AP Physics 1: Kinematics—One Dimension Name __________________________

A. Measurement
1. science knowledge is advanced by observing patterns
(laws) and constructing explanations (theories), which
are supported by repeatable experimental evidence
a. theory lasts until disproven
b. theory is never 100 % certain
2. uncertainty in measurements
a. precision and accuracy
1. precise = consistent (even if incorrect)
2. accurate = correct (even if inconsistent)
b. data analysis
1. accuracy is measured by percent difference
percent  = 100|mean – true|/true
2. precision is measured by percent deviation
%  = 100|trial – mean|/N(mean)
(N is number of trials)
c. significant figures (sf) indicate level of certainty

measurement includes all certain (numbered) plus

one estimated value  7.5 cm (2 sf)
d. rules for counting significant figures
1. all nonzero digits are significant
2. zero is sometimes significant, sometimes not
a. example: 0.00053000021000
never always ?
b. (?) decimal vs. no decimal
1. significant with decimal: 120. (3 sf)
2. not significant w/o decimal: 120 (2 sf)
3. exact numbers (metric conversions, counting
or written numbers) have infinite number of sf
e. rules for rounding off calculations
1. limited by least accurate measurement
2. x, : answer has the same number of sf as
the measurement with the fewest
3. +, –: answer has same end decimal position
as measurement with left most end position
3. SI measuring system
a. summary chart
Measurement SI standards
mass kilogram (kg)
length meter (m)
area square meter (m2)
volume cubic meter (m3)
temperature kelvin (K)
time second (s)
b. prefixes system (x 10X)
1. G9, M6, k3, c-2, m-3, µ-6, n-9, p-12
a. km  m: 8.75 km = 8.75 x 103 m
b. m  km:
455 m x 1 km/103 m = 0.455 km
2. squared/cubed prefix:
1 cm2 = 1 x (10-2)2 m2
1 cm3 = 1 x (10-2)3 m3
3. 1 mL = 1 cm3
4. dimensional analysis math technique
455 kg x 103 g x (10-2)3 m3 = 0.455 g
m3 1 kg cm3 cm3
n
4. scientific notation: C x 10
a. conversion from decimal to scientific notation
1. 1,200,000 = 1.2 x 106
2. 0.0000012 = 1.2 x 10-6
b. significant figures
1. C contains only significant figures
2. 1200 with 3 significant figures = 1.20 x 103
B. Data Analysis Using Graphs
1. graphing data (distance vs. time)
a. Cartesian axis
1. x-axis is independent variable (time)
2. y-axis is the dependent variable (distance)
b. axis labels
1. measurement and units, i.e. Distance (m)
2. spread out scale to fit entire graph using the
origin as zero (unless told otherwise) and using
equal, logical increments
c. coordinate subscripts
1. subscript o (xo, yo) indicate starting position
(usually the origin: xo = 0, yo = 0)
2. subscript t (xt, yt) indicate position at time “t”
(often the t is dropped: xt = x)
3. x-axis is used when the direction of the object
is not specified (+ is away)
4. north-south-east-west directions
a. x-axis is east-west (+ is east)
b. y-axis is north-south (+ is north)
5. vertical-horizontal directions
a. x-axis is horizontal (+ is away)
b. y-axis is vertical (+ is up)
d. polar coordinate system (r, ) is used for vectors
and rotational motion
1. r is distance from the origin
2.  is angle measured  from +x
3. translation to Cartesian coordinates
a. x = rcos
b. y = rsin
2. best fit line
a. two quantities are often linearly related (v = d/t)
b. individual coordinates may not line up exactly
because of small experimental errors
c. best fit line shows data trend
1. spacing between data points and best fit line
are equal above and below best fit line
2. averages out errors
3. data that is well outside best fit line should be
repeated
d. unknown constant can be determined by calculating
slope of line or area between line and x-axis
(example: distance = velocity x time)
Formula x-variable y-variable unknown
t d v = slope of line
d = vt
t v d = area under line
3. interpreting graphs
y=k y=x y = -x y = x2 y = x-1

