Topic 1.1: Kinematics Questions

Identify which one of the following is a vector quantity: distance, speed, displacement, time. Justify your choice.

State what is represented by the gradient of a displacement–time graph.

A football is kicked from level ground and follows a curved path through the air.

Air resistance is negligible.

State the magnitude and direction of the ball's acceleration at the highest point of its flight.

State what is meant by the displacement of an object.

A steel bolt and a plastic button, of very different masses, are released from rest at the same instant from the same height above the floor.

Air resistance is negligible.

State which object reaches the floor first, and state the value of the acceleration of free fall.

Two cyclists, P and Q, travel along the same straight road.

On a displacement–time graph, P's line is steeper than Q's line and both lines are straight.

Deduce which cyclist is travelling faster, and justify your answer.

A go-kart accelerates uniformly from rest at 3.0 m s⁻² for 4.0 s in a straight line.

Calculate its final speed.

State what is meant by the acceleration of an object, and give its SI unit.

A delivery drone flies along a winding route between two rooftops.

Which statement best describes the drone's instantaneous velocity at a particular moment during the flight?

Outline why an object falling through air does not keep accelerating at g all the way down.

Distinguish between a scalar quantity and a vector quantity, giving one example of each from kinematics.

Outline the difference between the average velocity of an object over a time interval and its instantaneous velocity.

State what is meant by the **terminal velocity** of a falling object.

An object moves with a constant acceleration of 3.0 m s⁻² for 5.0 s.

Its acceleration–time graph is therefore a horizontal line at 3.0 m s⁻².

Determine the change in the object's velocity during this time, and state how this is found from the graph.

A cyclist travels at a constant 7.5 m s⁻¹ for 24 s.

Determine the displacement from the area under the velocity–time graph.

On a velocity–time graph, state what physical quantity is given by the area between the line and the time axis.

A cyclist accelerates uniformly from rest and reaches 9.0 m s⁻¹ after 6.0 s. Calculate the magnitude of the acceleration.

A cyclist accelerates uniformly from 4.0 m s⁻¹ to 10 m s⁻¹ in 3.0 s.

Determine the distance travelled during this time using the equation that does not involve the acceleration.

Describe how the acceleration of an object can be obtained from its velocity–time graph.

A ball is thrown horizontally at 9.0 m s⁻¹ from the edge of a 45 m high vertical cliff.

Take g = 9.8 m s⁻².

Calculate the time of flight and the horizontal distance from the base of the cliff at which it lands.