IB Physics SL/HL

WS Linear Motion 2

In the following questions, assume that all accelerations are uniform.

1. A ball rolling down a slope passes a point P with a velocity of 1.2 m s−1. A short time later it
passes point Q with a velocity of 2.6 m s−1.
a. What was its average velocity between P and Q?
b. If it took 1.4 s to go from P to Q, determine the distance PQ.
c. Calculate the acceleration of the ball.
2. An aircraft accelerates from rest along a runway and takes off with a velocity of 86.0 m s−1.
Its acceleration during this time is 2.40 m s−2.
a. Calculate the distance along the runway that the aircraft needs to travel before
take-off.
b. Predict how long after starting its acceleration the aircraft takes off.
3. An ocean-going cruiser can decelerate no quicker than 0.0032 m s−2.
a. Determine the minimum distance needed to stop if the ship is traveling at 10 knots.
(1 knot = 0.514 m s−1)
b. How much time does this deceleration require?
4. An advertisement for a new car states that it can travel 100 m from rest in 8.2 s.
a. Discuss why the car manufacturers express the acceleration in this way (or the time
needed to reach a certain speed).
b. Calculate the average acceleration.
c. Calculate the velocity of the car after this time.
5. A car traveling at a constant velocity of 21 m s−1 (faster than the speed limit of 50 km h−1)
passes a stationary police car. The police car accelerates after the other car at 4.0 m s−2 for 8.0
s and then continues with the same velocity until it overtakes the other car.
a. When did the two cars have the same velocity?
b. Determine if the police car has overtaken the other car after 10 s.
c. By equating two equations for the same distance at the same time, determine
exactly when the police car overtakes the other car.
6. A car brakes suddenly and stops 2.4 s later, after traveling a distance of 38 m.
a. Calculate its deceleration.
b. What was the velocity of the car before braking?
7. A spacecraft traveling at 8.00 km s−1 accelerates at 2.00 × 10−3 m s−2 for 100 hours.
a. How far does it travel during this acceleration?
b. What is its final velocity?

AISR 2024 1
IB Physics SL/HL

8. Combine the first two equations of motion to derive the second two

equations:

In the following questions, ignore the possible effects of air resistance. Use g = 9.81 m s−2.

9. Discuss possible reasons why the acceleration due to gravity is not exactly the same
everywhere on or near the Earth’s surface.
10.
a. How long does it take a stone dropped from rest from a height of 2.1 m to reach
the ground?
b. If the stone was thrown downwards with an initial velocity of 4.4 m s−1, calculate
the speed with which it hits the ground.
c. If the stone was thrown vertically upwards with an initial velocity of 4.4 m s−1, with
what speed would it hit the ground?
11. A small rock is thrown vertically upwards with an initial velocity of 22 m s−1.
a. Calculate when its velocity will be 10 m s−1.
b. Explain why there are two possible answers to a.
12. A falling ball has a velocity of 12.7 m s−1 as it passes a window 4.81 m above the ground.
Predict when the ball will hit the ground.
13. A ball is thrown vertically upwards with a velocity of 18.5 m s−1 from a window that is 12.5
m above the ground.
a. Determine when it will pass the same point moving down.
b. With what velocity will it hit the ground?
c. Calculate how far above the ground the ball was after exactly 2.00 s.
14. Two balls are dropped from rest from the same height. If the second ball is released 0.750 s
after the first, and assuming they do not hit the ground, calculate the distance between the
balls:
a. 3.00 s after the second ball was dropped
b. 2.00 s later (5.00 s after the second ball was dropped).
15. A stone is dropped from rest from a height of 34 m. Another stone is thrown downwards
0.5 s later. If they both hit the ground at the same time, show that the second stone was
thrown with a velocity of 5.5 m s−1.

Link to Answers

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