CPSS Foundational Scientific Disciplines 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Wolff's Law states that bone adapts its structure in response to:
- Hormonal fluctuations
- Mechanical loads placed upon it (Correct answer)
- Nutritional calcium intake
- Vascular supply changes
Correct answer: Mechanical loads placed upon it
Wolff's Law describes bone's functional adaptation — increased mechanical loading stimulates remodeling and increased bone density along lines of stress.
Question 2: Which energy system provides the majority of ATP during a 400-meter sprint lasting approximately 45–55 seconds?
- Phosphocreatine system exclusively
- Oxidative phosphorylation exclusively
- Glycolytic and phosphocreatine systems combined (Correct answer)
- Beta-oxidation of fatty acids
Correct answer: Glycolytic and phosphocreatine systems combined
A 400-meter sprint relies predominantly on fast glycolysis and residual PCr stores, with growing oxidative contribution as duration exceeds 30 seconds.
Question 3: Which principle of physics explains why a diver tucking into a tight ball rotates faster than when extended?
- Newton's first law of inertia
- Conservation of angular momentum (Correct answer)
- Bernoulli's principle
- Conservation of linear momentum
Correct answer: Conservation of angular momentum
Conservation of angular momentum (L = Iω) dictates that reducing moment of inertia by tucking must increase angular velocity to keep angular momentum constant.
Question 4: The term 'effect size' in sport science research primarily quantifies:
- Statistical significance of a finding
- The probability of a Type I error
- Practical magnitude of a difference or relationship (Correct answer)
- Sample size required for a study
Correct answer: Practical magnitude of a difference or relationship
Effect size (e.g., Cohen's d, eta-squared) measures the practical or theoretical magnitude of an effect, independent of sample size or statistical significance.
Question 5: Which hormone has the greatest acute anabolic effect following resistance exercise?
- Cortisol
- Testosterone (Correct answer)
- Insulin-like growth factor-1
- Insulin
Correct answer: Testosterone
Testosterone shows the most robust acute elevation post-resistance exercise and directly stimulates muscle protein synthesis and satellite cell activation.
Question 6: In biomechanical analysis, ground reaction force (GRF) is best described as:
- The force a person exerts downward into the ground
- Newton's reaction to the force exerted on the ground by the athlete (Correct answer)
- The gravitational force acting on the athlete's center of mass
- The friction force preventing foot slippage
Correct answer: Newton's reaction to the force exerted on the ground by the athlete
By Newton's third law, GRF is the equal and opposite force the ground exerts on the athlete in response to the force the athlete applies to the ground.
Question 7: Which anatomical plane divides the body into anterior and posterior halves?
- Sagittal plane
- Transverse plane
- Frontal (coronal) plane (Correct answer)
- Oblique plane
Correct answer: Frontal (coronal) plane
The frontal (coronal) plane divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) sections and is the plane in which lateral movements like jumping jacks occur.
CPSS Foundational Scientific Disciplines 3
Wolff's Law states that bone adapts its structure in response to: