Principles & Practice of Physics, 2e (Mazur)

Chapter 11 Motion in a Circle

11.1 Conceptual Questions

1) For an object in uniform circular motion, its velocity and acceleration vectors are always
perpendicular to each other at every point in the path.
A) True
B) False
Answer: A
Var: 1

2) If an object travels at a constant speed in a circular path, the acceleration of the object is
A) larger in magnitude the smaller the radius of the circle.
B) in the same direction as the velocity of the object.
C) smaller in magnitude the smaller the radius of the circle.
D) in the opposite direction of the velocity of the object.
E) zero.
Answer: A
Var: 1

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3) Point P in the figure indicates the position of an object traveling at constant speed clockwise
around the circle. Which arrow best represents the direction of the acceleration of the object at
point P?

A)

B)

C)
D)

E)

Answer: D
Var: 1

4) If you swing a bucket of water fast enough in a vertical circle, at the highest point the water
does not spill out because an outward force balances the pull of gravity on the water.
A) True
B) False
Answer: B
Var: 1

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5) A string is attached to the rear-view mirror of a car. A ball is hanging at the other end of the
string. The car is driving around in a circle, at a constant speed. Which of the following lists
gives all of the forces directly acting on the ball?
A) tension and gravity
B) tension
C) tension, gravity, and the centripetal force
D) tension, gravity, the centripetal force, and friction
Answer: A
Var: 1

6) When a rigid body rotates about a fixed axis, all the points in the body have the same
A) tangential speed.
B) angular acceleration.
C) tangential acceleration.
D) linear displacement.
E) centripetal acceleration.
Answer: B
Var: 1

7) A horizontal disk rotates about a vertical axis through its center. Point P is midway between
the center and the rim of the disk, and point Q is on the rim. If the disk turns with constant
angular velocity, which of the following statements about it are true? (There may be more than
one correct choice.)
A) P and Q have the same linear acceleration.
B) Q is moving twice as fast as P.
C) The linear acceleration of Q is twice as great as the linear acceleration of P.
D) The linear acceleration of P is twice as great as the linear acceleration of Q.
E) The angular velocity of Q is twice as great as the angular velocity of P.
Answer: B, C
Var: 1

8) A dumbbell-shaped object is composed by two equal masses, m, connected by a rod of

negligible mass and length r. If I1 is the moment of inertia of this object with respect to an axis
passing through the center of the rod and perpendicular to it and I2 is the moment of inertia with
respect to an axis passing through one of the masses, it follows that
A) I1 = I2.
B) I1 > I2.
C) I2 > I1.
Answer: C
Var: 1

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11.2 Problems

1) A ball is tied to the end of a cable of negligible mass. The ball is spun in a circle with a
radius 2.00 m making 7.00 revolutions every 10.0 seconds. What is the magnitude of the
acceleration of the ball?
A) 67.9 m/s2
B) 38.7 m/s2
C) 29.3 m/s2
D) 14.8 m/s2
E) 74.2 m/s2
Answer: B
Var: 1

2) An electrical motor spins at a constant If the armature radius is

what is the acceleration of the outer edge of the armature?
A) 2403 m/s2
B) 844.4 m/s2
C) 241,100 m/s2
D) 84.40 m/s2
Answer: A
Var: 50+

3) A satellite orbits the earth a distance of 1.50 × 107 m above the planet's surface and takes 8.65
hours for each revolution about the earth. The earth's radius is 6.38 × 106 m. The acceleration of
this satellite is closest to
A) 0.0690 m/s2.
B) 0.870 m/s2.
C) 1.91 m/s2.
D) 2.72 m/s2.
E) 9.80 m/s2.
Answer: B
Var: 1

4) An aircraft performs a maneuver called an "aileron roll." During this maneuver, the plane
turns like a screw as it maintains a straight flight path, which sets the wings in circular motion. If
it takes it 35 s to complete the circle and the wingspan of the plane is 11 m, what is the
acceleration of the wing tip?
A) 0.18 m/s2
B) 0.99 m/s2
C) 5.6 m/s2
D) 1.0 m/s2
Answer: A
Var: 50+

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5) An object moves in a circle of radius R at constant speed with a period T. If you want to
change only the period in order to cut the object's acceleration in half, the new period should be
A) T/4.
B) T/2.
C) T/ .
D) T .
E) 4T.
Answer: D
Var: 1

6) A wind farm generator uses a two-bladed propeller (see figure) mounted on a pylon at a height
of 20 m. The length of each propeller blade is 12 m. A small piece from the tip of the propeller
breaks off when the propeller is vertical. At that instant, the period of the motion of the propeller
is 1.2 s. The fragment flies off horizontally, falls with negligible air resistance, and strikes the
ground at P.
(a) How far is point P from the base of the pylon?
(b) At what angle with respect to the vertical is the fragment moving just as it strikes the ground
at P?

