Conceptual Physics, 12e (Hewitt)

Chapter 3 Linear Motion

3.1 Multiple-Choice Questions

1) A mosquito flying at 3 m/s that encounters a breeze blowing at 3 m/s in the same direction has
a speed of
A) 0 m/s.
B) 3 m/s.
C) 4 m/s.
D) 6 m/s.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Topic: Motion is Relative

2) A mosquito flying at 3 m/s that encounters a breeze blowing at 3 m/s in the opposite direction
has a speed of
A) 0 m/s.
B) 3 m/s.
C) 4 m/s.
D) 6 m/s.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: Motion is Relative

3) Katelyn runs along the aisle of a train that moves at 8 m/s. Her speed relative to the floor is 3
m/s. Her speed relative to an observer at rest on the ground is
A) 5 m/s.
B) 11 m/s.
C) either depending on her running direction
D) none of the above
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Motion is Relative

4) You're at rest in a hammock when a hungry mosquito sees an opportunity for lunch. A mild 2-
m/s breeze is blowing. If the mosquito joins you for lunch it should hover over you by flying
A) against the breeze at 2 m/s.
B) with the breeze at 2 m/s.
C) a bit faster than wind speed.
D) none of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: Motion is Relative

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5) Jogging Jake runs at 4 m/s along a train flatcar that moves at 10 m/s in the same direction.
Jake's speed relative to the ground is
A) 6 m/s.
B) 10 m/s.
C) 14 m/s.
D) none of the above
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Motion is Relative

6) Jogging Jake runs at 4 m/s along a train flatcar that moves at 10 m/s in the opposite direction.
Jake's speed relative to the ground is
A) 6 m/s.
B) 10 m/s.
C) 14 m/s.
D) none of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: Motion is Relative

7) The speedometer of an automobile reads

A) average speed.
B) instantaneous speed.
C) accelerated speed.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: Speed and Velocity

8) The two measurements necessary for calculating average speed are

A) acceleration and time.
B) velocity and time.
C) distance and time.
D) distance and acceleration.
E) velocity and distance.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: Speed and Velocity

9) When you walk at an average speed of 4 m/s, in 5 s you'll cover a distance of

A) 2 m.
B) 10 m.
C) 15 m.
D) 20 m.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: Speed and Velocity

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10) A vehicle undergoes acceleration when it
A) gains speed.
B) loses speed.
C) changes its direction.
D) all of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Topic: Speed and Velocity

11) The average speed of a horse that gallops 10 kilometers in 30 minutes is

A) 15 km/h.
B) 20 km/h.
C) 30 km/h.
D) 40 km/h.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Speed and Velocity

12) A ball rolls along a horizontal track in a certain time. If the track has a dip in it, the time to
roll the length of the track will be
A) less.
B) the same.
C) more.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Topic: Speed and Velocity

13) A ball rolls along a horizontal track in a certain time. If the track has a small upward dent in
it, the time to roll the length of the track will be
A) less.
B) the same.
C) more.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Speed and Velocity

14) While a car travels around a circular track at a constant speed, its
A) acceleration is zero.
B) velocity is zero.
C) inertia is zero.
D) none of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

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15) If a car increases its velocity from zero to 60 m/s in 10 seconds, its acceleration is
A) 3 m/s2.
B) 6 m/s2.
C) 60 m/s2.
D) 600 m/s2.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

16) An object covers a distance of 8 meters in the first second of travel, another 8 meters during
the next second, and 8 meters again during the third second. Its acceleration is
A) 0 m/s2.
B) 5 m/s2.
C) 8 m/s2.
D) 24 m/s2.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

17) A cart maintains a constant velocity of 100 m/s for 10 seconds. During this interval its
acceleration is
A) zero.
B) 1 m/s2.
C) 10 m/s2.
D) none of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

18) A cart changes its speed from 90 m/s to 100 m/s in 10 seconds. During this interval its
acceleration is
A) zero.
B) 1 m/s2.
C) 10 m/s2.
D) none of the above
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

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19) If an object moves with constant acceleration, its velocity must
A) be constant also.
B) change by the same amount each second.
C) change by varying amounts depending on its speed.
D) always decrease.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

