NEWTONS SECOND LAW OF MOTION (PAST PAPERS )

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1) A block of weight 1500 N is dragged along a horizontal road at constant speed by a force of
500 N.

500 N

What is the force of friction between the block and the road ?
A 3N B 500 N
C 1000 N D 1500 N
2) A force of 15 N acts on a box as shown below.

Which entry in the following table correctly shows the horizontal and vertical
components of force?

Horizontal Vertical component (N)

component (N)

A 15 sin 60 15 sin 30
B 15 cos 60 15 sin 30
C 15 sin 30 15 sin 60
D 15 sin 30 15 cos 60
E 15 cos 30 15 sin 30

3) A block of wood of mass 2 kg, slides with a constant velocity down a slope. The
slope makes an angle 30° with the horizontal as shown in the diagram.What is the
value of force of friction acting on the block?

A 1N B 1.7 N
 C 9.8 N D 17 N E !9.6 N
4) A cyclist free wheels down a slope inclined at 15° to the horizontal at a constant
velocity of 3 ms-1. The combined mass of the rider and the bicycle is 70 kg.

If the value of the acceleration due to gravity is taken as 10 ms-2, the total force of
friction is
A 181 N B 210 N
C 362 N D 391 N E 676 N

5) Two boxes on a frictionless horizontal surface are joined together by a string as

shown. The 4 kg box is being pulled to the right by a constant horizontal force of 12
N.

What is the value of tension in the string joining the two boxes?
A 2N B 4N
C 6 N D 8N E 12 N
6) A tension force of 180 N is applied vertically upwards to a box of mass 15 kg.

The box moves upward with an acceleration of

A 2.2 ms-2 B 8.2 ms-2
-2
C 10 ms C 12 ms-2 E 20 ms-2
7) A sledge is dragged at a constant velocity along the snow against a horizontal
frictional force F. The rope pulling the sledge is at an angle of Ɵ to the horizontal.
 When the sledge is moving horizontally with a constant velocity the force P
pulling the rope is equal to
A F B F cos Ɵ
C F sin Ɵ D F/cos Ɵ E F/sinƟ

8) The lift in the department store has a mass of 1100 kg.

The lift is descending downward with a uniform downward acceleration of 2 ms-2.

The acceleration due to gravity can be taken as 10 ms-2. What is the force applied to
the lift by the lift cable?
A 1100 N B 2200 N C 8800
D 11000 N E 13200 N
9) An object of mass 1 kg hangs from a spring balance which is suspended on the inside
of a small rocket, as shown below.
 What is the reading on the balance when the rocket is accelerating upwards from the
Earth’s surface at 2 ms-2?
A 0N B 2N C 7.8 N
D 9.8 N E 11.8 N
10) A sledge is pulled a distance of 8 m in a straight line along a horizontal surface .

The tension in the rope is 75 N and the angle between the rope and the horizontal
surface is 28°.
Which row in the following table is correct?

Horizontal Vertical component Work done by

component of of tension /N rope/ J
tension /N

A 75 sin 28° 75 sin 62° 600

B 75 cos 28° 75 sin 28° 530
C 75 sin 62° 75 sin 28° 600
D 75 cos 28° 75 sin 62° 600
E 75 sin 28° 75 cos 28° 35

11) A rocket of mass 200 kg accelerates vertically upwards from the surface of a planet at
2 ms-2. The value of gravitational field strength ( acceleration due to gravity) on the
planet is 4 ms-2.What is the size of the force being supplied to rockets engine?
A 800 N B 1200 N C 2400 N
D 2000 N E 4800 N
12) Two boys are pulling a car of mass 800 kg along a level surface with a pair of ropes
attached horizontally as shown below.

When the pull on each rope is 400 N in the directions indicated, the acceleration of the
car is 0.1 ms-2. What is the size of the frictional force acting on the car?
A 194 N B 434 N C 533 N
 D 672 N E 832 N
13) A woman is standing on scales in a lift. She has a mass of 50 kg. The reading on the
scales is 520N. Therefore, the lift is

A. accelerating up

B. moving up at a constant speed

C. stationary

D. moving down at a constant speed

E. accelerating down

STRUCTURED QUESTIONS

14) A rocket of mass 1000 kg carries 800 kg of fuel at take-off. If the thrust T from the
engines is 22000 N, calculate:
a) The initial acceleration of the rocket
b) The acceleration just as all the fuel is used up
15) The diagram below represents a catapult about to launch a small steel
ball horizontally. The mass of the ball is 0.10 kg.

(a) Calculate
(i) the size of the resultant force exerted by the catapult on the steel ball.
(ii) the initial acceleration of the steel ball in the horizontal direction.

(b) The steel ball is aimed at the centre of a target which is 6 m away. The ball leaves
the catapult traveling at 34ms-1 in a horizontal direction.
 The effect of air friction may be neglected.The ball hits the target below the centre.
Calculate the distance between the centre of the target and the point of impact.

16) A 600 kg van is moving down a slope which is inclined at an angle 12º to the
horizontal.

a) Calculate the component of vans weight parallel to the slope.

b) A constant frictional force of 800 N acts on the van as it moves down the slope.
Calculate the acceleration of the van.
c) The van is released from rest. Find the kinetic energy of the van at the bottom of the
slope.
17) Two ropes are used to pull a boat at constant speed along a canal.
Each rope exerts a force of magnitude 150 N at 20° to the direction of travel of the
boat as shown.

a) Calculate the magnitude if the resultant force exerted by the ropes.

b) What is the magnitude of the frictional force acting on the boat?
18) Robert with mass 120 kg is trying shortcuts to losing weight by standing on scales in a lift. In
each of the following calculate the reading on the scales.
a) The lift is stationary.
b) The lift is moving upward with an acceleration 1.5 ms -2.
c) The lift is moving downward with constant velocity.
d) The lift is moving downward with an acceleration 1 ms -2.
e) The lift cable breaks.
19) A woman is standing on a set of bathroom scales in a stationary lift (a normal
everyday occurrence!). The reading on the scales is 500 N. When she presses the
ground floor button, the lift accelerates downwards and the reading on the scales at
this moment is 450 N. Find the acceleration of the lift.
20) A child on a sledge slides down a slope which is at an angle of 20° to the horizontal
as shown below.
The combined weight of the sledge and the child is 400 N. The frictional force acting
on the sledge and the at the start of the slide is 20 N.

a) Calculate the combined weight of the child and the sledge down the slope.
b) Calculate the initial acceleration of the sledge and child.
c) The child decides to start the slide from further up the slope. Explain whether or
not this has any effect on the initial acceleration.

21) Two masses are pulled along a flat surface as shown below.

Find the (a) acceleration of the masses

(b) tension, T.
21) A crate of mass 100 kg is pulled along a rough surface by two ropes at the angles shown.
a) If the crate is moving at a constant speed of 1 m s -1 what is the force of friction?
b) If the forces were increased to 140 N at the same angle calculate the acceleration
of the crate.