A LEVEL PHYSICS

MECHANICS

Zahid I. B. Khan
Phone: 01911591319

Description: A level Physics Compilation on Kinematics for Edexcel Examinee.

Figure out the following answers:
1. A horse takes 0.7 seconds to reach its maximum velocity of 20m/s.
a. Calculate the distance travelled in this time.
b. If the horse continues to move at this speed, calculate how long it takes to cover
a total of 100m.
c. A 4-door family car takes 10 sec to reach 27 m/s from rest. It has a maximum
speed of 32 m/s. does it reach a maximum speed within 100m? How long does it
take for the car to cover 100m?
2. A swimming pool diver jumps from a plank and undergo free-fall from rest. He falls a
height of 7m before plunging in to the pool. It takes him 12 sec in the pool to come to
rest.
a. Calculate the speed with which he enters the pool
b. Calculate the deceleration in the pool.
c. How deep does he dive before coming to rest?
3. A wooden block of mass 5 kg is placed on an inclined wooden plane at an angle of 25 0
to the horizontal. It lies at rest mid way on the plank. Calculate the reaction force and
frictional force acting on it. Take g=9.8m/s 2.
4. A lamp of mass 400g is suspended by two strings of equal length 20 cm, from the
ceiling by two hooks, 30 cm apart. Calculate the tension in each string.
5. To avoid embarrassment, a man tries to relieve himself hanging from a cliff, he weighs
70 kg and the maximum friction between his hands and the cliffs edge is 100N.
Calculate:
a. The reaction of the ground on the hand.
b. The horizontal reaction of the cliff on his foot.
c. Hence, calculate the tension in his arms.
6. A NASA project of 120 tones takes off with a vertical acceleration of 8 times the
acceleration due to the gravity.
a. Draw a free body force diagram of the project.
b. Calculate the mass of fuel burnt per sec if the speed of the exhaust gas is
1100m/s.
7. A car has a drag co-efficient of 0.451. Draw a free body force diagram when the car is
moving at its terminal velocity. The maximum velocity of the car is 33m/s. use the
formula
Drag = drag co-efficient x velocity2
To find the force exerted by the engine if the if the friction between the road and car is
200N
8. A water hose has a nozzle of diameter 8cm. water rushes out at 30 m/s and hits a
vertical wall so that the water comes to rest on impact. of water 1000kg/m . Calculate
the force exerted on the wall.
9. A man kicks a stone off a cliff C, it was actually his Motorolla pebble, at a horizontal
velocity of 15 m/s. Calculate:
a. The time taken for the phone to reach the ground 30m below.
b. The range of the stone.
c. The resultant velocity with which the stone hits the ground.
10.A caveman has to throw a coconut from a tree on the head of a Tyranasaurus Rex 45 m
away from the tree 18 m below the cavemans position to impress the caveman
between the Rexs jaws. Calculate the horizontal velocity with which he must hurt the
coconut.
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11.A human canon in a circus shoots a person at a velocity of 20m/s at an angle of 30 0 to

the horizontal from the ground level. The man reaches a bucket of water also at ground
level, a certain distance away. Assuming g = 9.8 m/s2 , calculate:
a. The maximum height reached.
b. The time he remains air-borne.
c. The distance between the canon and the bucket.
12.A bored sailor throws an apple from the deck of a ship (7m above the sea level) with a
velocity of 9 m/s at an angle of 350 to the horizontal. Calculate how far in to the sea the
apple falls from his original position. Assume g= 9.8 m/s 2.
13.A US warship shoots a missile at a speed of 25m/s at an angle of 45 0 to the horizontal.
How far from the inland will the missile hit Iraqi people assuming it hits at the same
altitude as it is launched.
14.A man hurts a dead body over the cliff at an angle of 40 0 to the horizontal and with an
initial velocity of 6m/s. calculate:
a. The time taken for the body the bottom 80m below.
b. The distance between the cliff and where the body lands.
15.A wrestler runs into a fight with an eight year old. The wrestler stands 1.8m tall and
hurts the kid up in to a balcony. He throws the kid at an angle of 45 0 with a speed of 10
m/s. calculate:
a. The height of the balcony
b. The horizontal distance between the wrestler and the balcony
c. The boy gets up and kicks a stone horizontally from the balcony. This stone hits
the wrestlers and puts him unconscious. Calculate the initial velocity of the
stone.\
16.A man of mass 72 kg stands in a lift of mass 400 kg. calculate the tension on the lift
cable when the lift is:
a. At rest
b. Accelerating upwards at 2 m/s2
c. Moving upward with a constant velocity.
17.A lift of mass 500 kg can carry up to 6 people assuming that each has a mass of 75 kg.
If its maximum acceleration is 2 m/s2 (up or down), Calculate the maximum and
minimum tension the lift cable have to exert.
18.A rocket of mass 890 kg in outer space tries to adjust its location by momentarily
giving a rocket thrust using 18 kg of fuel and oxygen. The exhaust gas speed is 1800
m/s. calculate the speed gained by the rocket if the thrust is given for 3 second. Also
calculate the average force on the rocket.
19.A NASA project of 120 tones takes off with a vertical acceleration of 8 times the
acceleration due to the gravity.
a. Draw a free body force diagram of the project\
b. Calculate the mass of the fuel burnt per second if the speed of the exhaust gas is
1100 m/s.
20. A car has a drag co-efficient of 0.451. draw a free body force diagram when the car is moving at
its terminal velocity. The maximum velocity of the car is 33 m/s. Use the formula, Drag= drag
co-efficient X velocity2, to find the force exerted by the engine if the friction between the road
and the car is 200 N.