20) A rock dropped from a 5-m height accelerates at 10 m/s2 and strikes the ground 1 s later. If
the rock is dropped from a height of 2.5 m, its acceleration of fall is
A) half.
B) the same.
C) twice.
D) four times as much.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

21) A ball tossed vertically upward rises, reaches its highest point, and then falls back to its
starting point. During this time the acceleration of the ball is always
A) in the direction of motion.
B) opposite its velocity.
C) directed upward.
D) directed downward.
E) none of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

22) A car's speed 3 seconds after accelerating from rest at 2 m/s2 is

A) 2 m/s.
B) 3 m/s.
C) 4 m/s.
D) 6 m/s.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

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23) A ball starting from rest at the top of an inclined plane gains a speed of 2 m/s for each second
it rolls. What is its acceleration down the incline?
A) 0.5 m/s2
B) 1 m/s2
C) 2 m/s2
D) 4 m/s2
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Acceleration

24) A ball starting from rest at the top of an inclined plane accelerates at 2 m/s2 and reaches the
bottom of the plane in 3 seconds. What is the length of the plane?
A) 2 m
B) 3 m
C) 5 m
D) 9 m
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Topic: Acceleration

25) The time it takes a car to attain a speed of 30 m/s when accelerating from rest at 2 m/s 2 is
A) 2 s.
B) 15 s.
C) 30 s.
D) 60 s.
E) none of the above
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Topic: Acceleration

26) What is the acceleration of a car that starts from rest and 5 seconds later reaches a speed of
20 m/s?
A) 1 m/s2
B) 2 m/s2
C) 3 m/s2
D) 4 m/s2
E) 5 m/s2
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Topic: Acceleration

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27) Ten seconds after starting from rest, a car is moving at 40 m/s. What is the car's acceleration?
A) 0.25 m/s2
B) 2.8 m/s2
C) 4.0 m/s2
D) 10 m/s2
E) 40 m/s2
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Acceleration

28) If a rocket initially at rest accelerates at a rate of 50 m/s2 for one minute, its speed will be
A) 50 m/s.
B) 500 m/s.
C) 3000 m/s.
D) 3600 m/s.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Acceleration

29) The accelerations possible for a ball on an inclined plane

A) range from zero to g.
B) range from g to infinity.
C) have no limit.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Topic: Acceleration

30) A freely-falling watermelon falls with constant

A) velocity.
B) speed.
C) acceleration.
D) distances each successive second.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: Free Fall

31) While an iron block near the Earth's surface is in free fall, it undergoes an increase in
A) speed.
B) acceleration.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: Free Fall

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32) The distance a freely falling bowling ball falls each second
A) is about 5 m.
B) is about 10 m.
C) increases.
D) none of the above
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

33) Twelve seconds after starting from rest, a freely-falling cantelope has a speed of
A) 10 m/s.
B) 50 m/s.
C) 100 m/s.
D) more than 100 m/s.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

34) An apple falls from a tree and hits the ground 5 meters below with a speed of about
A) 5 m/s.
B) 10 m/s.
C) 15 m/s.
D) 20 m/s.
E) not enough information
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

35) If a stone falls to the bottom of a mineshaft in 6 seconds, then the depth of the shaft is about
A) 60 m.
B) 120 m.
C) 180 m.
D) more than 200 m.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

36) If a freely falling object were equipped with a speedometer, its speed reading would increase
each second by about
A) 5 m/s.
B) 10 m/s.
C) 15 m/s.
D) a variable amount.
E) depends on its initial speed
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: Free Fall
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37) If a freely falling object were equipped with a speedometer on a planet where the
acceleration due to gravity is 20 m/s2, then its speed reading would increase each second by
A) 10 m/s.
B) 20 m/s.
C) 30 m/s.
D) 40 m/s.
E) depends on its initial speed
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

38) If an object falling freely were somehow equipped with an odometer to measure the distance
it travels, then the amount of distance it travels each succeeding second would be
A) constant.
B) less and less each second.
C) greater than the second before.
D) doubled.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: Free Fall

