MIDTERM EXAMINATION in GENERAL PHYSICS 1

TEST I. Multiple Choice

Directions: Read each item carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. Physical Quantities consist of a ________________and it’s ___________.
A. numerical magnitude, SI units C. quantity, physical state
B. B. SI units, physical state D. physical state, physical
Characteristics

2. Five darts strike near the center of the target. Whoever threw the darts is
A. accurate C. both accurate and precise
B. precise D. neither accurate nor precise

3. A physicist who frequently carries out a complex experiment is likely to have

A. accuracy, but low precision C. precision
B. accuracy D. precision, but low accuracy

4. Anna conducts an experiment five times and gets a solution concentration of

2.9M, 3.1M, 2.8M, 2.9M, and 3.2M. The known concentration of the solution
is 3.0M. Which of the following are true about Susan's results?
A. They are accurate but not precise C. They are both accurate and
precise
B. B. They are not accurate but precise D. They are neither accurate nor
precise
5. Which of the following is a vector quantity?
A. 5000 kg B. 120 km/h SE C. 120 m D. 45 hours
Three Vectors are given as shown. Refer to this figure for numbers 6-7.

6. In the figure above, the magnitude and direction of the vector product
𝐴⃗ x 𝐵⃗⃗ are closest to:
A. 20, directed out of the plane. C. 13, directed out of the plane.
B. 20, directed into the plane. D. 13, directed into the plane.

7. The magnitude and direction of the vector product 𝐶⃗ x 𝐵⃗⃗ are closest to
 A. 23, directed into the page. C. 23, directed on the plane.
B. 23, directed out of the page. D. 39, directed out of the page.

8. Which of the following pairs of displacements will give a resultant of

magnitude 2 m?
A. 4 m E and 2 m E C. 4 m E and 2 m N
B. 4 m E and 2 m W D. 4 m E and 4 m W

9. It refers to the magnitude and direction of an object’s change in position

from a starting point.
a. displacement b. distance c. motion d. reference point

10. If the car travels 18km North and 12km at angle of 20⁰ north of east, find
the x and y components of its displacement.

A. dx = 16.9km; dy= 4.1km C. dx = 21.1km; dy=11.28km

B. dx = 4.1km; dy= 16.9km D. dx = 11.28km; dy= 22.1km

11. What is the magnitude of its displacement and its angle above the positive x-
axis?

A. 24.8km; 63⁰ north of east C. 24.8km; 27⁰ north of east

B. 21.2 km; 63⁰ north of east D. 21.2 km; 27⁰ north of east

12. While going to school, a student walks an average of 5 km/hr west for 12
blocks. This situation shows
a. acceleration b. displacement c. speed d. velocity

13. What is the acceleration of the motorbike?

A. 0 m/s^2 B. 2 m/s^2 C. 4 m/s^2 D. 6 m/s^2
 14. A cheetah chases a gazelle, reaching a speed of 28m/s. A graph of its
acceleration over time is shown below, where rightward is the positive
acceleration direction.

A. B. C. D.
15. What is the average velocity of the motorbike during first 5 s?

a. 0 m/s b. 5 m/s c. 10 m/s d. 15 m/s

16. A car has a velocity of 5 m/s due North. A bus has a velocity of 2 m/s due to
South. What is the setup of the velocity of the car relative to the bus?
c= car
b= bus
g= ground

A. 𝑣𝐶𝐵 = 𝑣𝐶𝐺 + 𝑣𝐵𝐺 C. 𝑣𝐵𝐶 = 𝑣𝐶𝐵 + 𝑣𝐵𝐺

B. 𝑣𝐶𝐵 = 𝑣𝐺𝐶 + 𝑣𝐶𝐵 D. 𝑣𝐵𝐶 = 𝑣𝐵𝐺 + 𝑣𝐺C

17. An athlete throws a ball with an initial velocity of 40 m/s at an angle of 20°
above the horizontal. Which of the following statements is true in this case?
A. The vertical component of the velocity remains constant.
B. The horizontal component of the velocity changes.
C. The vertical component of the velocity changes right after the ball
attains its maximum height.
D. The horizontal component of the velocity changes right after the ball
attains its maximum height.

