OSAT Physics (114) Practice Tests

Competencies 0001–0003 make up about 32% of the test. They ask you to apply knowledge of the laws of motion and the application of kinematics in one and two dimensions; apply knowledge of systems undergoing rotational motion, simple harmonic motion, and systems in equilibrium; apply knowledge of principles of the conservation of energy and momentum.

• Competency 0001: Apply knowledge of the laws of motion and the application of kinematics in one and two dimensions. Skills tested: Analyze free body diagrams for a variety of situations; Analyze the forces acting in a variety of situations (e.g., inclined plane, Atwood's machine); Apply knowledge of Newton's laws and solve problems involving a variety of forces, including gravity, the normal force, frictional forces, elastic forces (i.e., Hooke's law), and the buoyant force, in one and two dimensions; Apply knowledge of Newton's laws to solve problems involving uniform circular motion; Apply knowledge of concepts associated with Newton's laws (e.g., inertia, reference frames, force pairs, impulse, momentum); Analyze the motion of an object using multiple representations (e.g., graphs, equations, motion maps); Apply knowledge of principles of algebra to solve problems involving motion in one dimension; Apply knowledge of principles of geometry and trigonometry to vectors to analyze motion in two dimensions, including uniform circular motion; Solve problems involving free-fall and projectile motion; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to the laws of motion and the application of kinematics in one and two dimensions; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between the laws of motion and the application of kinematics in one and two dimensions and topics in physics and other scientific fields.
• Competency 0002: Apply knowledge of systems undergoing rotational motion, simple harmonic motion, and systems in equilibrium. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of the law of universal gravitation in a variety of situations, including satellite and planetary motion; Apply knowledge of the concept of torque to solve problems involving static equilibrium and rotational dynamics; Analyze simple harmonic motion using graphs, equations, and trigonometric functions; Apply knowledge of the laws of motion to solve problems of systems in equilibrium; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to systems undergoing rotational motion, simple harmonic motion, and systems in equilibrium; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between systems undergoing rotational motion, simple harmonic motion, and systems in equilibrium and topics in physics and other scientific fields.
• Competency 0003: Apply knowledge of principles of the conservation of energy and momentum. Skills tested: Analyze systems in terms of work, energy, power, momentum, and impulse; Apply knowledge of the conservation of energy and the work energy theorem to solve problems (e.g., gravitational potential energy, simple harmonic motion, Bernoulli's principle); Apply knowledge of the principle of conservation of linear momentum to solve problems in one and two dimensions; Apply knowledge of the law of conservation of angular momentum; Evaluate situations for the appropriate use of conservation laws and stable states; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to the principles of the conservation of energy and momentum; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between the principles of the conservation of energy and momentum and topics in physics and other scientific fields.

Competencies 0004–0006 make up about 29% of the test. They ask you to apply knowledge of electric charge, electric fields, and electric circuits; apply knowledge of characteristics of magnetic fields, magnetic interactions with charges, and principles of electromagnetic induction; apply knowledge of waves and their properties.

