Name:____________________ Block:_______

Circular Motion Assignment

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

1. Which of the following statements best applies to an object moving with uniform circular motion?

a. Acceleration is zero. c. Acceleration is tangent to the path.

b. Acceleration is directed outward. d. Magnitude of acceleration is constant.

2. An object travels with a constant speed in a circular path. The net force on the object is

a. zero. c. away from the centre.

b. towards the centre. d. tangent to the objects path.

3. Which of the following diagrams shows the instantaneous velocity v and centripetal force F for an
object in uniform circular motion.

a. c.

b. d.

4. A child is riding on a merry-go-round which is rotating at a constant rate. Which of the following
describes the childs speed, velocity, and magnitude of acceleration?

SPEED VELOCITY MAGNITUDE OF ACCELERATION

a. constant constant constant

b. constant changing constant
c. changing constant changing
d. changing changing changing
5. An object of mass m is on a horizontal rotating platform. The mass is located 0.22 m from the axle and
makes one revolution every 0.74 s.

The friction force needed to keep the mass from sliding is 13 N. What is the objects mass?

a. 0.82 kg
b. 1.3 kg
c. 2.7 kg
d. 5.2 kg

6. A kg ball is attached to a kg mass M by a string that passes through a hole in a

horizontal frictionless surface. The ball travels in a circular path of radius 0.35 m.



What is the speed of the ball?

a. 0.93 m/s
b. 1.9 m/s
c. 3. 7 m/s
d. 4.1 m/s
7. A 1200 kg car rounds a flat circular section of road at 20 m s as shown in the diagram.

The coefficient of friction between the car tires and the road surface is 0.65. What minimum friction
force is required for the car to follow this curve?

a. N
b. N
c. N
d. N

8. A car travels at 25 m/s along a horizontal curve of radius 450 m. What minimum coefficient of friction
is necessary between its tires and the road in order for the car not to skid?

a. 0.14
b. 0.54
c. 0.72
d. 1.4

9. A 45 kg child stands on the rim of a merry-go-round of radius 2.3 m. The child completes 5 rotations in
72 s. What is the centripetal force acting on the child?

a. 0.44 N
b. 0.79 N
c. 20 N
d. 280 N
10. In a popular amusement park ride, a large cylinder is set in rotation. The floor then drops away leaving
the riders suspended against the wall in a vertical position as shown.

Which of the following is the correct free-body diagram for the person at the position shown?

a. b. c. d.

11. In an amusement park, a 2.8 m radius drum rotates such that a person does not fall when the floor drops
away.

If the coefficient of friction between the person and the wall is 0.35, what is the maximum period of the
rotation so that a person will not fall?

a. 2.0 s
b. 3.4 s
c. 5.7 s
d. 18 s
12. An object attached to a rotating table is moving in a circular path with a constant speed.

Which is the correct free body diagram for the object?

a. b. c. d.

13. The diagram shows an object of mass 3.0 kg travelling in a circular path of radius 1.2 m while
suspended by a piece of string of length 1.9 m. What is the centripetal force on the mass?

a. 19 N
b. 23 N
c. 24 N
d. 29 N
14. A 0.15 kg toy airplane is suspended as shown. It travels in a horizontal circle at a
constant speed.

What is the period of the motion of this airplane?

a. 0.84 s
b. 1.6 s
c. 1.8 s
d. 2.0 s

15. A student plots a graph of centripetal force Fc versus the square of velocity v2 for an object in uniform
circular motion.

What is the slope of this graph?

a. b. c. d.
16. A vehicle and driver travel at constant speed over the hill as shown.

Which of the following free body diagrams best describes the vehicle at this position?

a. b. c. d.

17. A 65 kg student is in a car travelling at 25 m/s on a hill of radius 110 m. When the car is at the top of
the hill, what upward force does the seat exert on the student?

a. 270 N
b. 370 N
c. 640 N
d. 910 N
18. A bus of weight Fg is moving at a constant speed over a hill and dip that have the same radius of
curvature.

When the bus is passing over the crest of the hill, the road exerts a normal force on the bus equal to
three quarters of the buss weight  Fg. What is the normal force the road exerts on the bus when the
bus is passing through the bottom of the dip?

a. b. c. d.
Fg Fg Fg Fg

19. A space station has an outer radius of 140 m. The station rotates so that the occupants at X at the outer
wall experience an acceleration of 9.8 m/s2 . What acceleration will the occupants at Y experience at
the 100 m radius?

a. 7.0 m/s2
b. 8.3 m/s2
c. 9.8 m/s2
d. 14 m/s2
20. A person is moving at constant speed in a vertical circular path.

Which is the correct free body diagram for the person while passing through the lowest point?

a. b. c. d.

21. Hans, whose mass is 50 kg, rides on a ferris wheel in a circular path at constant speed. When he is at
the top of the wheel, the seat exerts an upward force of 420 N on Hans.