21.A 60 kg man jumps off a balcony and falls on to the ground 8 m below. Upon contact he
rolls his body so that the bodys centre of gravity is displaced by 0.5 m and his contact
time is 0.6 s. Calculate the force of ground on his body.
22.A helicopter weighing 890 kg is hovering at a constant altitude. Its propeller blade
spans an area of 27m3. Calculate the velocity of the air if the density of air is 1.0013
kg/m3.
23.A car moving with a velocity of 10 m/s accelerates uniformly at 1 ms-2 until it reaches a
velocity of 15m/s. Calculate; (i) the time taken, (ii) the distance travelled during the
acceleration. (iii) the velocity reached 100m from the place where the acceleration
began.
24.A ball is dropped thrown vertically upwards with an initial speed of 20 m/s. Calculate; (i)
the time taken to return to the thrower. (ii) the maximum height reached.
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25.A ball is dropped from a height of 20 m and rebounds with a velocity which is 3/4th of
the velocity with which it hits the ground. What time interval between the first and
second bounces?
26.A small smooth object slides from rest down a smooth inclined plane inclined at 300 to
the horizontal. What is (i) the acceleration down the plane. (ii) the time to reach the
bottom if the plane is 5 m long?
The object is now thrown up the plane with an initial speed of 15 m/s (iii) how long does
the object takes to come to rest? (iv) how far up the place has the object than
travelled?
27.A ball is thrown forward horizontally from the top of a cliff with a velocity of 10 m/s. the
height of the cliff above the ground is 45 m. calculate; (i) the time taken to reach the
ground. (ii) the distance from the cliff of the ball on hitting the ground, (iii) the direction
of the ball to the horizontal just before it hits the ground.
28.Projectiles containing delicate electronic equipment may be damaged if they are
subjected to high accelerations. For this reason, such projectiles may be fired from guns
with long barrel but not from guns with short barrels.
a. State two factors which affect the range of a projectile fired from a gun.
b. Explain why a projectile fired from a long-barreled gun is subject to less
acceleration than a projectile fired from a short barreled gun if the range is same
in both cases.
c. Draw a free-body force diagram for a projectile just after it has left the barrel of a
gun.
29.A ball is thrown vertically upward and caught by the thrower on its return. Sketch a
graph of velocity (taking the upward direction as positive) against time for the whole of
its motion, neglecting air resistance. How, from such a graph, would you obtain an
estimate of the height reached by the ball?
30.A ball is thrown horizontally at a place above the ground. Show in your sketches:
a. How the vertical velocity v varies with time, t.
b. How the horizontal velocity, u, varies with time, t.
c. The angle at which the ball strikes the ground if the vertical and horizontal
velocities are then 20 m/s and 5 m/s respectively.
31.A stone of mass 120 g is released from rest from the top of a vertical cliff. After falling
for 2.5 s, it hits the beach and penetrates 80 mm into the sand. Calculate:
a. The maximum speed of the stone.
b. The height of the cliff.
c. The average force resisting the stone as it penetrates the ground.
32.As part of an aerobatic display, a skydiver jumps out of an aero plane and falls towards
the ground. She does not open her parachute until she reaches her terminal velocity.
a. Explain why she reaches a terminal velocity.
b. Given that she cannot change her weight during the fall, explain how she could
reach a higher terminal velocity.
33.A car is moving along a road at 8.0 m/s. It then speeds up to 20 m/s is 4.0 s.
a. What is the cars acceleration
b. If the car then decelerates at 4 m/s2, how long does it take to stop?
34.Sketch displacement-time graphs for each of the following objects:
a. A stationary object.
b. A lift moving up, stopping then coming down
c. A ball falling to the ground.
35.A runner accelerates from the rest at 3.4 ms-2 for 3.0 s. She the maintains a steady
velocity for the rest of the 100 m race.
a. How far does she travel during the acceleration?
b. What velocity does she reach?
c. How long in total does she take to reach the finish line?
36.A sandbag is dropped from a height of 150 m, from a hot air balloon that is moving
upwards with a velocity of 5.0 m/s. Ignore air resistance.
a. What is the initial velocity of the sandbag?
b. How long will the bag take to reach the ground?
37.A pencil is knocked horizontally off the edge of a desk at 2.0 m/s. The desk is 65 cm
high.
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a. How long does it take the pencil to reach the floor? Ignore air resistance.
b. What horizontal distance does the pencil travel during this time.
38.An aid parcel is released from a plane flying horizontally at 60 m/s. It is at a height of
1000 m.
