Adama Science and Technology University (ASTU)

College of Applied Natural Science, Department of Applied Physics

November 05, 2024/25

General Physics (Phys1101), Work sheet #1

Ch-1

1. Vector A has negative x component 3-units in length and a positive y component 2-unit in
length.
(a) Determine an expression for vector A in unit-vector notation.
(b) Determine the magnitude and direction of A.
(c) What vector B when added to A gives a resultant vector with no ‘x’ component and a
negative ‘y’ component 4-units in length?
2. A dog searching for a bone walks 3.5m south, and then runs 8.2m at an angle 30° north of
east, and finally walks 15m west. Find the dog’s resultant displacement vector using
graphical techniques.
3. A man pushing a mop across a floor causes it to undergo two displacements. The first has a
magnitude of 150cm and makes an angle of 120° with the positive x axis. The resultant
displacement has a magnitude of 140 cm and is directed at an angle of 35° to the positive x
axis. Find the magnitude and direction of the second displacement.
4. The rectangle showed in figure 1.1 has sides parallel to the ‘x’ and ‘y’ axes. The position
vectors of two corners are A = 10m at 50° and B = 12m at 30°.
a. Find the perimeter of the rectangle.
b. Find the magnitude and direction of the vector from the origin to the upper right corner of
the rectangle.

Page 1 of 12
 Figure 1.1
5. Three concurrent forces acting on a bracket (Figure 1-2). Find the magnitude and angle of the
resultant force.

Figure 1-2
6. A commuter airplane takes the route shown in Figure 1-3. First, it flies from the origin of the
coordinate system shown to city A, located 175 km in a direction 30° north of east. Next, it
flies 153 km 20° west of north to city B. Finally, it flies 195 km due west to city C. What is
the location of city C relative to the origin?

Figure 1-3
 
7. In the figure 1-4, Vector A is a vector of magnitude 35 units; B is a vector of magnitude 13
units. If tan   4 3 and tan   5 12 then,

a. Write A and B in terms of iˆ and ĵ

 
b. Show that A  B makes an angle of 45 to the x axis

Page 2 of 12
 Figure 1-4

Ch-2

1. A sled is coasting on a horizontal snow-covered surface with an initial speed of 4.0 m s .

If the coefficient of friction between the sled and the snow is 0.14 , how far will the sled
travel before coming to rest?
2. Neglect of the effects of air resistance for the following. A soccer ball is kicked from the
 
ground into the air. When the ball is at a height of 12.5m its velocity is 5.6iˆ  4 ˆj m s.
a. To what maximum height will the ball rise?
b. What horizontal distance will be travelled by the ball?
c. With what velocity will it hit the ground?
3. The 2.0-kg block in Figure 2-1 slides down a friction less curved ramp, starting from rest
at a height of 3.0m . The block then slides 9.0m on a rough horizontal surface before
coming to rest.
a. What is the speed of the block at the bottom of the ramp?
b. What is the energy dissipated by friction?
c. What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the horizontal
surface?

Figure 2-1

Page 3 of 12
4. A person walks first at a constant speed of 5m/s along a straight line from point A to
point B and then back along the line from B to A at a constant speed of 3m/s. What is
a) His average speed over the entire trip?
b) His average velocity over the entire trip?
5. A mountain biker encounters a jump on a race course that sends him into the air at 60° to
the horizontal. If he lands at a horizontal distance of 45m and 20m below his launch
point, what is his initial speed?
6. At half of its maximum height, the speed of a projectile is three- fourths of its initial
speed. What was its launch angle?
 
7. A block of mass 2kg is accelerated by the two forces F1  8iˆ  3 ˆj and F2  5iˆ  7 ˆj ,(all
units in Newton’s)
(a) What is the net force on the block in unit vector notation, and what is its
magnitude and direction?
(b) What is the magnitude and direction of the acceleration?

 
8. A fish swimming in a horizontal plane has velocity vi  4iˆ  ˆj m s at a point in the ocean

 
where the position relative to a certain rock is ri  10iˆ  4 ˆj m. After the fish swims with

 
constant acceleration for 20.0 s, its velocity is v  2iˆ  5 ˆj m s.
(a) What are the components of the acceleration?

