Question 1

A car moves along a straight road such that its position-versus-time graph is a straight line with a positive slope. Which of the following statements is true about the car's motion?

Accepted Answer

The car is moving with constant velocity in the positive direction.

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the difference between distance and displacement?

Accepted Answer

Distance is a scalar quantity representing the total path length, while displacement is a vector quantity representing the straight-line change in position.

Question 3

A runner starts at $x = 0$ m and runs to $x = 100$ m in 10 s, then immediately turns around and runs back to $x = 40$ m in 5 s. What is the runner's average velocity for the entire trip?

Accepted Answer

$2.67$ m/s

Question 4

Which of the following equations correctly gives the final position $s_f$ of an object moving with constant velocity $v$ over a time interval $\Delta t$ from an initial position $s_i$?

Accepted Answer

$s_f = s_i + v \Delta t$

Question 5

A ball is thrown straight up with an initial velocity of $+15$ m/s. What is the ball's velocity at its highest point?

Accepted Answer

$0$ m/s

Question 6

A car accelerates uniformly from rest to a velocity of $20$ m/s in $5$ seconds. What is the car's acceleration?

Accepted Answer

$4$ m/s^2$

Question 7

Which of the following statements about free fall is correct (neglecting air resistance)?

Accepted Answer

All objects fall with the same acceleration regardless of their mass.

Question 8

A stone is dropped from rest from a cliff and falls freely under gravity. Which kinematic equation would you use to find the time it takes to reach the ground if the height $h$ is known?

Accepted Answer

$h = v_i t + \frac{1}{2} a t^2$

Question 9

A cyclist travels 200 m north, then 150 m south. What is the magnitude of the cyclist's displacement?

Accepted Answer

$50$ m

Question 10

A position-versus-time graph for an object is a curve that gets steeper as time increases. What does this indicate about the object's motion?

Accepted Answer

The object is speeding up.

Question 11

A car moves with a constant acceleration of $-3$ m/s$^2$. If its initial velocity is $12$ m/s, how long will it take to come to rest?

Accepted Answer

$4$ s

Question 12

Which of the following is the correct expression for instantaneous velocity $v$ in terms of position $s$ and time $t$?

Accepted Answer

$v = \frac{ds}{dt}$

Question 13

A ball is thrown vertically upward. At the very top of its trajectory, which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

The velocity is zero, but the acceleration is $-9.8$ m/s$^2$.

Question 14

A motion diagram shows dots equally spaced along a straight line. What does this indicate about the object's motion?

Accepted Answer

The object is moving at constant velocity.

Question 15

A car starts from rest and accelerates at $2$ m/s$^2$ for $6$ seconds. What is its final velocity?

Accepted Answer

$12$ m/s

Question 16

A rock is thrown downward from a bridge with an initial velocity of $5$ m/s. How fast is it moving after $2$ seconds? (Assume $g = 9.8$ m/s$^2$ downward.)

Accepted Answer

$24.6$ m/s

Question 17

A position-versus-time graph has a negative slope. What does this tell you about the object's velocity?

Accepted Answer

The object is moving in the negative direction.

Question 18

A springbok antelope leaps vertically upward with an initial velocity of $10$ m/s. How high does it rise? (Use $g = 9.8$ m/s$^2$.)

Accepted Answer

$5.1$ m

Question 19

A sandbag is dropped from a hot air balloon rising at $8$ m/s. Immediately after release, what is the sandbag's velocity relative to the ground?

Accepted Answer

$8$ m/s$ upward

Question 20

Which of the following best describes the acceleration of an object in free fall near Earth's surface?

Accepted Answer

$a = 9.8$ m/s$^2$ downward

Kinematics and Motion: Study Notes for Physics 1 (PCS 120)

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards