IB DP Physics 29 mins 29 questions

Multiple Choice

6.1 Circular Motion

6.1.1 Circular Motion / 6.1.2 Centripetal Force / 6.1.3 Centripetal Acceleration /
6.1.4 Applications of Circular Motion

Easy (10 questions) /10 Scan here to return to the course

or visit savemyexams.com
Medium (9 questions) /9

Hard (10 questions) /10

Total Marks /29

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 1
Easy Questions
1 In uniform circular motion, which of the following is incorrect?

A. Magnitude of the velocity is constant

B. The direction of the velocity is constant

C. The centripetal force is towards the centre of the circle

D. The centripetal force is at 90 o to the velocity

(1 mark)

2 A child whirls a conker on a string around their head. The conker moves with uniform
circular motion. The linear speed of the conker is 5 m s−1 and the radius of the circle is
0.5 m.

Calculate the angular speed of the conker.

A. 2.5 rad s−1

B. 0.5 rad s−1

C. 10 rad s−1

D. 5 rad s−1

(1 mark)

π
3 What is an angular displacement of rad in degrees?
6

A. 180 o

B. 60 o

C. 45 o

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 2
 D. 30 o
(1 mark)

4 The linear speed of a motorcycle of mass 50 kg on a circular race track is 10 m s−1. The
radius of the race track is 500 m.

What is the centripetal force acting on the motorcycle?

A. 10 N

B. 50 N

C. 150 N

D. 100 N

(1 mark)

5 An athletic hammer consists of a heavy metal ball on the end of a steel wire which is
rotated around an athlete's head before being released.

The angular speed obtained by a training hammer thrown in a competition is 2 rad

s−1. The combined length of the steel rope and the athlete's arms is 2 m.

What is the centripetal acceleration of the hammer?

A. 2 m s−2

B. 4 m s−2

C. 6 m s−2

D. 8 m s−2

(1 mark)

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 3
6 A man is running along a circular path with an angular velocity of 0.05 rad s−1. His linear
velocity is 2.5 m s−1.

What is the radius of the path?

A. 20 m

B. 30 m

C. 40 m

D. 50 m

(1 mark)

7 A mass is swung on a string in a circle of radius r.

The string breaks and the mass continues to move.

Which line in the table below describes the motion of the mass in the horizontal and
vertical dimensions?

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 4
 Horizontal Vertical

Continues in a circle of radius r No vertical motion

A.

Moves in a circle of radius > r Moves at a constant speed downwards

B.

No horizontal motion Decelerates downwards

C.

Moves in a straight line at 90 ° to r Accelerates downwards

D.

(1 mark)

8 A ball attached to a string rotates in a gravitational field with a constant time period in a
vertical plane. The forces acting on the mass are tension, T and weight, W.

What is an expression for the magnitude of the tension in the string at the top of the
circle?

mv 2
A. − mg
r

B. T

C. mg

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 5
 mv 2
D. + mg
r
(1 mark)

9 A satellite moves in a uniform circular orbit around the Earth in a clockwise direction.

Which diagram correctly shows the direction of the velocity v and acceleration a of the
satellite at the position shown?

(1 mark)

10 What is the force acting on an object rotating with constant speed v in a circle of radius r?

mv 2
A. towards the centre of the circle
r

v2
B. away from the centre of the circle
r

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 6
 mv 2
C. along a tangent to the circle
r

D. No force acts on the object

(1 mark)

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 7
Medium Questions
1 A particle of mass m moves in a circle of radius r at uniform speed, taking time T for each
revolution. What is the kinetic energy of the particle?

A. 2mrπf 2

B. mr 2 π 2 f 2

C. 2mr 2 π 2 f 2

D. 4mr 2 π 2 f 2

(1 mark)

2 A 0.05 kg ball is attached to an inextensible string and whirled overhead such that it
rotates in a horizontal circle.

What is the centripetal force on the ball if the string is 0.1 m long and the ball has a time
π
period of s?
10

A. 1.0 N

B. 0.1 N

C. 8.0 N

D. 2.0 N

(1 mark)

3 A horizontal disc rotates uniformly at a constant angular velocity about a central axis
normal to the plane of the disc.

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 8
 Point X is on a distance 3L from the centre of the disc. Point Y is a distance L from the
centre of the disc. Point Y has a linear speed v and a centripetal acceleration a.

What is the linear speed and centripetal acceleration of point X?

Linear Speed of X Acceleration of X

A. 3v a

B. v a

C. 3v 3a

D. 2v 2a

(1 mark)

4 A girl of mass 50 kg is standing on a roundabout 100 cm from the centre. The force of
friction on the girl is 600 N. What is the time period if the roundabout is rotating
uniformly?

π
A.
6

2
B. π
3

1 2
C. π
3

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 9
 1
D. π
3
(1 mark)

5 A spinning top makes twenty revolutions in five minutes in a clockwise direction.

What is the angular velocity of the spinning top?

2π
A.
15

π
B.
150

C. 10π

1
D.
15

(1 mark)

6 A body moves in a circle with increasing angular velocity. At times t, the angles θ swept
out by the body added cumulatively from the same reference point and its angular
velocities ω are as follows:

t/s / rad / rad s–1

5 2 0.4

15 16 2.4

25 42 4.4

35 80 6.4

The angular acceleration of the body:

A. is constant at 0.2 rad s–2

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 10
 B. gradually decreases and is 6.25 rad s–2 when t = 15 s

C. is constant at 0.4 rad s–2

D. increases at a constant rate and is 0.2 rad s–2 when t = 15 s

(1 mark)

7 A hammer thrower rotates a ball on a string in a circular path gradually increasing its
angular velocity with each rotation.

