Physics Lab Methods: Final Review
Name: __________________ Date: ____ Period: ____
1. Define the following terms:
a. Scalar
b.
Vector
2. Label each of the following quantities as a scalar or a vector:
a. Speed
d. Force
b.
Velocity
c.
Time
e.
Energy
For each of the following questions (3-5), draw the three graphs:
 Position vs. time
 Velocity vs. time

Acceleration vs. time
3. A train moving at constant velocity across eastern Washington
4. A plane accelerating down a runway (NOTE: Assume constant acceleration)
5. A boy running away from a motion sensor at a constant speed for 2 minutes, then stopping for 1 minute,
then walking back towards the detector at a slower speed for 4 minutes.
6. Graph the data for a crawling slug shown in in the table.
Use the graph to answer the following questions:
Time (hours)
0.0
1.5
3.0
5.0
7.0
9.0
10
Distance(m)
0.0
3.0
6.0
5.0
6.0
7.5
5
5
a. What direction is the slug moving (positive or negative)?
10
Time (hour)
Label
b. What is the slug’s average speed between 0.0 and 3.0 seconds?
c. During what time interval does the slug have the greatest velocity?
d. Describe the motion of the slug between 3.0 and 5.0 seconds?
7. What is the speed of a train that travels 2500 miles in 22 hours?
8. How long does it take for a runner to jog 5.0 kilometers, if he is moving at a constant 2.7 meters per
second?
9.
If a Boeing 777 averages 950 km / hr, how long will it take to travel from Seattle to Anchorage, a distance
of 2310 kilometers?
10. A leatherback turtle started swimming away from the beach at 0.42 m/s, and 2 minutes later, was recorded
swimming at 1.8 m/s. What was the acceleration of the turtle in m/s2?
11. At the end of a grueling race, it took an Olympic time trial road bike racer 23 seconds to go from a top
speed of 23.3 m/s to a coasting speed of 5.8 m/s. What was the biker’s acceleration?
12. A rocket is traveling at + 20,000 m/sec. At 5 seconds into the constant velocity flight, the thrusters are
turned on. If the rocket accelerates at 80 m/s2, how long will it take to reach a velocity of 24,000 m/sec?
13. A remote-controlled car starts at rest at time 0 sec. It accelerates at a constant rate, and at 3 sec it is
travelling at 4 m/s. The driver lets off the gas, and the car slows down to 2 m/s at 8 sec. Finally it
accelerates up to a velocity of 10 m/s at a time of 10 sec.
a. Draw a velocity vs. time graph for the above scenario
V(m/s)
T (sec)
b. Calculate the car’s acceleration for the following time intervals:
0 to 3 sec, 3 to 8 sec, and 8 to 10 sec.
c. When is the car’s acceleration the greatest? How is this shown on the graph?
14. Use the following car and ramp data to complete the empty columns. Show example calculations for
each value (instantaneous velocity at a, instantaneous velocity at b, average velocity between a and b,
acceleration between a and b) below the table.
wing
width
(cm)
Time at
Gate A
tA (sec)
Time at
Gate B
tB (sec)
Distance
between
A&B
(cm)
Time
between
A&B
(sec)
4.98
0.023
0.021
15
0.068
4.98
0.054
0.021
75
0.440
Inst Vel at
Gate A
(cm/sec)
Inst Vel at
Gate B
(cm/sec)
Average Vel
between
A&B
(cm/sec)
Acceleration
between
A&B
(cm/sec2)
Free Fall
1. If a heavier lead ball and a lighter plastic ball of the same size and shape are dropped at the
same time from the same height, which one hits the ground first – or do they both hit at the
same time? Explain your answer.
2. A ball is dropped off a cliff. How much does it’s velocity change between the 1 st and 2nd
second of the fall? How much does it change between the 5 th and 6th second? Assume
negligible air resistance.
3. A sky diver jumps out of a perfectly good airplane. How fast is she moving after falling for
5.5 seconds? Assume negligible air resistance.
