Physics 1D03

Practice Exam
Duration of Examination: 2.5 Hours
Part A: (multiple choice Questions)

1. A fly sits on the tip of the seconds hand of a clock for 45 seconds as the hand moves from the “12” on the
clock to the “9” at constant speed. What is the direction of the average acceleration of the fly in this 45-
second interval?

A)

B)

C)

D)

E) The average acceleration is zero.

2. A car of mass m drives in a horizontal circle on a frictionless road banked at angle  towards the centre of
the circle. The normal force from the road on the car is equal to:

A) mg /cos 
B) mg sin 
C) mg tan  
D) mg cos 
E) mg /tan 

3. A penny is glued on the outer edge of a rotating turntable, and a dime is glued halfway between the centre
and the edge. As the turntable rotates,

A) the penny has a larger angular velocity and a larger linear velocity than the dime
B) the penny has a smaller angular velocity than the dime, but a larger linear velocity
C) the penny has a larger angular velocity than the dime, but a smaller linear velocity
D) the penny has the same angular velocity as the dime, but a larger linear velocity
E) the penny has a smaller angular velocity and a smaller linear velocity than the dime

4. A weight attached to an elastic cord is dropped and falls, stretching the cord, and then bounces back up. At
the lowest point of its motion, its acceleration is:

A) upwards
B) downwards
C) zero
D) undefined
5. The potential energy of a particle moving on the x axis, affected by a single, conservative, force F , is given
by U(x) = 2 − x3, when x is in meters and U is in joules. The work done by the force F when the particle
moves from x = 0 to x = 2 m is

A) zero
B) 8J
C) 12 J
D) −8 J
E) −12 J

6. A 1-kg steel ball moving at 4 m/s strikes a soft wall, and bounces straight back with a speed of 2 m/s. The
work done by the wall on the ball was

A) 6J
B) −6 J
C) 10 J
D) −10 J
E) 2J

7. One conservative force and one other force act on a particle. As the particle moves, its kinetic energy
increases, and its total mechanical energy decreases. What can you say about the work done by each force?

A) The work by the conservative force is negative, and the work by the other force is positive.
B) The work by the conservative force is negative, and the work by the other force is negative.
C) The work by the conservative force is positive, and the work by the other force is positive.
D) The work by the conservative force is positive, and the work by the other force is negative.
E) The situation described is impossible.

8. You are standing facing a closed door. When you turn the doorknob clockwise, the torque you apply to the
knob is a vector

A) pointing away from you, towards the door

B) pointing from the door towards you
C) pointing vertically upwards
D) pointing horizontally to your left
E) pointing horizontally to your right

9. A student in a school bus travelling at a constant speed of 20 m/s leans out the window and drops a
watermelon. Air resistance is negligible. When the watermelon hits the road 0.5 seconds later, the window
will be

A) Directly above where the watermelon hits

B) 10 m behind where the watermelon hits
C) 10 m ahead of where the watermelon hits
D) 2.5 m behind where the watermelon hits
E) 2.5 m ahead of where the watermelon hits
10. A horizontal force P = 60 N is applied as shown to a set of three blocks, with masses m, 2m, and 3m on a
frictionless horizontal surface. The force exerted by the middle block (mass 2m) on the block of mass m as
they move will be equal to:

A) 40 N
B) 20 N
C) 30 N P 3m
D) 50 N m 2m
E) 60 N

11. Three identical thin sticks, each of mass M and length a, are joined at the ends to form an equilateral triangle
with corners at (a/2, 0), (0, h), and (a/2, 0). Where is the centre of mass of the system composed of the
three sticks?

A) (0, h/6)
B) (0, h/3)
C) (0, h/2)
D) (0, 2h/3)
E) (0, 5h/6)

12. An isosceles triangle of base b and height h is cut out of a sheet of thin plastic. Its moment of inertia, when
spun about its symmetry axis, is I0. This object is now stretched vertically to form an isosceles triangle of
base b and height 2h. What is the moment of inertia of the object, about its symmetry axis, after it has been
stretched? (You do not need a moment-of-inertia formula specific to triangles to answer this question.)