Answer: (a) 160 m (b) 68°

Var: 1

7) A disk-shaped space station 175 m in diameter spins uniformly about an axis perpendicular to
the plane of the disk through its center. How many rpm (rev/min) must this disk make so that the
acceleration of all points on its rim is g/2?
Answer: 2.26 rev/min
Var: 1

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8) Two particles, A and B, are in uniform circular motion about a common center. The
acceleration of particle A is 8.5 times that of particle B. The period of particle B is 2.0 times the
period of particle A. The ratio of the radius of the motion of particle A to that of particle B is
closest to
A) rA/rB = 2.1.
B) rA/rB = 4.3.
C) rA/rB = 18.
D) rA/rB = 0.24.
E) rA/rB = 17.
Answer: A
Var: 50+

9) A 23 kg mass is connected to a nail on a frictionless table by a massless string 1.3 m long.

There is no appreciable friction between the nail and the string. If the tension in the string is 51 N
while the mass moves in a uniform circle on the table, how long does it take for the mass to
make one complete revolution?
A) 4.8 s
B) 3.8 s
C) 4.5 s
D) 5.2 s
Answer: A
Var: 50+

10) A car travels at a steady 40.0 m/s around a horizontal curve of radius 200 m. What is the
minimum coefficient of static friction between the road and the car's tires that will allow the car
to travel at this speed without sliding?
A) 1.23
B) 0.816
C) 0.736
D) 0.952
E) 0.662
Answer: B
Var: 1

11) A car enters a 300-m radius horizontal curve on a rainy day when the coefficient of static
friction between its tires and the road is 0.600. What is the maximum speed at which the car can
travel around this curve without sliding?
A) 29.6 m/s
B) 33.1 m/s
C) 24.8 m/s
D) 42.0 m/s
E) 37.9 m/s
Answer: D
Var: 1

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12) A car drives over a hilltop that has a radius of curvature 0.120 km at the top of the hill. At
what speed would the car be traveling when it tires just barely lose contact with the road when
the car is at the top of the hill?
A) 45.5 m/s
B) 41.8 m/s
C) 34.3 m/s
D) 22.2 m/s
E) 27.6 m/s
Answer: C
Var: 1

13) A 1000-kg car is slowly picking up speed as it goes around a horizontal curve whose radius
is 100 m. The coefficient of static friction between the tires and the road is 0.350. At what speed
will the car begin to skid sideways?
A) 9.25 m/s
B) 23.6 m/s
C) 34.3 m/s
D) 35.0 m/s
E) 18.5 m/s
Answer: E
Var: 1

14) Future space stations will create an artificial gravity by rotating. Consider a cylindrical space
station 390 m diameter rotating about its central axis. Astronauts walk on the inside surface of
the space station. What rotation period will provide "normal" gravity?
A) 28 s
B) 40 s
C) 6.3 s
D) 4.4 s
Answer: A
Var: 50+

15) A new roller coaster contains a loop-the-loop in which the car and rider are completely
upside down. If the radius of the loop is with what minimum speed must the car traverse
the loop so that the rider does not fall out while upside down at the top? Assume the rider is not
strapped to the car.
A) 11.4 m/s
B) 12.5 m/s
C) 10.1 m/s
D) 14.9 m/s
Answer: A
Var: 50+

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16) A Ferris wheel has diameter of 10 m and makes one revolution in 8.0 seconds. A person
weighing 670 N is sitting on one of the benches attached at the rim of the wheel. What is the
apparent weight (that is, the normal force exerted on her by the bench) of the person as she
passes through the highest point of her motion?
Answer: 460 N
Var: 1

17) Two forces act on a object. One force has magnitude 65 N directed 59° clockwise
from the positive x-axis, and the other has a magnitude 35 N at 32° clockwise from the positive
y-axis. What is the magnitude of this object's acceleration?
A) 1.1 m/s2
B) 1.3 m/s2
C) 1.5 m/s2
D) 1.7 m/s2
Answer: A
Var: 46

18) A turbine blade rotates with angular velocity ω(t) = 2.00 rad/s- 2.1.00 rad/s3 . What is the
angular acceleration of the blade at
A) - 38.2 rad/
B) - 19.1 rad/
C) -86.0 rad/
D) -36.2 rad/
E) -172 rad/
Answer: A
Var: 50+

19) The angular velocity of a 755-g wheel 15.0 cm in diameter is given by the equation ω(t) =
(2.00 rad/s2)t + (1.00 rad/s4)t3.
(a) Through how many radians does the wheel turn during the first 2.00 s of its motion?
(b) What is the angular acceleration (in rad/s2) of the wheel at the end of the first 2.00 s of its
motion?
Answer: (a) 8.00 rad (b) 14.0 rad/s2
Var: 1

20) The angular acceleration of a wheel is given in by where t is in seconds.

