Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #31

A 10kg mass is whirled around on the end of a 3m long cord. The speed of the mass is
7m/s. Ignore gravitational forces.
7.0m/s
3.0m

Draw a free body diagram of the mass. (hint: draw it as if the rotation circle is viewed
edge-on)

Determine the acceleration of the mass

What is the tension in the cord?

Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #32

A 10kg mass is whirled around on the end of a cord (fixed to the ceiling) in a horizontal
circle of 3.0m radius. The speed of the mass is 6.0m/s.

6.0m/s

3.0m radius radius

Draw a free body diagram of the mass. Show the horizontal and vertical components of
the tension force. (hint: this is the most important step in the solution. Do it carefully!)

Determine the acceleration of the mass

Determine the horizontal component of the tension force

Determine the vertical component of the tension force

Determine the angle (measured from the vertical) of the cord.

What is the tension in the cord?

Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #33

The Spinout ride at Magic Mountain consists of a large vertical rotating drum. It has a
radius of 5 meters and rotates at 20RPM. The rider is on the inside of the drum and is
accelerated toward the center of the drum by the wall. The floor drops away, leaving the
rider pinned to the wall.

20.0 RPM
5.0m radius radius

Draw a free body diagram of the rider. Show all forces. (hint: Use a frame of reference
with the rider moving away from the observer)

Determine the acceleration of the rider

Determine the centripetal force on a 50.0kg rider.

Determine the minimum coefficient of friction to allow the rider to stay on the wall
without sliding when the floor drops away.
Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #34

(1967 #9)

Two objects of equal mass on a smooth horizontal table top are connected by string A and
B to a fixed point O as shown in the diagram. The system consisting of the two objects
and the two strings rotates in a horizontal plane at constant angular velocity about O.
Show that the ratio of the tension in string B to the tension in string A is 2/3.
D D

O A B
Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #35

(1969 #7)

A boy stands in a room and swings a small block on a string so that the path of the block
is a circle with a radius of 1 meter and the string is in a vertical plane. The mass of the
block is 0.4kg and at the top of the path the tension in the string is 6N.

(a) In the reference frame of the room, describe the forces acting upon the block at
the instant that it passes the top of its path. (neglect air friction)

(b) Determine the value of the centripetal acceleration of the block at the top of its
path.
Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #36

Read Chapter 6 before doing this problem!

A man carries a 50kg backpack up a flight of stairs. Each step is 10.0cm high and the
man climbs 150 steps. He then walks 100m on a horizontal surface.

(a) How much work did the man do on the backpack while climbing the steps?

(b) How much work did the man do on the backpack while walking on the
horizontal surface?

(c) The man then drops the backpack from a balcony. It falls to the the level of
the bottom of the stairs. How fast is the backpack going when it reaches its original
level? Neglect friction, and use only energy methods (not kinematics!) to solve this
problem.
Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #37

A 1.0kg ball is thrown upward with an initial velocity of 20m/s. Answer the following
using only energy methods:

How much kinetic energy does the ball have when it is thrown?

How high does the ball go?

How fast is the ball going when it is 12.0m above the starting point?
Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #38

The Earth has a mass of 5.97E24kg, and the Sun has a mass of 1.99E30kg. They are a
distance of 149.6E6km apart

Determine the attractive force between the Earth and the Sun.

What is the earths acceleration toward the sun?

Using only the information above, determine the earths velocity in its orbit.
Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #39

Planet X has a mass of 2.5x1024 kg, and the star it orbits (in a circular orbit) has a mass of
8.5x1029 kg. They are a distance of 80.0x106 km apart

Determine the gravitational force between Planet X and its star.

Determine the speed of planet X in its orbit.

Determine the orbital period of Planet X in days.

Consider a second planet, Planet Y, which has twice the mass of Planet X, but is the same
orbit. What is the ratio of Planet Ys orbital velocity to that of Planet X. Justify your
answer on the back of this sheet.
Name Per

AP Physics Daily Problem #40

The Moon has a mass of 7.35x1022kg and a radius of 1740km.

Determine the gravitational acceleration at the surface of the moon.

The lunar amusement park has a roller coaster whose cars have a maximum speed of
25m/s. What is the maximum size of a loop in this roller coaster if the riders are to not
experience negative Gs?