UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

Centre : Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS)

Course : Foundation in Science
Year / Trimester : Year 1 / Trimester 1
Course Code / Title : FHSC1014 / Mechanics

Tutorial 4: The Laws of Motion - Main

1. A stationary box of mass 38.0 kg is placed on a horizontal surface. Then, James starts
to pull the box with a rope at an angle of26.0° above the horizontal. Given that the
tension of the rope is 180 N and the coefficient of kinetic friction between the box and
the flat surface is 0.350, calculate

(i) the magnitude of the normal force acting on the box,

(ii) the magnitude of the acceleration of the box, and

(iii) the final speed of the box after James pulls it for 20.0 s.
[Answer: (i) 294 N, (ii) 1.55 m/s2, 31.0 m/s]

2. An object is placed on a smooth incline with an inclination angle of 35.0°.

(i) If the object is sliding down the incline, calculate the acceleration of the object.

(ii) If the speed of the object at the bottom of the incline is 2.92 m/s, determine the
initial height of the object on the incline.

(iii) If the incline is not smooth and the coefficient of kinetic friction between the
object and the incline is 0.630, calculate the new acceleration of the object
sliding down the incline.
[Answer: (i) 5.62 m/s2, (ii) 0.435 m, (iii) 0.564 m/s2]

3.

A block is pressed against a vertical wall by a force P , as the drawing shows. This
force can either push the block upward at a constant velocity or allow it to slide
downward at a constant velocity. The magnitude of the force is different in the two
cases, while the directional angle  is the same. Kinetic friction exists between the block
and the wall, and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0. 250.The weight of the block is
39.0 N, and the angle  = 30.0°. Determine the magnitude of P when the block slides
(a) up the wall
(b) down the wall [Answer: (a) 52.6 N; (b) 39.4 N]
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4. A 3.00 kg block starts from rest at the top of a 30.0° incline and slides 2.00 m down the
incline in 1.50 s. Find

(a) the acceleration of the block

(b) the frictional force acting on the block

(c) the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the incline

(d) the speed of the block after it has slid 2.00 m

[Answer: (a) 1.78 m/s2; (b) 9.36 N; (c) 0.368; (d) 2.67 m/s]

5. Figure below shows an object with mass m1 rests on a horizontal table and is connected to
a cable that passes over a pulley and is then fastened to a hanging object with mass m2.

(a) Assuming the horizontal surface is frictionless. If m1 = 5.00 kg and m2 = 10.0 kg, find

(i) the acceleration of each object

(ii) the tension in the cable.

(b) The masses of the two objects are then changed to m1 = 10.0 kg and m2 = 4.0 kg, and
there is a frictional force between the horizontal surface and object m1.
Given that

Coefficient of static friction between m1 and the horizontal surface, µs= 0.50
Coefficient of kinetic friction between m1 and the horizontal surface, µk = 0.30

(i) If the system is released from rest, what will its acceleration be?

(ii) If the system is set in motion with m2 moving downward, what will be the
acceleration of the system?
[Answer: (a) (i) 6.53 m/s2, (ii) 32.7 N; (b) (i) 0, (ii) 0.70 m/s2]

6. A passenger of mass 50 kg is in a car which is moving with a velocity of 30 m s–1. If the

driver suddenly brakes the car, the passenger who is wearing a seat belt is pushed forward
at a displacement of 0.50 m.

[Neglect the effect of friction between the passenger and the seat of the car.]
(a) What is the acceleration of the passenger?

(b) What is the average pulling force of the seat belt on the passenger?

(c) What is the time interval of the pulling force acted on the passenger?
[Answer: (a) –9.0 × 102 m/s2; (b) –4.5 × 104 N; (c) 3.3 × 10–2 s]

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Tutorial 4: The Laws of Motion - Extra

7. The distance between two telephone poles is 50.0 m. When a 1.00 kg bird lands on the
telephone wire midway between the poles, the wire sags 0.200 m. Draw a free-body
diagram of the bird. How much tension does the bird produce in the wire? Ignore the weight
of the wire. [Answer: 613 N]

8. A worker stands still on a roof sloped at an angle of 45° above the horizontal. He is
prevented from slipping by a static frictional force of 450 N. Find the mass of the worker.
[Answer: 65 kg]

9. Figure below shows two boxes of fruit on a frictionless horizontal surface are connected by
a light string, where m1 = 10 kg and m2 = 20 kg. A force of 50 N is applied to the 20 kg box.

(a) Determine the acceleration of each box and the tension in the string.
(b) Repeat the problem for the case where the coefficient of kinetic friction between
each box and the surface is 0.10.
[Answer: (a) 1.7 m/s2, 17 N; (b) 0.69 m/s2, 17 N]

10.

A block of mass m = 5.8 kg is pulled up a  = 25° incline as in figure with a force of

magnitude F = 32 N.
(a) Find the acceleration of the block if the incline is frictionless.

(b) Find the acceleration of the block if the coefficient of kinetic friction between
the block and incline is 0.10.
[Answer: (a) 1.4 m/s2; (b) 0.49 m/s2]

11. Three forces act on a moving object. One force has a magnitude of 80.0 N and is directed
due north. Another has a magnitude of 60.0 N and is directed due west. What must be the
magnitude and direction of the third force, such that the object continues to move with a
constant velocity?
[Answer: 100 N, E53.1°S]

12. A box sits on a horizontal wooden ramp. The coefficient of static friction between the box
and the ramp is 0.30. What is the angle between the ramp and the horizontal direction when
the box begins to slide down the ramp?
[Answer: 17°]

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13. Figure below shows a wooden block of mass 5.0 kg on a smooth surface. The wooden block
is connected to a block of mass M by a light string passing over a smooth pulley.

If the wooden block moves with an acceleration of 2.0 m s–2, what is the tension in the
string and the mass M of block?
[Answer: (a) 10 N; (b) 1.28 kg]