39) An object at rest near the surface of a distant planet starts to fall freely. If the acceleration
there is twice that of the Earth, its speed one second later would be
A) 10 m/s.
B) 20 m/s.
C) 30 m/s.
D) 40 m/s.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: Free Fall

40) A ball is thrown upwards and returns to the same location. Compared with its initial speed its
speed when it returns is about
A) half as much.
B) the same.
C) twice as much.
D) four times as much.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

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41) At one instant an object in free fall is moving downward at 50 m/s. One second later its
speed is
A) 25 m/s.
B) 50 m/s.
C) 55 m/s.
D) 60 m/s.
E) 100 m/s.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

42) At one instant a heavy object in air is moving upward at 50 m/s. One second later its speed is
approximately
A) 40 m/s.
B) 50 m/s.
C) 55 m/s.
D) 60 m/s.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

43) The distance a freely falling object falls from rest in one-half second is
A) 2 m.
B) 4 m.
C) 6 m.
D) none of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

44) One half second after starting from rest, a freely falling object will have a speed of about
A) 2 m/s.
B) 5 m/s.
C) 10 m/s.
D) 20 m/s.
E) none of the above
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

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45) An object falls freely from rest on a planet where the acceleration due to gravity is 20 m/s 2.
After 5 seconds, the object will have a speed of
A) 5 m/s.
B) 10 m/s.
C) 20 m/s.
D) 50 m/s.
E) 100 m/s.
Answer: E
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

46) An object falls freely from rest on a planet where the acceleration due to gravity is twice as
much as on Earth. In the first 5 seconds it falls a distance of
A) 100 m.
B) 150 m.
C) 250 m.
D) 500 m.
E) none of the above
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

47) If you throw a ball straight downward (in the absence of air resistance), after leaving your
hand its acceleration is
A) less than 10 m/s2.
B) 10 m/s2.
C) greater than 10 m/s2.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

48) The time it takes a projectile fired straight up at 10 m/s to reach the top of its path is about
A) 1 s.
B) 2 s.
C) 10 s.
D) not enough information
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

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49) The total time it takes a projectile fired straight up at 10 m/s to reach the top of its path and
return to its starting point is about
A) 1 s.
B) 2 s.
C) 10 s.
D) 20 s.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

50) Neglecting air resistance, how fast must you toss a ball straight up in order for it to take 6
seconds to return to its initial level?
A) 5 m/s
B) 10 m/s
C) 20 m/s
D) 30 m/s
E) more than 30 m/s
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

51) When a ball thrown straight upwards reaches the very top of its path, its acceleration is
A) zero.
B) 5 m/s2.
C) 10 m/s2.
D) none of the above
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

52) The muzzle velocity of a bullet fired from a new rifle is 100 m/s. Neglecting air resistance, at
the end of one second a bullet fired straight up into the air will have traveled a distance of
A) (100 - 5) m.
B) (100 + 5) m.
C) 100 m.
D) 5 m.
E) none of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

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53) Neglecting air resistance, a bullet fired straight down from the top of a high cliff has an
acceleration of
A) less than 10 m/s2.
B) 10 m/s2.
C) more than 10 m/s2.
D) depends on the height of the cliff.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

54) A bullet is dropped into a river from a very high bridge at the same time as another bullet is
fired straight downward from a rifle. Neglecting air resistance, the acceleration just before
striking the water is
A) greater for the dropped bullet.
B) greater for the fired bullet.
C) the same for each bullet.
D) none of the above
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

55) Phil Physiker standing at the edge of a cliff throws one ball straight up and another ball
straight down, both with the same speed. Neglecting air resistance, which ball hits the ground
below with the greater speed?
A) the one thrown upward
B) the one thrown downward
C) neither, both hit with the same speed
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

56) Neglecting air resistance, a ball projected straight upward so it remains in the air for 10
seconds needs an initial speed of
A) 50 m/s.
B) 60 m/s.
C) 80 m/s.
D) 100 m/s.
E) 110 m/s.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

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57) A ball is projected 125 meters straight upward and then falls the same distance back to its
starting point. Neglecting air resistance, its total time in the air is about
A) 5 s.
B) 10 s.
C) 15 s.
D) more than 20 s.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

