PHYS114

GENERAL PHYSICS 1
FOR PHYSICS MAJORS

PROBLEM SET 1
[01] TWO-DIMENSIONAL MOTION I

A fish swimming in a horizontal plane has velocity 𝒗𝑖 =

(4.00𝒊Ƹ + 1.00𝒋)Ƹ m/s at a point in the ocean where the position
relative to a certain rock is 𝒓𝑖 = (10.0𝒊Ƹ − 4.00𝒋)Ƹ m. After the
fish swims with constant acceleration for 20.0 s, its velocity is
𝒗𝑖 = (20.0𝒊Ƹ − 5.00𝒋)Ƹ m/s. (a) What are the components of the
acceleration of the fish? (b) What is the direction of its
acceleration with respect to unit vector 𝒊? Ƹ (c) If the fish
maintains constant acceleration, where is it at t = 25.0 s and
in what direction is it moving?
[02] TWO-DIMENSIONAL MOTION II

Time-dependent force, 𝐅Ԧ = 8.00 N 𝒊Ƹ − (4.00 N/s)𝑡 𝒋,Ƹ where 𝑡 is

in seconds, is exerted on a 2.00-kg object initially at rest. (a) At
what time will the object be moving with a speed of 15.0 m/s?
(b) Through what total displacement has the object traveled
when its speed is 15.0 m/s? (c) How far is the object from its
initial position at this moment?
[03] CONSTANT ACCELERATION

The driver of a car slams on the brakes when he sees a tree

blocking the road. The car slows uniformly with an acceleration
of 25.60 m/s2 for 4.20 s, making straight skid marks 62.4 m
long, all the way to the tree. With what speed does the car then
strike the tree?
[04] FREELY FALLING OBJECT

A ball is thrown upward from the ground with an initial speed

of 25 m/s; at the same instant, another ball is dropped from a
building 15 m high. After how long will the balls be at the same
height above the ground? Ignore the effects of air resistance.
[05] PROJECTLE MOTION

A playground is on the flat roof of a city school, 6.00 m above

the street below. The vertical wall of the building is h = 7.00 m
high, forming a 1-m-high railing around the playground. A ball
has fallen to the street below, and a passerby returns it by
launching it at an angle of 𝜃 = 53.0° above the horizontal at a
point d = 24.0 m from the base of the building wall. The ball
takes 2.20 s to reach a point vertically above the wall. (a) Find
the speed at which the ball was launched. (b) Find the vertical
distance by which the ball clears the wall. (c) Find the
horizontal distance from the wall to the point on the roof where
the ball lands.
[06] FORCE & MOTION I

A block of mass m = 2.00 kg is released from rest at h =

0.500 m above the surface of a table, at the top of a θ =
30.0° incline. The frictionless incline is fixed on a table of
height H = 2.00 m. (a) Determine the acceleration of the block
as it slides down the incline. (b) What is the velocity of the
block as it leaves the incline? (c) How far from the table will
the block hit the floor? (d) What time interval elapses between
when the block is released and when it hits the floor? (e) Does
the mass of the block affect any of the above calculations?
[07] FORCE & MOTION II

Two objects are connected by a light

string that passes over a frictionless
pulley. Assume the incline is frictionless
and take m1 = 2.00 kg, m2 = 6.00 kg,
and θ = 55.0°. (a) Draw free-body
diagrams of both objects. Find (b) the
magnitude of the acceleration of the
objects, (c) the tension in the string,
and (d) the speed of each object 2.00 s
after it is released from rest.
[08] FRICTION I

A loaded penguin sled weighing 80 N rests on a plane inclined

at angle θ = 20° to the horizontal. Between the sled and the
plane, the coefficient of static friction is 0.25, and the
coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.15. (a) What is the least
magnitude of the force parallel to the plane, that will prevent
the sled from slipping down the plane? (b) What is the
minimum magnitude F that will start the sled moving up the
plane? (c) What value of F is required to move the sled up the
plane at constant velocity? In all cases, draw the
corresponding FBDs.
[09] FRICTION II

Block 1 of mass m1 = 2.0 kg and block 2 of mass m2 = 1.0 kg

are connected by a string of negligible mass. Block 2 is pushed
by force of magnitude 20 N and angle θ = 35°. The coefficient
of kinetic friction between each block and the horizontal
surface is 0.20. (a) Draw the FBD for each block. (b) What is
the tension in the string?
[10] UNIFORM CIRCULAR MOTION

A banked circular highway curve

is designed for traffic moving at
60 km/h. The radius of the curve
is 200 m. Traffic is moving along
the highway at 40 km/h on a
rainy day. What is the minimum
coefficient of friction between
tires and road that will allow cars
to take the turn without sliding
off the road? (Assume the cars
do not have negative lift.)