1. The Man’s
PSSA
Practice

2. What change could be made in the setup in diagram 1 to increase the amount of force necessary to move the block of wood?
Add mass or weight to the block, roughen the surface of the table or the bottom of the block, increase the surface area of the wood, etc.

3. Explain why round pencils in diagram 2 decrease the amount of force necessary to move the block of wood.
Pencils reduce friction, the pencils roll instead of slide, pencils serve as wheels.

4. Which diagram best represents the correct reading for the same spring scale being used to weigh a 200 g mass?
Choice 2

5. Which satellite would experience the strongest pull of Earth’s gravity
Which satellite would experience the strongest pull of Earth’s gravity? State the scientific principle that explains your answer.
A, b/c as it’s closer so the gravitational pull is stronger; b/c as distance decreases, the gravitational pull is stronger.

6. It will crash into Earth. It will escape from its orbit.
Motion for 500
Predict what might happen to satellite B if the forces acting on it become unbalanced.
It will move into a new orbit.
It will crash into Earth.
It will escape from its orbit.

7. Speed or skateboard speed
A student goes skateboarding a few times a week. The student notices that she can go faster while skating on some level surfaces than on others. She hypothesizes that speed has something to do with the surface she is skating on. The student wants to design an experiment to test this hypothesis.
a Identify the independent (manipulated) variable in the experiment.
Surface or surface material
b Identify the dependent (responding) variable in the experiment.
Speed or skateboard speed

8. Placement of person on the skateboard
A student goes skateboarding a few times a week. The student notices that she can go faster while skating on some level surfaces than on others. She hypothesizes that speed has something to do with the surface she is skating on. The student wants to design an experiment to test this hypothesis. Identify two factors that will need to be held constant in the experiment.
Same skateboard
Same person
Same wheels
Air temperature
Level surface
Wind speed
Wind direction
Equal push
Equal distance
Placement of person on the skateboard

9. What is the relationship between the mass of the planets and the relative strength of their gravitational pull?
As mass increases, the gravitational pull/force increases OR it’s a direct relationship

10. Which 3 planets have less gravitational pull than Earth?
Mercury, Mars, Pluto

11. Effect this Change Will Have on the Distance the Wooden Platform Moves
Change to Materials
Effect this Change Will Have on the Distance the Wooden Platform Moves
Shorten the string to stretch the rubber band.
decrease
increase remain the same
Use a wooden platform that has a greater mass.
Remove the pencils from under the wooden platform.
Use scissors to cut the string instead of burning it with a match.