(b) What is the direction of the acceleration with respect to unit -vector iˆ ?
(c) If the fish maintains constant acceleration, where is it at t  25s and in what
direction is it moving?
9. Two blocks of masses m1  4kg and m2  8kg are connected by a massless rope and

slide down an inclined plane of angle   30 see Figure 2-2. The coefficient of kinetic
friction is k1  0.25 between block m1 and the plane, and k2  0.45 between block m2 .
Find the acceleration of each block and the tension in the rope.

Page 4 of 12
 Figure 2-2
10. A toy cannon is placed on a ramp that has a slope of angle . (a) If the cannonball is
projected up the hill at an angle of above the horizontal as shown Figure 2-3 and has a
muzzle speed of , show that the range of the cannonball (as measured along the
ramp) is given by:
( )

Ignore any effects due to air resistance.

Figure 2-3
11. Three objects are connected on a table as shown in Figure 2-4. The coefficient of kinetic
friction between the block of mass m2 and the table is 0.350. The objects have masses of
m1  4kg , m2  1kg , and m3  2kg as shown, and the pulleys are frictionless.

Figure 2-4
(a) Draw a diagram of the forces on each object.
(b) Determine the acceleration of each object, including its direction.
(c) Determine the tensions in the two cords.

Page 5 of 12
 (d) If the tabletop were smooth, would the tensions increase, decrease, or remain the
same? Explain.
12. An object of mass m1 on a frictionless horizontal table is connected to an object of mass
m 2 through a very light pulley P1 and a light fixed pulley P2 as shown in Figure 2-5. (a)
If a1 and a 2 are the accelerations of m1 and m 2 , respectively, what is the relation
between these accelerations? Express (b) the tensions in the strings and (c) the
accelerations a1 and a 2 in terms of the masses m1 and m 2 , and g.

Figure 2-5

13. The system shown in Figure 2-6 is used to lift an object of mass m  76kg. A constant
downward force of magnitude F is applied to the loose end of the rope such that the
hanging object moves upward at constant speed. Neglecting the masses of the rope and
pulleys, find (a) the required value of F, (b) the tensions T1, T2, and T3, and (c) the work
done by the applied force in raising the object a distance of 1.8m.

Figure 2-6

Page 6 of 12
14. Two blocks of mass 3.5kg and 8kg are connected by a massless string that passes over a
frictionless pulley as shown in figure 2-7. The inclines are frictionless. Find (a) the
magnitude of the acceleration of each block and (b) the tension in the string.

Figure 2-7

15. A horizontal force of 100 N pushes a 12-kg block up a frictionless incline that makes an
angle of 25° with the horizontal. (a) What is the normal force that the incline exerts on
the block? (b) What is the magnitude of acceleration of the block?
16. A 3kg object is moving in a plane, with its x and y coordinates given by x  5t 2 1 and

y  3t 3  2 where x and y are in meters and t is in seconds. Find the magnitude of the
net force acting on this object at t  2s.
17. A block of mass m  5kg is released from rest from point Ⓐ and slides on the frictionless

track shown in Figure 2-8. Determine (a) the block’s speed at point’s Ⓑ and Ⓒ and (b)
the net work done by the gravitational force on the block as it moves from point from Ⓐ
to Ⓒ.

Figure 2-8

Page 7 of 12
18. A particle is subject to a force Fx that varies with position as in Figure 2-9. Find the work

done by the force on the particle as it moves (a) from x  0 to x  5 m , (b) from x  5m
to x  10 m , and (c) from x  10m to x  15 m . (d) What is the total work done by the
force over the distance x  0 to x  15 m ?

