School of Engineering and Applied Science

Applied Physics (2016)

Question 1J – A baseball is hit so that it travels straight upward after being

struck by the bat. A fan observes that it takes 3.00 seconds for the ball to reach
its maximum height. Find a) the ball’s initial velocity, b) The height it reaches.

Question 2J – Kathy tests her sports car by racing with Stan, an experienced
racer. Both start from rest, but Kathy leaves the starting line 1.0 seconds after
Stan does. Stan moves with a constant acceleration of 3.50ms−2 while Kathy
maintains an acceleration of 4.50ms−2. Find a) the time at which Kathy
overtakes Stan. b) The distance she travels before she catches him and c) the
speed of both cars at instant Kathy overtakes Stan.

Question 3I – A radius vector of a point A relative to the origin varies with

time t as r = at i – bt2J where a and b are positive constants and i and J are the
unit vectors of X and Y axis. Find a) the equation of point trajectory Y(x), b) the
time dependence of the velocity v and acceleration vectors as well as of the
moduli of these quantities.

Question 4I– A point moves in the pane xy according to the law x=at, y =at(1-
αt),where a and α are positive constants , t is the time. Find

a) The equation of the point is trajectory y(x)

b) The velocity v and acceleration a of the point as function of time.
c) The time at which the velocity vector forms an angle π/4 with the
acceleration vector.

Question 5(J) – A scientist is studying the biomechanics of the human body.

She determines the velocity of an experimental subject while he runs along the
straight line at a constant rate. The scientist start the stopwatch at the moment
the runner passes at given point and stops it after the runner has passed another
point 20m away. The time interval indicated on the stopwatch is 4.0second.

a) What is the runner’s velocity

b) If the runner continues his motion after stopwatch is stopped, what is his
position after 10s has passed?
Question 6(J) – A jet lands on an aircraft carrier at 140mi/hr (≈63m/s).

a) What is its acceleration (assumed constant) if it stops in 2.0s due to an

arresting cable that snags the jet and brings it to the stop?
b) If the jet touches down at position xi=0, what is its final position?

Question 7J – A person walks at a constant speed of 5.0m/s along a straight

line from point A to point B and then back along the line B to A at constant
speed of 3.0m/s. a) what is her average speed over the entire trip? b) What is her
average velocity over the entire trip?

Question 8- A vector has an X component of -25.0 units and a Y component of

40.0 units. Find the magnitude and direction of this vector.

Question 9J –Consider the two vectors Á = 3i – 2J, B = -i-4J, calculate, a) Á + B́

, b) Á - B́ and c) direction of Á + B́ and Á - B́.

Question 10J – Your dog is running around the grass in your backyard. He
undergoes successive displacements 3.50m south, 8.20m northeast and 15.0 m
west. What is the resultant displacement?

Question 11 J – A person going for the walk follows the path shown in the
figure. The total trip consists of four straight line paths. At the end of the walk,
what is the person’s resultant displacement measured from starting point.

Figure:

Question 12J – A projectile is fired in such a way that its horizontal range is
equal to three times its maximum height. What is the angle of projection?

Question 13 J – A train slows down as it rounds a sharp horizontal turn, going

from 90.0km/hr to 50.0km/hr in the 15sec that it takes to round the bend. The
radius of the curve is 150m. Compute the acceleration at the moment the train
speed reaches 50.0km/hr. Assume the train continues to slow down at this time
at the same rate.

Question 14 J – Figure represents the total acceleration of a particle moving

clockwise in a circle of radius 2.50m at a certain instant of time. For that instant,
find a) the radial acceleration of the particle, b) the speed of the particle and c)
its tangential acceleration.
Figure:

Question 15 B – What is the initial angle and speed with which a football has to
be punted so that its hang time is 4.41s and it travels a distance of 49.8m.