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.

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

State what is meant by the displacement of an object.

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

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 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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

A small delivery drone starts from rest and lifts vertically.

Its acceleration increases steadily (linearly) from 0 at time t = 0 to 6.0 m s⁻² at time t = 8.0 s, as shown.

What is the speed of the drone at t = 8.0 s?

[Diagram: x-axis from 0 to 8 label t, y-axis from 0 to 6 label a, polyline: (0,0)-(8,6) "a–t graph"]