4. graph sequence
slope  slope 
 area  area
y=x y=k y=0

y = x2 y=x y=k

5. slope of a curve = slope of the tangent to the curve

tangent line
C. Kinematics
1. displacement: change in position x
a. displacement, d = x – xo (m)
b. can be positive or negative
c. “distance” is how far an object has traveled to get
to new position (distance  displacement)
2. time: duration of time for position change
a. t = t – to (s)
b. assuming to = 0, t = t
3. velocity: average rate of change in position
a. vav = d/t (m/s)
b. “speed” = distance/time
4. constant motion vs. accelerated motion
a. constant motion: speed and direction are constant
b. acceleration motion: change in speed or direction
5. acceleration: average rate of change in velocity
a. average acceleration, aav = (vt – vo)/t (m/s2)
b. will only work with average acceleration, so aav = a
c. occurs when an object speeds up, slows down or
changes direction
d. instantaneous velocity, vt, is velocity at time, t
special case: if vo = 0, then vt = 2vav
e. kinematic formulas for constant acceleration
1. 5 variables; d, vo, vt, a and t
2. 4 formulas, each with 4 variables (one of the
5 variables is excluded)
Formula Excluded Variable
d = vot + ½at2 vt
d = ½(vo + vt)t a
vt = vo + at d
vt2 = vo2 + 2ad t
f. derivation of the kinematic formulas
Steps Algebra
start with vav = ½(vt + vo) = d/t
solve for d d = ½(vo + vt)t
start with a = (vt – vo)/t
solve for vt vt = vo + at
start with d = ½(vo + vt)t
substitute vo + at for vt d = ½(vo + vo + at)t
simplify d = vot + ½at2
start with d = ½(vo + vt)t
solve for t t = 2d/(vo + vt)
start with vt = vo + at
solve for t t = (vt – vo)/a
set equal to each other 2d/(vo + vt) = (vt – vo)/a
cross multiple 2ad = (vt + vo)(vt – vo)
difference of perfect 2ad = vt2 – vo2
squares vt2 = v02 + 2ad
rearrange
g. falling objects
1. At a given location and in the absence of air
resistance, all objects fall with the same
constant acceleration. (Galileo)
2. acceleration due to gravity, g, at sea level is
about 9.80 m/s2 (use 10 m/s2 in calculations
except for labs)
6. solving kinematics problems
 draw diagram
no acceleration
 complete chart with two numbers and one
letter
d v t

 use the formula: d = vt

acceleration
 complete chart with three numbers and
two letter
 d vo vt a t

 select kinematic formula that contains numbers +

letter of unknown (is missing unused letter)
 A. Measurement 4. A student measured the weight, Fs, needed to stretch a
1. Express the height of a 5'4" person using correct sf in spring by the following lengths, x.
inches centimeters meters
x (m) 0 .05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.40
(1' = 12") (1" = 2.54 cm) (1 m = 100 cm)
Fs (N) 0 2.50 7.0 12.0 16.5 19.0 25.0 32.0
a. Use the grid to graph the data.
(1) Label the axis with appropriate scales and units
2. A student makes repeated masses of an object.
(2) Indicate the data points with a small circle.
a. Complete the chart to determine (3) Draw a best fit straight line using a ruler.
the % deviation.
Mass 48.307 g 49.886 g 50.911 g 49.524 g
Mean

Deviation
Average
Deviation
%
Deviation
b. The actual (true) mass of the
object is 50.000 g. What is the
percent error?

c. Were these measurements more

precise than accurate or more
accurate than precise? Explain

Best Timing Method Lab

3. Drop a golf ball from exactly 1.00 m above the floor, time
how long it takes for the golf ball to drop using the following
techniques and determine the best person and technique.
a. Collect the following data on your performance.
Sight: Watch the ball leave the hand and land on the
floor
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mean
Time

Sight + Sound: Listen for "start" and watch the ball land
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mean
Time

Sound: Listen for "start" and "stop" or ball hitting the

floor
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mean
Time

b. Calculate the following from the data.