18. A cannon fires a shell at a fixed angle above the horizontal. Neglecting the
effects of air resistance, which one of the following quantities is the same
throughout the shell's flight?
A. speed C. velocity
 B. acceleration D. horizontal displacement

19. An athlete throws a ball with an initial velocity of 40 m/s at an angle of 20°
above the horizontal. Which of the following statements is true in this case?
A. The vertical component of the velocity remains constant.
B. The horizontal component of the velocity changes.
C. The vertical component of the velocity changes right after the ball
attains its maximum height.
D. The horizontal component of the velocity changes right after the ball
attains its maximum height.

20. Consider two trains A and B moving along parallel tracks with the same
velocity in the same direction. Let the velocity of each train be 50 km h-1
due east. Calculate the relative velocities of the trains.
A. 0 km h-1 B. 1 km h-1 C. 2 km h-1 D. 3 km h-1

21. Which of the following is not true about the acceleration of a projectile
motion?
a. Acceleration is constant. c. Acceleration is 9.8 m/s2.
b. Acceleration is zero. d. Acceleration does not change direction

22. Which of the following is the motion of objects moving in two dimensions
under the influence of gravity?
a. horizontal velocity c. parabola
b. projectile motion d. directrix

23. A plane flies from city A to city B. City B is 1540 km west and 1160 km
south of city A. What is the total displacement and direction of the plane?
a. 1930 km, 37.0° south of west c. 1930 km, 43.0° south of west
b. 1850 km, 37.0° south of west d. 1850 km, 43.0° south of west

24. Which of the following statements about uniform circular motion is NOT
true?
A. A body in uniform circular motion experiences centripetal acceleration.
B. A body in uniform circular motion has constant or uniform speed.
C. A body in uniform circular motion has varying speed.
D. A body in uniform circular motion does not have a constant velocity.

25. A car moving at 10 m/s takes a turn around a circle with a radius of 25 m.
What is the centripetal acceleration of the car?
A. 10 m/s2 B. 5 m/s2 C. 4 m/s2 D. 3 m/s2

For Nos. 26-27. During a fireworks display, a shell is shot into the air with an initial
speed of 70.0 m/s at an angle of 75.0º above the horizontal, as illustrated in the figure
below. The fuse is timed to ignite the shell just as it reaches its highest point above the
ground.
26. Calculate the height at which the shell explodes.
A. y = 235m B. y = 236m C. y = 233m D. y = 234m

27. How much time passed between the launch of the shell and the explosion?
A. t=6.91 s B. t=6.90 s C. t=6.92 s D. t=6.93 s

28. What is a free-body diagram?

a. A picture or sketch used to show the fields near an object, with arrows
representing the fields
b. A picture or sketch used to show the forces acting on an object, with
arrows representing the forces
c. A picture or sketch used to show the vectors acting on an object,
with arrows representing them
d. A diagram of the human body

29. Which of the following statement is TRUE about action-reaction force?

A. Every action force upon an object there must have an equal and
opposite reaction force
B. Every action force upon an object there must have an unequal and
opposite reaction force
C. Every action force upon an object there must have an equal and complete
reaction force
D. Every action force upon an object there must have an unequal and
complete reaction force

30. A 75.0-kg wrecking ball hangs from a uniform heavy-duty chain having a
mass of 26.0 kg. What is the maximum and minimum tension in the chain?
a. 110 N and 500 N c. 250 N and 300 N
b. 990 N and 735 N d. 1100 N and 850 N

31. Your car is parked outside your house. Does Newton’s first law apply in this
situation?
I. When your car is parked, all forces on the car must be balanced.
II. The vector sum is 0 N.
III. The net force is zero, and Newton’s first law applies.
IV. The acceleration of the car is zero and the velocity is also zero.
A. I only B. I and II C. I, II and III D. I, II, III and IV

32. A bag of groceries with mass of 5 kg is lifted to a height of 2 m. How much

potential energy is increased in the bag at this point?
A. 95 Joules B. 98 Joules C. 97 Joules D. 96 Joules

33. Friction arises because of the molecular ________________ or local adhesion

between materials.
a. Kinetic b. rolling c. attraction d. wheels
34. In which of the following situations does not show acceleration?
A. The car is moving at constant velocity 10 m/s to the North.
B. The man is running around a circle.
C. A kid pushing the cart from their house to the next door.
D. An apple falling from a tree at 9.8 m/s2.

