Physics Review

1. a) Four kinds of potential energy are:

i) ___________________ iii) __________________
ii) __________________ iv) __________________
b) What do they all have in common?

2. For each of the following identify which object has more potential
energy and explain why.
a) a bowling ball or a ping pong ball both sitting on a closet shelf
b) a bowling ball on the moon or a bowling ball on earth
c) a bowling ball at waist level or a bowling ball above your head

3. Calculate the kinetic energy of a 420 kg motorcycle if it is travelling

with a speed of 90.0 km/h.

4. A student stands on a desk with a 1.4 kg science textbook on his

head. The student is 1.7 m tall and the desk is 0.84 m high.
a. Calculate the potential energy of the textbook relative to the
desk top.

b) Calculate how much more potential energy the textbook has relative to
the ground that to the desk top.
 5. A 1200 kg plane flying at an altitude of 1.65 km suddenly has its
engine quit. The plane goes into a dive straight down towards the
ground.
a) Calculate the potential energy of the airplane when it is flying.

b) Calculate the speed of the plane in the instant before it strikes the
ground.

6. A spring exerts an average force of 32.0 N over a distance of

0.0125 m as it launches a 0.0500 kg marble 0.600 m straight up into
the air.
a) Calculate the increase in gravitational potential energy of the marble.

b) Calculate the elastic potential energy of the spring.

c) Calculate the efficiency of the launching system.

7. The First Law of Thermodynamics means “You can’t get something

for nothing.” The Second Law of Thermodynamics means “You can’t
even break even.” Explain what is meant by each of these statements.
8. For each of the following energy converters or conversion processes,
determine the type of input (direct and useful output energies. Be
specific.
Converter Input Output
a) electric stove
b) power drill
c) hair dryer
d) photosynthesis
e) flashlight

9. A diesel engine was found to be only 19.5% efficient. If 17 450 J of

energy is put into the engine, how much energy is expected to come out
of the engine?

10. The amount of energy used by a machine was monitored over time
and the data plotted on the graph below.
Use the graph to determine the power rating (the power used) by the
machine.

11. A colour TV has a power rating of 500 W. If the TV is on for an

average of 6 hours per day, how much would it cost for a month (30
days)? Note: Cost of electricity is 7.5804 cents per kWh.

12. All motion may be classified as one of two types. Name the two main
types of motion and give an example of each.

13. Sketch a distance-time graph of a decelerating object. What is the

other term for this kind of motion?

14. What does the slope on a velocity-time graph represent? What

does the area under the line on the same graph represent?

15. A golf ball is struck and travels 320 m in 10.0 s. Calculate its speed
in m/s and km/h.
16. A race car with a mass of 3000 kg is travelling 100 m/s. Suddenly,
the driver slams on the brakes. It takes 5.00 s and 100 m to stop.
Calculate the work done on the car by the brakes. (This involves three
separate calculations.)

17. Calculate the potential energy of a 500 kg boulder that sits on a

ledge 1500 m above the valley floor.

18. If the boulder in the above question were to fall, what would be its
velocity just before it hit the ground?

19. Calculate the potential energy of spring if it was compressed 25.0

cm with a force of 125 N.

20. If you left a 100 W light bulb on all night (assume 7.5 h) how much
energy would you use? Calculate the cost of leaving the light on all
night over a period of 30 days.

21. If a particular car engine is only 28 % efficient, how much useful

energy should come out of the engine if 638 kJ of energy is put into
the engine?
 22. Give the names of two different kinds of potential energy and give
an example of each.

23. Give another version of each unit below:

(a) N = ____
(b) J = ___ or ____
(c)W = ___
(d) W s = _____ (substitute W for the answer from above)

24. (a) Name two properties of an object that determine how much
kinetic energy it has:
1. _________ and 2. ___________
(b) Which has more effect and why? (Check formula)
__________________

25. (a) Name 2 properties of an object that determine how much

gravitational potential energy it has on earth: 1. _____________ and
2. ____________
(b) Which has more effect and why? (Check formula)
__________________
26. How long would it take a rocket to reach a velocity of 600 m/s if it
accelerates at 15m/s ?
27. Calculate the acceleration of a car, travelling at 18.0 km/h, which
slows to a stop in 3.00 seconds.
 28. A shot put is accelerated at 4.0 m/s . This required 24.0 N of
force. How massive is the shotput?

