AP Physics Motion Question Set 2
Peter looked at an ant scurrying along the pavement and recorded the insect’s position at 5 second
intervals. He made the following chart. Use it to help answer Q. 1 and Q. 2.
time (s): 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0
position (cm): 49.6 39.2 42.5 41.0 65.7
1. What is the displacement of the bug between t = 0.00 s and t = 20.0 s?
a) +39.9 cm b) –39.9 cm c) +65.7 cm d) –16.1 cm e) +16.1 cm [ e) ]
2. What is the total distance that the bug traveled between t = 0.00 s and t = 20.0 s? Assume the bug
only changed directions at the end of a five-second interval.
a) 39.9 cm b) 65.7 cm c) 16.1 cm d) 47.1 cm e) 26.5 cm [ a) ]
3. A Canadian goose flew 845 km from Southern California to Oregon with an average speed of
30.5 m/s. How long, in hours, did it take the goose to make this journey?
a) 27.7 h b) 8.33 h c) 66.1 h d) 462 h e) 7.70 h [ e) ]
4. A bus leaves New York City, takes a non-direct route and arrives in St. Louis, Missouri 23 hours,
16 minutes later. If the distance between the two cities is 1250 km, what is the magnitude of the
bus' average velocity?
a) 37.2 km/h b) 41.4 km/h c) 46.0 km/h d) 53.7 km/h e) 58.1 km/h [ d) ]
5. A racecar, traveling at constant speed, makes one lap around a circular track of radius r in a time t.
Recall the circumference of a circle is given by C = 2πr. When the car has traveled halfway around
the track, what is the magnitude of its displacement from the starting point?
a) r b) 2r c) 7πr d) 2πr e) zero meters [ b) ]
6. A train approaches a small town with a constant velocity of +28.6 m/s. The operator applies the
brake, reducing the train's velocity to +11.4 m/s. If the average acceleration of the train during
braking is –1.35 m/s2, for what elapsed time does the operator apply the brake?
a) 8.44 s b) 12.7 s c) 3.38 s d) 5.92 s e) 10.4 s [ b) ]
7. A rock is tossed vertically upward on a planet (no atmosphere) with an initial speed of 20.0 m/s A
second later, the rock has an instantaneous upward velocity of 15.0 m/s. Determine the rock’s velocity
when it returns to its original position. Note: in this question, assume up is positive.
a) +20 m/s b) –20 m/s c) +40 m/s d) –40 m/s e) zero [ b) ]
8. A rock, dropped from rest near the surface of a planet (no atmosphere), reaches 20.0 m/s after falling
8.0 meters. What is the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of this planet?
a) 0.40 m/s2 b) 1.3 m/s2 c) 2.5 m/s2 d) 25 m/s2 e) 160 m/s2 [ d) ]
9. Starting from rest, a particle accelerates along a straight line at a rate of 5.0 m/s2. Which statement
concerning the slope of the position versus time graph for this particle is true? [ d) ]
a) The slope has a constant value of 5.0 m/s
b) The slope has a constant value of 5.0 m/s2
c) The slope is both constant and negative
d) The slope is not constant and increases with increasing time
e) The slope is not constant and decreases with increasing time.
10. A tennis ball is tossed vertically upward. It returns to the point of release after 3.5 s. The ball is
released at what the speed?
a) 0 m/s b) 14 m/s c) 17 m/s d) 21 m/s e) 34 m/s [ c) ]
11. A train passes through a town with a constant speed of 16 m/s. After leaving the town, the train
accelerates at 0.33 m/s2 until it reaches a speed of 35 m/s. How far did the train travel while it was
accelerating? a) 0.029 km b) 0.53 km c) 1.5 km d) 2.3 km e) 3.0 km [ c) ]
12. Which one of the following situations is not possible? [ d) ]
a) A body has zero velocity and non-zero acceleration
b) A body travels with a northward velocity and a northward acceleration
c) A body travels with a northward velocity and a southward acceleration
d) A body travels with a constant velocity and a time-varying acceleration
e) A body travels with a constant acceleration and a time-varying velocity.
13. A landing airplane heading south touches down at 78.0 m/s. After 18.5 s, it comes to a stop. Find its
average acceleration during the landing.
a) 2.11 m/s2, N b) 2.11 m/s2, S c) 4.22 m/s2, N d) 4.22 m/s2, S e) 14.3 m/s2, N [ c) ]
14. A world record for the 100.0 m dash is 9.86 s. If, after reaching the finish line, the sprinter
walks directly back to his starting point in 90.9 s, what is the magnitude of his average
velocity for the 200.0 m?
a) 1.10 m/s b) 1.98 m/s c) 5.60 m/s d) 10.1 m/s e) 0 m/s [ e) ]