Calculation
Formula
Sight +
(true time = 0.45 s) Sight Sound
Sound
%

%
c. Which is your
most accurate method (smallest %
)?
most precise method (smallest % )?
d. Who in your group is the overall best timer (smallest %
 + % ). What method did he/she use?
Best person
Best method
B. Data Analysis Using Graphs
 c. Determine the slope of the best fit line.

d. The formula that relates velocity, v, with acceleration

due to gravity, g, is, v = gt, where g is the slope of the
line. What is the value of g? (Include units)

b. Determine the slope of the best e. The actual (true) acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s2.
What is the percent difference?
fit line.
f. What is the area between the line from 0 s to 0.50 s
c. The formula that governs spring behavior is Fs = kx. and the x-axis?
for this spring?
What is the value of k
(Include units) g. The formula for that relates distance, d, with time, t, is
d = vt, where d is the area under the line. How far did
the cylinder drop in 0.50 s?
d. What is the area under the line
from 0 m to 0.40 m? h. The expected velocities at each
time are listed below. Determine
e. The formula for work is, W = Fx.
How much the average percent difference
work is needed to stretch this between the expected and lab
spring 0.40 m? (include units) velocities.
Velocity (m/s)
Time (s) 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50
5. A pilot flies a distance of 110 km at a heading of 25o North of Expected v 2.0 2.5 2.9 3.4 3.9 4.4 4.9
East. Determine the x and y coordinates of the Measured v
destination. %

Average % 
Graphing Slope and Area Lab C. Kinematics
6. Drop the cylinder from the distances listed and measure Questions 7-23 Briefly explain your answer.
the final velocity using the velocimeter, graph the data and 7. You go on a hike with your dog, who takes many side trips.
determine slope and area. When you're done do you have the same displacement?
a. Collect the following data. (A) yes (B) no
Distance (m) 0.20 0.31 0.44 0.60 0.78 1.00 1.22
Time (s) 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50
Velocity (km/hr)

Trial 1 8. Which is true?

A B
Trial 2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Trial 3
(A) A > B (B) A = B (C) A<B
Mean
Velocity (m/s)
b. Use the grid below to graph velocity (m/s) vs. time (s). 9. Does the odometer measure distance or displacement?
(1) Label the axis with appropriate scales and units (A) distance (B) displacement (C) both
(2) Indicate the data points with a small circle.
(3) Draw a best fit straight line using a ruler. (use the
origin as a data point)
10. If a car's position is zero, does its speed have to be zero?
(A) yes (B) no

11. Does the speedometer measure velocity or speed?

(A) velocity (B) speed (C) both
 22. You drop a rock off a bridge. When the rock has fallen 4 m,
you drop a second rock. As the two rocks continue to fall,
12. You drive for 30 minutes at 30 mph and then for another 30 what happens to their separation?
minutes at 50 mph. What is your average speed for the (A) decreases (B) same (C) increases
whole trip?
(A) < 40 mph (B) 40 mph (C) > 40 mph
23. You drop a rock off a bridge. When the rock has fallen 4 m,
you drop a second rock. As the two rocks continue to fall,
what happens to the difference in velocity between the two?
13. You drive for 30 miles at 30 mph and then 30 miles at 50
mph. What is your average speed for the whole trip? (A) decreases (B) constant (C) increases
(A) < 40 mph (B) 40 mph (C) > 40 mph

14. If the average velocity is non-zero over some time interval,

does this mean that the instantaneous velocity is never zero
during the same time interval?
(A) yes (B) no

15. If the velocity of a car is non-zero, can the acceleration of

the car be zero?
(A) yes (B) no

16. When throwing a ball straight up, which is true about

velocity, v, and its acceleration, a, at the highest point?
(A) v = 0, a = 0 (B) v = 0, a  0 (C) v  0, a = 0