29. A 1200 kg van travelling at 36 m/s strikes another car and comes
to a stop in 18 seconds. What force was required to stop the van?

30. Mark on the diagram of a roller coaster below the location of the
following:
1. maximum potential energy of the car
2. maximum kinetic energy of the car
3. points where the car has equal amounts of potential and kinetic.

31. A car with a mass of 6 300 kg is travelling at 28 m/s. It strikes a

curb and takes 4.00 seconds and 56 m to come to a stop. How much
work was done by the curb on the car?
32. (a) If an 80 kg acrobat jumps onto the catapult, how far up will the
60 kg acrobat go up? (Assume the catapult is 100 % efficient)

(b) How far up would 60 kg acrobat go, if the system were only
60% efficient?
33. A car travelling at 60 m/s slowed to 40 m/s. This turned out to be
a negative acceleration of 4.0 m/s . How long did it take the car to
slow to 40 m/s?

34. Sketch a line on the distance-time graph below showing an object

accelerating.

35. How long would it take a cheetah to run 1.20 km if it could maintain
an average velocity of 20 m/s?

36. A car is travelling and receives 75 000 J of input (through

gasoline). 4.0 J of thermal energy from friction is produced, as
well as 1.0 J of sound energy and, of course kinetic energy.
Calculate the efficiency of the car’s motor.
37. A windmill is 40 % efficient and is given 8000 J of input. How many
joules of waste energy are produced?

38. A boy exerts a force of 125 N while pulling a sled over a 20 m

distance. The trip took 35 seconds. Calculate the power used.

39. Calculate the velocity of an aircraft which is able to travel a

distance of 5 km in a time of 30 s. Give your answer in m/s and km/h.

40. A car travels at a speed of 30 m/s for 240 km. How long does it
take for the trip?

41. What is the acceleration of a speedboat if it is able to achieve a

speed of 70 m/s in a time of 16.0 s?

42. A world-class sprinter is able to accelerate from a standing start

at a rate of 2.5 m/s . If her top speed is 8 m/s, how long will it take
her to achieve her top speed?
43. Using the information in question 42, calculate the force necessary
to move the sprinter if her mass is 45 kg.

44. Calculate the work the sprinter will do if she sprints 50 m.

45. A 12.0 kg shotput is accelerated at a rate of 3.8 m/s . What force

is necessary to accelerate it at that rate?
46. How much work is done in the previous question if the shotput
travels a distance of 22.5 m?

47. A 18 000 kg truck travelling at a speed of 25 m/s increases its

velocity to 31 m/s in a time of 1 minute. What is the force necessary to
do this?

48. How much work is accomplished if a 5 kg mass accelerated at a rate

of 10 m/s for a total distance of 2.5 m?

49. A truck with a mass of 12 500 kg is travelling at 28 m/s. Suddenly

the driver slams on the brakes. The truck takes 4.00 s and 56 m to
stop. Calculate the work done on the truck by the brakes.
50. A 20.0 N object is lifted at a constant velocity from the floor to a
height of 1.50 m. How much work is done on the object?

51. A 2.20 N object is held 2.20 m above the floor for 10.0 s. How
much work is done on the object?

52. A 20.0 kg object is lifted vertically at a constant velocity 2.50 m in

2.00 s by a student. Calculate the power output of the student.

53. A 25.0 N object is held 2.10 m above the ground. What is the
potential energy of the object with respect to the ground?

54. How much charge is contained in a 9.0 V battery that stores 45 J

of potential energy?
55. An archer pulls on the bow string with a force of 12.0 N while
drawing the arrow back a distance of 0.20 m. Calculate the potential
energy in the bow-arrow system.

56. A 3.0 kg object is travelling at a constant speed of 7.5 m/s. What

its kinetic energy?
57. The kinetic energy of a 20.0 N object is 500 J. What is the speed
of the object?

