Forces and Motion Chapter Problems

Motion & Speed

Classwork
1. Define motion.
2. When you look at the ground you seem to be at rest. Using the term relative
motion explain why someone in space would see you moving in a circle.
3. Define speed.
4. What is the formula for measuring the speed of an object?
5. Lance Armstrong can ride his bicycle at speeds of 15 m/s. If he is traveling at this
speed, how long will it take him to travel 81.9 meters?
6. John is growing another crop of corn this year. He plows a row of his field in 90
seconds. If each row is 384 meters long, how fast does John drive his tractor?
7. Benjamin is learning how to ride his tricycle. His driveway is 30 meters long, and
he is not allowed to ride anywhere else yet. If Benjamin travels at 3 m/s, how long
will it take him to go from one end of the driveway to the other?

Homework
8. How can you tell that an object is in motion?
9. What is a frame of reference?
10. How long does it take a snail to travel a distance of 3 ft at 0.1 ft/sec?
11. How far (distance) does a cat run if it travels at a speed of 3 m/s for 25 seconds?
12. A racecar driver frequently drives his racecar at 67 m/s for as long as he can. If he
drives his car at that speed for 22 seconds, how far will he travel?
13. Everyone in Paperville needs their newspaper before 6 a.m. on Monday. If it takes
the delivery boy 3 hours to deliver the papers at 12 m/s, what is the distance of the
paper route in Paperville?

Average vs. Instantaneous Speed & Velocity

Classwork
Men’s 100m Dash World Record Activity Sheet

Homework
14. What is the difference between average speed and instantaneous speed?
15. What is the average speed of a dog that runs 100 m in 30 s?
16. You look at your speedometer in the car on a trip to look at your speed. Is this an
average speed or instantaneous speed?
17. List two examples of average speed and two examples of instantaneous speed.
18. The Admiral train is traveling east at 100 mph and the Alamo train is traveling
west at 100 mph. Do they have the same speed? Do they have the same velocity?
Why?
19. Train A leaves New York at the same time Train B leaves California. They are
2900 miles apart. If they both travel at an average speed of 120 mph.
a. What is the velocity of train A?
b. What is the velocity of train B?
c. How long will it take before they meet?

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Graping Motion
Classwork
Graphing Motion Simulation Activity Sheet

Homework- (need graph paper)

20. It is Field Day at your school and everyone is ready for the potato sack race. Each
grade has selected one person to enter the race. There were nine checkpoints
along the racecourse. Graph the motion of the three contestants using a separate
color/line pattern for each contestant.
Name 10m 20m 30m 40m 50m 60m 70m 80m 90m
Susie (6th) 4s 9s 11s 15s 21s 23s 28s 32s 37s
th
Joe (7 ) 5s 15s 19s 24s 29s 33s 36s 41s 46s
th
Thomas (8 ) 6s 8s 11s 15s 20s 24s 28s 31s 35s

21. Who won the race?

22. Who had the fastest speed from 0- 50m?
23. Who had the fastest speed from 0-70m?

Acceleration
Classwork
24. Define acceleration.
25. Write the formula for measuring the acceleration of an object.
26. What is the SI unit of measurement for acceleration?
27. Explain 3 ways that you can change motion and accelerate.
28. What is the acceleration of a car that starts at rest and increases its speed to 10 m/s
in 2 seconds?
29. What is the acceleration of an object that starts at 10 m/s and slows to 2 m/s in 4
seconds?
30. Describe the speed of an object as seen in the acceleration graph below:

31. Describe the speed of an object

as seen in the acceleration graph below:

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Homework
32. Explain why going around a corner on a bicycle is considered acceleration.
33. A car increases its speed. Is this acceleration positive or negative? Explain.
34. What is the acceleration of a rocket that is travelling at 20 m/s and increases it’s
velocity to 40 m/s in 4 seconds?
35. What is the acceleration of a dragster that deploys a parachute when travelling at
33 m/s and slows to rest in 11 seconds?
36. Describe the speed of an object as seen in the acceleration graph seen below:

37. Describe the speed of an object as seen in the acceleration graph seen below:

Forces & Friction

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Classwork
38. Define a force.
39. How are forces involved in changing the motion of an object?
40. What is the “BIG IDEA” about the relationship between forces and acceleration?
41. What is the Unit for measuring force in the SI system of measurement?
42. Calculate the net force in the diagram seen below:

43. Define friction and explain its effect on motion.

44. Differentiate between static and kinetic friction.

Homework
45. A force is a push or a pull acting on an object. How do forces affect motion when
the forces are a) balanced, and b) unbalanced?
46. What happens to the motion of any object that feels an unbalanced force?
47. What types of friction occur when you ride a bike through a puddle?