58) A pot that falls from a ledge and hits the ground 45 m below hits the ground at
A) 30 m/s.
B) 60 m/s.
C) 120 m/s.
D) more than 120 m/s.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

59) The vertical height attained by a basketball player who achieves a hang time of a full 1 s is
about
A) 0.8 m.
B) 1 m.
C) 1.2 m.
D) 2.5 m.
E) more than 2.5 m.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

60) Compared with hang time on Earth, hang time on the Moon would be
A) less.
B) the same.
C) greater.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Free Fall

61) As water drops fall at a steady rate from a leaking faucet they
A) get closer together.
B) get farther apart.
C) remain at a relatively fixed distance from one another.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

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62) Phil leans over the edge of a cliff and throws a rock upward at 5 m/s. Neglecting air
resistance, one second later the rock's speed is
A) zero.
B) 5 m/s.
C) 10 m/s.
D) 15 m/s.
E) none of the above
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

63) Phil leans over the edge of a cliff and throws a rock upward at 5 m/s. Neglecting air
resistance, two seconds later the rock's speed is
A) zero.
B) 5 m/s.
C) 10 m/s.
D) 15 m/s.
E) none of the above
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

64) Phil leans over the edge of a cliff and throws a rock upward at 5 m/s. How far below the
level from which it was thrown is the rock 2 seconds later?
A) 5 m
B) 10 m
C) 15 m
D) 20 m
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Topic: Free Fall

65) Which of the following is not a vector quantity?

A) velocity
B) speed
C) acceleration
D) all are vector quantities
E) none are vector quantities.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: Velocity Vectors

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66) An 80-km/h airplane flying in the same direction as a 10 km/h tail wind has a groundspeed of
A) 10 km/h.
B) 70 km/h.
C) 80 km/h.
D) 90 km/h.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
Topic: Velocity Vectors

67) An 80-km/h airplane flying against a 10-km/h head wind has a groundspeed of
A) 10 km/h.
B) 70 km/h.
C) 80 km/h.
D) 90 km/h.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: Velocity Vectors

68) An airplane that flies at 100 km/h in a 100-km/h crosswind has a ground speed of
A) 0 km/h.
B) 100 km/h.
C) 141 km/h.
D) 200 km/h.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Velocity Vectors

69) An 80-km/h airplane caught in a 60-km/h crosswind has a resultant speed of

A) 60 km/h.
B) 80 km/h.
C) 100 km/h.
D) 141 km/h.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Velocity Vectors

70) A bird flying at 8 km/h in a 6-km/h crosswind has a resultant speed of

A) 6 km/h.
B) 8 km/h.
C) 10 km/h.
D) 14 km/h.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Velocity Vectors

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71) A seagull flying at 10 km/h in a 10-km/h crosswind has a resultant speed of
A) 10 km/h.
B) about 14 km/h.
C) 20 km/h.
D) more than 20 km/h.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: Velocity Vectors

72) A humming bird flying at 4 km/h that gets caught in a 3-km/h crosswind has a resultant
speed of about
A) 3 km/h.
B) 4 km/h.
C) 5 km/h.
D) more than 5 km/h.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Topic: Velocity Vectors

73) A motorboat that normally travels at 8 km/h in still water heads directly across a 6-km/h
flowing river. The resulting speed of the boat is about
A) 6 km/h.
B) 8 km/h.
C) 10 km/h.
D) 20 km/h.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Velocity Vectors

74) A river 100 m wide flows due south at 1 m/s. A boat that travels 1 m/s relative to the water is
pointed due east as it crosses from the west bank. The boat reaches the east bank
A) due east of its starting point.
B) 100 m farther south.
C) 141 m farther south.
D) none of the above
Answer: B
Diff: 3
Topic: Velocity Vectors

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75) A river 100 m wide flows 1 m/s due south. A boat that travels 1 m/s relative to the water is
pointed due east as it crosses from the west bank. Relative to its starting point, the boat travels
A) nowhere.
B) 100 m.
C) 141 m.
D) 200 m.
E) more than 200 m.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Topic: Velocity Vectors

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