QUESTIONS

Questions
1 (IB) 3 (IB)
Christina stands close to the edge of a vertical cliff A marble is projected horizontally from the edge
and throws a stone at 15 m s–1 at an angle of 45° of a wall 1.8 m high with an initial speed V.
to the horizontal. Air resistance is negligible.
A series of flash photographs are taken of the
P marble and combined as shown below. The
images of the marble are superimposed on a
grid that shows the horizontal distance x and
15 m s−1 vertical distance y travelled by the marble.
O The time interval between each image of the
Q
marble is 0.10 s.

x/m
0 0.50 1.0 1.5 2.0
0
25 m

−0.50

sea
−1.0
y/m

Point P on the diagram is the highest point

reached by the stone and point Q is at the same −1.50
height above sea level as point O. Christina’s
hand is at a height of 25 m above sea level.
a) At point P on a copy of the diagram above −2.0
draw arrows to represent:
(i) the acceleration of the stone (label
this A) Use data from the photograph to calculate a
value of the acceleration of free fall. (3 marks)
(ii) the velocity of the stone (label this V).
b) Determine the speed with which the
stone hits the sea. (8 marks) 4 (IB)
A cyclist and his bicycle travel at a constant
2 (IB) velocity along a horizontal road.
Antonia stands at the edge of a vertical cliff and a) (i) State the value of the resultant force
throws a stone vertically upwards. acting on the cyclist.
The stone leaves Antonia’s hand with a speed (ii) Copy the diagram and draw labelled
v = 8.0 m s–1. The time between the stone arrows to represent the vertical forces
leaving Antonia’s hand and hitting the sea is acting on the bicycle.
3.0 s. Assume air resistance is negligible.
a) Calculate:
(i) the maximum height reached by the
stone
(ii) the time taken by the stone to reach its
maximum height.
b) Determine the height of the cliff. (6 marks)

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2 ME C H ANICS

(iii) Explain why the cyclist and bicycle are 1.4

travelling at constant velocity.
1.2
b) The total mass of the cyclist and bicycle is 1
70 kg and the total resistive force acting on 0.8

P/kW
them is 40 N. The initial speed of the cycle 0.6
is 8.0 m s–1. The cyclist stops pedalling and 0.4
the bicycle comes to rest. 0.2
(i) Calculate the magnitude of the initial 0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
acceleration of the bicycle and rider. v/m s-1
(ii) Estimate the distance taken by the
bicycle to come to rest from the time the For a steady speed of 2.0 m s–1:
cyclist stops pedalling. a) use the graph to determine the power of the
(iii) State and explain one reason why your boat’s engine
answer to b)(ii) is an estimate. b) calculate the frictional (resistive) force acting
(13 marks) on the boat. (3 marks)

5 A car of mass 1000 kg accelerates on a straight 8 (IB)

flat horizontal road with an acceleration
The graph shows the variation with time t of the
a = 0.30 m s–2. The driving force T on the
speed v of a ball of mass 0.50 kg that has been
car is opposed by a resistive force of 500 N.
released from rest above the Earth’s surface.
Calculate T. (3 marks)
25

6 A crane hook is in equilibirium under the 20

action of three forces as shown in the diagram.
v/m s-1

15
3.8 kN 10

5
T2 60° 30°
T1 0
0 2 4 6 8 10
t/s
The force of air resistance is not negligible.
a) State, without any calculations, how the
graph could be used to determine the
distance fallen.
Calculate T1 and T2. (4 marks) b) (i) Copy the diagram and draw and label
arrows to represent the forces on the
ball at 2.0 s.
7 (IB)
A small boat is powered by an outboard motor ball at t = 2.0s
of variable power P. The graph below shows
the variation with speed v of the power P for a
particular load.
Earth’s surface

(ii) Use the graph to show that the

acceleration of the ball at 2.0 s is
approximately 4 m s–2.