17. You throw a ball straight up into the air; it reaches a

maximum height, and then returns to your hand. At what
point in its flight is the acceleration maximum?
(A) just after it leaves your hand
(B) at the top of its flight
(C) half way down form the top of its flight
(D) just before it reaches your hand
(E) it is constant for the entire flight

18. Alice and Bill are at the top of a building. Alice throws her
ball upward. Bill simply drops his ball. Which ball has the
greater acceleration just after being released?
(A) Alice (B) Bill (C) tie

19. You throw a ball straight up in the air at 10 m/s. What is the
ball's speed when it returns to you hand? (Assume no air
resistance)
(A) < 10 m/s (B) 10 m/s (C) > 10 m/s

20. Alice and Bill are at the top of a cliff of height h. Both throw
a ball with initial speed vo, Alice straight down and Bill
straight up. The speeds of the balls when they hit the
ground are vA and vB. Without air resistance, which is true?
(A) vA < vB (B) vA = vB (C) vA > vB

21. A ball is thrown straight upward with some initial speed.

When it reaches the top of its flight (at height h), a second
ball is thrown straight upward with the same initial speed.
Where will the ball cross paths?
(A) below h/2 (B) at h/2 (C) above h/2
24. A person walks 70 m east then walks 30 m west. 32. A rock is dropped from a 100 m cliff.
a. Use arrows to graph this motion on the x-axis below. d vo vt a t

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Determine the time that the rock is in the air.

b. What is the total distance that the person walked?

33. When the space shuttle is launched, it reaches a

c. What is the displacement? velocity of 900 m/s in 3 minutes.
d vo vt a t
25. A runner makes one complete lap around a 400-m track.
a. What is the total distance? Determine how far the space shuttle travels in the
3 minutes.
b. What is the displacement?

26. A person runs from 50 m to 30 m in 2 s. 34. A rock, dropped from a bridge, takes 5 s to hit
a. What is the runner's displacement? the water.
d vo vt a t
b. What is the runner's velocity?
How high is the cliff?
27. A runner travels 150 m in 17 s.
a. Fill in the constant velocity chart with the data. Fill the 35. A car accelerates from 10 m/s to 30 m/s in 10 s.
missing box with the letter of the variable. d vo vt a t
d vav t

b. Determine the runner's average speed. a. What is the car's acceleration?

28. How far can a cyclist travel in 2 hours at 5 m/s? b. How far did the car travel during
d vav t acceleration?

36. A driver in a car traveling at 30 m/s sees a deer in the road.

29. Determine the acceleration for the following situations. It takes 0.5 s before he reacts and steps on the breaks,
a. A car initially at rest is traveling 15 m/s 5.0 s d v t
later.
a. How far does the car travel during the 0.5 s?

b. A car's velocity is 15 m/s at t = 0 s and 5 m/s at t = 5 s.

The breaks can decelerate the car at -6.0 m/s2.
d vo vt a t
30. A car is traveling at 15 m/s and comes to a stop in 3 s.
a. Fill in the acceleration chart (use letters for b. How far does the car travel during
unknowns). deceleration?
d vo vt a t

b. Calculate the acceleration using the kinematic c. What is the total distance traveled?
formula that excludes the letter that is NOT
the unknown. 37. Bill, at a stop sign, sees Alice drive by at a constant velocity
of 20 m/s. Bill accelerates to catch up to Alice.
a. What is Bill's top speed when he reaches Alice if he
and reaches a
31. A plane accelerates from rest at 2 m/s2 averaged Alice's speed while catching up.
final velocity of 28 m/s before taking off.
d vo vt a t
Bill accelerates from rest at 2.5 m/s2.
d vo vt a t
Determine the minimum length of runway.
b. How long does it take Bill to catch up to Alice?
 c. How far does Bill travel while catching up to Alice? Questions 43-44 Consider the velocity vs. time graphs below.
v

