Name ___________________________________ Date __________

AP Physics 1 Mrs. Kelly

Midterm Review
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An object is thrown with a horizontal velocity of 20 m/s from a cliff that is 125 meters above level ground. If air resistance is
negligible, the time that it takes the object to fall to the ground from the cliff is most nearly
a) 3 s b) 5 s c) 6 s d) 12 s e) 25 s

2. The motion of a particle along a straight line is represented by the position versus time graph below. At which of the labeled
points on the graph is the magnitude of the acceleration of the particle greatest?

a) A b) B c) C d) D e) E

3. The graph below shows the velocity versus time for an object moving in a straight line. At what time after t = 0 does the
object again pass through its initial position?

a) Between 0 and 1 s b) 1 s c) Between 1 and 2 s d) 2 s e) Between 2 and 3 s

4. A body moving in the positive x direction passes the origin at time t = 0. Between t = 0 and t = 1 second, the body has a
constant speed of 24 m/s. At t = 1 second, the body is given a constant acceleration of 6 m/s 2 in the negative x direction. The
position x of the body at t = 11 seconds is
a) +99 m b) +36 m c) - 36 m d) - 75 m e) - 99 m

5. A truck traveled 400 meters north in 80 seconds, and then it traveled 300 meters east in 70 seconds. The magnitude of the
average velocity of the truck was most nearly
a) 1.2 m/s b) 3.3 m/s c) 4.6 m/s d) 6.6 m/s e) 9.3 m/s

6. An object is released from rest on a planet that has no atmosphere. The object falls freely for 3.0 meters in the first second.
What is the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity on the planet?
a) 1.5 m/s2 b) 3.0 m/s2 c) 6.0 m/s2 d) 10.0 m/s2 e) 12.0 m/s2

7. A ball is thrown and follows the parabolic path shown below. Air friction is negligible. Point Q is the highest point on the
path. Points P and R are the same height above the ground.

How do the speeds of the ball at the three points compare?

a) vP < vQ < vR b) vR < vQ < vP c) vQ < vR < vP d) vQ < vP = vR e) vP = v R < v Q

8. A ball falls straight down through the air under the influence of gravity. There is a retarding force F on the ball with
magnitude given by F = bv, where v is the speed of the ball and b is a positive constant. The magnitude of the acceleration a
of the ball at any time is equal to which of the following?
a) g – b b) g – bv/m c) g + bv/m d) g/b e) bv/m
Base your answers to questions 9 and 10 on the information and diagram below:
A 2 kg block, starting from rest, slides 20 meters down a frictionless inclined plane from X to Y, dropping a vertical distance of 10
meters as shown below.

9. The magnitude of the net force on the block while it is sliding is most nearly
a) 0.1 N b) 0.4 N c) 2.5 N d) 5.0 N e) 10.0 N

10. The speed of the block at point Y is most nearly

a) 7 m/s b) 10 m/s c) 14 m/s d) 20 m/s e) 100 m/s

11. A block of mass 3m can move without friction on a horizontal table.

This block is attached to another block of mass m by a cord that passes over a frictionless pulley, as shown below.

If the masses of the cord and pulley are negligible, what is the magnitude of the acceleration of the descending block?
a) Zero b) g/4 c) g/3 d) 2g/3 e) g

12. A 2 kg block slides down a 30° incline as shown below with an acceleration of 2 m/s2.

The magnitude of the frictional force along the plane is most nearly
a) 2.5 N b) 5 N c) 6 N d) 10 N e) 16 N

