The AP Physics C: Mechanics Exam Format

Section I: Multiple Choice

35 Questions | 45 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

Section II: Free Respose

3 Questions | 45 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

Mechanics
1. A constant horizontal force F applied to a block on an incline causes
the block to move a distance d along the incline, as shown. If the
coefficient of friction between the block and the incline is μk, what is
the work done by the applied force? (Do not assume that the block
moves at constant velocity.)
(A) W = Fd sin θ
(B) W = Fd cos θ
(C) W = mgd sin θ
(D) W = mgd sin θ − μk mgd cos θ
(E) W = mgd sin θ + μkd(mg cos θ + F sin θ)
2. The restoring force that acts on a mass is shown. For small amplitudes,
the mass moves in simple harmonic motion with a period T. Which of
the following is true of oscillations with larger amplitudes?
(A) The motion is SHM with a period of T.
(B) The motion is SHM with a period smaller than T.
(C) The motion is SHM with a period larger than T.
(D) The motion is no longer SHM, and its period is smaller than T.
(E) The motion is no longer SHM, and its period is larger than T.
3. A simple pendulum of length ℓ is moved to Mars (where g = 3.71
m/s2). Its period on Earth is 2.0 s. Its period on Mars is
(A) 0.02 s
(B) 2.0 s
(C) 3.25 s
(D) 600 s
(E) 6,000 s

4. At the instant that a mass in simple harmonic motion passes through its
equilibrium position its acceleration is
(A) maximum
(B) zero
(C) oppositely directed to its velocity
(D) parallel to its velocity
(E) cannot be determined without additional information

5. A solid sphere has a rotational inertia of when rotated about an

axis tangent to its surface as shown. What is the rotational inertia of the
sphere when it is rotated about a line passing through the center of the
sphere?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
6. As shown in the figure, a pendulum is released with the string parallel
to the ground at point I, resulting in its swinging through a 180° angle
between points I and III. When the pendulum is at point II and moving
downward, what is the direction of its acceleration?

7. A mass m moving to the right with speed v collides and sticks to a mass
of 3m moving upward with a speed 2v as shown. What is the final
velocity of the two masses?
 (A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E) none of the above

8. If a force of 2 N does work at the rate of on an object moving

with a speed of 2 m/s, the angle between the force and the velocity
vector must be
(A) 45°
(B) 120°
(C) 135°
(D) 150°
(E) It is impossible to deliver a negative power.

9. A mass m is released from rest at t = 0 in a parabolic depression as

shown. If there is no friction between the mass and the surface, which
of the graphs shows the mass’s x-position as a function of time,
assuming that the mass’s displacement from the origin is small?
(A)

(B)

(C)
 (D)

(E)

10. Referring to the situation introduced in question 9, which of the graphs

shows the x-component of the object’s acceleration as a function of
time?

Questions 11–13 refer to a projectile launched from Earth reaching a

height equal to Earth’s radius before returning to land. (Neglect air
resistance.)

11. When is the power exerted by the gravitational force the greatest?
(A) at the instant after the projectile is launched
(B) at the peak of the trajectory
(C) at the instant before the projectile hits Earth
(D) The power is maximized at the points specified in both answer
choices (A) and (B).
(E) The power is constant.

12. At which of the following points is the acceleration the greatest in

magnitude?
(A) at the instant after the projectile is launched
 (B) at the peak of the trajectory
(C) at the instant before the projectile hits Earth
(D) The acceleration is maximized at the points specified in both
answer choices (A) and (C).
(E) The acceleration is constant.

