Practice questions AS (Physics) 3/October/2021

1) A model boat is crossing a stream. The stream is travelling east at a speed of 1.5 m s . –1

The boat is heading north at a speed of 0.5 m s .–1

Determine the magnitude of the resultant velocity. (2)

2) What is the unit equivalent to the pascal? (2)

3) On a newly discovered planet, an object of mass 8.0 kg has a weight of 60 N. What is the gravitational field
strength on this planet? (2)

4) The photograph shows a lawnmower being used to cut grass.

(a) (i) In order to push the lawnmower, a minimum force of 650 N must be applied to the handle of the
lawnmower at an angle of 42° to the horizontal.
Show that the horizontal component of the force is about 500 N (2)
(ii) The lawnmower is used to cut 15 strips of grass, each 7 m long.
Calculate the work done by the person pushing the lawnmower. (2)
5) The speeds of cars travelling through roadworks on major roads are often monitored by ‘average speed check’
cameras. This is done by timing a car between two cameras a large distance apart.

A constant driving force is applied to the car for the first 6 s. At time t = 16 s the driver
realises the car is travelling too fast for the 22 m s–1 speed limit (50 miles per hour) and
applies the brakes until time t = 18 s.

1
 (a) Calculate the acceleration at time t = 3 s. (3)
(b) Describe and explain the shape of the line in the first 6 s. (4)
(c) Describe the resultant force on the car between times t = 6 s and t = 16 s. (1)
(d) Show that the average speed of the car does not exceed the average speed limit of 22 m s . –1
(4)

6) The photograph shows a wind turbine. Kinetic energy of the wind is transferred to
electrical energy by the turbine as the blades rotate.
(a) Explain why we can say that the wind is doing work on the blades. (2)
(b) The area swept out by one blade, as it turns through 360􀁱, is 6000 m . 2

Wind at a speed of 9 m s passes the turbine.

–1

(i) Show that the volume of air passing through this area in 5 seconds is about
300 000 m .3
(2)
(ii) Calculate the mass of this air.
density of air = 1.2 kg m –3
(2)
(iii) Calculate the kinetic energy of this mass of air. (2)

7) A tennis ball of mass 0.06kg moves towards a wall at a velocity of 5 m s as shown.

–1

The tennis ball hits the wall perpendicularly and rebounds at the same speed.
What is the change in momentum of the ball? (2)
8) Road trains are used in Australia to transport freight across large,
flat areas of the country. They consist of a minimum of three trailers
connected to a cab unit to pull them along.

(a) The braking distance of a road train travelling at 15m s is 70m.

−1

Assuming that the same braking force is applied at all speeds, show that the braking
distance of a road train when travelling at 25m s is about 190m.
−1
(3)

(b) A car accelerates uniformly at 3.7m s as it passes a stationary road train.

−2

The initial speed of the car is 30m s and it reaches the speed limit of 130km h as it passes the front of the cab.
−1 −1

Calculate the length of the road train. (3)

9) A motorist received a speeding penalty notice, from the police, for a short journey along 120 m of road.
(a) The car’s specification states that the minimum time for the car to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour is
9.5 seconds.
Show that the maximum value for the average acceleration of the car over 9.5 s is about 3 m s . –2

1 mile = 1600 m (2)

(b) The police recorded a maximum speed for the car of 20 m s–1.
The motorist knows that the speed at the start and at the end of the 120 m journey was zero.
Assume that the car had:
• constant positive acceleration, equal to the value in part (a), for the first 60 m of the journey
• constant negative acceleration of the same magnitude for the final 60 m of the journey.
Determine whether the motorist should challenge the penalty notice. (3)
(c) Explain why the assumptions about the acceleration in (b) may not be correct in practice. (2)