Problem Set 4: Force and Motion—I
AP Physics C Supplementary Problems
1. A 5.5 kg block is initially at rest on a frictionless horizontal surface. It is pulled
with a constant horizontal force of 3.8 N. (a) Calculate its acceleration. (b) How
long must it be pulled before its speed is 5.2 m/s? (c) How far does it move in
this time?
2. A charged sphere of mass 3.0x10-4 kg is suspended from a string. An electric
force acts horizontally on the sphere so that the string makes an angle of 37o with
the vertical when at rest. Find (a) the magnitude of the electric force and (b) the
tension in the string.
3. A 40 kg girl and an 8.4 kg sled are on the surface of a frozen lake, 15 m apart. By
means of a rope, the girl exerts a 5.2 N force on the sled, pulling it toward her. (a)
Calculate the acceleration of the sled. (b) Calculate the acceleration of the girl.
(c) How far from the girl’s initial position do they meet, presuming a constant
force? Assume that no frictional forces act.
4. Two blocks are in contact on a frictionless table. A horizontal force is applied to
one block, as shown below. (a) If m1 = 2.3 kg, m2 = 1.2 kg, and F = 3.2 N, find
the force of contact between the two blocks. (b) Show that if the same force F is
applied to m2 rather than to m1, the force of contact between the blocks is 2.1 N,
which is not the same value derived in (a). Explain.
F
m1
m2
5. A 12,000 kg airplane is in level flight at a speed of 900 km/h. Calculate the
magnitude of the upward-directed lift force exerted by the air on the airplane.
6. In a modified tug-of-war game, two people pull in opposite directions, not on a
rope, but on a 25 kg sled resting on an icy road. If the participants exert forces of
90 N and 92 N, what is the acceleration of the sled?
7. An electron is projected horizontally at a speed of 1.2x107 m/s into an electric
field that exerts a constant vertical force of 4.5x10-16 N on it. The mass of the
electron is 9.11x10-31 kg. Determine the vertical distance the electron is deflected
during the time it has moved forward 30 mm horizontally.
8. A 650 N firefighter slides down a vertical pole with an acceleration of 3 m/s2,
directed downward. (a) Calculate the magnitude of the upward vertical force
exerted by the pole on the firefighter. (b) Determine the magnitude of the force
exerted by the firefighter on the pole.
Problems selected from Halliday, D., & Resnick, R. (1993). Fundamentals of Physics (4th ed.). New
York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Force and Motion—I 2
9. A worker drags a crate across a factory floor by pulling on a rope tied to the crate.
The worker exerts a force of 450 N on the rope, which is inclined at 38o to the
horizontal. The floor exerts a horizontal resistive force of 125 N. Calculate the
acceleration of the crate if its mass is 310 kg.
10. An elevator and its load have a combined mass of 1600 kg. Find the tension in
the supporting cable when the elevator, originally moving downward at 12 m/s, is
brought to rest with constant acceleration in a distance of 42 m.
11. Three blocks are connected, as shown below, on a horizontal frictionless table and
pulled to the right with a force of T3 = 65 N. If m1 = 12 kg, m2 = 24 kg, and m3 =
31 kg, calculate (a) the acceleration of the system and (b) the tensions T1 and T2.
T1 T2 T3
m1 m2 m3
12. A 60 kg woman stands in an elevator that is accelerating downward at 3.1 m/s2.
Calculate the amount of force she exerts on the elevator floor.
13. A block of mass m1 = 3.7 kg on a smooth inclined plane of angle 30o is connected
by a cord over a small frictionless pulley to a second block of mass m2 = 2.3 kg
hanging vertically. (a) Calculate the acceleration of each block. (b) Calculate the
tension in the cord.
m2
m1
30o
14. A block is projected up a frictionless inclined plane with a speed vo. The angle of
incline is θ. (a) How far up the plane does it go? (b) How long does it take to get
there? (c) What is its speed when it gets back to the bottom?
Force and Motion—I 3
15. A 100 kg crate is pushed at constant speed up the frictionless 30o ramp shown
below. (a) What horizontal force F is required? (b) What force is exerted by the
ramp on the crate?
F m1
30o
Answers:
1. a) 0.69 m/s2 b) 7.5 s c) 19.6 m
2. a) 0.0022 N b) 0.0037 N
3. a) 0.62 m/s2 b) 0.13 m/s2 c) 2.6 m
4. a) 1.1 N b) proof
5
5. 1.2x10 N
6. 0.08 m/s2
7. 1.5 mm
8. a) 451 N b) 451 N
9. 0.74 m/s2
10. 18,400 N
11. a) 0.97 m/s2 b) T1 = 11.6 N; T2 = 34.9 N
12. 402 N
13. a) 0.71 m/s2 b) 20.9 N
vo2 vo
14. a) b) c) -vo
2 g sin θ g sin θ
15. a) 566 N b) 1132 N