13. Compare the gravitational potential energy when the particle is

launched to the potential energy when the particle is at the peak of its
trajectory.
(A) Upeak = Ulaunch because of conservation of energy.
(B) |Upeak| > |Ulaunch| and Upeak > 0
(C) |Upeak| < |Ulaunch| and Upeak < 0
(D) |Upeak| < |Ulaunch| and Upeak > 0
(E) |Upeak| > |Ulaunch| and Upeak < 0

14. A wheel accelerates at uniform angular acceleration α from rest. If its

speed after one full rotation is ω, what was its speed after half a
rotation?
(A) ω
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

15. A mass m is suspended in an elevator. In terms of the tension T of the

string and the weight of the mass, what is the upward acceleration of
the elevator?
(A) T − mg
(B) mg − T
 (C) (T/m) + g
(D) (T/m) − g
(E) g − T/m

16. A mass initially at rest explodes into two fragments with masses m1
and m2. If m1 subsequently moves with a speed v1, how much kinetic
energy was liberated in the explosion?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E) Not enough information is given.

17. A projectile is launched on level ground with an initial speed v0 and

angle of elevation θ. All of the following statements concerning the
projectile right before it lands are correct except
(A) The acceleration is equal to g downward.
(B) The power exerted by the gravitational force is maximized.
(C) The time the projectile was in the air is equal to 2v0sin θ/g.
(D) The projectile has the same kinetic energy as when it was
launched.
(E) The projectile has the same velocity as when it was launched.

18. For a system in simple harmonic motion, which of the following

statements is true? (The equilibrium point refers to the point in the
middle of the particle’s oscillation, which could potentially be a static
equilibrium point; the turning points are points where the particle
reverses direction.)
(A) The acceleration is maximized at the equilibrium point.
(B) The velocity is maximized at the turning points.
 (C) The restoring force is maximized at the equilibrium point.
(D) The displacement is maximized at the turning points.
(E) None of the above are true; it depends on the particular situation.

19. An object slides with horizontal velocity v0 off a cliff of height h. How
far from the base of the cliff does the object hit the ground?
(A) v0g/h
(B) v0h/2g
(C) 2gv0/h
(D)
(E)

20. The angular position of a wheel is given by the equation θ(t) = 2t3 −
6t2, where θ is measured in radians and t in seconds. When is the
torque on the wheel equal to zero?
(A) t = 0.33 s
(B) t = 0.5 s
(C) t=1s
(D) t=2s
(E) t=3s

21. A small mass attached to a string rotates on a frictionless tabletop as

shown. If the tension in the string is increased, causing the radius of the
circular motion to decrease by a factor of 2, what effect will this have
on the kinetic energy of the mass?
(A) It will decrease by a factor of 2.
(B) It will remain constant.
(C) It will increase by a factor of 2.
(D) It will increase by a factor of 4.
(E) It will increase by a factor of 8.
22. Three point masses of equal mass are located as shown in the figure.
What is the x-coordinate of the center of mass of this system?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

23. When two springs are attached in parallel to a mass m as shown, what
is the equivalent spring constant?
(A) keq = k1 + k2
 (B)

(C)
(D)
(E) none of the above

24. A mass m is initially moving to the right with speed v toward a series
of hills and valleys on a frictionless surface, as shown. What range of
speeds must the mass have to become trapped in the valley between
points A and B?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E) It is impossible for the mass to become trapped.
25. If a constant net force F causes an object to accelerate from rest to a
final velocity of v while moving a distance Δx, what is the object’s
mass?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E) Not enough information is given.

26. Two concentric cylinders of radii R and 2R are fastened together and
can rotate about their centers as in the figure. If two forces of
magnitude F are exerted on the cylinders as shown, what must the
magnitude of the third unknown force be if the cylinders are to rotate
with constant angular speed?
(A) F/2
(B)
(C) F
(D)
 (E) 2F

27. A rod of uniform mass density and total mass M with a mass m
attached to one end is pivoted as shown. What is the tension force FT
needed to prevent the rod from moving?
(A) FT = 2mg
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
28. A child riding in a car along a flat road tosses a ball straight up with a
speed v. To an observer standing on the ground outside the car, the ball
appears to be thrown with an angle of elevation of θ. What is the speed
of the car?
(A) v sin θ
(B) v cos θ
(C) v sec θ
(D) v tan θ
(E) v cot θ

