Newton’s Laws and Forces Practice

Part I: Multiple Choice

1. A person standing on a horizontal floor feels 5. The coefficient of static friction between a
two forces: the downward pull of gravity box and a ramp is 0.5. The ramp’s incline
and the upward supporting force from the angle is 30°. If the box is placed at rest on
floor. These two forces the ramp, the box will do which of the
a. have equal magnitudes and form an following?
action/reaction pair a. Accelerate down the ramp
b. have equal magnitudes but do not b. Accelerate briefly down the ramp
form an action/reaction pair but then slow down and stop
c. have unequal magnitudes and form c. Move with constant velocity down
an action/reaction pair the ramp
d. have unequal magnitudes and do not d. Not move
form an action/reaction pair
6. Assuming a frictionless,
2. A person who weighs 800 N steps onto a massless pulley, determine the
scale that is on the floor of an elevator car. acceleration of the blocks once
If the elevator accelerates upward at a rate they are released from rest.
of 5 m/s2, what will the scale read? m
a. g
a. 400 N M+m
b. 800 N M
c. 1,000 N b. g
d. 1,200 N
m
M+m
c. g
3. A frictionless inclined plane of length 20 m M−m
has a maximum vertical height of 5 m. If an M−m
d. g
object of mass 2 kg is placed on the plane, M+m
which of the following best approximates
the net force it feels? 7. If all of the forces acting on an object
a. 5 N balance so that the net force is zero, then
b. 10 N a. the object must be at rest
c. 15 N b. the object’s speed will decrease
d. 20 N c. the object’s direction of motion can
change, but not its speed
4. A 20 N block is being pushed across a d. none of the above will occur
horizontal table by an 18 N force. If the
coefficient of kinetic friction between the 8. A block of mass m is at rest on a
block and the table is 0.4, find the frictionless, horizontal table placed in a
acceleration of the block. laboratory on the surface of the Earth. An
a. 0.5 m/s2 identical block is at rest on a frictionless,
b. 1 m/s2 horizontal table placed on the surface of
c. 5 m/s2 the Moon. Let F be the net force necessary
d. 7.5 m/s2 to give the Earth-bound block an
acceleration of a across the table. Given
that gMoon is one-sixth of gEarth, the force
necessary to give the Moon-bound block the
same acceleration a across the table is
a. F/6
b. F/3
c. F
d. 6F
9. A crate of mass 100 kg is at rest on a 10. Two crates are stacked on top of each other
horizontal floor. The coefficient of static on a horizontal floor; Crate #1 is on the
friction between the crate and the floor is bottom, and Crate #2 is on the top. Both
0.4, and the coefficient of kinetic friction is crates have the same mass. Compared to
0.3. A force F of magnitude 344 N is then the strength of the force F1 necessary to
applied to the crate, parallel to the floor. push only Crate #1 at a constant speed
Which of the following is true? across the floor, the strength of the force F2
a. The crate will accelerate across the necessary to push the stack at the same
floor at 0.5 m/s2. constant speed across the floor is greater
b. The static friction force, which is than F1 because
the reaction force to F as a. the normal force on Crate #1 is
guaranteed by Newton’s Third Law, greater
will also have a magnitude of 344 N. b. the coefficient of kinetic friction
c. The crate will slide across the floor between Crate #1 and the floor is
at a constant speed of 0.5 m/s. greater
d. The crate will not move. c. the coefficient of static friction
between Crate #1 and the floor is
greater
d. the weight of Crate #1 is greater
Section II: Free Response
1. This question concerns the motion of a crate being pulled across a horizontal floor by a rope. In the
diagram below, the mass of the crate is m, the coefficient of kinetic friction between the crate and
the floor is µ, and the tension in the rope is FT.

a. Draw and label all of the forces acting on the crate.

b. Compute the normal force acting on the crate in terms of m, FT, θ, and g.

c. Compute the acceleration of the crate in terms of m, FT, θ, µ, and g.

2. In the diagram below, a massless string connects two blocks—of masses m1 and m2, respectively—on
a flat, frictionless tabletop. A force F pulls on Block #2, as shown:

a. Draw and label all of the forces acting on Block #1.

b. Draw and label all of the forces acting on Block #2.

d. What is the tension in the string connecting the two blocks? Please state your answer in terms
of F, m1, and m2.

e. If the string connecting the blocks were not massless, but instead had a mass of m, determine
i. the acceleration of Block #1, in terms of F, m, m1, and m2.

ii. the difference between the strength of the force that the connecting string exerts on
Block #2 and the strength of the force that the connecting string exerts on Block #1.
Please state your answer in terms of F, m, m1, and m.

3. In the figure shown, assume that the pulley is frictionless and massless.

a. If the surface of the inclined plane is frictionless, determine what value(s) of θ will cause the
box of mass m1 to
i. accelerate up the ramp

ii. slide up the ramp at constant speed

b. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the surface of the inclined plane and the box of
mass m1 is µk, derive (but do not solve) an equation satisfied by the value of θ, which will
cause the box of mass m1 to slide up the ramp at constant speed.
4. A skydiver is falling with speed v0 through the air. At that moment (time t = 0), she opens her
parachute and experiences the force of air resistance whose strength is given by the equation F = kv,
in which k is a proportionality constant and v is her descent speed. The total mass of the skydiver
and equipment is m. Assume that g is constant throughout her descent.
a. Draw and label all the forces acting on the skydiver after her parachute opens.

b. Determine the skydiver’s acceleration in terms of m, v, k, and g.

c. Determine the skydiver’s terminal speed (that is, the eventual constant speed of descent).

d. Sketch a graph of v as a function of time, being sure to label important values on the vertical
axis.