MERLION SCHOOL

AS Level Physics
Chapter Test 1 – Work, Energy and Power

Name:_____________________________________ Date:________________

Class: Pre-U 1 Score:_______________

Part A – MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer by encircling the letter that corresponds to your
answer.

1. The diagram shows a situation just before a head-on collision. A lorry of mass 20 000 kg is
travelling at 20.0 ms-1 towards a car of mass 900 kg travelling at 30.0 ms-1 towards the lorry.

What is the magnitude of the total momentum?

A 373 kNs B 427 kNs C 3600 kNs D 4410 kNs

2. Two objects collide and stick together. Which of the following is false?
A momentum is conserved
B kinetic energy is lost
C kinetic energy is conserved
D total energy is conserved

3. Which is not one of Newton's laws of motion?

A The total momentum of a system of interacting bodies remains constant,
providing no external force acts.
B The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the
external force acting on the body and takes place in the direction of the force.
C If body A exerts a force on body B, then body B exerts an equal and oppositely-
directed force on body A.
D A body continues in a state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line unless
acted upon by some external force.
4. Two equal masses travel towards each other on a frictionless air track at speeds of 60 cms–1
and 40 cm s–1. They stick together on impact.

What is the speed of the masses after the impact?

A 10 cm s-1 B 20 cm s-1 C 40 cm s-1 D 50 cm s-1

5. In perfectly elastic collisions between two atoms, it is always true to say that

A the initial speed of one atom will be the same as the final speed of the other
atom.
B the relative speed of approach between the two atoms equals their relative speed
of separation.
C the total momentum must be conserved, but a small amount of the total kinetic
energy may be lost in the collision.
D whatever their initial states of motion, neither atom can be stationary after the
collision.

6. Two railway trucks of masses m and 3m move towards each other in opposite directions
with speeds 2v and v respectively. These trucks collide and stick together. What is the speed
of the trucks after the collision?

A v/4 B v/2 C v D 5v/4

7. The diagram shows the masses and velocities of two trolleys about to collide.

After the impact, they move off together. What is the total kinetic energy of the trolleys after
the collision?

A 1.3 J B 12 J C 18 J D 19 J

8. Which is a statement of the principle of conservation of momentum?

A Momentum is the product of mass and velocity.

B Momentum is conserved only in elastic collisions.
C Momentum is conserved by all bodies in a collision.
D Momentum is conserved providing no external forces act.
9. Two equal masses X and Y are moving towards each other on a frictionless air track as
shown. The masses make an elastic collision.

Which row gives possible velocities for the two masses after the collision?

10. A tennis ball of mass 100 g is struck by a tennis racket. The velocity of the ball is changed
as shown.

What is the magnitude of the change in momentum of the ball?

A 1 kgms–1
B 5 kgms–1
C 1000 kg ms–1
D 5000 kg ms–1
Part B – STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
Directions: Answer all the questions. Show complete workings.

1. A ball has mass m. It is dropped onto a horizontal plate as shown in the figure.

Just as the ball makes contact with the plate, it has velocity v, momentum p and kinetic energy
Ek.

(a) (i) Write down an expression for momentum p in terms of m and v. [1]

(ii) Hence show that the kinetic energy is given by the expression

𝑝2
𝐸𝑘 = . [2]
2𝑚

(b) Just before impact with the plate, the ball of mass 35 g has speed 4.5 m s–1. It bounces from
the plate so that its speed immediately after losing contact with the plate is 3.5 m s–1. The ball
is in contact with the plate for 0.14 s.

Calculate, for the time that the ball is in contact with the plate,

(i) the average force (magnitude and direction), in addition to the weight of the ball,
that the plate exerts on the ball, [4]
 (ii) the loss in kinetic energy of the ball. [3]

(c) State and explain whether linear momentum is conserved during the bounce. [3]

2. A bullet of mass 2.0 g is fired horizontally into a block of wood of mass 600 g. The block is
suspended from strings so that it is free to move in a vertical plane. The bullet buries itself in
the block. The block and bullet rise together through a vertical distance of 8.6 cm, as shown in
the figure.

(a) (i) Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy of the block and bullet. [2]
 (ii) Calculate the initial speed of the block and the bullet, after they began to move off
together. [3]

(b) Using the information in (a)(ii) and the principle of conservation of momentum, determine
the speed of the bullet before the impact with the block. [3]

(c) (i) Calculate the kinetic energy of the bullet just before the impact. [3]

(ii) State and explain what can be deduced from your answers to (c)(i) and (a)(i) about
the type of collision between the bullet and the block. [2]
3. Two balls X and Y are supported by long strings, as shown in the figure.

The balls are each pulled back and pushed towards each other. When the balls collide at the
position shown in the figure, the strings are vertical. The balls rebound in opposite directions.
The table shows data for X and Y during this collision.

The positive direction is horizontal and to the right.

(a) Use the conservation of linear momentum to determine the mass M of Y. [3]

(b) State and explain whether the collision is elastic. [1]

(c) Use Newton’s second and third laws to explain why the magnitude of the change in
momentum of each ball is the same. [3]