35. Which of the following is the main function of conveyor belts in industries?
A. transport of heavy loads C. packaging of finished products
B. mass production of goods D. maintaining high quality of products

36. In a tug-of-war, each man on a 5-man team pulls with an average force of
500 N. What is the tension in the center of the rope?
A. zero newtons B. 100 N C. 500 N D. 2500 N

37. What is the force of static friction between the top and bottom blocks?

A. zero newtons B. 10 N C. 20 N D. 25 N

38. If a^, b^, c^, are unit vectors and a^ + b^ + c^ = 0 then the value of a^ . b^ + b^ . c^ + c^
. a^ is:
−3 2
A. B. 0 C. D. 1
2 3

39. Which of the following statement is TRUE about work done by a force acting
on an object?
I. Work is positive when the force has a component in the same
direction as the displacement.
II. Work is negative when the force has a component in opposite to the
displacement.
III. Work is negative when the force is perpendicular to the displacement.
IV. Work is zero when the force is perpendicular to the displacement.
A. I, II, III, IV B. I, II, and III C. I, II, and IV D. II, III and IV
40. What is the work done by a conservative force?
A. When the work done by that force on an object is independent of the
object's path.
B. When the work done by that force on an object is dependent of the
object's path.
C. When the work done by that force on an object is equal to zero.
D. When the work done by that force on an object is negative.
 41. When is the work done by an external force negative?
a. When some component of the external force is pointed in the same
direction as displacement
b. When external force and displacement are pointed in the same direction
c. When some component of the external force is pointed in the
direction opposite displacement
d. When external force and displacement are pointed in the exact
opposite directions.

42. Which of the following is true about the turning point of a potential enery
diagram?
A. The potential energy is equal to the kinetic energy at the turning point.
B. The kinetic energy at the turning point is equal to the total mechanical
energy.
C. The direction of the velocity remains the same at the turning point.
D. The direction of the velocity reverses at the turning point.

43. What happens to the body on which work is done?

a. It loses energy c. No change in the energy
b. It gains energy d. First, it loses then it gains

44. Which of the following statements is true about inelastic collisions?

a. Kinetic energy is conserved but momentum is not
b. Momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not
c. Neither kinetic energy nor momentum are conserved
d. Both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved

45. Two marbles A and B are approaching each other with velocities of 0.7 m/s
and 0.9 m/s, respectively. After collision, marbles A and B had a final
velocity of 0.4 m/s and 0.6 m/s. What is the coefficient of restitution in this
collision? Is the collision elastic, inelastic or perfectly inelastic?
a. e = 1, elastic collision c. e = 3, elastic collision
b. b. e = 2, elastic collision d. e = 4, elastic collision

TEST II. Problem Solving

 Figure  7.12  A toy car is pushed by a compressed spring and coasts up a slope. Assuming negligible friction, the
potential energy in the spring is first completely converted to kinetic energy, and then to a combination of kinetic
and gravitational potential energy as the car rises. The details of the path are unimportant because all forces are
conservative—the car would have the same final speed if it took the alternate path shown.

1-2. A 0.100-kg toy car is propelled by a compressed spring, as shown in Figure

7.12. The car follows a track that rises 0.180 m above the starting point. The
spring is compressed 4.00 cm and has a force constant of 250.0 N/m.
Assuming work done by friction to be negligible, find
(a) how fast the car is going before it starts up the slope and
(b) how fast it is going at the top of the slope.
Answer:
a.) This part of the problem is limited to conditions just before the car is released and
just after it leaves the spring. Take the initial height to be zero, so that both h i and hf
are zero. Furthermore, the initial speed vi is zero and the final compression of the
spring xf is zero, and so several terms in the conservation of mechanical energy
equation are zero and it simplifies to

