Date:10-20-2015

PH101 Essentials of Physics - Fall 2015

Homework #1
Write answers on a separate sheet of paper or edit this document to provide enough space below each
question for your response. Handwritten responses are fine. Show all work for full credit.
Please make sure your handwriting is neat and legible. Draw a heavy square around your answers to
make them easy to find.

Note: About half the problems will be graded for participation and be given full credit if
completed. The others will be graded in detail based on correctness.
Quick-fire Questions (1 pt each, no explanation required)
1. Speed and Velocity. Can you drive your car around the block at a constant velocity (Yes/No)? No
2. Acceleration. Can a slow-moving car have a large acceleration (Yes/No)? Yes
3. Acceleration. For an unassisted (unforced, or isolated) moving object, which of the following
quantities change (there may be more than one): distance (from the starting point), speed, velocity,
acceleration?
Distance changes only.
4. Acceleration. A bicyclist increases her speed along a straight road from 3 m/s to 4.5 m/s, in 5 s. Find
her acceleration.

v
s

4.3 3
5
=

m / s2
= 0.26

5. Falling. By how much does a freely falling objects speed increase during its third second of fall (from
t = 2 s to t = 3 s after release)? During its fourth second of fall?
g = 9.8
During 2nd second: V= g x 2 = 9.8 x 2 = 19.6 m/s
During 3rd second: V= g x 3 = 9.8 x 3 = 29.4 m/s
During 4th second: V = g x 3= 9.8 x 4 = 39.2 m/s

Increase in speed from t: 2 to t: 3 = 29.4 19.6 = 9.8 m/s

Increase in speed from t: 3 to t: 4 = 39.2 29.4 = 9.8 m/s
6. Falling. For an object that is freely falling to Earth, which of the following quantities increase during
the fall (there may be more than one): distance (from the starting point), speed, velocity, acceleration?
Speed, distance, and velocity increase.
7. Law of Inertia. If a ball is moving at 20 m/s and no forces ever act on it, what will its speed be after 5
seconds? After 5 years?
20m/s in both cases
8. Acceleration. Without using equations, explain the difference between velocity and acceleration.

Velocity is the rate of change of distance with respect to time.

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time.
9. Falling. The acceleration of free-fall is 10 m/s2. Why does the seconds unit appear twice?

It appears once for the change in velocity, and again for the time that
the velocity makes this change.
10. Acceleration. What is the acceleration of a car that moves at a steady velocity of 100 km/hr for 100 s?
Assuming car is moving straight with constant velocity then acceleration is zero due to no change
in velocity.
11. Acceleration. As a stop light changes from red to green, a car starts to cross through the intersection.
An instant before it begins to move its velocity is zero. Must its acceleration at that time also be zero
(Yes/No)? No
12. Centripetal acceleration. During the 200-meter and 400-meter races, runners must stay in lanes as
they go around a curved part of the track. If runners in two different lanes have exactly the same speed,
will they also have exactly the same centripetal acceleration (Yes/No)? No
13. Acceleration. Can a car with a velocity toward the north simultaneously have an acceleration toward
the south (Yes/No)? Yes
Questions 14-27 are worth 4pts each
14. Adding Vectors. Rain is falling vertically downward as you drive your car through it. Why does it
appear the rain is falling at an angle? Explain your answer using vectors considering both the velocity of
the car and the rain.
The velocity of rain relative to the car moves at an angle due to added velocity vector of the car, if
the car was still then the rain would drop down straight vertically.
V of car
V of rain

V of rain relative to car

15. Graphing Motion. A boy rides his bike to a store, does his shopping, and returns home. Since it is
uphill on the way to the store, he travels at a low constant speed. On the way home he goes at a faster
constant speed.
(a) Sketch the position vs. time graph for the motion of the bike. Explain.
Explanation: Since the boy is riding away
from his destination at a certain slow velocity
then the graph starts off with increasing
position with a small slope then on the way
back the position from the beginning point
(home) will decrease with a faster velocity
(Hence a more steeper slope)

Positio
n

Tim
e

(b) Sketch the velocity vs. time graph for the motion of the bike. Explain.

Velocit
y

Tim
e

Explanation: Since the boy is riding with a constant

speed at first acceleration is 0 (slope is not steep at all),
then on the way to the store when he reaches his
destination and stops there his velocity is zero. On the
way back he starts to pick up acceleration in the
negative direction to the point where his velocity was
greater than before but this time on the negative end of

Define the direction towards the store as positive.

16. 1D Motion. A ball is projected upward from ground level as shown in the figure. We assume it starts
at x=0, and that the upward direction is positive. In the table, fill in the boxes with the proper sign (+, -, 0)
of the quantities given. Explain each response. x=position, v=velocity, a=acceleration.
Explanation: Since up is positive then x and v are within the same direction on the way to the
top. At the top they are not changing and on the way down they are in the opposite direction. Acceleration
is always negative (In the opposite direction) due to gravity.
x
on way up
at top
on way down

