FORCE TIPERs (Answers)

SWHS APPY1

1.

A person pulls a block across a rough v

horizontal surface at a constant speed by
applying a force F at a slight angle as shown. FN
F
A free-body diagram is drawn for the block. fk
The arrows in the diagram correctly indicate
the directions, but not necessarily the
magnitudes of the various forces on the block. W

A student states that F = fk and FN = W since

the velocity is constant and thus the net force
is zero in both directions.

What, if anything, is wrong with this? If something is wrong, identify it and explain how to correct it.
Answer: The statement is wrong. Since the block is not accelerating, there is no net force, and the sum of the
vertical forces is therefore zero and the sum of the horizontal forces is also zero. Thus the horizontal component
of F must be equal to the frictional force (Fcosθ = fk), and the weight must equal the normal force plus the
vertical component of the applied force F (W = FN + Fsinθ ).
2.

These graphs below show the velocity versus time for two identical train engines on a straight track. A positive
velocity indicates that the engine was traveling east. The scales on both axes are the same for the graphs. On each
graph a point is marked with a dot.

A Velocity B Velocity

Time Time

A student who is asked how the net force acting on the engine in graph A at the identified point compares to the net
force acting on the engine in graph B states:
“I think that B has the larger net force since the net force on A at the identified point is zero.”
What, if any thing, is wrong with this student’s contention? If something is wrong, identify it, and explain how
to correct it. If nothing is wrong, explain why the statement is valid.
Answer: The student’s contention is wrong. Since both graphs have the same slope both engines have the same
acceleration. Since they are identical they also have the same mass and therefore the same net force for the
intervals shown.
 3.

In both cases below a pulley is suspended by a rope from a ceiling, and two masses are held tied to each other by a
rope that passes around the pulley. In Case A the two masses are at rest, but in the Case B the masses are accelerating.
The pulleys are identical in the two cases, and all ropes are massless.

P P

400 g 200 g

400 g 600 g

Case A Case B

For these arrangements will the tension at point P in the rope between the pulley and the ceiling be greater in
Case A, greater in Case B, the same in both cases, or impossible to compare without more information?
Explain.

Answer- (a) The tension at point P is greater in Case A. One way to reason about the supporting force is to consider the
center of mass of the system composed of the pulley and the two masses. For both cases, the forces acting are the
weight of this system and the tension in the rope connecting the pulley to the ceiling. In Case A the center of mass
of this system is at rest, while in Case B the center of mass is accelerating downward. Since the weight of the system
is the same in both cases, and the net force on the system is less in Case B, the supporting force must be less in case
B.
 4.

Shown below is a spaceship pulling four loaded cargo pods. At the instant shown, the velocity of the spaceship and of
the pods is 1000 m/s and they have an acceleration of 3 m/s2 in the same direction as the velocity. All masses are
given in the diagram in terms of M, the mass of an empty pod.
Pod 4 Pod 3 Pod 2 Pod 1
D C B A

m4 = 2M m3 = 3M m2 = 1M m1 = 2M
mShip = 60M
a = 3.0 m/s2 v = 1000 m/s

Rank (from greatest to least) the magnitudes of the tensions in the tow rods at the labeled points.
Greatest 1 _______ 2 _______ 3 _______ 4 _______ Least
OR, The magnitudes of the tensions in ALL FOUR tow rods are the same but not zero. ___
OR, The magnitudes of the tensions in ALLFOUR tow rod are zero. ___
OR, The ranking for the tensions in the tow rods cannot be determined. ___
Explain your reasoning.
Answer A > B > C > D
If for each labeled point we consider a system consisting of all of the pods to the left of that point, then the tension at
each labeled point is equal to the net force acting on that system. This net force will equal the mass of that system
times its acceleration. Since all pods have the same acceleration, the tension at each labeled point is equal to the
mass of all pods to the left of that point times the acceleration.
 5.

A baseball is thrown from right field to home plate (HP), traveling from right to left in the diagram.

HP

Physics students watching the game draw a free-body diagram for the baseball at the top of its path (point T). They
decide to include air friction and produce the following possible diagrams. Note that the force(s) are not drawn to
scale.

A B C
C C
D

B B B

D E F
D D
A

B B B

G H
Depends on the
None of these
coordinate system used

Which is the correct force diagram for the baseball at point T?

E includes air friction (A) acting opposite to the direction of motion, and the force of gravity (B).
Define all forces on the ball for this force diagram:
B is the gravitational force on the baseball by the earth (i.e., the weight of the baseball) and A is the frictional force on
the baseball by the air.
 6.
A heavy box is sitting at rest on an incline. There is friction between the box and the incline and a rope is pulling on
the box in a direction up and to the left, parallel to the incline.
Rope

Box

A physics student draws the to scale free body diagram below for the box.

Ton box by rope

Non box by incline

fon incline by box

Won box by earth

What, if anything, is wrong with this student’s free-body diagram? If something is wrong, explain the error and
how to correct it. If the contention is correct, explain why.

