AP PHYSICS C: MECHANICS Test Booklet

English Full Name_________________

2.1 HW (15 PTS)
Mechanics________________________

1.

A person of mass is standing on the left edge of a long, uniform board of mass and length that is floating
in water, as shown in the figure above. The person walks slowly to the right edge of the board. The water exerts no
drag forces on the board. The position of the center of mass of the board when the person is at the right edge of the
board is
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

2.

Six identical uniform spheres are arranged on a set of coordinate axes in two different triangular arrangements,
and , as shown. How does the -coordinate of the center of mass of the three spheres in arrangement ,
compare to the -coordinate of the center of mass of the three spheres in arrangement , ?

AP Physics C: Mechanics Page 1 of 11

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D) Cannot be determined without knowing the coordinates of the vertices of each triangle

3.

A system consisting of three identical uniform bars is placed in four different locations on the -plane as shown.
At which of the four locations is the system’s center of mass located farthest from the origin ?
(A) Location
(B) Location
(C) Location
(D) Location

Page 2 of 11 AP Physics C: Mechanics

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

4.

A bar with a non-uniform density is launched from the ground with an initial center-of-mass speed at an angle
above the horizontal and lands at the same level from which it is launched as shown. The distance is measured
from right end of the bar when it is launched to the left end of the bar when it lands. During flight, the object
experiences some rotation about its center of mass. Which of the following initial and final orientations of the bar’s
center of mass would maximize ?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

AP Physics C: Mechanics Page 3 of 11

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

5.

The center of mass of an irregularly shaped platform is balanced on a pivot Point with coordinates
. Two rocks are then placed on top of the platform, as shown in the top view. One rock has a mass
of and is located at , and the second rock has a mass of and is located at
. At which coordinates should a third rock of mass be placed such that the three rock-
platform system is balanced?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

Page 4 of 11 AP Physics C: Mechanics

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

6.

A wedge of mass is balanced about its center with a small cylinder of mass attached to its narrowest end, as
shown. The linear mass per length of the wedge can be modeled by an equation of the form: , where is a
constant with appropriate units and is the distance from the narrowest end. What is the ratio of the masses of
the two objects?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

7. A long rod lies along the -axis with one end of the rod at the origin. The rod’s linear density is
where and . What is the -position of the center of mass of the
rod?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

AP Physics C: Mechanics Page 5 of 11

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

8.

A system consists of three uniform spheres connected by a uniform rod passing through the center of each sphere.
The rod has a length of and mass of , and the spheres have a mass of , , and
located in positions as shown. What is the distance between the center of the sphere and the center of mass
of the system?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

9.

Two small spheres are at rest on the x-axis of the coordinate system shown above. Sphere of mass is located
at position . Sphere B of mass , where , is a distance to the right of sphere . Which of the
following is a correct expression for the location of the center of mass for the two-sphere system?
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Page 6 of 11 AP Physics C: Mechanics

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

In order to model the motion of an extinct ape, scientists measure its hand and arm bones. From shoulder to wrist, the arm
bones are 0.60 m long and their mass is 4.0 kg. From wrist to the tip of the fingers, the hand bones are 0.10 m long and
their mass is 1.0 kg. In the model above, each bone is assumed to have a uniform density.

10. When the arm and hand hang straight down, the distance from the shoulder to the center of mass of the arm-hand
system is most nearly
(A) 0.25 m
(B) 0.35 m
(C) 0.37 m
(D) 0.50 m
(E) 0.93 m

11.

Four identical, uniform sheets of aluminum are welded together, as shown above. Which of the following points
best represents the center of mass of the system?

AP Physics C: Mechanics Page 7 of 11

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

A moon of mass m orbits a planet of mass 49m in an elliptical orbit as shown above. When the moon is at point A, its
distance from the center of the planet is rA and its speed is v0. When the moon is at point B, its speed is 5v0.

12. When the moon is at point A, the distance from the moon to the center of mass of the planet-moon system is most
nearly
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

A 5-kilogram sphere is connected to a 10-kilogram sphere by a rigid rod of negligible mass, as shown above.

13. Which of the five lettered points represents the center of mass of the sphere-rod combination?

Page 8 of 11 AP Physics C: Mechanics

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D
(E) E

14.

A uniform sheet of cardboard is cut into an “ ” shape as shown. One end of string is attached at point , and the
object is held vertically at rest by the string. Which of the following diagrams best represents this rest position as the
shape is supported by the string?

AP Physics C: Mechanics Page 9 of 11

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

Page 10 of 11 AP Physics C: Mechanics

 Test Booklet

2.1 HW

15.

Three small, uniform objects, , , and , are arranged as shown with each object’s center of mass a distance
from the origin. Objects and each have the same mass, , and are at positions above and below the
-axis, respectively. The center of mass of the three-mass system is at the origin. Which of the following
relationships describes Object ’s mass ?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

AP Physics C: Mechanics Page 11 of 11