A
38. A ball is thrown upward with vo = +20 m/s.
a. What is the acceleration (including sign) due to gravity?
0 t
on the way up at the ball's highest on the way down
B
C
b. Complete the list of variables for the highest point. 43. Which represent a dropped ball right after it
d vo vt a t leaves you hand but before it hits the floor?
(1) How high does the ball rise?
44. Which represent a ball that is thrown straight up
in the air and falls back into its original height?
(2) How much time does it take to reach the
highest point?
45. A very bouncy ball is dropped and it hits the floor and
returns to the original height. Draw a graph of the velocity
c. Consider the symmetry of the ball's flight. vs. time for this event.
v
How much time is the ball in the air?
How fast is the ball when it returns?
Graphing One Dimensional Motion 0 t
Questions 39-44 Briefly explain your answer.
39. The graph of position vs. time for a car is given below.
What can you say about the velocity of the car over time?
d 46. The vertical displacement (d) of an elevator as a function
of time (t) is shown below.
d (m)

0 t
(A) slows down (B) constant (C) speeds up

40. The graph of position vs. time for a car is given below.
What can you say about the velocity of the car over time?
d
t (s)
a. Calculate the velocity for each time interval.
0 to 8 s 10 s to 18 s 20 s to 24 s

0 t
b. Calculate the acceleration for each time interval.
(A) slows down (B) constant (C) speeds up 8 s to 10 s 18 s to 20 s

Questions 41-42 Consider the velocity vs. time graphs for cars
c. Graph the velocity as a function of time.
A and B below.
v (m/s)
v
A 2
1
0
0 t
B -1
-2
41. How does the speed change with time for car A?
-3
(A) decrease (B) constant (C) increase 2 6 10 14 18 22
t (s)
47. The graph of velocity versus time for a cart is given below.
42. How does the speed change with time for car B? v (m/s)
(A) decrease (B) constant
(C) increase (D) slow down then speed up 4
 b. Graph the data and draw a best-fit line.
2 d (m)
0 0.8

-2 0.6

1 3 5 7 9 11 0.4
t (s)
a. At what times was the cart at rest? 0.2

b. At what time does the cart return to its original position?

0.0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2.0
t (s)
c. Determine the acceleration for each time c. Determine the velocity from the slope of the line.
interval.
0 to 2 s 2 s to 3 s
d. Calculate the percent difference
between the true velocity of
continued
0.400 m/s and the velocity from
3 s to 5 s 5 s to 7 s part c.

7 s to 11 s 11 s to 12 s

d. Graph the acceleration of the cart as a function of time.

a (m/s2)
1

-1
1 3 5 7 9 11
t (s)
e. Graph the displacement of the cart as a function of time.
d (m)
6

-2

-4

-6
1 3 5 7 9 11
t (s)
Graphing Constant Velocity Lab
48. Adjust the track for constant 1.44 km/hr (0.400 m/s)
velocity, measure the time it takes for the bearing to travel
the distances below, graph the data, and calculate the
percent difference between slope and known velocity.
a. Collect the following data.
d (m) 0 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80

Time
(s)

Average 0
 Graphing Acceleration Lab
49. Configure the track for acceleration, measure the time it
takes for the bearing to travel the distances below, graph g. Shade the area under the v vs. t graph from 0 s to 2 s.
the data, and determine the slope and area.
a. Calculate the following from the data.
(1)Determine the area of the
d (m) 0 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 shaded region.
Time
(s) (2) Determine the % difference between the area and
the distance at 2 s on the d vs. t graph.
Average 0
b. Calculate the following from the data.
distances 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 h. Design a procedure for
Formula Calculations
determining acceleration using
vav
the velocimeter. Collect the
vt data below.
d (m) 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80
a
v (km/hr)
c. Graph d vs. t. Draw a best-fit, curved line (include 0,0). Formula
d (m)
v
0.8
a
0.6