58. If a mouse scurries 3.00 m away from a cat in 12.0 s, how fast is
the mouse travelling?

59. A bullet leaves the muzzle of a French Foreign Legion officer’s gun
at 6.03 m/s and flies for 3.06 s before it hits the wall just to the left
of the condemned prisoner’s head. How far was the prisoner away from
the officer?

MULTIPLE CHOICE PRACTICE

1. The concept of kinetic energy is illustrated in all but one of the
following. Which one is not illustrating kinetic energy?
A. a moving auto B. a spinning flywheel
C. a coiled up mainspring in a watch D. a hurricane
2. When the speed of a car is doubled, the car’s
A. kinetic energy is doubled B. potential energy is
quadrupled
C. potential is doubled D. kinetic energy is
quadrupled
3. What is the potential energy of a 1.5 kg stone sitting on a ledge
which is 1.75 km above a canyon floor?
A. 2.6 J B. 26 J C. 2.6 kJ D. 257 J
4. An electrical appliance has been found to use 1000 W of power. If
the appliance runs for a total of 10 minutes, how much energy would it
have used?
A. l0 kJ B. 60 kJ C. 6.0 kJ D. 1.0 J
5. Many scientists tried to produce machines that would run forever on
a minimum of input energy. Why have they never succeeded?
A. heat always flows from a warm object to a cold object
B. it violates the second law of thermodynamics
C. more energy cannot produces than originally put in
D. the oil companies have bought up all of their plans
6. As the number of energy conversions increases, the amount of
useful energy decreases. Most of this “lost” energy is in what form?
A. sound energy B. heat energy
C. mechanical energy D. kinetic energy
7. What is the amount of work done to increase the speed of a 2.5 kg
cart from 4.0 m/s to 10.0 m/s?
A. 0.045 kJ B. 0.l0 kJ C. 0.11 kJ D. 0.21 kJ
8. What is the mass of a car which has 52.9 kJ of gravitational
potential energy when it is up on a hoist located 2.2 m above the floor
of a garage?
A. 2.5 kg B. 2.5 kg C. 4.1 kg D. 2.5
kg
9. Calculate the work done on a 750 g book if it is placed on top of a
bookshelf which is 1.80 m high.
A. 13.2 J B. 132 J C. 1.32 kJ D.
13.2 kJ
10. When the gravitational force is reduced to half its original value,
A. E is doubled B. E is doubled
C. E is reduced to half D. E is reduced to half
11. Which of the following is an example of potential energy?
A. an electric current
B. thermal energy of a substance
C. a piston being forced down in a cylinder of a car
D. the glucose produced in photosynthesis
12. When graphing, the _________ variable is plotted on the y-axis.
A. manipulated B. responding C. distance D.
controlled
13. The energy that a system is designed to produce is called
A. input energy B. potential energy
C. useful output energy D. non-useful output energy
14. A watt is equivalent to
A. kg m /s B. m/s C. N m D. J/s
15. A kilowatt hour (kWh) is a unit of
A. work B. force C. energy D. power
16. If 525 J of light energy strike a plant and the soil around it, and
the plant uses this light to produce 4.2 J of chemical energy, how
efficient is the plant?
A. 0.0080% B. 0.80% C. 80% D.99%
17. A stereo has a power rating of 550 W. If the stereo is played for
1.5 h, how much energy did it use?
A. 3.0 kJ B. 0.83 kJ C. 0.37 kJ D. 0.10 J
18. The energy conversion as a mouse trap springs shut is
 A. mechanical energy to elastic energy
B. mechanical energy to heat and sound
C. chemical energy to mechanical energy
D. elastic energy to mechanical and sound energy
19. When comparing coal-fired generating stations to hydroelectric
stations, the statement which applies is that coal-fired generating
stations require
A. fewer energy conversions and are more efficient than
hydroelectric stations
B. more energy conversions and are more efficient than
hydroelectric stations
C. fewer energy conversions and are less efficient than
hydroelectric stations
D. more energy conversions and are less efficient than
hydroelectric stations