PHYSICS 131 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
A skydiver's terminal velocity will be greatest if she falls
a) lying flat on her stomach.
b) lying flat on her back.
c) with her parachute open.
d) head first. - Answers - d
Padded dashboards in cars are safer in an accident than non-padded ones because
passengers hitting the dashboard encounter
a. shorter time of contact
b. lengthened time of contact
c. decreased impulse
d. increased momentum - Answers - b
Two identical objects in outer space, one moving at 2 m/s, the other at 1 m/s, have a
head-on collision and stick together. Their combined speed after the collision is
a. 1 m/s
b. 0.67 m/s
c. 0.33 m/s
d. none of the above - Answers - d
What is the acceleration of a car that starts from rest and 5 seconds later reaches a
speed of 20 m/s?
a. 1 m/s
b. 2 m/s
c. 3 m/s
d. 4 m/s
e. 5 m/s - Answers - d
A block pulled to the left with 15 N and to the right with 5 n at the same time
experiences a net force of
a. 5 N
b. 20 N
c. 15 N
d. 10 N - Answers - d
Joshua is attracted to earth by a 500 N gravitational force. The Earth is attracted toward
Joshua with a force of
a. 0
b. 250 N
c. 500 N
,d. 1000 N - Answers - c
The chef at the infamous Fattening Tower of Pizza tosses a spinning disk of uncooked
pizza dough into the air. The disk becomes wider during its flight, while its rotational
speed
a. slows
b. quickens
c. remains constant - Answers - a
The average braking force of a 1000 kg car moving at 10 m/s braking to a stop in 5 s is
a. 3000 N
b. 1000 N
c. 5000 N
d. 2000 N
e. 4000 N - Answers - d
the distance a freely falling bowling ball falls each second
a. is about 10 m
b. is about 5 m
c. increases
d. none of the above - Answers - c
A ring and a disk both at rest roll down a hill together. Which accelerates slower?
a. both roll at the same speed
b. ring
c. depends on the masses
d. disk
e. need more information - Answers - b
A coconut and a bird's feather fall from a tree through the air to the ground below. The
force of air resistance is
a. the same on each
b. greater on the coconut
c. greater on the feather - Answers - b
Horses with the greatest linear speed on a merry go round are located
a. near the outside
b. anywhere, because they all move at the same speed
c. near the center - Answers - a
Toss a baseball bat into the air and it wobbles about its
a. geometrical center
b. heavier end
c. center of mass - Answers - c
A ball rolling down an incline has its maximum potential energy at
,a. the top
b. the bottom
c. a quarter of the way down
d. halfway down - Answers - a
An educated scientific guess is
a. theory
b. hypothesis
c. either of these
d. neither of these - Answers - b
A car traveling at 100 km/h strikes an unfortunate bug and splatters it. the force of
impact is
a. the same for both
b. greater on the bug
c. greater on the car - Answers - a
If a stone falls to the bottom of a mineshaft in 6 seconds, then the depth of the shaft is
about
a. 60m
b. more than 200 m
c. 180 m
d. 120 m - Answers - c
If a rocket initially at rest accelerates at a rate of 50 m/s^2 for one minute, its speed will
be
a. 500 m/s
b. 50 m/s
c. 3600 m/s
d. 3000 m/s - Answers - d
A clerk can lift cylindrical packages 1 meter vertically, or can roll them up a 2 meter long
ramp to the same elevation. With the ramp, the applied force required is about
a. the same
b. twice as much
c. four times as much
d. half as much - Answers - d
Relative to an initial height, an object raised twice as high has a gravitational potential
energy
a. twice as much
b. half as much
c. four times as much
d. need more information - Answers - a
, At one instant an object in free fall is moving downward at 50 m/s. One second later its
speed is
a. 55 m/s
b. 50 m/s
c. 25 m/s
d. 60 m/s
e. 100 m/s - Answers - d
A cannon recoils while firing a cannonball. The speed of the cannon's recoil is relatively
small because the
a. cannon has much more mass than the cannonball
b. momentum is mainly concentrated in the cannonball
c. force against the cannon is smaller than against the ball
d. momentum of the cannon is smaller - Answers - a
Two identical golf carts move at different speeds. The faster cart has twice the speed
and therefore has
a. eight times the kinetic energy
b. twice the kinetic energy
c. four times the kinetic energy
d. none of the above - Answers - c
A rock is thrown vertically into the air. at the top of its path, its acceleration is
a. between 0 and 10 m/s^2
b. grater than 10 m/s^2
c. 10 m/s^2
d. 0 - Answers - c
If you place a pipe over the end of a wrench when trying to rotate a stubborn bolt,
effectively making the wrench handle twice as long, you'll multiply the torque by
a. either
b. four
c. two - Answers - c
Nellie pulls on a 10 kg wagon with a constant horizontal force of 30 N. If there are no
other horizontal forces, what is the wagon's acceleration
a. 3 m/s^2
b. 10 m/s^2
c. 30 m/s^2
d. 300 m/s^2
e. 0.3 m/s^2 - Answers - a
A bullet is dropped into a river from a very high bridge at the same time as another
bullet is fired straight downward from a rifle. Neglecting air resistance, the acceleration
just before striking the water is
a. greater for the dropped bullet
ANSWERS
A skydiver's terminal velocity will be greatest if she falls
a) lying flat on her stomach.
