AS Physics Unit-1 Newton’s Laws-2 (Structured Questions)

Q1.

* You are asked to determine the acceleration of free fall at the surface of the Earth, g,
using a free fall method in the laboratory.
(a) Describe the apparatus you would use, the measurements you would take and explain
how you would use them to determine g.
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(b) Give one precaution you would take to ensure the accuracy of your measurements.
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(Total for Question = 7 marks)

Q2.
The 'Stealth' roller coaster at the Thorpe Park theme park is advertised as reaching 135 km hour −1 from
rest in 2.3 seconds.

Most roller coasters are driven slowly up to the top of a slope at the start of the ride. However the
carriages on 'Stealth' are initially accelerated horizontally from rest at ground level by a hydraulic launch
system, before rising to the top of the first slope.

(a) (i) Calculate the average acceleration of the carriages.

135 km hour−1 = 37.5 m s−1

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Average acceleration = ...........................................................

(ii) Calculate the minimum average power which must be developed by the launch system.

mass of carriages and passengers = 10 000 kg

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Minimum average power = ...........................................................

(iii) Suggest why the power in (ii) is a minimum value.

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*(b) The force required to launch 'Stealth' is not always the same. The ride is monitored and the data
from preceding launches is used to calculate the required force.

If the mass of the passengers for a particular ride is significantly more than for preceding launches, this
can lead to 'rollback'. This is when the carriages do not quite reach the top of the first slope and return
backwards to the start.

Explain why 'rollback' would occur in this situation.

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(c) Suggest why roller coasters may have a greater acceleration when the lubricating oil between the
moving parts has had time to warm up.
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(Total for Question = 11 marks)

Q3.

A student is asked to provide an explanation of why a bottle on a table remains stationary.

(a) Complete a free-body force diagram for the bottle.

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(b) The student writes the following incorrect explanation.

The student's explanation contains errors.

Rewrite the student's explanation correctly.
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(Total for Question = 5 marks)
Q4.

(a) What is meant by Newton's first law of motion?

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(b) Newton's third law identifies pairs of forces.

(i) State two ways in which the forces in a pair are identical.
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(ii) State two ways in which the forces in a pair differ.

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(iii) One of the forces acting on a car can be described as follows:

'The Earth exerts a downward gravitational force of 12 000 N on the car'.
Describe its Newton's third law pair force.
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(Total for Question = 8 marks)

Q5.
The picture shows a track for racing toy electric cars. A guide pin fits in a groove in the track to keep the
car on the track. A small electric motor in the car is controlled, with a hand-controller, via contacts in the
track.

A child places a car of mass 95 g on the track. She adjusts the controller to a power of 4.2 W so the car
accelerates from rest for 0.40 s.

(a) (i) Show that the energy transferred by the motor in 0.40 s is about 2 J.
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(ii) Calculate the speed of the car at 0.40 s.

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Speed = ...........................................................

(iii) Suggest why the actual speed of the car is less than the calculated speed.
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(b) At high speed the guide pin may become disengaged from the groove.

Use Newton's first law to explain why the car would then leave the track at a corner.
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(Total for Question = 7 marks)

Q6.

The photograph shows a solar-powered model boat built by some technology students.

This boat has a solar-powered fan attached. The fan blows air towards the sail.

(a) The technology students explain to a physics student that the fan exerts a force on the air and the air
then exerts an equal force on the sail to drive the boat forwards. Assume that these two forces are equal
for the rest of the question. The physics student tells them that according to Newton's laws of motion this
will not work.

(i) Identify the Newton's third law force that pairs with the force of the fan on the air.
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(ii) The boat is placed in the water and the fan switched on. The boat remains at rest. Add labelled arrows
to the diagram below to show the four forces acting on the boat in this situation.
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*(iii)Use Newton's laws of motion to explain why the boat does not move horizontally.
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(b) The physics student suggests that the boat is more likely to work if the fan is reversed to point in the
opposite direction.

Explain this suggestion.

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(c) Calculate the volume of water, in m3, which must be displaced so that the boat will float.

mass of boat = 130 g density of water = 1000 kg m-3

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Volume = ...........................................................
(Total for Question = 10 marks)
Q7.

The diagram shows three passengers sitting on a train that is travelling at a high speed in the direction
shown. Seat belts are not used on trains.

With reference to one of Newton's laws of motion, explain why seat C is the safest seat for a passenger to
be sitting on in the event of a rapid deceleration. You may assume that the seats all remain fixed firmly to
the floor and do not break.

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(Total for Question = 4 marks)
Q8.

A student entering a physics classroom sees the following sentences on the board. These
sentences are being used as examples in an explanation of Newton's third law.

The car tyre exerts a frictional contact force of 300 N backwards on the road.

The road exerts a frictional contact force of 300 N forwards on the car tyre.

State Newton's third law.

Explain how the sentences provide a good example of a Newton's third law pair.
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(Total for Question = 5 marks)
Q9.

The Saturn V rocket used in NASA's space programme had a mass of 3.04 × 10 6 kg.
It took off vertically with a thrust force of 3.40 × 107N.
(a) Show that the resultant force on the rocket is about 4 × 10 6 N.
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(b) Calculate the initial acceleration.

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 Initial acceleration = ...........................................................
(c) After 150 s the rocket reached a speed of 2390 m s −1.
Calculate its average acceleration.
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Average acceleration = ...........................................................

(d) Suggest why the initial acceleration and average acceleration are different.
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(Total for Question = 8 marks)

Q10.

The newton can be written in base units as

A kg m

B kg m s−1

C kg m s−2

D kg m2 s−2

(Total for question = 1 mark)

Q11.

A passenger is standing in a train.

(a) The train accelerates and he falls backwards.

Use Newton's first law of motion to explain why he falls backwards.

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*(b) As the train leaves the station the passenger holds on to a vertical support as the train accelerates.
This prevents the passenger falling backwards.

With reference to Newton's laws of motion, explain why holding on to a vertical support prevents the
passenger falling backwards.
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(Total for question = 8 marks)

Q12.

A student carries out an experiment to find the acceleration of free fall.

(a) In this experiment the student releases a small steel ball in front of a metre rule and uses a video
camera to record its motion. The camera captures 30 images per second, which may be played back one
image at a time.

(i) Explain how the acceleration of free fall could be determined using the recording.
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(ii) Describe a systematic error which could arise.

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(b) Describe one property of the steel ball that makes it suitable to use in this experiment and explain why
this property makes it suitable.
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(c) Explain an advantage of using a video camera to take measurements for this experiment rather than
using a stopwatch.
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(Total for question = 9 marks)