1 1
k xi = m vf
2 2
2 2
In other words, the initial potential energy in the spring is converted completely to
kinetic energy in the absence of friction. Solving for the final speed and entering
known values yields.

vf =
√ k
m
xi

√
250.0 N
m
vf = (0.0400 m)
0.100 kg
m
v f =2.00
s

One method of finding the speed at the top of the slope is to consider conditions just
before the car is released and just after it reaches the top of the slope, completely
ignoring everything in between. Doing the same type of analysis to find which terms
are zero, the conservation of mechanical energy becomes

1 1
k x i = m v f +mg hf
2 2
2 2
This form of the equation means that the spring’s initial potential energy is converted
partly to gravitational potential energy and partly to kinetic energy. The final speed at
the top of the slope will be less than at the bottom. Solving for vf and substituting
known values gives

vf =
√ k xi
m
2

−2 g h f

√( )
N
250.0
m
vf= ¿¿
0.100 kg

v f =0.678 m/ s

3. If a person who normally requires an average of 12,000 kJ (3000 kcal) of food

energy per day consumes 13,000 kJ per day, he will steadily gain weight. How much
bicycling per day is required to work off this extra 1000 kJ?

energy
1000 kJ
Time = ( energy ) = 400 W =2500 s=42 min.
time

4. Find the center of mass of a thin, uniform plate whose shape is the region between
y=cos x and the x-axis between x=−π/2 and x=π/2.
5. Suppose a beam lies on the x-axis between 20 and 30, and has density function
σ(x)=x−19. Find the center of mass. This is the same as the previous example except
that the beam has been moved. Note that the density at the left end is 20−19=1 and at
the right end is 30−19=11, as before. Hence the center of mass must be at
approximately 20+6.39=26.39. Let's see how the calculation works out.

6. Calculating Momentum: A Football Player and a Football

(a) Calculate the momentum of a 110-kg football player running at 8.00 m/s.
(b) Compare the player’s momentum with the momentum of a hard-thrown 0.410-kg
football that has a speed of 25.0 m/s.

ANSWER:
a. To determine the momentum of the player, substitute the known values for the
player’s mass and speed into the equation.

Pplayer=(110 kg)(8.00 m/s)=880 kg⋅m/s

b. To determine the momentum of the ball, substitute the known values for the ball’s
mass and speed into the equation.

Pball=(0.410 kg)(25.0 m/s)=10.3 kg⋅m/s

The ratio of the player’s momentum to that of the ball is

Pplayer 880
= =85.9
Pball 10.3

7. Calculate the velocities of two objects following an elastic collision, given that
m1=0.500 kg, m2=3.50 kg, v1=4.00 m/s, and v2=0.
Answer: For this problem, note that v2=0 and use conservation of momentum. Thus,
 p1=p'1+p'2
or
m1v1=m1v'1+m2v'2.
Using conservation of internal kinetic energy and that v2=0,

Solving the first equation (momentum equation) for v' 2, we obtain

Substituting this expression into the second equation (internal kinetic energy
equation) eliminates the variable v'2, leaving only v'1 as an unknown (the algebra is left
as an exercise for the reader). There are two solutions to any quadratic equation; in
this example, they are

Or

As noted when quadratic equations were encountered in earlier chapters, both

solutions may or may not be meaningful. In this case, the first solution is the same as
the initial condition. The first solution thus represents the situation before the
collision and is discarded. The second solution (v'1=−3.00 m/s) is negative, meaning
that the first object bounces backward. When this negative value of v'1 is used to find
the velocity of the second object after the collision, we get

Or

8. Show that the ratio of velocities of equal masses in an inelastic collision when one of
the masses is stationary is

v1/v2 = 1-e/1+e
From the law of conservation of linear momentum,

Using the equation (2) for u1 in (1), we get

9-10 For a top player, a tennis ball may leave the racket on
the serve with a speed of (about 120 mi/h), Fig. 7–1. If the
ball has a mass of 0.060 kg and is in contact with the
racket for about 4 ms (4 x 10–3 s) estimate the average force
on the ball. Would this force be large enough to lift a 60-kg
person?