13. A block of mass 2 kg slides along a horizontal tabletop. A horizontal applied force of 12 N and a vertical applied force of
15 N act on the block, as shown below. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the table is 0.2, the
frictional force exerted on the block is most nearly

a) 1N b) 3 N c) 4N d) 5 N e) 7N

14. A push broom of mass m is pushed across a rough horizontal floor by a force of magnitude T directed at angle  as shown
below. The coefficient of friction between the broom and the floor is . The frictional force on the broom has magnitude

a) (mg + Tsin) b) (mg – Tsin) c) (mg + Tcos) d) (mg – Tcos) e) mg

15. In which of the following situations would an object be accelerated?

I. It moves in a straight line at constant speed.
II. It moves with uniform circular motion.
III. It travels as a projectile in a gravitational field with negligible air resistance.
a) I only b) III only c) I and II only d) II and III only e) I, II and III
16. A ball attached to a string is whirled around in a horizontal circle having a radius r. If the radius of the circle is changed to 4r
and the same centripetal force is applied by the string, the new speed of the ball is which of the following?
a) One-quarter the original speed b) One-half the original speed
c) The same as the original speed d) Twice the original speed
e) Four times the original speed

17. When a person stands on a rotating merry-go-round, the frictional force exerted on the person by the merry-go-round is
a) greater in magnitude than the frictional force exerted on the person by the merry-go-round.
b) opposite in direction to the frictional force exerted on the merry-go-round by the person.
c) directed away from the center of the merry-go-round.
d) zero if the rate of rotation is constant.
e) independent of the person’s mass.

18. An object weighing 4 N swings on the end of a string as a simple pendulum. At the bottom of the swing, the tension in the
string is 6 N. What is the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration of the object at the bottom of the swing?
a) 0 b) ½ g c) g d) 3/2 g e) 5/2 g

19. Mars has a mass 1/10 that of Earth and a diameter ½ that of Earth. The acceleration of a falling body near the surface of Mars
is most nearly
a) 0.25 m/s2 b) 0.5 m/s2 c) 2 m/s2 d) 4 m/s2 e) 25 m/s2

20. If Spacecraft X has twice the mass of Spacecraft Y, then true statements about X and Y include which of the following?
I. On Earth, X experiences twice the gravitational force that Y experiences.
II. On the Moon, X has twice the weight of Y.
III. When both are in the same circular orbit, X has twice the centripetal acceleration of Y.
a) I only b) III only c) I and II only d) II and III only e) I, II and III

21. Each of five satellites makes a circular orbit about an object that is much more massive than any of the satellites. The mass
and orbital radius of each satellite are given below. Which satellite has the greatest speed?
Mass Radius
a) ½ m R
b) m ½R
c) m R
d) m 2R
e) 2m R

22. A horizontal force F is used to pull a 5 kg block across a floor at a constant speed of 3 m/s. The frictional force between the
block and the floor is 10 N. The work done by the force F in 1 minute is most nearly
a) 0 J b) 30 J c) 600 J d) 1,350 J e) 1,800 J

23. Object A has a mass m and is moving with a speed 2v. Object B has a mass 2m and is moving with a speed v. Both are
gliding over a horizontal frictionless surface and encounter the same frictional force, which directly oppose their motion, and
are brought to rest by it. Which statement best describes their respective stopping distances?
a) The stopping distance of object A is ¼ the stopping distance of object B.
b) The stopping distance of object A is ½ the stopping distance of object B.
c) The stopping distances of objects A and B are the same.
d) The stopping distance of object A is twice the stopping distance of object B.
e) The stopping distance of object A is four times the stopping distance of object B.

24. A roller coaster in the diagram below leaves the top of hill A from rest. Its speed at B is v. What is the speed of the coaster at
the top of hill C?

1
a) v b) ½ v c) v d) 2v e) 2v
2

25. A weight lifter lifts a mass m at constant speed to a height h in time t. What is the power output of the weightlifter?
a) mg b) mh c) mgh d) mght e) mgh/t

26. A person pushes a box across a horizontal surface at a constant speed of 0.5 m/s. The box has a mass of 40 kg, and the
coefficient of friction is 0.25. The power supplied to the box by the person is
a) 0.2 W b) 5 W c) 50 W d) 100 W e) 200 W
ANSWERS
1. b
2. c
3. c
4. c
5. b
6. c
7. d
8. b
9. e
10. c
11. b
12. c
13. e
14. a
15. d
16. d
17. b
18. b
19. d
20. c
21. b
22. e
23. d
24. a
25. e
26. c