Gravity & Equilibrium

Classwork
48. In your own words, define the law of gravitation.
49. What is the formula for measuring the weight of any object?
50. Why is the weight of a barbell smaller on the moon compared to the Earth?
51. What happens to the force of gravity as any 2 objects move farther apart?
52. When is an object said to be in free fall?
53. Define Equilibrium and relate it to the term balanced forces.

54. Calculate the Net force acting on the block in the diagram seen below:

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Homework
55. As we move away from the center of the Earth, what happens to the force of
gravity?
56. Explain why Jupiter’s gravitational constant is stronger than Mercury’s
gravitational constant.
57. What is the weight of a 99 kg man on Earth?
58. Why does an object accelerate when it falls toward Earth’s surface?
59. What happens to the motion of any object that feels an unbalanced force?
60. If an object is in equilibrium, then the forces must be _____________________?
61. Calculate the net force acting on the block seen in the diagram below:

62. Is the object in #50 in equilibrium? Explain.

Newton’s First Law

Classwork
63. Who were the early scientists that first studied/explained motion?
64. What were some of the advances that Sir Isaac Newton made in the area of
physics and mathematics?
65. Define Newton’s 1st law of motion.
66. What is the relationship between an object’s mass and the amount of inertia it
exhibits? Give an example to answer this question.

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Homework
67. Define inertia.
68. Which object has more inertia? A boy or an automobile? Why?
69. In your own words, explain an example of Newton’s 1st law of motion.

Newton’s Second Law

Classwork
70. How does applying a force to an object affect its motion?
71. What is the acceleration of a 100 kg canoe that feels a force of 1000N?
72. If the canoe in problem #74 is loaded to have a total mass of 500 kg and the force
stays the same at 1000 N, what is the new acceleration?
73. A tennis ball, 0.314 kg, is accelerated at a rate of 164 m/s2 when hit by a
professional tennis player. What force does the player’s tennis racket exert on the
ball?
74. You push a friend sitting on a swing. She has a mass of 50 kg and accelerates at a
rate of 4 m/s2. Find the force you exerted.
75. How much force would it take to push another friend who has a mass of 70 kg to
accelerate at the same rate of 4 m/s2?

Homework
76. What is the unit of force when completing physics problems?
77. As the mass of an object increases, what if the effect on the resulting
acceleration?
78. What is the acceleration of a 1000 kg car that feels a force of 5000 N?
79. What force causes a 1 m/s2 acceleration of a 5 kg bowling ball?
80. What is the mass of an object that accelerates at a rate of 3 m/s2 when acted upon
by a 30 N force?
81. A worker drops his hammer off the roof of a house. The hammer has a mass of 9
kg, and gravity accelerates it at the usual 9.8 m/s2. How much force does the earth
apply to the hammer?

Newton’s Third Law

Classwork
82. Define Newton’s 3rd Law.
83. When forces act upon two objects in contact, explain the forces in terms of
“paired forces.”
84. Explain how a rocket works using Newton’s third law of motion.
85. Define momentum.
86. How is momentum similar / different to inertia?
87. What is the formula and unit for measuring momentum?
88. What is the momentum of a 10 kg object travelling at 3 m/s?

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 89. What is the momentum of a 10 kg object travelling at 6 m/s?
90. What happens to the momentum of an object if the velocity is doubled?

Homework
91. How does Newton’s third law relate to the man jumping out of a canoe as
discussed in the lesson on momentum?
92. Compare the momentum of a fly and a train travelling at the same velocity.
93. How does sitting in your chair relate to Newton’s 3rd law of motion?
94. What is the momentum of a 13 kg shot-put travelling at 3 m/s?
95. What is the momentum of the same shot-put travelling at 1.5 m/s?
96. If the velocity of an object is cut in half, what happens to the momentum of the
object?
97. Define “conservation of momentum” and give an example of this principle in the
real world.