Figure 2-9

19. A 3.00-kg block starts from rest at the top of a 30° incline and slides a distance of 2m
down the incline in 1.5s. Find (a) the magnitude of the acceleration of the block, (b) the
coefficient of kinetic friction between block and plane, (c) the friction force acting on the
block, and (d) the speed of the block after it has slid 2m.
20. A 15-kg block is dragged over a rough, horizontal surface by a 70N force acting at 20°
above the horizontal. The block is displaced 5m, and the coefficient of kinetic friction is
0.3. Find the work done on the block by (a) the 70N force, (b) the normal force, and (c)
the gravitational force. (d) What is the increase in internal energy of the block-surface
system due to friction? (e) Find the total change in the block’s kinetic energy.
21. A potential-energy function for a two-dimensional force is of the form U  3x2 y  7 x.

Find the force that acts at the point x, y .

22. A 5-kg block is set into motion up an inclined plane with an initial speed of 8m/s see
figure 2-10. The block comes to rest after traveling 3m along the plane, which is inclined
at an angle of 30° to the horizontal. For this motion determine (a) the change in the
block’s kinetic energy, (b) the change in the potential energy of the block–Earth system,
and (c) the friction force exerted on the block (assumed to be constant). (d) What is the
coefficient of kinetic friction?

Page 8 of 12
 Figure 2-10
23. Two blocks, of masses M  2kg and 2M , are connected to a spring of spring constant

k  200 N m that has one end fixed, as shown in Figure 2-11. The horizontal surface and
the pulley are friction less, and the pulley has negligible mass. The blocks are released
from rest M with the spring relaxed. (a) What is the combined kinetic energy of the two
blocks when the hanging block has fallen 0.09m? (b) What is the kinetic energy of the
hanging block when it has fallen that 0.09m? (c) What maximum distance does the
hanging block fall before momentarily stopping?

Figure 2-11
24. A block with mass m  2kg is placed against a spring on a frictionless incline with angle

  30 in Figure 2-12. (The block is not attached to the spring.) The spring, with spring
constant k  19.6 N cm is compressed 20 cm and then released. (a) What is the elastic
potential energy of the compressed spring? (b) What is the change in the gravitational
potential energy of the block–Earth system as the block moves from the release point to
its highest point on the incline? (c) How far along the incline is the highest point from the
release point?

Page 9 of 12
 Figure 2-12

25. In Figure 2-13, block 1 of mass m1  6.6kg is at rest on a long frictionless table that is up

against a wall. Block 2 of mass m2 is placed between block-1 and the wall and sent
sliding to the left, toward block-1, with constant speed v2i . Find the value of m 2 for
which both blocks move with the same velocity after block-2 has collided once with
block-1 and once with the wall. Assume all collisions are elastic.

Figure 2-13

26. A ball of mass 0.4kgis dropped from a height y1  0.8m. The ball rebounds from the

floor and reaches a maximum height y2  0.2m, see Figure 2-14.Ignore air resistance and

take g  10 m s 2 .
(a) What is the impulse exerted by the floor on the ball?
(b) What fraction of the ball’s kinetic energy is lost in the Impact?

Page 10 of 12
 Figure 2-14

27. A block of mass m1  1.6kg initially moving to the right with a speed of 4 m on a
s
frictionless horizontal track collides with a spring attached to a second block of mass

m2  2.1kg initially moving to the left with a speed of 4 m , as shown in Figure 2-15. The
s
spring constant is 600 N m .

Figure 2-15
a) Find the velocities of the two blocks after the collision.
b) During the collision, at the instant block 1 is moving to the right with a velocity of

3 m , as in Figure 2-15b; determine the velocity of block 2.

s
c) Determine the distance the spring is compressed at that instant.
d) What is the maximum compression of the spring during the collision?

Page 11 of 12
28. In Figure 2-16, puck 1 of mass m1  0.2kg is sent sliding across a frictionless lab bench,
to undergo a one-dimensional elastic collision with stationary puck 2. Puck 2 then slides
off the bench and lands a distance d from the base of the bench. Puck 1 rebounds from
the collision and slides off the opposite edge of the bench, landing a distance 2d from the
base of the bench. What is the mass of puck 2?

Figure 2-16

29. The coordinates of the center of mass for the extended object shown in the figure 2-17 are
( L 4,  L 5. What are the coordinates of the 2-kg mass?

Figure 2-17

The End!!

Good Luck!!

Page 12 of 12