PRELIMINARY PHYSICS

ASSESSMENT TEST
MARCH 2002
Name:

1.
A small plane flies at 180 km hr-1 due east for 1 hour and then at 200 km hr-1 due north for 1
hour.
(3)
(a) What is the magnitude of displacement of the ship after two hours?

(b) What is its average velocity over the two hours?

2.

A boat sails at 8 ms-1 due north. There is a current of 15 ms-1, flowing from the west.
(a) What is the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the boat relative to the water?

(b) What is the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the boat relative to the ground?

(3)

3.

The data below shows the speed and time relationship for a car travelling in a straight line. (5)
Speed (ms-1)
Time (m)

2
0

4
1

6
2

6
3

2
4

-2
5

(a) Graph this information below.

(b) What is meant by instantaneous velocity?

(c) What is the instantaneous velocity of the car at 3..5 sec?

(d) How far did the object travel in 5 sec?

4.

A driver in a car travelling at 50 km hr-1 takes his foot off the accelerator and comes to rest in 30

sec.

(5)
(a) Explain why the driver needs to apply the accelerator to keep the car moving at a constant

velocity.

(b) What was the average deceleration of the car?

(c) If the car has a mass of 1,500 kg, what force must he apply to stop the car in 5 sec?

5.

Explain the need for a net external force to act in order to change the velocity of an object.

(3)

6.

Find the momentum of a 2400 kg truck travelling at 3.5 ms-1.

(1)

7.

Describe the energy transformations that occur in a collision between a car and a small tree. (2)

8.

A car of mass 1000kg reaches the bottom of a hill at 20 ms-1.

(3)

(a) What is its momentum?

It then strikes a snowdrift, and is stopped in 5s

(b) What is the force exerted by the snow on the skier?

9.
A Ford Falcon of mass 1540kg travelling north at 110 kmh-1 has a head-on collision with a
Toyota Camry of mass 1325kg. The cars lock together and skid north at 10kmhr-1.
(5)
(a) What was the original velocity of the Camry?

(b) Explain why momentum is conserved in collisions

10.

Use this statement to answer the following questions:

Passengers in a car feel as if they are thrown backwards when the car starts suddenly.

(3)

(a) Define inertia

(b) Explain why the passengers in the train are not thrown backward.

12.
Explain why more damage occurs to a car which crashes into a fixed brick wall compared to a
car crashing into a wall that is free to move.
(3)

13.

(a) List 2 safety features of cars.

Feature 1:
Feature 2:

(b) For each safety feature, evaluate its effectiveness using momentum and impulse
Evaluation of feature 1:

Evaluation of feature 2:

(4)