Physics Study Guide

Make sure you show all work and all units when completing problems.
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Part 1: Free Response

1. You receive 3 lamps with a 12V battery and wire. The resistance of each lamp is 15
ohms.
a. Draw a parallel schematic diagram that will allow the lamps to shine.
b. What is the total current?
c. What is the total power?
d. If one light bulb was removed, what would happen to the other two? Explain.
2. Use the following graph for the next questions:
The following graph shows the motion of a bicycler:

a. Create an acceleration v time graph with the correct units on the x and y axis.
b. Indicate any time periods in which the forces on the bike are balanced and
indicate why.
c. If the mass of the bike is 8 kg what is the net force acting on the bike between 0
and 5 minutes?
d. How far does the bike travel in the first 30 minutes?
3. A converging lens has a focal point of 12 cm and a center of curvature of 24 cm. An
object with a height of 4 cm is placed 17 cm in from the lens.
a. Draw the diagram and where the image is going to be.
b. Describe the image.
c. Calculate the distance of the image and height of the image.
d. If the object is moved farther away from the lens to 27 cm how will this affect the
image distance and height?
4. You give a 15 kg child a ride on a 4.0 kg wagon by pulling the wagon by the handle. You
pull with a force of 115 N horizontal to the ground and the wheels provide a frictional
force of 60 N.
 a. Draw a free body diagram of this system
b. Calculate the acceleration of the entire system.
c. Calculate the normal force of the entire system.
d. If you pull the wagon for 22 m, how much work have you done?
5. A roller coaster travels down the track from the first hill (at a height of 100 m) and up
over a second smaller hill (at a height of 45 m). The mass of the cart is 45 kg.
a. Draw a free body diagram of the cart at the top of the first hill.
b. Calculate the PE of the cart at the top of the first hill.
c. Where on the track would the cart have the fastest speed?
d. Calculate the carts maximum speed.
e. Calculate the cart’s speed at the top of the smaller hill.
f. What would happen to the cart’s speed if as it approached the second hill if there
was friction in this problem?

Part 2: Theoretical Questions

1. If I have two objects of the same shape, but different masses, which one will fall to the
ground faster?
2. Describe what would happen in a gravity free zone if a 45 kg person pushed off of a
1,000 kg sphere.
3. Define a magnitude and direction and explain the special name for a value if it contains
both.
4. Using impulse and momentum, describe what happens when a baseball bat collides with
a baseball.
5. What does the slope of a position v. time graph tell us? What does the slope of a velocity
v. time graph tell us?
6. In terms of Kinetic Energy; explain what happens in an elastic and static equation.
7. Two waves with different wavelengths travel through the same medium. Explain what
makes the waves have different wavelengths.
8. If I have 3 electromagnetic waves that each have different wavelengths; relate the
speeds of each wave based on their wavelength.
9. A projectile is launched from the ground. There are three points on the path of motion. A
and C are the same height above the ground but are on opposite sides of the path. Point
B is at the highest point of the motion. Put these three points in order of speeds from
highest to lowest.
10. In what direction is the acceleration of a projectile that is launched at a 30 degree with a
velocity of 32 m/s to the right?
11. Define constructive and destructive interference and explain how they are related to one
another.
12. Define diffraction and how it is different from reflection and refraction in terms of waves.
13. Look over the right hand rule and how it applies to circular magnetic fields.
14. Compare how motors and generators transform energy.

Part 3: Math Problems

1. Solve the following using your kinematic equations:
a. A cheetah starts from rest and accelerates constantly for 6 seconds to catch his
prey that is a 15 m distance away. What was the acceleration?
b. You drop an egg off the side of a 50 m tall building. What is the final velocity of
the egg when it hits the ground?
2. Solve the following using projectile motion:
a. A student rolls a bowling ball off of a 10 m high ledge with a speed of 8 m/s. How
long does it take the bowling ball to hit the ground? How far from the edge does it
land?
b. A soccer player kicks a ball off of a 3 m high hill with a speed of 12 m/s. How
long does it take the ball to hit the ground? How far away did it land?
3. Use PE and KE to solve the following problems:
a. A small bird soars through the air at a speed of 30 m/s and at a height of 150 m
with a mass of 8 kg. What is the total mechanical energy in this situation?
b. How much potential energy is stored in my egg that is 50 m above the ground
and has a mass of 2.5 g?
c. What is the kinetic energy of a small 35 kg child sliding down a waterslide with a
velocity of 12.5 m/s?
4. Use Forces, Work, or momentum to solve the following:
a. A 55 kg person rollerblades with a momentum of 160 kg*m/s. What is the velocity
of this person?
b. How much work is done if you pull a wagon with a 15 N force at 30 degrees a
distance of 25 m?
c. How much force does it take to pull a 35 kg crate across a flat floor at constant
velocity? (μk = 0.2)
5. Use your knowledge of waves to answer the following questions:
a. A wave has a frequency of 14 hz. The wavelength is 13 cm. Determine the wave
speed.
b. Find the amplitude of the previous wave if there is a distance of 10 cm between
peak and trough.
c. Find the frequency of a wave that travels at the speed of light and has a
wavelength of 0.005 m.