70 kg, what is his potential energy at the top?
A) 2800 J
B) 280 J
C) 5600 J
D) 1400 J
25. A motor exerts a torque of 300 Nm and turns at 600 revolutions per minute. What is the
power output of the motor, in watts?
A) 9425 W
B) 1885 W
C) 300 W
D) 5665 W
26. A pendulum swings to a maximum height of 2 meters on each side. What is the
maximum kinetic energy of the pendulum bob if its mass is 1 kg, assuming no energy is
lost?
A) 20 J
B) 0 J
C) 19.6 J
D) 9.8 J
27. A force of 12 N is required to compress a spring by 0.02 m. What is the spring constant?
A) 60 N/m
B) 200 N/m
 C) 600 N/m
D) 40 N/m
28. When a car moves at a constant speed of 20 m/s, what happens to the kinetic energy if
the speed is doubled?
A) Quadrupled
B) Doubled
C) Tripled
D) Remains the same
29. Which of the following does not affect the amount of torque produced?
A) The angle of force application
B) The distance from the pivot point
C) The direction of force application
D) The material of the lever
30. How much work is done by a force of 50 N acting on an object that moves 4 m in the
direction of the force?
A) 200 J
B) 100 J
C) 150 J
D) 50 J
31. What is the gravitational potential energy of a 5 kg object held 5 meters above the
ground?
A) 245 J
B) 490 J
C) 2450 J
D) 24500 J
32. Calculate the work done if a force of 25N moves an object 3m along a path making an
angle of 60° with the force.
A) 37.5 J
B) 25 J
C) 37.5 μJ
D) 450 J
33. If a machine requires an input energy of 800 J and produces an output energy of 600 J,
what is the efficiency of the machine?
A) 75%
B) 80%
C) 85%
D) 90%
34. Which of the following statements about energy is true?
A) It is always conserved in an isolated system
B) It can be created under certain conditions
C) It can always be recycled with 100% efficiency
D) It can be destroyed in an open system
35. A 75 kg person runs up a 5 m high staircase in 4 seconds. What is the average power
exerted by the person?
A) 92 W
B) 735 W
C) 125 W
D) 525 W
36. What does the area under a force vs. displacement graph represent in physics?
A) Power
B) Energy
C) Work
D) Torque
37. If the tension in a rope holding a 10 kg mass is suddenly removed, what type of energy
conversion occurs as the mass falls freely under gravity?
 A) Kinetic to potential
B) Potential to kinetic
C) Mechanical to thermal
D) Chemical to electrical
38. What kind of motion does a magnetic tape demonstrate when playing on a tape deck?
A) Rotational motion
B) Translational motion
C) Circular motion
D) Stationary motion
39. When one joule of work is done in one second, what is the power exerted?
A) 1 W
B) 2 W
C) 0.5 W
D) 10 W
40. What is the final speed of a 5 kg object that absorbs 250 J of kinetic energy from rest?
A) 10 m/s
B) 20 m/s
C) 5 m/s
D) 15 m/s

Answer Key
1. C
Explanation: In physics, work is specifically defined as a force acting upon an object to
cause displacement. This is different from the common usage of the word "work" and
requires both force and displacement.
2. A
Explanation: In the work equation, θ represents the angle between the force vector and
the displacement vector. This angle affects how much of the force contributes to the
displacement.
3. B
W = F ⋅ d ⋅ cos(θ) :
Explanation: Using
W = 100N ⋅ 5m ⋅ cos(30°)
W = 500 × 0.866 = 433.0 J
4. B
Explanation: Using KE = 12 mv2 : ​

1
KE = 2
​(2)(42 )
1
KE = 2
​(2)(16) = 16 J
5. C
PE = mgh :
Explanation: Using
PE = 10 × 9.8 × 2 = 196 J
6. B
W mgh
Explanation: Using P= t
​ = t
​:
50×9.8×10
P= 5
​ = 980 W
7. B
Explanation: Using P= W
t
: ​

6000
P= 60
​
= 100 W
8. A
Explanation: The conversion factor for horsepower to watts is 1 horsepower = 746 watts.
9. B
Explanation: Torque τ =r×F :
τ = 2 × 10 = 20 Nm
10. A
Explanation: Using τ = Iα :
50
I= τ
α
​
= 5 = 10 kg ⋅ m2
11. B
mv 2
Explanation: Using Fc =
​

r :
​

2
 0.5×32
Fc = ​

1 ​ = 4.5 N
12. B
Explanation: The work-energy principle states that the work done on an object is equal
to the change in its kinetic energy.
13. C
Explanation: Efficiency is calculated by comparing the energy outputs to inputs, given
by the formula (Output Energy/Input Energy) × 100 .
14. C
Explanation: An object is in mechanical equilibrium when the net force acting on it is
zero.
15. A
Explanation: Kinetic energy is proportional to the square of velocity, therefore if kinetic
energy is quadrupled, speed is doubled.
16. B
Explanation: The Joule is the SI unit of energy, defined as force applied over a distance.
17. A
Output Power Output Power
Explanation: Efficiency is Input Power , so ​ 0.8 = 200
, yielding Output Power =
​

160 W.
18. A
Explanation: Work is not done if there is no displacement in the direction of the force, like
a man pushing a wall.
19. C
Explanation: The equivalent spring constant for springs in series is found using
1
k
= k1 + k1 .
total ​
​

1 ​
​

2 ​
​

20. A
effort arm 3
Explanation: Mechanical advantage MA = load arm
​ = 1
​.
21. A
Explanation: Using energy conservation: KE = PE , and solving for v : v = 2gh for
​

h = 10m .
22. B
Explanation: W = F ⋅ d ⋅ cos(θ) = 150 × 10 × cos(45∘ ) = 1060 J.
23. A
Explanation: Energy = Power × Time = 60 W × 2 h = 120 Wh = 0.12 kWh.
24. C
Explanation: PE = mgh = 70 × 9.8 × 40 = 2800 J.
25. A
600rpm
Explanation: P = τ ∗ ω , with ω in rad/s, 60
​ × 2π gives Power in watts.
26. C
Explanation: Due to energy conservation, at maximum height all energy is potential:
PE = 1 × 9.8 × 2 = 19.6 J.
27. B
12
Explanation: Using F = kx , solving for k gives k = 0.02 ​ = 600 N/m.
28. A
Explanation: Kinetic Energy is proportional to square of velocity: v2 so if v is doubled,
Ek quadruples.
​

29. D
Explanation: Torque depends on the magnitude and angle of force, and pivot distance,
not on the lever material.
30. A
Explanation: W = F d = 50 × 4 = 200 J.
31. A
Explanation: Using PE = mgh : PE = 5 × 9.8 × 5 = 245 J.
32. A
Explanation: W = F ⋅ d ⋅ cos(θ) = 25 × 3 × cos(60∘ ) = 37.5 J.
33. A
Output Energy 600
Explanation: Efficiency = Input Energy
​ × 100 = 800
​ × 100 = 75% .
34. A
Explanation: The Law of Conservation of Energy states energy is neither created nor
destroyed.
35. B
mgh 75×9.8×5
Explanation: P= t
​ = 4
​ = 735 W.
36. C
Explanation: Area under force vs. displacement graph represents work done in physics.
37. B
Explanation: When an object falls freely, potential energy is converted into kinetic
energy.
38. A
Explanation: In tapes, rotation of reels makes tape follow circular paths, inducing
rotational motion.
39. A
1J
Explanation: Power = W ork
T ime
​ = 1s
​
= 1 W.
40. A
Explanation: Using KE = 12 mv2 , solving for v gives v =
​
2×250
5
​ ​
= 10m/s .