PH1011 Tut 1: Kinematics and Vectors 1

1. [G2.81] A stone is thrown vertically upward with a speed of 12.5 m/s from the edge of a cliff
75.0 m high. (a) How much later does it reach the bottom of the cliff? (b) What is its speed
just before hitting? (c) What total distance did it travel?

G2.81 G2.61

2. [G2.61] A falling stone takes 0.33 s to travel past a window 2.2 m tall. From what height
above the top of the window did the stone fall?

3. [S2.18] An object moves along the 𝑥 axis according to the equation:

𝑥 𝑡 = (3.00𝑡 ( − 2.00𝑡 + 3.00)𝑚 where t is in seconds.

Determine
(a) the average speed between t = 2.00 s and t = 3.00 s,
(b) the instantaneous speed at t = 2.00 s and at t = 3.00 s,
(c) the average acceleration between t = 2.00 s and t = 3.00 s, and
(d) the instantaneous acceleration at t = 2.00 s and t = 3.00 s.
(e) At what time is the object at rest?

4. [G2.87] A person driving her car at 45 km/h approaches an intersection just as the traffic
light turns yellow. She knows that the yellow light lasts only 2.0 s before turning to red, and
she is 28 m away from the near side of the intersection. Should she try to stop, or should she
speed up to cross the intersection before the light turns red? The intersection is 15 m wide.
Her car's maximum deceleration is –5.8 m/s2, whereas it can accelerate from 45 km/h to 65
km/h in 6.0 s. Ignore the length of her car and her reaction time.

G2.87

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5. [Past Year PH1011 Sem 1] Figure 1(b1) shows a block of mass 𝑚 sliding down a frictionless
slope. Figure 1(b2) shows a girl sliding down a curved frictionless water slide. Take the
acceleration of free fall as 𝑔 in both cases.

(a) Write down acceleration 𝑎 of the block in terms of 𝑔 and the angle 𝜃.

(b) Sketch, using the axis provided below, to show how the acceleration 𝑎 experienced by
the girl along the water slide varies with the 𝑥 coordinate.

6. [4 × 100 m race] The world record for 100 m is 9.58 s held by Usain Bolt of Jamaica. The
world record for 4 x 100 m relay is 36.84 s held by the Jamaican team in 2012 Olympics.
With the help of a velocity-time graph, explain why the timing for the 4 x 100m relay is
significantly shorter than four times of the 100 m timing.

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7. [S3.47]A person going for a walk follows the path shown in Figure. The total trip consists of
four straight-line paths. At the end of the walk, what is the person’s resultant displacement
measured from the starting point?

S3.47 S2.63

8. [S2.63] Two objects, A and B, are connected by hinges to a rigid rod that has a length L. The
objects slide along perpendicular guide rails as shown in Figure above. Assume object A
slides to the left with a constant speed v.
(a) Find the velocity vB of object B as a function of the angle θ.
(b) Describe vB relative to v. Is vB always smaller than v, larger than v, or the same as v, or
does it have some other relationship?

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 9. [‘S’ 1999 Nov, Q6]

(b) A ball bounces inelastically down a flight

of steps in a plane perpendicular to the
front edges of the steps (Fig. 6.2). The
horizontal component of the velocity
remains constant throughout but the
vertical component of the velocity is
reduced to a fraction e of the vertical
velocity before impact,

𝑣23456 = 𝑒×𝑣953:65 .

Each step is 0.20 m high and 0.30 m deep.

It is observed that the ball always
bounces exactly in the middle of each step, and that after each bounce it rises to the height of
the previous step. Air resistance can be neglected.

(i) Show that the value of the constant e for these impacts (i.e. the vertical component of velocity
immediately after impact divided by the vertical component of velocity immediately before) is
0.71.

(ii) Show also that the horizontal component of velocity of the ball is 0.62 m s-1.

(c) At the bottom of the steps in (b) the ball continues to bounce along a horizontal pavement
(Fig. 6.3).

The collisions of the ball with the pavement have the same value of e (0.71) as for the impacts
with the steps. Show that the ball does not bounce beyond a distance from the bottom of the
steps, and calculate smax. [Hint: if x < 1, 1 + x + x2 + x3 + ... = 1/(1 -x).]

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 10. [Activity] Watch the video of the ‘bouncing cart’. Sketch the velocity-time graph and the
acceleration time graph (velocity and acceleration along the slope). Having done that,
sketch the displacement-time graph. Discuss how the graphs will change if the slope is
steeper.

11. [Activity] [YF 2.80 (modified)] During orientation, a prankster is at a

top of a 46 m tall building and releases a water-bomb from rest on a
friend who is 1.80 m talk and walking towards the building at 1.20 m/s.
If the water-bomb is to hit his friend, how far from the building should
the friend be when the water bomb is released? (Ignore the effects of
air resistance)

Using the apparatus provided, design a set up and do a miniaturize

simulation of the situation.

Numerical Answers:

1. (a) 5.39s, (b) 40.3 m/s, (c) 90.9 m

2. 1.30m
3. (a) 13 m/s, (b) 10 m/s, 16 m/s, (c) 6 m/s2, (d) 6m/s2, (e) 1/3 s
4. She should stop.
5. (a) 𝑎 = 𝑔 sin 𝜃
7. 240 m and 237.2o anticlockwise from x-axis
8. (a) 𝑣? = 𝑣 cot 𝜃, (b) (to be discussed)
9. (c) smax ~ 1 m