4. Calculate the distance that the sky diver will fall in the first 5.5 seconds after she jumps out of
the airplane. Assume negligible air resistance.
5. Upton Chuck is riding the Panic Plunge at Silverwood. If Upton is in free fall for 2.60
seconds, what will be his final velocity - and how far will he fall? Assume negligible air
resistance and friction.
6. A feather is dropped on the moon from a height of 1.40 meters. The acceleration of gravity
on the moon is 1.67 m/s2. Determine the time for the feather to fall to the surface of the
moon.
7. A stone is dropped into a deep well and is heard to hit the water 3.41 s after being dropped.
How deep is the well?
8. A crow who wants to eat a snail will drop it from a high place to crack the snail’s shell and
expose the tasty flesh. In order to crack the snail’s shell, it must be going 15 m/s when it hits
the ground. Assume that the snail free falls.
a. How high does the crow have to be when it drops the snail for the shell to crack?
b. How long does the snail’s fall from that height last?
Weight and Mass
1. An African elephant can reach heights of 13 feet and possess a mass of as much as 6000
kg. Determine the weight of an African elephant in Newtons.
2. About twenty percent of the National Football League weighs more than 300 pounds.
Determine the mass of a 300 pound (1330 N) football player.
3. On Planet Summervacatia, a 104 kg object has a weight of 783 N.
a. What is the acceleration due to gravity on Planet Summervacatia?
b.
If a car with mass of 1560 kg was taken to Summervacatia, what would it weigh?
4. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average mass of an adult
American male is 86 kg. Determine the mass and the weight of an 86 kg man on the moon
where the gravitational field is one-sixth that of the Earth.
Newton’s 2nd Law (F=ma)
1. Captain John Stapp of the U.S. Air Force tested the human limits of acceleration by riding on
a rocket sled of his own design, known as the Gee Whiz. What net force would be required
to accelerate the 82-kg Stapp at 450 m/s2 (the highest acceleration tested by Stapp)?
2. Sophia, whose mass is 52 kg, experienced a net force of 1800 N at the bottom of the first
drop on the Timber Terror roller coaster on the physics field trip. Determine Sophia's
acceleration at this location.
3. The Top Thrill Dragster stratacoaster at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio uses a
hydraulic launching system to accelerate riders from 0 to 54 m/s (120 mi/hr) in 3.8 seconds
before climbing a completely vertical 420-foot hill. Determine the net force required to
accelerate an 86-kg man.
4. If it takes a net force of 1458 N to accelerate an ultralight car from 0 to 27 m/s (60 mph) in
10.0 seconds, what is the mass of the car?
5. Determine the net force required to accelerate a 2160-kg Ford Expedition from 0 to 27 m/s
(60 mph) in 10.0 seconds. How does it compare to the force need to accelerate the ultralight
car? (Express as a ration of Ford Expedition to Ultralight).
General Forces
1. State Newton’s First Law - also called the Law of Inertia.
2. If you toss a basketball into the air while riding in a car moving at constant velocity, why does
the basketball NOT end up in the back seat of the car? Where does it land? Which of
Newton’s Laws can explain this phenomenon?
3. If you toss a coin into the air while riding in a car accelerating onto the highway, where will it
land? Why? Which of Newton’s Laws can explain this phenomenon?
4. Ethan is dragging a bag of grass from the garage to the street the evening before garbage
pick-up day. Use the free body diagram to determine the net force acting upon the bag. The
values of the individual forces are: Fgrav = Fnorm = 60.5 N Fapp = 40.2 N Ffrict = 5.7 N.
5. The wheels on Sabrina’s suitcase are not working. She pulls on the strap in an effort to
budge it from rest and drag it to the check-in desk. Use the free body diagram to calculate
the net force, the mass and the acceleration of the suitcase. The values of the individual
forces are: Fgrav = Fnormal = 207 N Ftension = 182 N Ffriction = 166 N.
6. A 50 kg sled is being pulled with a force of 450 N, and there is a 300 N frictional force
opposing the motion. Draw a force diagram and calculate how fast it is accelerating.