one group all relate to a single situation, and the five possible answer choices are
actually given before the questions. The most important thing to remember is that in
each group in Part A, an answer choice may be used once, more than once, or not at
all. For example, if the first group of questions in Part A are questions 1 to 4, then
the answer to question 1 could be (B), question 2 could be (D), question 3 could be
(A), and question 4 could be (D) again. Note that in this group (D) was the correct
answer twice and (C) and (E) were not used at all. The questions on Part A of the
test actually look like the following:
Questions 1-3 refer to the following quantities:
(A) Wavelength
(B) Frequency
(C) Period
(D) Wave speed
(E) Amplitude- Which quantity is a fixed constant for all electromagnetic waves in a
vacuum? - For a standing wave on a string that is fixed at both ends, which
quantity is inversely proportional to the wave speed? - What is the distance between adjacent crests on a traveling wave?
[The answers to these questions are (D), (C), and (A), in case you’re curious.] Be
prepared for this first section of the SAT Physics Subject Test, and don’t waste
valuable time by rereading the directions to Part A on the day of the test. Know the
directions by heart.
Part B consists of the remaining questions. While some of the questions may be in
groups of 2 or 3, all the questions in Part B are of the usual “question followed by 5
answer choices” variety, and each has a unique correct answer. The following is an
example of a Part B question:
- A block of mass m slides with constant speed down a ramp
whose incline angle is θ. If F 1 is the magnitude of the gravitational
force acting parallel to the ramp and F 2 is the magnitude of the
normal force acting on the block, what is the value of F 1 /F 2?
(A) m tan θ
(B) m cot θ
(C) 1