0.4
(1) What is the average
acceleration?
0.2

0
.5 1.5
2.5 3.5 4.5 (2)Determine the % difference
t (s)
d. Graph vt vs. t. Draw a best-fit, straight line (include 0,0). between the average
vt (m/s) accelerations using the two
0.4 experiments.
0.3

0.2 50. A middle distance runner completes 1600 m in 4'15", what

is her average speed (in m/s)?
0.1

0.0
.5 1.5
2.5 3.5 4.5 51. A plane must land on a 605 m long run way. What
t (s) is the plane acceleration if its landing speed is 90
e. Graph a vs. t. Draw a best-fit, horizontal line. m/s?
a (m/s2)
0.4
52. How long does it take for a rock to fall the 90
0.3
m?
0.2

0.1 53. A student tries to minimize the time it takes to go between

two stop lights without speeding. He accelerates at 2.5
0.0 m/s2 until he reaches the speed limit of 20 m/s.
.5 1.5 2.5 3.5 4.5
t (s) a. How much time does it take accelerate to 20
f. Draw a tangent line at 2 s on the d vs. t graph. m/s?
(1)Determine the slope of the
tangent b. How far does he travel during the
acceleration?
(2) Determine the % difference between the slope
and the velocity at 2 s on the v vs. t graph. At the next stop light he decelerates to a stop at 4 m/s 2.
c. How much time does this take?
 1 3 5 7 9 11
d. How far does he travel during deceleration? t (s)
a. Graph the acceleration of the cart as a function of time.
a (m/s2)
e. The stop lights are 200 m apart. How much time does
1
it take to travel the middle distance at constant speed?
0

f. What is the total time that it takes the driver -1

to go from stop light to stop light if his initial 1 3 5 7 9 11
reaction time is 0.3 s? t (s)
b. Graph the displacement of the cart as a function of time.
d (m)
54. Bill, traveling at 30 m/s, is passed by Alice traveling at a
8
constant 40 m/s. Bill accelerates at 0.8 m/s2 to catch up.
a. How fast is Bill going when he catches Alice? 6

4
b. How long does it take Bill to catch up to Alice?
2

c. How far does Bill travel while catching up to Alice? 0

1 3 5 7 9 11
t (s)
55. A ball is thrown upward with vo = 40 m/s.
a. What is the direction of acceleration due to gravity?
on the way up at the highest point on the way down

b. How high does the ball rise?

c. How much time does it take to reach the

highest point?

d. How much time is the ball in the air?

e. How fast is the ball traveling when it returns to its

original height?

56. Match the types of motion (a-h) with the graphs (1-4) below.
a. d vs. t for an object with constant velocity?
b. v vs. t for an object with constant velocity?
c. a vs. t for an object with constant velocity?
d. d vs. t for a stationary object at the origin?
e. v vs. t for a stationary object at the origin?
f. d vs. t for an object with constant acceleration?
g. v vs. t for an object with constant acceleration?
h. a vs. t for an object with constant acceleration?
1 2 3 4

t t t t

57. The graph of velocity versus time for a cart is given below.
vt (m/s)
2

0
-2
 Practice Multiple Choice (No calculator) Velocity Acceleration
Briefly explain why the answer is correct in the space (A) Positive Positive
(B) Zero Zero
provided. (C) Negative Negative
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
(D) Zero Negative
D C A C D A D A C A D C A
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
B A D D B C A D C A C B D
12. An object is released from rest on a planet that has no
1. A car starting from rest accelerates uniformly at a rate of 5
atmosphere. The object falls freely for 3 m in the first
m/s2. What is the car's speed after it has traveled 250 m?
second. What is the acceleration due to gravity on the
(A) 20 m/s (B) 30 m/s (C) 40 m/s (D) 50 m/s
planet?
(A) 1 m/s2 (B) 3 m/s2 (C) 6 m/s2 (D) 10 m/s2
2. A ball is thrown straight downward with a speed of 0.5 m/s.
What is the speed of the ball 0.70 s after it is released?
13. The displacement x of an object moving along the x-axis is
(A) 0.5 m/s (B) 10 m/s (C) 7.5 m/s (D) 15 m/s shown as a function of time t.

