AP Physics C: Mechanics ⚙️
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Multiple Choice Practice for Systems of Particles and Linear Momentum
Welcome to Unit 5 AP Physics C: Mechanics Multiple Choice Questions! Grab some paper and a pencil 📄 to record your answers as you go. You can see how you did on the Unit 5 Practice Questions Answers and Review sheet once you're done. Don't worry, we have tons of resources available if you get stumped 😕 on a question. And if solo study is not your thing, join a group in Hours! Not ready to take a quiz yet? Take a look at the Intro to Unit 5.
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Facts about the test: The AP Physics C: Mechanics exam has 35 multiple choice questions and you will be given 45 minutes to complete the section. That means it should take you around 15 minutes to complete 12 questions.
The following questions were not written by College Board and, although they cover information outlined in the AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam Description, the formatting on the exam may be different.
1. An elevator travels downward with a linear speed of 1.2 m/s. The motion is controlled by an elevator cable attached to a pulley with a radius of 0.4m. What is the angular velocity of the pulley?
1. An elevator travels downward with a linear speed of 1.2 m/s. The motion is controlled by an elevator cable attached to a pulley with a radius of 0.4m. What is the angular velocity of the pulley?
A. 3.0 rad/s
B. 4.0 rad/s
C. 6.0 rad/s
2. As shown in the image, two wheels are attached to each other and are free to rotate about a frictionless axis through their centers. Three forces are exerted tangent to the edge of the wheel. What is the magnitude of the net torque exerted on the system?
A. 10 Nm
B. 20 Nm
C. 25 Nm
3. A 3kg ball attached to a 2m long rope swings in a horizontal circle with a speed of 1.5 m/s. When the ball's acceleration is directed north, the ball's translational velocity vector points west. What is the magnitude and direction of the angular velocity vector?
A. 0.75 rad/s clockwise
B. 0.75 rad/s counterclockwise
C. 1.3 rad/s clockwise
4. A car wheel (r = 0.8m) takes 150 revolutions to accelerate from rest to a linear velocity of 16 m/s. What is the angular acceleration of the wheel?
A. 0.2 rad/s/s
B. 2.0 rad/s/s
C. 20 rad/s/s
5. A 55kg person sits on a seesaw at a distance of 3 meters from the axis of rotation. A second person (m = 65kg) sits across from them. At what distance from the axis of rotation must the second person sit in order to be in static equilibrium?
A. 1.5 meters
B. 2.5 meters
C. 3 meters
6. An object with uniform mass density is rotated about a variety of axes shown in the image. Rotating around which of the axes will create the largest rotational inertia of the object?
A. A
B. B
C. C
7. Two students sit on opposite ends of a massless see saw as shown in the image. What is the magnitude of the angular acceleration of the seesaw?
A. 2.9 rad/s
B. 4.0 rad/s
C. 5.7 rad/s
8. A solid sphere is rotated about its center, which has a rotational inertia of 2/5MR^2. What is the rotational inertia of the sphere if it is instead rotated around a point tangent to the edge of the sphere, a distance of R away?
A. MR^2
B. 4/25MR^2
C. 2/5MR
9. What is the rotational inertia of the two-mass system pictured in the image?
A. mR^2
B. 2mR^2
C. 4mR^2
10. A ball starts from rest and rolls without slipping down a ramp with an initial height of 3 meters. Which of the following statements about the energy of the ball are true?
A. The total energy of the ball at the bottom of the ramp includes linear kinetic energy only.
B. The total energy of the ball at the bottom of the ramp includes rotational kinetic energy only.
C. The total energy of the ball at the bottom of the ramp includes both rotational and linear kinetic energy components.
D. The total energy of the ball at the bottom of the ramp includes rotational kinetic energy, linear kinetic energy, and gravitational potential energy.
11. A bowling ball starts from rest and rolls down an incline without slipping. Which of the following statements are true?
A. The initial potential energy of the ball is evenly divided into rotational and translational kinetic energy at the bottom of the incline.
B. There is only rotational kinetic energy at the bottom of the incline.
C. The amount of the rotational kinetic energy gained depends on the rotational inertia of the ball.
D. The amount of rotational kinetic energy the ball is determined solely based on the initial height of the incline.
12. A hoop starts at rest on the top of a 1 meter tall incline. It rolls without slipping to the bottom of the incline. Which of the following is a correct expression for the angular velocity of the hoop at the bottom of the incline? Use I = mr^2.
A. g / r
B. g / r^2
C. 2g / r^2
13. A 2000kg carousel with a radius of 8 meters spins at a brisk 6m/s. What is the angular momentum of the carousel? Use the rotational inertia formula for a disk (I = 1/2mr^2)
A. 12000 kg*m^2/s
B. 24000 kg*m^2/s
C. 48000 kg*m^2/s
14. A wheel spins clockwise. Which of the following correct describes the direction of the angular momentum vector of the wheel?
A. The vector is perpendicular to the wheel and pointing out of the computer screen.
B. The vector is perpendicular to the wheel and pointing into the computer screen.
C. The vector is parallel to the wheel and pointing left
15. A figure skater starts spinning on one skate with his arms spread out. He then keeps spinning and pulls his arms closer to his body. Which of the following statements are true?
A. Both the skater's angular momentum and rotational kinetic energy remain constant.
B. The skater's angular momentum remains constant, and his rotational kinetic energy decreases.
C. The skater's angular momentum increases, and his rotational kinetic energy remains constant.
D. The skater's angular momentum remains constant, and his rotational kinetic energy increases.
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