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QUESTIONS

(iii) Calculate the magnitude of the force of

5.0 m s−1
air resistance on the ball at 2.0 s.
(iv) State and explain whether the air A B
resistance on the ball at t = 5.0 s is
smaller than, equal to, or greater than
immediately before collision
the air resistance at t = 2.0 s.
c) After 10 s the ball has fallen 190 m. v
(i) Show that the sum of the potential
B
and kinetic energies of the ball has A
decreased by about 800 J. (14 marks)
immediately after collision

9 (IB) The mass of truck A is 800 kg and the mass of

A bus is travelling at a constant speed of truck B is 1200 kg.
6.2 m s–1 along a section of road that is inclined a) (i) Calculate v.
at an angle of 6.0° to the horizontal. (ii) Calculate the total kinetic energy lost
6.2m s−1
during the collision.
b) Suggest where the lost kinetic energy has
gone. (6 marks)
6.0°
11 (IB)
a) (i) Draw a labelled sketch to represent the
forces acting on the bus. Large metal bars are driven into the ground
using a heavy falling object.
(ii) State the value of net force acting on
the bus.
object mass = 2.0 × 103 kg
b) The total output power of the engine of
the bus is 70 kW and the efficiency of the
engine is 35%.
Calculate the input power to the engine.
c) The mass of the bus is 8.5 × 103 kg.
bar mass = 400 kg
Determine the rate of increase of
gravitational potential energy of the bus.
d) Using your answer to c (and the data in b),
estimate the magnitude of the resistive
forces acting on the bus. (12 marks)
The falling object has a mass 2000 kg and the
metal bar has a mass of 400 kg.
10 (IB)
The object strikes the bar at a speed of 6.0 m s–1.
Railway truck A moves along a horizontal track It comes to rest on the bar without bouncing.
and collides with a stationary truck B. The As a result of the collision, the bar is driven into
two join together in the collision. Immediately the ground to a depth of 0.75 m.
before the collision, truck A has a speed of
5.0 m s–1. Immediately after collision, the speed a) Determine the speed of the bar immediately
of the trucks is v. after the object strikes it.
b) Determine the average frictional force
exerted by the ground on the bar. (7 marks)

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2 ME C H ANICS

12 (IB)
An engine for a spacecraft uses solar power crane
cable
to ionize and then accelerate atoms of xenon.
After acceleration, the ions are ejected from the
spaceship with a speed of 3.0 × 104 m s–1. 5.8 m

xenon ions = 3.0 × 104 m s−1

speed wall
spaceship mass = 5.4 × 102 kg

–
The mass of one ion of xenon is 2.2 × 10 25 kg
metal ball
a) The original mass of the fuel is 81 kg.
Determine how long the fuel will last if
the engine ejects 77 × 1018 xenon ions
every second. To knock a wall down, the metal ball of mass
b) The mass of the spaceship is 5.4 × 102 kg. 350 kg is pulled away from the wall and then
Determine the initial acceleration of the released. The crane does not move. The graph
spaceship. below shows the variation with time t of the
The graph below shows the variation with speed v of the ball after release.
time t of the acceleration a of the spaceship. The ball makes contact with the wall when the
The solar propulsion engine is switched on at cable from the crane is vertical.
time t = 0 when the speed of the spaceship is
a) For the ball just before it hits the wall use
1.2 × 103 m s–1.
the graph, to estimate the tension in the
cable. The acceleration of free fall is 9.8 m s–2.
10.0
b) Determine the distance moved by the ball
after coming into contact with the wall.
9.5
c) Calculate the total change in momentum of
a/10−5m s−2

the ball during the collision of the ball with

9.0 the wall. (7 marks)

8.5 3.0

8.0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
t/×107 s
2.0
v/m s−1

c) Explain why the acceleration of the

spaceship increases with time.
d) Using data from the graph, calculate the
1.0
speed of the spaceship at the time when the
xenon fuel has all been used. (15 marks)

13 (IB) 0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4
A large metal ball is hung from a crane by t/s
means of a cable of length 5.8 m as shown
below.

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