HINTS

AND

EXPLANATIONS

A snowball is thrown straight down from the roof of a building at a speed of

30 m/sec. A second snowball is thrown straight up at exactly the same
speed. Compared with the first snowball, the kinetic energy of the second
snowball when it reaches the ground:
Hint: Conservation of mechanical energy / air resistance?

Jeff, a snowboarder who weighs 1,000 newtons, is practicing on a trampoline

for an upcoming competition. As Jeff bounces straight up off the trampoline,
his speed is 6.26 m/sec. When he reaches the top of his bounce, his potential
energy is approximately:
Hint: Conservation of Mechanical Energy

A 28-gram arrow is given a potential energy of 65 joules as the bowstring is

drawn back into position. As the arrow leaves the bow, its speed is about:
Hint: Elastic Potential

Cathy is pedaling down a steep hill on her bicycle and wants to be able to
coast up the next hill, which is 25.0 meters high, without pedaling up the hill
at all. Assuming her bicycle is 100% efficient, her speed would have to be at
least:
Hint: Conservation of Mechanical Energy

A 50.0N box is at rest on a horizontal surface. The coefficient of static frction

between the box and the surface is 0.50, and the coefficient of kinetic frcition
is 0.30. A horizontal 20.0N force is exerted on the box. The nagnitude of the
acceleration of the box is most nearly

Hint: Static Friction

A 2kg object traveling at 5m/s on a frictionless horizontal surface collides

head-on with and sticks to a 3kg object initially at rest. Which of the
following correctly identifies the change in total kinetic energy and the
resulting speed of the objects after the collision?
Hint: Completely Inelastic

A stone of mass m is thrown upward at a 30 degree angle to the horizontal.

At the instant the stone reaches its highest point, why is the stone neither
gaining nor losing speed?
Hint: Work = Fdcos

A small cart is rolling freely on an inclined ramp with a constant acceleration

of 0.50 m/s in the -x direction. At time t = 0, the cart has a velocity of
2.0m/s in the +x direction. If the cart never leaves the ramp, which of the
following statements correctly describes the motion of the cart at a time t >
5s?
Hint: Negative acceleration simply means a force is acting in that direction.
Negative or positive acceleration can slow an object down.

A box with mass m is on a rough inclined plane that is at an angle

with the
horizontal. A force of magnitude F at an angle with the plane is exerted on
the block, as shown above. As the block moves up the plane, there is a
frictional force between the box and the plane of magnitude f. What is the
magnitude of the net force acting on the box?

Hint: Consider only components of forces in the x-dimension

The x-dimension is not parallel to the ground in this case.

A block of mass 10kg moves from position A to position B shown in the figure
above. The speed of the block is 10m/s at A and 4m/s at B. The work done by
friction on the block as it moves from A to B is most nearly
Hint: Conservation of Mechanical Energy

Some students want to calculate the work done by friction as an object with
unknown mass moves along a straight line on a rough horizontal surface. The
students have a force sensor probe, a meterstick, and a stopwatch. Which of
the following will allow the students to take the measurements needed to
calculate the work done by friction?
Hint: A non-zero net work increases energy.
Work = Fd

A force F is exerted on a 5kg block to move it across a rough surface, as

shown above. The magnitude of the force is initially 5N, and the block moves
at a constant velocity. While the block is moving, the force is instantaneously
increased to 12N. How much kinetic energy does the block now gain as it
moves a distance of 2m?
Hint: Friction must equal 5N. Why?

The figure above represents the orbits of two planets of equal mass that orbit
their star in the counterclockwise direction as a double-planet system. From
the point of view of an observer on either planet, the planets appear to orbit
each other while also orbiting the star. The dots on the orbits represent the
position of the planets at time t0, and X is the position of their center of
mass at that time. Which of the following arrows best represents the
acceleration of the center of mass of the double-planet system when it is at
point X?
Hint: The center of mass maintains. Dont overthink these.

Two identical blocks are connected to the opposite ends of a compressed

spring. The blocks initially slide together on a frictionless surface with
velocity v to the right. The spring is then released by remote control. At some
later instant, the left block is moving at v/2 to the left, and the other block is
moving to the right. What is the speed of the center of mass of the system at
that instant?
Hint: Dont overthink center of mass

A horizontal force F pulls a mass m across the floor at a constant speed a

distance d. If the coefficient of friction between the box and the floor is u, the
work done by the force is

Hint: Constant speed.

A student applies a constant force of 50N to a 50kg trunk in pushing it 10m

across the floor at a constant speed. The work done on the box by the
student is about
Hint: Does the mass of the trunk matter?

A girl exerts a 200N force to lift a barbell to a vertical height of 2.0m in 5.0s.
If she had done this in 10s, the energy required would have been
Hint: Work = energy; work =/= power

A physics textbook of mass m is raised a distance h by a physics student

exerting a vertical force F. If the textbook was originally at rest, then its final
kinetic energy is
Hint: Work vs NET work

A bullet of mass m strikes a block of wood at a speed v and comes to rest at

a depth d in the wood. The average decelerating force acting on the bullet is
Hint: Work-energy theorem

A 10N force compresses an ideal spring which has a force constant of 20N/m.
The potential energy stored in the spring is
Hint: Hooke first

Two identical spaceships are traveling in deep space, far from any planets or
stars. The ships travel in the same direction, with the slower one directly
behind the faster one. The ships are connected by a cable attached to a
spool, and the cable is used to bring the ships to the same speed for a
transfer of cargo. The graph above shows the speed of the two ships during
ta 10s interval.
Does at least one of the ships have its engine turned on during the time
interval shown, and what evidence indicates so?
Hint: The total momentum changed