Physics Quiz

1.

A child is sitting in a car (with closed windows) holding onto a string tied to a floating balloon. The car accelerates forward, so the child is pressed back into the seat. What does the balloon do? Does the balloon go forward, backward, or neither?

2.

A steel rod is built from the Earth to the Sun. Suddenly the end near the Earth is pushed forward 1 meter. The other end of the rod therefore must move 1 meter, but isn't this a violation of the principle that no signal can travel faster than the speed of light c? After all, it takes light 500 seconds to travel the Earth-Sun distance. Is this a way to send signals faster than c?

3. Who is responsible for the Principle of Relativity?

4. A book is standing on end. You throw a super ball at it, and the ball bounces off. You then throw some chewing gum with the same mass as the ball and at the same speed and height; the gum sticks to the book. In which situation is it more likely that the book will tip over: Will the book tip more readily if hit by the ball or by the gum?