Answer: The force acting on the incline by the box does not belong in the free-body diagram of the box. Only forces
acting on the box can be in this free-body diagram. There should be a vector representing the friction force on the
box by the incline, and this force should be parallel to the surface, but we don’t have enough information to tell
whether it points up the incline or down the incline. (Also if the free-body diagram was supposed to be to scale, the
sum of the forces is not zero -- there is a net force up the incline.)
7.

In the two cases shown below a person is standing on a scale in an elevator. The elevators are identical, and each person
weighs 500 N. In both cases the elevator is moving downward, but in Case A it is accelerating upward and in Case B it is
accelerating downward.
A B
v = 3 m/s v = 3 m/s

a = 2 m/s2 a = 2 m/s2

Will the scale reading in Case A be greater than, less than, or the same as the scale reading in Case B?
Answer: The scale reading will be greater in Case A.
By Newton’s second law the net force on the person must point upward in Case A since the acceleration is upward and
the net force will point downward in Case B since the acceleration is downward. So the normal force on the person
by the scale (which is the reading on the scale) must be larger than the weight of the person in Case A, and smaller
than the weight of the person in Case B. The direction of the velocity of the elevator is not relevant to the scale
reading.
 8.
A rope that makes an angle of 30º with a horizontal rough floor is attached to a 50 N box that is moving along the
floor. The force applied by the rope is 40 N. The coefficient of static friction between the box and the floor is 0.6 and
the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.4.
40 N
30°
50 N

Four students are discussing the normal force on the box by the rough floor for this situation:
Aiko: “The normal force is 50 N since that is the weight of the box. The normal force is the Newton’s
third law pair to the weight.”
Bahir: “But in this case there is also an upward force of 40 N by the rope. The normal force is only 10 N.”
Chloe: “Actually it is only a part of that 40 N force that is acting upward. We’d have to use trigonometry
to figure out how much, and then subtract this from the weight to get the normal force.”
Delbert: “We can’t figure out the normal force until we know the acceleration. The greater the
acceleration, the less the normal force will be.”
Which, if any, of these students do you think is right?

Aiko _______ Bahir_______ Chloe ______ Delbert ______ None of them _______

Explain your reasoning-

Chloe is correct. The normal force is equal to the weight minus the upward contribution or component of the applied
force. In this case, the vertical component of the rope tension will be (40 N)(sin30°) or 20 N, and the normal force
will be 30 N.
 9.

A rope that makes an angle of 30º with a rough horizontal floor is attached to a 50 N box that is moving along the
floor. The tension in the rope is 40 N. The coefficient of static friction between the box and the floor is 0.6 and the
coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.4.
40 N
30°
50 N

Three students are discussing the magnitude of the friction force exerted on the box by the rough floor for this
situation:
Aisha: “The frictional force is 20 N since the normal force is 50 N and the coefficient of kinetic friction is
0.4.”
Beltran: “The frictional force is 12 N since the normal force is 30 N and the coefficient of kinetic friction is
0.4.”
Christine: “The frictional force is 34.6 N since that is the horizontal component of the 40 N force which is
equal to the frictional force.”
Which, if any, of these students do you think is right?

Aisha _______ Beltran_______ Christine ______ None of them _______

Explain your reasoning-

Answer: Beltran is correct.

The vertical component of the tension force is 20 N, and since the net force in the vertical direction is zero, the normal
force must have a magnitude of 30 N. The friction force is the coefficient of friction times the normal force. Note
that the box will be accelerating.
 10.

In each case below a block is attached by a string to a cart on a horizontal surface. The string passes over a massless,
frictionless pulley. In some cases the cart on the horizontal surface is tied to a fixed rod. The masses of the blocks and
of the carts are given in each figure. The carts move without friction.

A B C
9 kg 10 kg 9 kg

3 kg 5 kg 3 kg

D E F
12 kg 10 kg 12 kg

5 kg 4 kg 4 kg

Rank these systems (from greatest to least) on the basis of the tension in the string.
Greatest 1 _______ 2 _______ 3 _______ 4 _______ 5 _______ 6 _______ Least
OR, The tensions are the same, but not zero, for ALL SIX systems. ___
OR, The tensions are zero for ALL SIX systems. ___
OR, We cannot determine the ranking for the tensions. ___
Please explain your reasoning.
Answer: D > E > B > C = F > A,
For Cases C, D, and E, the carts and blocks are at rest, and the tension in the string is equal to the weight of the block.
For cases A, B, and F, the blocks will accelerate downward, and the tension in the string will be less than the weight of
the block. This tension will equal the weight of the hanging block times the ratio of the weight of the cart to the
weight of the cart-block system.

a=0 for C,D, and E so the T=mg so these are ranked on the basis of the hanging mass and for A, B, and F the
a=mg/(m+M) so T=Ma= Mmg/(m+M)=mg/(1+m/M)

Thus for A, a=g/4 and T=9g/4; for B, a=g/3 and T=10g/3; for C, a=0 and T=3g; for D, a=0 and T=5g; for E, a=0 and
T=4g; and for F, a=g/4 and T=3g