Jimma University

College of Natural and Computational Science

Department of Physics
General Physics (Phys 1011) Worksheet 1
1. Perform the following operations, giving answers to the correct number of significant digits.
a. 10 + 2.5 e. 20.7 x 7.01 x 1.110
b. 3 - 0.2 f. 81519 x 0.000000000530
c. 45.0/9.0 g. (4.52x10-4) x (3.980x10-6)
d. 2.5 x 3.42
2. Round 726.835 to five significant digits.
3. Round 24.8514 to three significant figures.
4. A rectangular building lot is 100ft by 150ft. Determine the area of this lot in m2.
5. (a) What is the sum in unit vector notation of the two vectors A = 4i+3j and B = −13i + 7j? (b)
What are the magnitude and direction of A + B?
6. If A − B = 2C, A + B = 4C and C = 3i + 4j, then what are A and B?
7. If A = (6i − 8j) units, B = (−8i + 3j) units, and C = (26i + 19j) units, determine a and b so that aA
+ bB + C = 0.
8. A vector B, when added to the vector C = 3i+4j, yields a resultant vector that is in the positive y
direction and has a magnitude equal to that of C. What is the magnitude of B?
9. Given the vectors A = −5i − 3j + 2k and B= −2j − 2k, calculate A + B, |A + B|, A - B, A.B, A × B,
(A+B).B, the unit vector in the direction of A; and the angle between A and B.
10. Two vectors a and b have the components, in arbitrary units, Ax = 3.2, Ay = 1.6, Bx = 0.5, By =
4.5. (a) Find the angle between the directions of A and B (b) Find the components of a vector C
that is perpendicular to A, is in the xy plane and has a magnitude of 5 units.
11. Two vectors are given by A = −3i + 4j and B = 2i + 3j. Find (a) A × B and (b) the angle between A
and B.
12. Prove that two vectors must have equal magnitudes if their sum is perpendicular to their
difference.
13. For the following three vectors, what is 3C · (2A ×B)?
A = 2i + 3j − 4k B = −3i + 4j + 2k C= 7i − 8j
14. A jet plane lands with a velocity of 100 m/s and can accelerate at a maximum rate of − m/s2 as it
comes to rest. (a) From the instant it touches the runway, what is the minimum time needed before
it stops? (b) Can this plane land at a small airport where the runway is 0.8km long?
15. A body moving with uniform acceleration has a velocity of 12cm/s when its x coordinate is 3 cm.
If its x coordinates 2s later is −5cm, what is the magnitude of its acceleration?
16. (a) With what speed must a ball be thrown vertically from ground level to rise to a maximum
height of 50m? (b) How long will it be in the air?
17. A ball is thrown directly downward with an initial speed of 8 m/s from a height of 30m. When
does the ball strike the ground?
18. A falling object requires 1.5s to travel the last 30m before hitting the ground. From what height
above the ground did it fall?
19. The position of an electron is given by r = 3ti − 4t2j + 2k (where t is in seconds and the coefficients
have the proper units for r to be in meters). (a) What is v(t) for the electron? (b) In unit–vector
notation, what is v at t = 2s? (c) What are the magnitude and direction of v just then?
20. A particle moves so that its position as a function of time in SI units is r = i+ 4t2j + tk. Write
expressions for (a) its velocity and (b) its acceleration as functions of time.
21. A particle moving with an initial velocity v = (50 m/s)j undergoes an acceleration a = [35m/ s2 +
(2m/ s5)t3)i + [4m/ s2 − (1m/ s4)t2]j. What are the particle’s position and velocity after 3s, assuming
that it starts at the origin?
22. A fish swimming in a horizontal plane has a velocity vi = (4i + 1.0j) m/s at a point in the ocean
whose position vector is ri = (10i − 4j) m relative to a stationary rock at the shore. After the fish
swims with constant acceleration for 20s, its velocity is v = (20i − 5j) m/s . (a) What are the
components of the acceleration? (b) What is the direction of the acceleration with respect to the
fixed x axis? (c) Where is the fish at t = 25s and in what direction is it moving?
23. A rifle is aimed horizontally at a target 30m away. The bullet hits the target 1.9 cm below the
aiming point. (a) What is the bullet’s time of flight? (b) What is the muzzle velocity?
24. The launching speed of a certain projectile is five times the speed it has at its maximum height.
Calculate the elevation angle at launching.
25. A projectile is fired in such a way that its horizontal range is equal to three times its maximum
height. What is the angle of projection?
26. You throw a ball with a speed of 25 m/s at an angle of 40o above the horizontal directly toward a
wall, as shown in Fig. 1. The wall is 22m from the release point of the ball. (a) How long does the
ball take to reach the wall? (b) How far above the release point does the ball hit the wall? (c) What
are the horizontal and vertical components of its velocity as it hits the wall? (d) When it hits, has it
passed the highest point on its trajectory?
 Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3
27. While two forces act on it, a particle of mass m = 3.2kg is to move continuously with velocity (3
m/s)i−(4 m/s)j. One of the forces is F1 = (2N)i+(−6N)j. What is the other force?
28. Five forces pull on the 4.0kg box in Fig. 2. Find the box’s acceleration (a) in unit–vector notation
and (b) as a magnitude and direction.
29. If a man weighs 875N on Earth, what would he weigh on Jupiter, where the freefall acceleration is
25.9 m/s2?
30. Find the tension in each cord for the systems shown in Fig. 3. (Neglect the mass of the cords.)
31. A block of mass m1 = 3.70 kg on a frictionless inclined plane of angle θ = 30o is connected by a
cord over a massless, frictionless pulley to a second block of mass m2 = 2.3kg hanging vertically,
as shown in Fig. 4. What are (a) the magnitude of the acceleration of each block and (b) the
direction of the acceleration of m2? (c) What is the tension in the cord?

Fig. 4 Fig. 5
32. A mass M is held in place by an applied force F and a pulley system as shown in Fig. 5. The
pulleys are massless and frictionless. Find (a) the tension in each section of rope, T1, T2, T3, T4, and
T5, and (b) the magnitude of F.
33. An ice skater moving at 12m/s coasts to a halt in 95m on an ice surface. What is the coefficient of
(kinetic) friction between ice and skates?
34. Three masses are connected on a table as shown in Fig. 6. The table has a coefficient of sliding
friction of 0.35. The three masses are 4kg, 1kg, and 2kg, respectively and the pulleys are
frictionless. (a) Determine the acceleration of each block and their directions. (b) Determine the
tensions in the two cords.

Fig. 6 Fig. 7
35. In Fig. 7, a box of mass m1 = 1.65kg and a box of mass m2 = 3.3kg slide down an inclined plane
while attached by a massless rod parallel to the plane. The angle of incline is θ = 30o. The
coefficient of kinetic friction between m1 and the incline is μ1 = 0.226; that between m2 and the
incline is μ2 = 0.113. Compute (a) the tension in the rod and (b) the common acceleration of the
two boxes...........................