A) I0
B) 2I0
C) 4I0
D) 8I0 2h
E) 16I0 h
b
b

13. A hockey puck on frictionless ice slides past you in a straight line at constant speed, missing you by a few
metres. How does the angular momentum of the puck, calculated about an origin at your location, vary with
time?

A) It is zero at all times.

B) It is constant, but not zero.
C) It increases as the puck approaches, then decreases after the puck passes.
D) It decreases as the puck approaches, then increases after the puck passes.

14. An astronaut “stands” in mid-air in the space station, spinning about a “vertical” axis with his arms at his
sides. As he slowly extends his arms out away from the rotation axis, what happens to his angular velocity
ω, angular momentum L, and rotational kinetic energy K?

A) L and K remain constant, ω changes

B) ω remains constant, L and K change
C) K remains constant, L and ω change
D) L remains constant, ω and K change
E) L, K and ω remain constant
15. A ball is hanging on a long string. When it is pulled back 50 cm from equilibrium and released from rest, it
swings back and forth with a period of 4 seconds. If instead it is pulled back 100 cm from equilibrium and
again released, its period would be about

A) 16 seconds
B) 8 seconds
C) 5.7 seconds
D) 4 seconds
E) 2 seconds

16. Two balls of equal mass and travelling at equal speeds strike a wall. Ball 1 stops, and ball 2 bounces back at
the same speed. Which statement correctly describes the momentum changes p1 (of ball 1) and p2 (of ball
2)?

A) p1 is zero, p2 is not zero

B) p1 is not zero, p2 is zero
C) |p1 | > |p2 |, and neither is zero
D) |p1 | < |p2 |, and neither is zero
E) |p1 | = |p2 |

17. The change in momentum of a particle is equal to

A) the external force on the particle

B) the work done by external forces
C) the impulse from external forces
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

18. A mass on a spring, at rest in equilibrium, is given an initial velocity v0 and oscillates with amplitude A1. If
instead the initial velocity had been twice as large, the amplitude would have been

A) A1
B) 2A1
C) 2A1
D) 4 A1

19. Figure below is the position-versus time graph of a particle in simple harmonic motion. Using a cosine
function for displacement, what is the phase constant?

A) − 2 π/3
B) − π/3
C) + π/3
D) + 2 π/3
E) + 5 π/4

20. Consider the position-versus time graph of a particle in simple harmonic motion of the previous question.
( Q-19). Using a cosine function for displacement, x(t) = A cos(ωt+) , what is the speed of the particle at
t = 4 s?

A) − 0.55 cm/s
B) −1.1 cm/s
C) − 5.0 cm/s
D) − 6.8 cm/s
E) − 7.8 cm/s
Part B (Problems): Write a clear solution, showing how the answer is obtained.

21. A uniform rectangular beam of length L = 4.80 m, height h = 1.50 m, and weight w1 = 2.00 kN is supported
on a hinge P as shown. A weight w2 is suspended from corner B, and a cable at angle  = 35 to the vertical
is attached at corner A to hold the beam in equilibrium. If the tension FT in cable AC is 3.00 kN, calculate
the weight w2. For full marks, include a free-body diagram, and state clearly the origin or pivot when you
calculate a torque.

L
A
w1 
h FT
L/3 P
B C

w2
22. A horizontal spring with stiffness k = 60.0 N/m is fastened at one end to a wall, and a block which weighs
4.00 N is attached to the other end. The block is pushed to compress the spring by 10.0 cm, and released.
The floor is horizontal, and the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the floor is 0.300. By
how much is the spring stretched (distance from unstretched position) by the time the block stops
momentarily for the first time?
23. A solid ball is released from rest at the top of a ramp of length L = 12.0 m, inclined at angle  = 25 to the
horizontal, and rolls down without slipping. How long does it take to get to the bottom? (The moment of
inertia of a uniform solid sphere of mass M and radius R, about an axis through its centre, is 2/5 MR2.)

The End