3. A car increases its speed from 9.6 m/s to 11.2 m/s in 4 s.

The average acceleration of the car during the 4 s is
(A) 0.4 m/s2 (B) 2.8 m/s2 (C) 2.4 m/s2 (D) 5.2 m/s2

The acceleration of this object must be

4. What is the speed of an object after it has fallen freely from (A) zero (B) constant but not zero
rest through a distance of 20 m?
(C) increasing (D) decreasing
(A) 5 m/s (B) 10 m/s (C) 20 m/s (D) 45 m/s

14. The graph represents the relationship between speed and

5. A car accelerates uniformly from rest, reaching a speed of time for an object moving along a straight line.
30 m/s in 6 s. During the 6 s, the car has traveled
(A) 15 m (B) 30 m (C) 60 m (D) 90 m

6. A student on her way to school walks four blocks east,

three blocks north, and another four blocks east.
Compared to the distance she walks, the magnitude of her
displacement from home to school is
(A) less (B) greater (C) the same

What is the distance traveled during the first 4 s?

7. An object is dropped from rest from the top of a high cliff. (A) 5 m (B) 40 m (C) 20 m (D) 80 m
What is the distance the object falls during the first 6 s?
(A) 30 m (B) 60 m (C) 120 m (D) 180 m
15. Which displacement/time graph best represents a cart
traveling with a constant positive acceleration along a
8. A ball is dropped from the roof of a building 40 m tall. What straight line?
is the approximate time of fall? (A) (B) (C) (D)
(A) 2.8 s (B) 4.1 s (C) 2.0 s (D) 8.2 s

9. A baseball is thrown upward with a speed of 30 m/s. The

maximum height reached by the baseball is approximately
16. Which acceleration/time graph best represents an object
(A) 15 m (B) 75 m (C) 45 m (D) 90 m falling freely near the earth's surface?
(A) (B) (C) (D)

10. A constant acceleration of 9.8 m/s2 on an object means the

(A) velocity increases 9.8 m/s during each second
(B) velocity is 9.8 m/s
(C) object falls 9.8 m during each second
(D) object falls 9.8 m during the first second 17. Which of the following pairs of graphs shows the distance
only traveled versus time and the speed versus time for an
object uniformly accelerated from rest at time t = 0?
(A) (B)
11. An object is shot vertically upward. Which of the following
correctly describes the velocity and acceleration of the
(C) (D)
object at its maximum elevation?
18. A truck traveled 400 m north in 60 s, and then it traveled
300 m east in 40 s. The average velocity of the truck was
(A) 4 m/s (B) 5 m/s (C) 6 m/s (D) 7 m/s

19. The graph shows the velocity versus time for an object
moving in a straight line.

At what time after time = 0 does the object again pass

through its initial position?
(A) 0.5 s (B) 1 s (C) 1.7 s (D) 2 s

Questions 20-21 At time t = 0, car X traveling with speed vo

passes car Y, which is just starting to move. Both cars then
travel on two parallel lanes of the same straight road. The
graphs of speed v versus time t for both cars are shown.
v (m/s)
2vo car Y

vo car X

t (s)
0 10 20 30 40
20. Which is true at t = 20 s?
(A) Car X is ahead (B) Car X is passing car Y
(C) Car Y is ahead (D) Car Y is passing car X

21. At what time is car Y just passing car X?

(A) 0 s (B) 20 s (C) 30 s (D) 40 s

22. An object released from rest at time t = 0 slides down a

frictionless incline a distance of 1 m during the first second.
The distance traveled by the object during the time interval
from t = 1 s to t = 2 s is
(A) 1 m (B) 2 m (C) 3 m (D) 4 m

23. The graph shows velocity v versus time t for an object.

Which is the graph of position x versus time t?

