AP® College Board Physics 15 mins 15 questions

Multiple Choice Questions

Density & Pressure

Fluid Properties / Definition of Pressure / Fluid Pressure Equations

Easy (5 questions) /5 Scan here to return to the course

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Medium (4 questions) /4

Hard (6 questions) /6

Total Marks /15

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Easy Questions
1 A tank is filled to the top with oil of density 780 kg/m3 and then placed in a vacuum. The
tank has a width of 0.25 m, a length of 30 m, and a depth of 4.6 m.

Which of the following is most nearly the pressure halfway down the depth of the tank?

A. 18 kPa
B. 35 kPa
C. 120 kPa
D. 300 kPa
(1 mark)

2 A bottle is filled completely with water, as shown in the diagram below. Which of the
points shown have the same pressure?

A. PA and PB
B. PB and PC
C. PA and PC

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 D. PA, PB, and PC
(1 mark)

3 Two identical containers underneath pistons both contain a volume V of fluid.

In one container, the fluid is a gas. In the other it is an ideal fluid.

Which of the following correctly describes how the volume of each fluid changes when a
force F is applied downwards on each piston?

A. Ideal fluid volume does not change.

Gas volume decreases.

B. Ideal fluid volume decreases.

Gas volume does not change.

C. Ideal fluid volume decreases.

Gas volume decreases.

D. Ideal fluid volume does not change.

Gas volume does not change.

(1 mark)

4 Which of the following correctly describes an ideal fluid?

A. It has a high viscosity and is compressible.

B. It is incompressible and has zero viscosity.
C. It exhibits high density and negligible surface tension.
D. It has fixed shape and high resistance to flow.
(1 mark)

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5 A container holds water at a depth of 5.0 m. The atmospheric pressure is 1.0×105 Pa, and
the density of water is 1000 kg/m3. What is the absolute pressure at the bottom of the
container?

A. 1.3×105 Pa
B. 1.5×105 Pa
C. 1.7×105 Pa
D. 2.0×105 Pa
(1 mark)

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Medium Questions
1 Anglerfish can live at a depth of 800 m below the surface of the ocean.

Which of the following is most nearly the number of atmospheres of pressure an

anglerfish experiences at this depth?

A. 10
B. 50
C. 60
D. 80
(1 mark)

2 A U-shaped tube contains two liquids and is open-ended on both sides.

The liquid with density ρ is in the left side of the tube, resting on top of the liquid with
density 12ρ .

Points 1 and 2 have the same height. The top of liquid ρ is 30 cm about point 1, and the
top of liquid 12ρ is 3 cm above point 2.

Points 3 and 4 have the same height.

The system is in equilibrium.

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 Which of the following sets of relationships is true between the gauge pressures of the
points shown?

A. P 1 < P 2 and P 3 = P 4

B. P 1 = P 2 and P 3 = P 4

C. P 1 > P 2 and P 3 > P 4

D. P 1 > P 2 and P 3 < P 4

(1 mark)

3 A rectangular solid block of dimensions 2 m · 1m · 0 . 5 m is submerged in water (

ρ = 1000 kg/ m3 ) such that its shortest side is vertical.

If the block is completely submerged, which of the following is the difference in pressure
between the top and bottom surfaces of the block?

A. 5000 Pa
B. 9800 Pa
C. 14700 Pa
D. 19600 Pa
(1 mark)

4 A container is filled with two immiscible liquids: oil (ρ = 800 kg/m3, height = 0.5 m) and
water (ρ = 1000 kg/m3, height = 1.0 m).

Which of the following is the total pressure at the bottom of the container? Assume
atmospheric pressure is 1.0×105 Pa.

A. 1.37×104 Pa
B. 1.04×105 Pa
C. 1.13×105 Pa
D. 1.14×105 Pa
(1 mark)

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Hard Questions
1

A 2.0 m tall vase floats at an interface between oil and water in a large tank, as shown in
the figure. The height of oil above the water is 3.3 m and the height of the vase above the
water is x . The density of the oil is 800 kg/m3 and the density of the water is 1000 kg/m3.

If the pressure at the lower surface S of the vase is 144 kPa, which of the following is
most nearly the value of x ?

A. 0 . 12 m
B. 0 . 24 m
C. 1 . 2 m
D. 1 . 8 m
(1 mark)

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2 A sample of oil in a cylindrical container is placed on a mass balance. The cylinder has a
mass of 125 g and a radius of 4.2 cm. There is a bubble with a radius of 3.0 cm midway
up the cylinder of oil. The reading on the balance is 1.0 kg and the oil fills the measuring
cylinder up to a height of 25 cm.

Which of the following is the closest match to the density of the oil?

A. 600 kg/m3
B. 700 kg/m3
C. 900 kg/m3
D. 1000 kg/m3
(1 mark)

3 Two identical tanks filled to the top with water contain a ball bearing. Each ball bearing
experiences the same absolute pressure. One tank is at an altitude of 1 km, where
atmospheric pressure is 0 . 88P , and the other tank is at sea level.
atm

Which of the following is most nearly the difference between the depths of the ball
bearings?

A. 1.2 ×10−5 m
B. 1.2 m
C. 5.3 m
D. 19 m
(1 mark)

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4 A volume of water is contained in a container below a piston as shown in the figure
above. The piston is a regular hexagon with side length 5 cm and the container is a
hexagonal prism.

When a force of 160 N is applied to the piston, what is the change in pressure at the
point shown, which is 125 cm below the piston?

The density of the water is 1000 kg/m3.

A. 1.52 Pa
B. 12.2 kPa
C. 24.6 kPa
D. 49.3 kPa
(1 mark)

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5 A container is filled with two immiscible fluids. One layer is oil with a density of 750 kg/m3
and a height of 2.0 m, the other is water, with a density of 1000 kg/m3 and a height of 3.0
m.

At a certain point in the container, the absolute pressure is 1.43 × 105 Pa.

Which of the following is the correct height of this point above the bottom of the
container?

A. 0 m
B. 0.20 m
C. 0.50 m
D. 2.0 m
(1 mark)

6 A closed circular hatch with a diameter of 30 cm is located at the bottom of a cylindrical

tank (radius 150 cm), which is filled with 42.4 m3 of water (ρ = 1000 kg/m3).

Which of the following is closest to the total force experienced by the hatch?

Atmospheric pressure is 1.0×105 Pa.

A. 2.5 kN
B. 5.0 kN
C. 10 kN
D. 20 kN
(1 mark)

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