Answers
1. A change in position relative to a entire trip. Instantaneous speed is
reference frame. the speed at any one moment
2. You are seeing the ground at rest during the trip. If travelling at a
because you are moving at the constant speed inst speed = avg
same speed as the ground. speed.
3. Speed is change in distance 15. 3.33 m/s
divided by time. 16. Instantaneous spped
4. S = d/t 17. Answers will vary
5. 5.46s 18. Yes, same speed of 100mph. No,
6. 4.27m/s different velocity because they
7. 10s are traveling in different
8. Change in position directions.
9. A background which motion is 19. a. 120mph west
measured. b. 120mph east
10. 30s c. 12.08 hours
11. 75m 20. See graph below at end of
12. 1,474m Answer Key
13. 2,160m 21. Thomas
14. Average speed is computed 22. Thomas
mathematically with the total 23. Suzie and Thomas were tied
distance divided by time of an

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 24. Rate change of velocity over a 47. Fluid, rolling, and kinetic
period of time. 48. All objects that have mass exert
25. A = Vf -Vo / t gravitational forces. Answers
26. m/s2 will vary.
27. Increase speed, decrease speed, 49. W = mg
change direction. 50. The barbell weighs less on the
28. 5 m/s2 moon because acceleration due to
29. – 2 m/s2 gravity g is less on the moon.
30. Increase in velocity at a constant 51. Force of gravity is reduced.
rate. 52. When the only force acting on
31. Covers more and more distance the object is gravity.
every second = constant 53. Equilibrium is when all forces
acceleration = constant increase are balanced and cancel out to
in velocity equal zero.
32. Change in direction 54. 7N
33. + a = increase in velocity/speed. 55. The force of gravity decreases
34. 5 m/s2 56. The force of gravity on Jupiter is
35. – 3.33 m/s2 greater because Jupiter has more
36. Negative acceleration speed mass than Mercury.
slows at a constant rate. 57. 970N
37. Negative acceleration speed 58. It experiences the force of
slows at a constant rate. gravity.
38. Push or pull 59. It accelerates.
39. Forces overcome inertia and 60. Balanced
cause a change in motion 61. 0N
(acceleration) 62. Yes, because the net force is 0N
40. Unbalanced forces cause meaning all forces are balanced.
acceleration 63. Galileo & Aristotle
41. Newton (N) – kgm/s2 64. Devised Calculus, laws of
42. 12N motion, and law of gravitation
43. Friction is a force that opposes 65. A body in motion stays in
motion typically slows a moving motion, a body at rest stays at
object. rest. Unless acted upon by an
44. Static friction is friction at rest. unbalanced force.
Kinetic friction is friction in 66. More mass = more inertia. Ex)
motion STATIC >KINETIC hard to stop a moving bus.
45. Balanced = Equilibrium = no 67. A resistance in change in motion
acceleration. Unbalanced = due to mass.
acceleration 68. An automobile because it has
46. It experiences acceleration. more mass.

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 69. Answers will vary. 96. ½ velocity = ½ momentum
70. A force will cause an 97. During a collision, the
acceleration if it is unbalanced. momentum of the system stays
71. 10 m/s2 the same. Ex) Perfect bouncy ball
72. 2 m/s2 off wall.
73. 51.5N
74. 200N
75. 280N
76. N
77. The acceleration decreases.
78. 5 m/s2
79. 5N
80. 10 kg
81. 88.2N
82. For every action, there is an
equal and opposite reaction.
83. Two forces are equal and
opposite
84. Action of gases in one direction,
cause the rocket to move in the
opposite direction.
85. Product of mass times velocity
86. Momentum is zero at rest. Inertia
is still present at rest.
87. p = mv, unit = kgm/s
88. 30 kgm/s
89. 60kgm/s
90. Doubling velocity = doubled
momentum
91. Momentum of man one direction
causes boat to have an equal and
opposite momentum.
92. Fly has less momentum because
it has less mass.
93. You push down on the chair and
the chair pushes back with equal
and opposite force. You are in
equilibrium
94. 39 kgm/s
95. 19.5 kgm/s

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 100
90
80
70
60
Susie
50
Joe
40
Thomas
30
20
10
0
0 10 20 30 40 50

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