PhysicsLAB AAPT Quiz
1996 Physics Olympiad Screening Test (Part 1)

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1. An object is projected straight upward from ground level with a velocity of 50 m/s. Ignoring air resistance, it will return to ground level in approximately:
 
2. A jogger runs with constant speed v through a forest of pine trees. A pine cone starts to fall from a height h when the jogger is directly below it. How far behind the jogger will the pine cone land?
 
3. A ball is thrown downward with speed 15 m/s from the roof of a 30 m building. At the same instant a ball is thrown upward with speed 15 m/s from ground level. Relative to ground level, the two balls pass each other at a height of:
 
4. A swimmer can swim with a velocity of 1.0 m/s in still water. The swimmer wishes to swim directly across a river with a current of 0.50 m/s directed from upstream to downstream. To end up directly across the river the swimmer must head at an angle of:




 
5. What is the tension T in the rope if the 10-N weight is moving upward with constant velocity?
 
 
6. As shown, two blocks with masses m and M (M > m) are pushed by a force F in both Case I and Case II. The surface is horizontal and frictionless. Let RI be the force that m exerts on M in case I and RII be the force that m exerts on M in case II.
 
 
Which of the following statements is true?




 
7. Two blocks, with masses 17 kg and 15 kg, are connected by a light string that passes over a frictionless pulley of negligible mass as shown. The surfaces of the planes are frictionless. The blocks are released from rest. T1 and T2 are the tensions in the strings.
 

Which of the following statements is correct?




 
8. A small block of mass m starts from rest at the top of a globe of radius R.
 

At what angle θ does it slide off the surface of the globe? Assume the system is frictionless.
 
9. An object with mass m and initial velocity v is brought to rest by a constant force F acting for a time t and through a distance d. Possible expressions for the magnitude of the force F are:
 
  1. mv2/2d
  2. 2md/t2
  3. mv/t
 
Which of these give(s) the correct expression for the magnitude of the force F?
 
10. A small sphere is moving at a constant speed in a vertical circle. Below is a list of quantities that could be used to describe some aspect of the motion of the sphere.
 
  1. kinetic energy
  2. potential energy
  3. momentum
 
Which of these quantities will change as this sphere moves around the circle?
 
11. A roller coaster travels with speed vA at point A. Point B is a height H above point A. Assuming no frictional losses and no work done by a motor, what is the speed at point B?
 
12. Three air track cars are initially placed as shown in the accompanying figure.
 
  • Car A has mass m and initial velocity v to the right.
  • Car B with mass m and car C with mass 4m are both initially at rest.
 
Car A collides elastically with car B, which in turn collides elastically with car C. After the collision, car B is at rest.
 

The final velocities of cars A and C are:




 
13. A child with mass m is standing at the edge of a playground merry-go-round with moment of inertia I, radius R, and initial angular velocity ω . The child jumps off the edge of the merry-go-round with tangential velocity v with respect to the ground.
 

The new angular velocity of the merry-go-round is:
 
14. As shown, a spool has outer radius R and axle radius r. A string is wrapped around the axle of the  spool and can be pulled in any of the directions labeled by I, II, or III.
 

The spool will slide to the right without rolling on the horizontal surface if it is pulled in direction(s):
 
15. A uniform flag pole of length L and mass M is pivoted on the ground with a frictionless hinge. The flag pole makes an angle θ with the horizontal. The moment of inertia of the flag pole about one end is 1/3 ML2.
 

If it starts falling from the position shown in the accompanying diagram, the linear acceleration of the free end of the flag pole – labeled P – would be:
 



 
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