+
0
-

v
+
0
-

a
-

17. 1D Motion. This problem refers to the same situation as Problem 16. In this table, indicate in each
box if the variable is increasing (I), decreasing (D), or not changing (N). Explain each response.
Explanation:
Since we have defined
x
v
a
upwards as positive
the distance increased on
on way up
Increases Decreasin Not
the way up, at the top
g
changing there is no change in
distance since there is
no motion for a brief
at top
Not
Not
Not
moment in time, and
changing changing
changing on the way down it
decreases. Velocity on on way down Decrease Increasing Not
its way up is constantly
decreasing due to the
changing opposite acceleration
vector pointing down
on the top it reaches a
point zero where there is no change in velocity for a brief moment and on the way down it is increasing
due to the acceleration that is pointing in the same position. Acceleration does not change the whole time
during this motion since it is caused by gravity which is constant and not changing in direction.
18. Aristotelian Physics. How would Aristotelian physics explain the fact that people float better in water
when their lungs are filled with air?
Because of the theological concept of Aristotle elements had a purpose (to go towards their
natural resting place in the universe). According to Aristotle, the action of floating would be easier when
the lungs are filled because the air inside of the lungs is trying to go upwards towards its natural resting
place (air is above water and earth and therefor moves upwards)
19. Law of Inertia. When a moving bus comes rapidly to a stop, why do the riders who are standing
suddenly lurch toward the front of the bus?
The law of inertia states that objects continue moving even in absence of force. Whilst inside the
buss the rider is experiencing the same velocity as the bus. When the bus suddenly stops it is due to the
force of the breaks that is quickly accelerating the velocity of the bus to zero. The riders standing inside
the buss have no acceleration (due to no forces acting on them) in order to counter act their current
velocity. That is why the riders continue to move forwards within the direction of their previous velocity.
20. Free-fall Motion. Here is a simple experiment requiring two people, which measures reaction time.
The first person holds a meter stick at the 100 cm end, allowing it to hang vertically. The person whose
reaction time is to be measured places his/her fingers around the stick at the 50 cm mark, not touching the
stick, but ready to catch it as soon as it is released. The stick is dropped by the first person, and caught by
the second, falling a distance d that is easily measured on the stick. If you can, try this experiment with a
partner.
(a) How is d, the distance the stick falls, related to the reaction time? I.e. what is the mathematical
expression you would use to calculate the reaction time from d?
2d

The relation of the reaction time to the distance would be as follows:

d
where the original equation used was:

1 2
at
2

(b) Imagine that another student reacts more slowly, allowing the stick to fall twice as far. Is the reaction
time of this student greater than, less than or equal to double that of the first? Explain.

t
Since new distance equals 2d then
would be greater than the previous reaction time.

4d
a
according to the equation the new reaction time

21. Graphing Motion. A police car sits an intersection. A speeding car goes through the intersection. The
instant the speeder passes, the police car accelerates at a uniform rate until it catches the speeder, who has
maintained a constant speed.
(a) Sketch a velocity vs. time graph for each car on the same set of axes. Clearly label which graph
corresponds to which car. Clearly label the point on the graph where the police car catches the speeder.
Explain.
Explanation: Since the speeding vehicle is at a certain constant velocity then the line will be a straight
line. The police care will start at an acceleration or slope (from v=0 ) that will continue until it reaches the
same velocity as the speeding car.

(b) Repeat all parts of question (a) for a position vs. time graph.
Explanation: The speeding car will maintain a constant slope (velocity) while the police care will
increase its velocity (slope) with time, till it reaches the same distance as the speeding car.

22. Vectors. The diagram below shows the velocity of a biker relative to the ground, and the velocity of
the wind relative to the ground. The wind resistance the biker feels however is determined by the velocity
of the wind relative to the biker herself. Determine this vector graphically by using the rules of vector
addition and subtraction. Show your work.

23. Falling. A rock is dropped off the side of a bridge and hits the water below 2 s later.
(a) What was the rocks velocity when it hit the water?
V=at

V= 9.8 x 2 = 19.6 m/s

(b) What was the rocks average velocity as it fell?

Vf Vi
2

19.6 0
2

Average velocity =

= 9.8 m/s

(c) What is the height of the bridge above the water?

1 2
at
2

= 0.5 x 9.8 x

22

= 19.6 m

24. Falling. A bungee jumper falls for 1.3 s before the bungee cord begins to stretch. Until the jumper has
bounced back up to this level, the bungee causes the jumper to have an average acceleration upward of 4
m/s2.
(a) How fast is the jumper going when the bungee cord begins to stretch?
V=at = 9.8 x 1.3 = 12.74 m/s
(b) How far below the diving platform is the jumper at that moment?

1 2
at
2

= 0.5 x 9.8 x

1.32

= 8.281 m

(c) How long after the bungee cord begins to stretch does the jumper reach the low point of the drop?
At low point of drop: V = 0, a = 4 m/s/s
Vf= Vo + at
0 = 12.74 + 9.8t
t = 3.185 s
(d) How far below the diving platform is the jumper at the instant the speed is zero?

Vaverage
d = di + [
x t]
d= 8.281 + [6.37 x 3.185] = 28.569 m
25. Centripetal acceleration. The Moons mass is 7.351022 kg and it moves in nearly a circular orbit
with radius 3.84108 m. The period (time to complete one orbit) of its motion is 27.3 days. Use this
information to determine the Moons (a) orbital speed and (b) acceleration.

a)
Equation of velocity is:
V= d/t
Distance equals circumference:
d = C = 2(pi)r.
To convert time into seconds we:
t = 27.3 days X ( 24 hrs / day ) X ( 60 min / hr ) X ( 60 sec / min )
t= 2,358,720 seconds
Then V:
V = d/t = 2(pi)r/t:
V = 2 (pi) (384,000,000) / (2,358,720) =
V = 1022.38502 m/s
b) a = V^2/r = 1022.38502^2 / 384,000,000 = 0.00272206 m/s/s
26. Falling. On a certain planet an astronaut drops a hammer from 2 m and it takes 0.6 sec for it to hit the
ground. What is the acceleration due to gravity on this planet?

1 2
at
2

2 = 0.5x0.6^2a
2=0.180a

a= 2/0.180

a= 11.11 m/s/s