29. A car of mass 400 kg is rounding a flat curve of radius 80 m. If the

coefficient of static friction between the car’s tires and the ground is
0.5, the maximum speed at which the car can round the curve is closest
to which of the following?
(A) 10 m/s
(B) 20 m/s
(C) 30 m/s
(D) 40 m/s
(E) 80 m/s

30. If the acceleration of an object of mass m starting from rest is given as

a function of time by , then the kinetic energy of this object
is proportional to
 (A)
(B) mA2t
(C) mA2t3
(D) mA2t−3
(E) mA2t3/2

31. A mass m is thrown off the roof of a building of height h with an initial
speed v0 and angle of elevation θ below the horizontal. What is the
object’s speed when it reaches the ground? (Do not ignore air friction.)
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

32. A force F is exerted on the rightmost of three masses tied together by

strings as shown, causing the masses to accelerate to the right over a
frictionless horizontal surface. What is the magnitude of the indicated
tension force?

(A)

(B)
(C) F/3
(D)

(E)
33. A simple pendulum of length l has period T. A second pendulum of
length l/2 is located at twice the distance from the center of Earth
compared to the first pendulum. What is the period of the second
pendulum?
(A) T/2
(B)
(C) T
(D)
(E) 2T

34. A mass m is attached to a rod with uniform mass density at point C as

shown. The rotational inertia of this system is greatest when it is
rotated about an axis perpendicular to the rod that passes through
(A) point A
(B) point B
(C) point C
(D) a point between points A and B
(E) a point between points B and C
35. A particle’s position and velocity vectors at two different times are
shown. In what direction does the average acceleration vector point?

(A)
(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

Free-Response Questions

DIRECTIONS: Use separate sheets of paper to write down your answers to the free-
response questions. You may refer to the formula sheet in the Appendix (pages 603–
 606).

Mechanics

Mechanics I
A person (mass m) is flying to the left at a speed v0 when she manages to
grab onto the rim of a cylinder of radius R, length l, mass m, and uniform
mass density that can rotate without friction about its axis (see figure).

(a) Using integration, calculate the rotational inertia of the cylinder.

(b) What is the person’s linear speed the instant after she grabs the
cylinder?
(c) If the collision between the person and the cylinder lasts a time Δt,
what is the minimum force the person’s hands must be capable of
sustaining? (Assume Δt is very small so that the person’s height does
not change significantly during this time interval.)

Then the cylinder rotates 180° so that the person is at the top of the
cylinder.

(d) What is the angular velocity at that instant?

(e) What force must the person’s hands sustain now? (Assume that the
wheel exerts a downward force on the person in order to keep her from
flying off the wheel.)

Mechanics II
A mass m slides down a frictionless incline and sticks to a spring (spring
constant k), initiating simple harmonic motion (see figure).

(a) Express the potential energy U of the oscillating mass and spring
system in terms of x (given the axis as shown, where the origin lies at
the spring’s initial unstretched length).
(b) Graph this U(x) function, indicating the points where U(x) = 0.
(b) Based solely on this U(x) curve, where do you expect the equilibrium
position of the simple harmonic motion to lie?
(d) Based solely on Newton’s second law, where does the equilibrium
point lie?
(e) What is the angular frequency of the SHM?

Mechanics III
An object of mass m is placed onto a dish that is attached to a spring (of
spring constant k) hanging from the ceiling. Assume that the dish and the
spring have negligible mass.
(a) What is the equilibrium extension of the spring?
(b) Suppose the dish (with the mass on it) is displaced from equilibrium by
a small distance. What is the resulting frequency of oscillation?
(c) An experiment is designed to test the validity of the answer to part (b).
Different masses are placed onto the same dish, connected to the same
spring, of spring constant 100 N/m. The frequency of oscillation is
measured with the following results:

What quantities could be graphed on horizontal and vertical axes to

yield a straight line according to the answer to part (b)?
(d) Using your answer to part (c), plot the data on the grid below. Scale and
label the axes, including units. Draw a straight line that best represents
the data. The origin of your plot need not be (0, 0).

(e) Compare the slope of the line with the prediction of part (b).

Multiple-Choice Questions