Unit 1 - Fall and Projectile Motion

Practice Questions
Free fall acceleration
01. If a pebble is dropped from the top of a vertical cliff and takes 2.5 s to reach the sandy beach below
Find,
(a) the velocity with which it strikes the sand.
(b) the height of the cliff
(c) If the pebble penetrates the sand to a depth of 12.5 cm, calclate its average retardation. (g ! 1" ms
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)
02. If a stone was thrown vertically pwards from the grond with a velocity of $" ms
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. Find
(a) %he total flight time.
(b) %he time taken to reach the ma&imm height
(c) %he velocity of the stone when it reaches the grond
(d) %he ma&imm height attain by the stone.
(e) %he time when the stone attain the displacement of 1"" m
(d) %he velocity of the stone when the time t ! ' s. ( g ! 1" ms
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)
03. ( stone thrown vertically pwards from the grond retrned for seconds later. )stimate the speed
with which it leaves the grond. *hat was the ma&imm height it reached+
04. ( ball is thrown down vertically with an initial speed of ," m s
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from a height of -"m. (a) *hat is its
speed .st before it strikes the grond (b) /ow long does the ball take to reach the grond+ (%ake the
acceleration of gravity as g ! 1" ms
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) (c)*hat wold be the answer to (a) and (b) if the ball were thrown
pward from the same height and with the same initial speed+
05. (t a constrction site a pipe wrench strikes the grond with a speed of 2' ms
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(a) from what height
was it inadvertently dropped+ (b) /ow long was it falling+
06. ( hoodlm throws a stone vertically p with an initial speed of 1" ms
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from the roof of a bilding '"
m above the grond. (a) /ow long does it take the stone to reach the grond+ (b) *hat is the speed of the
stone at impact+
07. (a) *ith what speed mst a ball be thrown vertically from grond level to rise to a ma&imm height
of -" m+ (b) /ow long will it be in the air+ (c) 0ketch graphs of y, v and a verss t for the ball. 1n the
first two graphs, indicate the time at which 5" m is reached.
08. 2aindrops fall to the earth from a clod 13"" m above the )arth4s srface. If they were not slowed by
air resistance, how fast wold the drops be moving when they strck the grond+ *old it be safe to walk
otside dring a rain storm+
0. ( ball of clay is thrown vertically pwards from a -" m high cliff with a velocity of ," ms
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. /ow
long does it take to reach the bottom of the cliff + %he clay ball is in contact with the grond for 2" ms
before coming to rest. *hat is the average acceleration of the clay ball dring the time it is in contact
with grond+
10. (n ob.ect falls from a bridge that is '5 m above the water. It falls directly into a model boat, moving
with constant velocity, which was 12 m from the point of the impact when the ob.ect was released. *hat
was the speed of the boat+
11. ( model rocket is fired vertically and ascends with a constant vertical acceleration of ' ms
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for $ s.
Its fel is then e&hasted and it contines as a free#fall particle. (a) *hat is the ma&imm altitde
reached+ (b) *hat is the total time elapsed from takeoff ntil the rocket strikes the )arth+
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12. ( stone is thrown vertically pward. 1n its way p it passes point ( with speed v, and point 5, , m
higher than (, with speed 6 v. 7alclate (a) the speed v and (b) the ma&imm height reached by the stone
above point 5.
14. %o test the 8ality of a tennis ball, yo drop it into the floor from a height of ' m. It rebonds to a
height of , m. If the ball was in contact with the floor for 1" ms what is its acceleration dring contact+
15. ( hot balloon ascending at the rate of 12 m s
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and is -" m above the grond when a package is
dropped over the side. (a) /ow long does the package take to reach the grond+ (b) *ith what speed does
it hit the grond+
16. ( parachtist bails ot and freely falls 5" m. %hen the parachte opens and thereafter she decelerates
at 2 m s
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. 0he reaches the grond with a speed of , m s
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(a) /ow long was the parachtist in the air+ (b)
(t what height did the fall begin+
!ori"ontal Projectiles
17. 5ill kicks a foot ball hori9ontally of the edge of a bench that has height of ".- m. the ball travels a
hori9ontal distance of $.' m throgh the air before it hits the grond. Find how long it takes the football
to reach the floor. %hen calclate the speed which it left the bench.
18. ( riffle with a m99le velocity of 5"" ms
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shoots a bllet at a target 5" m away. /ow high above the
target mst the rifle barrel be pointes to ensre that the bllet will hit the target+
1. ( dart leaves the thrower4s hand hori9ontally at a height of 1.3 m above the grond. It strikes the
board , m away at a height of 1.5 m above the grond 7alclate the time taken by the dart to reach the
board and the hori9ontal velocity at which the dart left the thrower4s hand.
20. ( pro.ectile is fired hori9ontally from a gn that is '5 m above flat grond. %he m99le velocity is '"
m s
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. (a) /ow long does the pro.ectile remain in the air+ (b) (t what hori9ontal distance from the firing
point does it strike the grond+ (c) *hat is the magnitde of the resltant velocity as it strikes the
grond+
Projectiles at an#le to t$e $ori"ontal
21. ( stone is pro.ected from the grond with an initial speed of 1"" m s
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directed ,"
o
above the
hori9ontal, as shown in the following figre. Find
(a) the flight time (b) the ma&imm height attained (c) %he /ori9ontal range (d) the vertical and the
hori9ontal velocity components when t ! 3 s (e) the magnitde and the direction of the resltant velocity
when t ! 3s (f ) find when the pro.ectile attain a vertical displacement of '5 m.
22. ( stone is cataplted with an initial speed of $" m s
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at an angle of ,"
o
above grond level. Find its
hori9ontal and vertical displacements (a) 2s (b) ' s and (c) $ s after lanch.
23. ( pro.ectile is lanched with an initial speed of ," m s
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at an angle of $"
o
above the hori9ontal.
7alclate the magnitde and direction of its velocity (a) 2 s and (b) 5 s after lanch.
24. ( golfer tees off from the top of a rise, giving the golf ball an initial velocity of '2 ms
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at an angle of
,"
o
above the hori9ontal. %he ball strikes the fairway a hori9ontal distance of 1-" m from the tee. (ssme
the fairway is level+ (a) /ow high is the rise above the fairway+ (b)*hat is the speed of the ball as it
strikes the fairway+
25. (n airplane, driving at angle of 5,
o
with the vertical, releases a pro.ectile at an altitde of 3," m. %he
pro.ectile hits the grond 5 s after being released. (a) *hat is the speed of the aircraft+ (b) /ow far did
the pro.ectile travel hori9ontally dring its flight+ (c) *hat were the hori9ontal and vertical components
of its velocity .st before striking the grond+
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