b) lying flat on her back.
c) with her parachute open.
d) head first. - Answers - d
Padded dashboards in cars are safer in an accident than non-padded ones because
passengers hitting the dashboard encounter
a. shorter time of contact
b. lengthened time of contact
c. decreased impulse
d. increased momentum - Answers - b
Two identical objects in outer space, one moving at 2 m/s, the other at 1 m/s, have a
head-on collision and stick together. Their combined speed after the collision is
a. 1 m/s
b. 0.67 m/s
c. 0.33 m/s
d. none of the above - Answers - d
What is the acceleration of a car that starts from rest and 5 seconds later reaches a
speed of 20 m/s?
a. 1 m/s
b. 2 m/s
c. 3 m/s
d. 4 m/s
e. 5 m/s - Answers - d
A block pulled to the left with 15 N and to the right with 5 n at the same time
experiences a net force of
a. 5 N
b. 20 N
c. 15 N
d. 10 N - Answers - d
Joshua is attracted to earth by a 500 N gravitational force. The Earth is attracted toward
Joshua with a force of
a. 0
b. 250 N
c. 500 N
,d. 1000 N - Answers - c
The chef at the infamous Fattening Tower of Pizza tosses a spinning disk of uncooked
pizza dough into the air. The disk becomes wider during its flight, while its rotational
speed
a. slows
b. quickens
c. remains constant - Answers - a
The average braking force of a 1000 kg car moving at 10 m/s braking to a stop in 5 s is
a. 3000 N
b. 1000 N
c. 5000 N
d. 2000 N
e. 4000 N - Answers - d
the distance a freely falling bowling ball falls each second
a. is about 10 m
b. is about 5 m
c. increases
d. none of the above - Answers - c
A ring and a disk both at rest roll down a hill together. Which accelerates slower?
a. both roll at the same speed
b. ring
c. depends on the masses
d. disk
e. need more information - Answers - b
A coconut and a bird's feather fall from a tree through the air to the ground below. The
force of air resistance is
a. the same on each
b. greater on the coconut
c. greater on the feather - Answers - b
Horses with the greatest linear speed on a merry go round are located
a. near the outside
b. anywhere, because they all move at the same speed
c. near the center - Answers - a
Toss a baseball bat into the air and it wobbles about its
a. geometrical center
b. heavier end
c. center of mass - Answers - c
A ball rolling down an incline has its maximum potential energy at
,a. the top
b. the bottom
c. a quarter of the way down
d. halfway down - Answers - a
An educated scientific guess is
a. theory
b. hypothesis
c. either of these
d. neither of these - Answers - b
A car traveling at 100 km/h strikes an unfortunate bug and splatters it. the force of
impact is
a. the same for both
b. greater on the bug
c. greater on the car - Answers - a
If a stone falls to the bottom of a mineshaft in 6 seconds, then the depth of the shaft is
about
a. 60m
b. more than 200 m
c. 180 m
d. 120 m - Answers - c
If a rocket initially at rest accelerates at a rate of 50 m/s^2 for one minute, its speed will
be
a. 500 m/s
b. 50 m/s
c. 3600 m/s
d. 3000 m/s - Answers - d
A clerk can lift cylindrical packages 1 meter vertically, or can roll them up a 2 meter long
ramp to the same elevation. With the ramp, the applied force required is about
a. the same
b. twice as much
c. four times as much
d. half as much - Answers - d
Relative to an initial height, an object raised twice as high has a gravitational potential
energy
a. twice as much
b. half as much
c. four times as much
d. need more information - Answers - a
, At one instant an object in free fall is moving downward at 50 m/s. One second later its
speed is
a. 55 m/s
b. 50 m/s
c. 25 m/s
d. 60 m/s
e. 100 m/s - Answers - d
A cannon recoils while firing a cannonball. The speed of the cannon's recoil is relatively
small because the
a. cannon has much more mass than the cannonball
b. momentum is mainly concentrated in the cannonball
c. force against the cannon is smaller than against the ball
d. momentum of the cannon is smaller - Answers - a
Two identical golf carts move at different speeds. The faster cart has twice the speed
and therefore has
a. eight times the kinetic energy
b. twice the kinetic energy
c. four times the kinetic energy
d. none of the above - Answers - c
A rock is thrown vertically into the air. at the top of its path, its acceleration is
a. between 0 and 10 m/s^2
b. grater than 10 m/s^2
c. 10 m/s^2
d. 0 - Answers - c
If you place a pipe over the end of a wrench when trying to rotate a stubborn bolt,
effectively making the wrench handle twice as long, you'll multiply the torque by
a. either
b. four
c. two - Answers - c
Nellie pulls on a 10 kg wagon with a constant horizontal force of 30 N. If there are no
other horizontal forces, what is the wagon's acceleration
a. 3 m/s^2
b. 10 m/s^2
c. 30 m/s^2
d. 300 m/s^2
e. 0.3 m/s^2 - Answers - a
A bullet is dropped into a river from a very high bridge at the same time as another
bullet is fired straight downward from a rifle. Neglecting air resistance, the acceleration
just before striking the water is
a. greater for the dropped bullet