• Competency 0004: Apply knowledge of electric charge, electric fields, and electric circuits. Skills tested: Analyze situations involving static electricity (e.g., the behavior of an electroscope, charging by induction); Apply Coulomb's law to find the electric force on a given charge due to a simple charge distribution in one or two dimensions; Demonstrate knowledge of the electric field for a simple or symmetric charge distribution (e.g., point charge, electric dipole, line charge); Analyze the force on and the motion of a charged particle in a uniform electric field and the energy stored in a field due to a configuration of charges within it; Apply knowledge of electric potential energy and potential difference, including solving problems; Apply knowledge of current, resistance, potential difference, capacitance, and Ohm's law, including solving problems; Analyze series and parallel circuits and apply Kirchhoff's rules; Analyze energy and power relationships and transformations in electric circuits; Apply knowledge of fundamental characteristics of AC circuits (e.g., frequency; amplitude; RMS voltage; RC, RL, and RLC circuits); Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to electric charge, electric fields, and electric circuits; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between electric charge, electric fields, and electric circuits and topics in physics and other scientific fields.
• Competency 0005: Apply knowledge of characteristics of magnetic fields, magnetic interactions with charges, and principles of electromagnetic induction. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of properties of permanent magnets and demonstrate knowledge of the magnetic domain model; Analyze the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field of various simple current-carrying sources (e.g., wire of infinite length, solenoid); Analyze the magnitude and direction (e.g., right-hand rule) of the force on and the motion of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic field; Analyze factors that affect the magnitude and direction of an induced voltage (e.g., electromotive force) and current; Apply knowledge of the use of electricity and magnetism in technology (e.g., electric motors, microphones, power generation and transmission); Apply knowledge of the electromagnetic spectrum and the production and transmission of electromagnetic waves; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to the characteristics of magnetic fields, magnetic interactions with charges, and principles of electromagnetic induction; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between the characteristics of magnetic fields, magnetic interactions with charges, and principles of electromagnetic induction and topics in physics and other scientific fields.
• Competency 0006: Apply knowledge of waves and their properties. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of the transfer of energy and momentum by waves; Apply concepts of amplitude, frequency, period, speed, and wavelengths to waves; Analyze the reflection, refraction, diffraction, and dispersion of waves; Analyze factors that affect the speed of a wave in different media (e.g., Snell's law); Apply the superposition principle to determine characteristics of a resultant wave, including standing waves and interference patterns; Apply knowledge of standing sound waves and their application to musical instruments (e.g., strings, pipes); Apply knowledge of the Doppler effect for both sound and electromagnetic waves, including solving wave problems; Apply knowledge of geometric optics to analyze images formed by mirrors and thin lenses, and applications of these devices in microscopes and telescopes; Apply knowledge of wave properties to analyze optical dispersion (e.g., prisms), diffraction and interference (e.g., apertures, gratings), polarization (e.g., polarizers), and absorption and transmission (e.g., films); Apply knowledge of using waves to transfer information in both analog and digital formats and the advantages of each format; Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to waves and their properties; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between waves and their properties and topics in physics and other scientific fields.

Competencies 0007–0009 make up about 24% of the test. They ask you to apply knowledge of kinetic theory and the laws of thermodynamics; apply knowledge of the quantum theory of light and matter; apply knowledge of atomic structure and nuclear physics.

• Competency 0007: Apply knowledge of kinetic theory and the laws of thermodynamics. Skills tested: Compare and contrast mechanisms of heat transfer (i.e., conduction, convection, radiation); Apply knowledge of kinetic theory, including the molecular interpretation of temperature and entropy; Analyze the properties of solids, liquids, and gases in terms of the motion and interactions of molecules; Apply principles of specific heat, thermal expansion, and phase changes, including solving problems; Apply the first and second laws of thermodynamics in a variety of situations (e.g., the mechanical equivalence of work, analyzing PV diagrams, heat engines); Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to kinetic theory and the laws of thermodynamics; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between kinetic theory and the laws of thermodynamics and topics in physics and other scientific fields.
• Competency 0008: Apply knowledge of the quantum theory of light and matter. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of evidence supporting the wave and/or particle nature of light and matter; Apply knowledge of the quantization of energy to blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, and atomic spectra; Apply knowledge of the de Broglie relations to solve problems; Apply knowledge of the special theory of relativity; Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of quantum mechanics (e.g., wave functions, probability amplitudes, the double-slit experiment, Heisenberg uncertainty principle); Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to the quantum theory of light and matter; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between the quantum theory of light and matter and topics in physics and other scientific fields.
• Competency 0009: Apply knowledge of atomic structure and nuclear physics. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of the development of atomic theory and of various models of the atom (e.g., Bohr, Schrödinger); Apply knowledge of trends in binding energies in the periodic table; Interpret notation used to represent elements, molecules, ions, and particles produced from radioactive processes; Apply knowledge of the half-life concept to analyze radioactive decay; Apply knowledge of nuclear fission and fusion; Analyze equations representing nuclear reactions; Recognize the fundamental characteristics of the standard model of particle physics (e.g., quarks, leptons, bosons); Apply knowledge of science and engineering practices related to atomic structure and nuclear physics; Demonstrate knowledge of crosscutting concepts between atomic structure and nuclear physics and topics in physics and other scientific fields.

Competency 0010 makes up about 15% of the test. They ask you to analyze a lesson plan and student work sample for a learning standard in the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science or the Next Generation Science Standards and describe differentiated follow-up that addresses student needs. Constructed-response assignment.

• Competency 0010: Analyze a lesson plan and student work sample for a learning standard in the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science or the Next Generation Science Standards and describe differentiated follow-up that addresses student needs. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of standards-based learning goals for physics content; Analyze student work samples from a physics lesson, citing specific evidence to identify students' strengths and needs; Describe subsequent differentiated instructional strategies based on students' identified strengths and needs; Describe the potential impacts of this analysis on future instruction for specific students, specific units of study, and a teacher's general instructional practice.