SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES

P H Y 1410 – INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS I

JANUARY 2024 INTAKE

TUTORIAL SHEET 3 – KINEMATICS

1. Two cars A and B travel along the same road in the same direction from the same starting place.
Car A maintains a speed of 60 km/h and car B 75 km/h, but B starts one hour later. How many
hours will it take for B to overtake A? What is the distance travelled by the cars when they
meet?

2. A car moving along the 𝑥-axis starts from the position 𝑥i = 2m when 𝑡i = 0 and stops at 𝑥f =
−3m when 𝑡f = 2s. (a) Find the displacement, the average velocity, and the average speed during
this interval of time. (b) If the car goes backward and takes 3 s to reach the starting point, then
repeat part (a) for the whole time interval.

3. A particle moves along the 𝑥-axis and its coordinates vary with time according to the relation
𝑥 = 𝑡2 − 2𝑡, where 𝑥 is measured in meters and 𝑡 is in seconds. (a) Find the position of the
particle at 𝑡 = 1 sec and at 𝑡 = 5 𝑠𝑒𝑐 (b) Find the displacement and the average velocity of the
particle in the time intervals 1 ≤ 𝑡 ≤ 5 sec. (c) find the instantaneous velocity and instantaneous
acceleration of the particle at t = 3 sec. (Note: you use the methods of calculus i.e.,
differentiation).

4. A particle, initially at east, starts moving in a straight line with an acceleration a = (8 + 12t)
m/s2. Find the distance covered by it in 3 seconds.

5. A body with initial velocity 8.0 m/s moves along a straight line with constant acceleration and
travels 640 m in 40 s. For the 40 s interval, find (𝑎) the average velocity, (𝑏) the final velocity,
and (𝑐) the acceleration.

6. A ball is dropped from a tall building. Find the following for the ball's motion: (a) its
acceleration, (b) the distance it falls in 2s, (c) its velocity after falling 15m, (d) the time it takes
to fall 25m, and (e) the time it takes to reach a velocity of 29.4 m/s.

7. A ball is thrown upward from the top of a building with an initial velocity 𝑣∘ = 20 m/s. The
building is 40m high and the ball just misses the edge of the building roof on its way down.
Take 𝑔 =10 m/s2 and neglect air resistance, find: (a) the time 𝑡1 for the ball to reach its highest
point, (b) how high will it rise, (c) how long will it take to return to its starting point, (d) the
velocity 𝑣2 of the ball at this instant, and (e) the velocity 𝑣3 and the total time of flight 𝑡3 just
before the ball hits the ground.

8. A stone thrown vertically up from the top of a tower with a velocity 20 m/s reaches the ground
in 6seconds. Find the height of the tower.

Instructor: Ms. Nyirongo. N

9. A body projected upward from the level ground at an angle of 50O with the horizontal has an
initial speed of 40 m/s. (a) How long will it take to hit the ground? (b) How far from the starting
point will it strike? (c) At what angle with the horizontal will it strike?

10. A ball is thrown upward at an angle of 30O to the horizontal and lands on the top edge of a
building that is 20 m away. The top edge is 5.0 m above the throwing point. How fast was the
ball thrown?

Instructor: Ms. Nyirongo. N