(A) (B)

(C) (D)
24. A body moving in the positive x direction passes the origin
at time t = 0. Between t = 0 and t = 1 s, the body has a
constant speed of 24 m/s. At t = 1 s, the body is given a
constant acceleration of -6 m/s2 (in the negative x
direction). The position x of the body at t = 11 s is
(A) + 99 m (B) + 36 m (C) - 36 m (D) - 75 m

Questions 25-26 The graph is of position x versus time t for an What will be the speed of the last car as it passes the
object accelerating from rest with constant acceleration. worker?

3. A model rocket is launched vertically with an acceleration

of 30 m/s2 for 2 s. The rocket continues upward until it
reaches its highest point, when a parachute is deployed.
The rocket descends vertically to the ground at 5 m/s.
a. How high is the rocket after the acceleration stage?

25. The average speed during the interval between 0 s and 2 s b. How fast is the rocket traveling at the end of
is most nearly
the acceleration stage?
(A) 2 m/s (B) 4 m/s (C) 6 m/s (D) 8 m/s

26. The instantaneous speed at 2 s is most nearly c. What is the rocket's maximum height?
(A) 2 m/s (B) 4 m/s (C) 6 m/s (D) 8 m/s
d. At what time will the maximum height be
Practice Free Response reached?
1. The graph of velocity versus time for a cart is given below.
vt (m/s)
4
e. How long does it take the rocket to descend?

2
4. A toy cart, initially at rest, starts to move down an incline
with constant acceleration. When the cart reaches an
0 arbitrary point, its position x is measured for different times
t and the data are recorded in the table.
-2 a. Calculate the average speed of the cart during each
0 1 3 5 7 9 11 0.50 s time interval and fill in the spaces in the table.
t (s) Time, t (s) 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00
Determine the time or time interval for the following. Position, x (m) 0.00 0.22 0.70 1.35 2.10
Cart is moving away from origin Velocity, v (m/s)
b. Label the vertical axis with appropriate numbers, plot
Cart is stationary
the data, and draw a best-fit line.
Cart is moving toward the origin
Cart has returned to origin
When farthest from the origin
Greatest positive acceleration
Zero acceleration
Greatest negative acceleration
2. A 95-m-long train begins uniform acceleration from rest.
The front of the train has a speed of 25 m/s when it passes
a railway worker who is standing 180 m from where the
front of the train started.

c. Using the best-fit line to determine

(1) the slope (acceleration).
 (2) the y-intercept (initial velocity).

d. At the end of 2.00 s, determine

(1) the velocity of the cart. c. Outline the process of data analysis,
including how you will identify the portion
of the race that has uniform acceleration, and
(2) the distance traveled from rest. how you would calculate the uniform
acceleration.
5. A person jumps from a fourth-story window 15.0 m above a
firefighter's safety net. The survivor stretches the net 1.0 m
before coming to rest.

a. What was the average deceleration

experienced by the survivor when she was
slowed to rest by the net?

b. What would you do to make it safer (generate smaller

acceleration), would you stiffen or loosen the net?
explain

6. Past studies have shown that varsity sprinters accelerate

uniformly for a time ta and then run at constant speed for
the remainder of the race. You are to develop a procedure
that will allow you to determine the uniform acceleration a
and an approximate value of ta for a sprinter in a 100 m
dash. By necessity your experiment will be done on a
straight track and include eleven students.
a. Select the equipment, other than the sprinter and the
track, that your class will need to do the experiment.
Stopwatches Tape measures
Rulers Masking tape
Metersticks Starter's pistol
String Chalk
b. Outline the procedure that you would use to determine
a and ta, including a labeled diagram of the
experimental setup. Use symbols to identify what
measurements you would make and include in your
procedure how you would use each piece of the
equipment you checked in part (a).