When the hammer releases the ball, the subsequent path taken by the ball is

A. a vertical circle

B. a parabola in a horizontal plane

C. a parabola in a vertical plane

D. a straight line along a radius of the circle

(1 mark)

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 11
8 An object at the end of a steel rod rotates in a vertical circle at a constant angular
velocity. Which of the following statements correctly describes the tension in the rod?

A. it is greatest when the object is halfway up the circle

B. it is greatest when the object is at the bottom of the circle

C. it is unchanged throughout the motion

D. it is greatest when the object is at the top of the circle

(1 mark)

9 For a particle moving in a circle with uniform speed, which of the following statements is
incorrect?

A. The speed of the particle is constant

B. The acceleration of the particle is perpendicular to its direction of motion

C. The momentum of the particle is constant

D. The particle is accelerating

(1 mark)

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 12
Hard Questions
1 A particle rotates clockwise in a horizontal circle of radius r with a constant angular
velocity ω. The particle is at S at time zero and at P at time t. Q represents the projection
of point P onto the diameter through S. Measured with respect to the centre of orbit O,
the displacement, linear velocity and linear acceleration of Q along OS are x, v and a
respectively.

Which of the following sets of expressions is correct?

r cos ωt −rω sin ωt rω 2 cos ωt

A.

B. r cos ωt −rω sin ωt −rω 2 cos ωt

r sin ωt −rω cos ωt −rω 2 sin ωt
C.

r sin ωt
D. rω cos ωt rω 2 sin ωt

(1 mark)

2 A simple pendulum consists of a bob of mass m at the end of a light inextensible thread
of length d. The bob swings through point Y with velocity v and comes to an
instantaneous rest at point X, where the string is just taut.

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 13
 What is the tension in the thread as the bob passes point Y?

A. mg

B. 2mg

C. 3mg

D. 4mg
(1 mark)

3 A particle travels in a circular path in a magnetic field with radius x and centripetal
acceleration a.

What is the time taken for 15 complete rotations?

x
A. 2π
a

x
B. 30π
a

a
C. 2π
x

a
D. 30π
x

(1 mark)

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 14
4 A mass m1 is attached to one end of a light extensible string of length x. When the mass
rotates with a linear speed v in a horizontal plane, an extension Δx is obtained.

Which of the following shows the correct expression for another mass m2, if it is attached
to the same light extensible string and rotated with the same linear speed v but rotates
at twice the radius as that produced by m1?

2 m 1 (x + ∆ x )
A. m 2 =
∆x

2m 1 (2x + ∆ x )
B. m 2 =
∆x

4 m 1 (x + ∆ x )
C. m 2 =
∆x

2 m 1 (x + 2 ∆ x )
D. m 2 =
∆x

(1 mark)

5 Two bobs A and B, of equal mass, are connected by a light inextensible string of length l.

Bob A is tied to a nail at the centre of a smooth table by another light, inextensible string
of length 3l. The bobs are then set into uniform motion on the surface of the table with
the same angular velocity.

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 15
 What is the ratio of the tension in the string connecting bob A and B to that in the string
connecting bob A to the nail?

A. 1:2

B. 3:4

C. 4:7

D. 4:9
(1 mark)

6 An aircraft moves in a horizontal plane at a constant linear speed v and makes a turn of
radius r.

Which of the following expressions is true for the tilt angle θ?

You may wish to use the relationship:

sin θ
tan θ =
cos θ

A. θ ∝ r

1
B. θ ∝
r

C. tan θ ∝ r

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 16
 1
D. tan θ ∝
r
(1 mark)

7 The maximum speed for a car to safely move round a corner when the road is dry is 10
m s–1. The maximum frictional force between the road surface and the wheels of the car
is halved when the road is wet.

What is the maximum safe speed for a car to go round the corner when the road is wet?

A. 2 m s–1

B. 2 2 m s–1

C. 5 2 m s–1

D. 10 2 m s–1

(1 mark)

8 A conker attached to a string is whirled in a vertical circle at constant speed.

Which of the following correctly shows the variation of the tension T in the string with the
angular displacement θ?

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 17
 (1 mark)

9 A small object is attached to a string and whirled in a vertical circle at a constant speed.
The magnitude of the net force F on the object at the top of the circle is given by:

F top = T + mg

Where T is the tension in the string, m is the object's mass and g is the acceleration of
free fall.

The magnitude of the net force on the object at the bottom of the circle is given by:

F bottom = T − mg

Which of the following statements is correct?

A. The net force on the object at the bottom of the loop is greater than the net force at
the top

B. The net force on the object decreases as the object moves from the bottom to the
top of the loop

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 18
 C. The net force on the object at the top of the loop is greater than the net force at the
bottom

D. The net force on the object is the same at the top and at the bottom of the loop
(1 mark)

10 Two masses m1 and m2 are fixed on a horizontal circular rotating platform. m2 is half as
massive as m1 and is fixed at a distance three times as far from the centre as m1. The net
force on m1 is F1 and the net force on m2 is F2.

Which of the following statements is correct?

1
A. F 1 = F
2 2

1
B. F 1 = F
3 2

2
C. F 1 = F
3 2

D. F 1 = 2F 2

(1 mark)

© 2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. Get more and ace your exams at savemyexams.com 19