What is the centripetal force on Hans at the top of the wheel?

a. 70 N
b. 420 N
c. 490 N
d. 910 N
22. In a series of test runs, a car travels around the same circular track at different velocities. Which graph
best shows the relationship between its centripetal acceleration, ac , and its velocity, v?

a. b. c. d.

23. A 61 kg skateboarder is moving down a ramp with a 7.0 m radius of curvature. At the bottom of this
ramp he reaches a speed of 7.8 m/s

What upward force acts on the skateboarder at the bottom of the ramp?

a. N
b. N
c. N
d. N

24. An object travels along a circular path with a constant speed v when a force F acts on it. How large a
force is required for this object to travel along the same path at twice the speed (2v)?

a.
F
b. F
c. 2F
d. 4F
25. A 4.0 kg bucket of paint tied to a rope is being swung in a vertical circle with a radius
of 2.0 m. The speed of the bucket at the bottom of its swing is 5.0 m/s.

What is the tension in the rope at this point?

a. 11 N
b. 39 N
c. 50 N
d. 89 N

26. A 4.0 kg bucket of paint tied to a rope is being swung in a vertical circle with a radius
of 2.0 m. The speed of the bucket at the top of its swing is 5.0 m/s.

What is the tension in the rope at this point?

a. 11 N
b. 39 N
c. 50 N
d. 89 N
27. A physics student swings a 5.0 kg pail of water in a vertical circle of radius 1.3 m.

What is the minimum speed, v, at the top of the circle if the water is not to spill from the pail?

a. 3.6 m/s
b. 6.1 m/s
c. 8.0 m/s
d. 9.8 m/s

28. A roller coaster car is moving past the top of a loop of diameter 14 m as shown below. The normal
force (directed downwards) provided by the track at the top of the loop is equal to one-half the weight
of the car.

What is the speed of the coaster car at this point?

a. 5.9 m/s
b. 8.3 m/s
c. 10 m/s
d. 14 m/s
29. A frictionless 3.0 kg cart rolls down an incline, and then loops the loop.

From what minimum height, h, should the cart be released so that it does not fall off the
circular track?

a. 12.0 m
b. 15.0 m
c. 18.0 m
d. 24.0 m

30. A ball moves at a constant speed in a vertical circle when the string breaks at the
position shown.

The ball would then move along which of the indicated paths?

a. P b. Q c. R d. S
Short Answer

31. A mass is suspended by a string attached to a spring scale that initially reads 14 N as shown in Diagram
1.

The mass is pulled to the side and then released as shown in Diagram 2.

As the mass passes point Q, how will the reading on the spring scale compare to the previous
value of 14 N? Using principles of physics, explain your answer. (4 marks)

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Problem

32. The diagram shows a toy plane flying in a circle of radius 1.20 m, supported by a string which makes
an angle of 28with the vertical. The tension in the string is 1.80 N.

a) What is the mass of the plane? (3 marks)

b) How long does the plane take to complete one orbit? (4 marks)
33. A 35 kg child rides a ferris wheel of radius 12 m. The child moves in a vertical circle at a constant
speed and completes one rotation every 9.0 s.

a) As the child travels over the top, what is the magnitude of the force that the seat exerts on the child?
(5 marks)
b) How does the magnitude of the child’s acceleration at the top of the ride compare to her acceleration
at the bottom?

The child’s acceleration at the top is: (circle one) (1 mark)

i) less than at the bottom.

ii) greater than at the bottom.
iii) the same as at the bottom.

Explain your choice using principles of physics. (3 marks)

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34. A student measures the acceleration of a lab cart as it moves at different speeds around a circular
horizontal path. The data collected by the student is shown below:

When a graph of acceleration versus velocity is plotted a curve results as shown.

a) Manipulate the velocity data and use it to plot a straight line on the graph below. (3 marks)
b) Calculate the slope of this graph including units. (2 marks)

c) What physical quantity does the slope represent at what is its value? (2 marks)

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35. Tarzan, whose mass is 85 kg, tries to cross a river by swinging from a vine. He swings downward in a
circular path through a vertical distance of 10.0 m from a 30.0 m long vine.

a) What is Tarzan’s velocity at the bottom of the path? (2 marks)

b) What is Tarzan’s centripetal acceleration? (2 marks)

c) If the tensile strength of the vine is only 1500 N will Tarzan successfully cross the river? (3 marks)

d) How many g’s does Tarzan pull at the bottom of the circular path? (1 mark)
36. A space station of radius 90 m is rotating to simulate a gravitational field.

a) What is the period of the space stations rotation so that a 70 kg astronaut will experience
a normal force by the outer wall equal to 60% of his weight on the surface of the earth?
(5 marks)

b) What would be the effect experienced by the astronaut if the space station rotated faster so that the
period of rotation was decreased? Explain your predicted effect. (4 marks)

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37. A racetrack surface has the shape of an inverted cone on which cars race in horizontal circles. For a
steady speed of 29 m/s, to what distance d should a driver take her car, if she wishes to stay on a
circular path without friction? (9 marks)