a. What are the horizontal and vertical components of the parcels initial velocity?
b. How long does the parcel take to hit the ground? Ignore air resistance.
c. At what horizontal distance should the plane be from the target when the parcel
is released?
39.A golf ball is hit 26 m/s at 450 to the ground. Ignoring air resistance:
a. How long is the ball in the air?
b. How far does the ball travel horizontally?
c. What is the maximum height the ball reaches during its flight?
40.An empty lift has a mass of 1200 kg. It is supported by a steel cable attached to the
roof. Draw a diagram showing the two forces acting on the lift. Find the tension in the
lift cable when the lift is:
a. Ascending at a steady speed.
b. Accelerating upward at 1.5 ms-2
c. Accelerating downwards at 2 ms-2
41.A car moving at 25ms-1 collides with a wall. The driver of mass 65 kg is brought to rest
by his seat belt is 0.20 s. Calculate:
a. The drivers change is momentum
b. The average force exerted by the seat belt on the driver.
c. How many times greater is this force than the drivers own weight.
42.During a hailstorm 0.54 kg of hail-stones fall on to a flat roof in 6.0 s without
rebounding. The hail hits the roof at 12 m/s. Calculate:
a. The change of momentum each second.
b. The force exerted on the roof.
43.A glider of mass 200 g is moving at 0.60 m/s along an air track. It collides with a second
stationary glider of mass 250 g. If the gliders stick together on impact, calculate their
new combined speed.
44.A car of mass 1500 kg travelling 12 m/s collides head-on with a lorry moving at 20 m/s.
The lorry has a mass of 9000 kg. If the collision reduces the speed of the lorry to 15
m/s, what is the cars velocity after impact? In which direction is this?
45.A snooker ball moving at 2.0 m/s collides head-on with an identical stationary ball. After
the collision second ball moves at 1.5 m/s. What is the new velocity of the first ball?
46.A rocket of total mass 3500 kg is moving at 250 m/s through space. When the booster
rockets are fired 1200 kg of burnt fuel is ejected from the back of the rocket at 20 m/s.
What is the new speed of the rocket.
a. A cannon fires a cannonball of mass 55 kg at 35 m/s. The cannon recoils at 2.5
m/s.
b. What is the mass of the cannon?
c. If the cannon ball becomes embedded in a target of mass 600 kg, at what speed
does the target move immediately after impact?
47.A stone is projected horizontally from the top of a vertical sea cliff 49 m high, with a
speed of 20 m/s. Neglecting air resistance, calculate:
a. The time that it takes for the stone to reach the sea,
b. The distance of the point of impact with the sea from the base of the cliff,
c. The velocity of the stone as it hits the sea.
d. If air resistance had been taken into account, explain whether the time of flight
and the final velocity would increase, decrease or stay same.
48.An aircraft is at rest at one end of a runway which is 2.2 km long. The aircraft
accelerates along the runway with an acceleration of 2.5 ms -2 until it reaches its takeoff speed of 75 m/s. Calculate:
a. The time taken and the distance travelled to reach the take off speed.
b. Just as the aircraft reaches take-off speed, a warning light comes on in the
cockpit. The maximum possible deceleration of the aircraft is 4.0 m/s 2 and 2.5 s
elapses before the pilot takes any action, during which time the aircraft
continues at its take-off speed. Determine whether or not the aircraft can be
brought to rest in the remaining length of runway.
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49.A space craft which is landing on the moon, uses its engines to keep its speed of
descent constant at 5.0 m/s from the time when the craft is 14 m above the moons
surface until it is 4.0 m above the surface. The engines are then switched off and the
space craft falls freely to the moons surface. The acceleration of free fall on the moons
surface is 1.6 m/s2. Calculate , for the space craft:
a. The speed of impact
b. The time taken to travel the last 4.0 m.
c. The time taken to fall the full 14 m.
50.A ball is released from rest at a height of 0.9 m above a horizontal surface.
a. Find its speed as it reaches the surface.
b. The effect of the bounce is to reduce the speed of the ball to two-thirds of the
value in part (a).
c. Find:
i. The change in speed in the impact,
ii. The change is velocity in the impact.
d. Plot a graph of the velocity of the ball from the moment of its release until it
reaches the maximum height after its first bounce. The ball takes 0.43 s to reach
the surface. Assume that the bounce takes a negligible time. Show all your
calculations.
51.During a serve, a tennis racket is in contact with the ball for 25ms.The 60g ball leaves
the racket with a horizontal velocity of 31 ms -1.If its initial horizontal velocity was zero.
Calculate:
a. The change in momentum of the ball.
b. The impulse from the racket.
c. The average force exerted on the ball

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