If the wheel starts from rest at when is the next time the wheel is at rest?
A) 5.1 s
B) 8.4 s
C) 6.9 s
D) 3.6 s
Answer: A
Var: 36
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21) A 1.15-kg grinding wheel 22.0 cm in diameter is spinning counterclockwise at a rate of 20.0
revolutions per second. When the power to the grinder is turned off, the grinding wheel slows
with constant angular acceleration and takes 80.0 s to come to a rest.
(a) What was the angular acceleration (in rad/s2) of the grinding wheel as it came to rest if we
take a counterclockwise rotation as positive?
(b) How many revolutions did the wheel make during the time it was coming to rest?
Answer: (a) -1.57 rad/s2 (b) 800 revolutions
Var: 1

22) A 3.45-kg centrifuge takes 100 s to spin up from rest to its final angular speed with constant
angular acceleration. A point located 8.00 cm from the axis of rotation of the centrifuge moves
with a speed of 150 m/s when the centrifuge is at full speed.
(a) What is the angular acceleration (in rad/s2) of the centrifuge as it spins up?
(b) How many revolutions does the centrifuge make as it goes from rest to its final angular
speed?
Answer: (a) 18.8 rad/s2 (b) 1.49 × 104 revolutions
Var: 1

23) When a 2.75-kg fan, having blades 18.5 cm long, is turned off, its angular speed decreases
uniformly from 10.0 rad/s to 6.30 rad/s in 5.00 s.
(a) What is the magnitude of the angular acceleration of the fan?
(b) Through what angle (in degrees) does it turn while it is slowing down during the 5.00 s?
(c) If its angular acceleration does not change, how long after it is turned off does it take the fan
to stop.
Answer: (a) 0.740 rad/s2 (b) 2330° (c) 13.5 s
Var: 1

24) A 4.50-kg wheel that is 34.5 cm in diameter rotates through an angle of 13.8 rad as it slows
down uniformly from 22.0 rad/s to 13.5 rad/s. What is the magnitude of the angular acceleration
of the wheel?
A) 0.616 rad/s2
B) 5.45 rad/s2
C) 111 rad/s2
D) 22.5 rad/s2
E) 10.9 rad/s2
Answer: E
Var: 1

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25) A machinist turns the power on to a grinding wheel, which is at rest at time t = 0.00 s. The
wheel accelerates uniformly for 10 s and reaches the operating angular velocity of The
wheel is run at that angular velocity for 37 s and then power is shut off. The wheel decelerates
uniformly at until the wheel stops. In this situation, the time interval of angular
deceleration (slowing down) is closest to:
A) 17 s
B) 15 s
C) 19 s
D) 21 s
E) 23 s
Answer: A
Var: 50+

26) In the figure, point P is at rest when it is on the x-axis. The linear speed of point P when it
reaches the y-axis is closest to

A) 0.18 m/s.
B) 0.24 m/s.
C) 0.35 m/s.
D) 0.49 m/s.
E) 0.71 m/s.
Answer: C
Var: 1

27) In the figure, point P is at rest when it is on the x-axis. The time t, when P returns to the
original position on the x-axis, is closest to

A) 13 s.
B) 18 s.
C) 25 s.
D) 35 s.
E) 50 s.
Answer: D
Var: 1

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28) A 1.25-kg ball begins rolling from rest with constant angular acceleration down a hill. If it
takes 3.60 s for it to make the first complete revolution, how long will it take to make the next
complete revolution?
Answer: 1.49 s
Var: 1

29) A piece of thin uniform wire of mass m and length 3b is bent into an equilateral triangle.
Find the moment of inertia of the wire triangle about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the
triangle and passing through one of its vertices.
A) mb2

B) mb2

C) mb2

D) mb2

E) mb2

Answer: E
Var: 1

30) A slender uniform rod 100.00 cm long is used as a meter stick. Two parallel axes that are
perpendicular to the rod are considered. The first axis passes through the 50-cm mark and the
second axis passes through the 30-cm mark. What is the ratio of the moment of inertia through
the second axis to the moment of inertia through the first axis?
A) I2/I1 = 1.5
B) I2/I1 = 1.7
C) I2/I1 = 1.9
D) I2/I1 = 2.1
E) I2/I1 = 2.3
Answer: A
Var: 1

31) A uniform solid sphere has a moment of inertia I about an axis tangent to its surface. What is
the moment of inertia of this sphere about an axis through its center?
A) 1/7 I
B) 2/7 I
C) 2/5 I
D) 3/5 I
E) 7/5 I
Answer: B
Var: 1

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32) In the figure, a weightlifter's barbell consists of two identical uniform spherical masses each
with radius 0.17 m and mass of 50 kg. The weights are connected by a 0.96-m uniform steel rod
with a mass of 12 kg. Find the moment of inertia of the barbell about the axis through the center
(see figure).

Answer: 44 kg∙m2
Var: 1

33) An extremely light rod 1.00 m long has a 2.00-kg mass attached to one end and a 3.00-kg
mass attached to the other. The system rotates at a constant angular speed about a fixed axis
perpendicular to the rod that passes through the rod 30.0 cm from the end with the 3.00-kg mass
attached. The kinetic energy of the system is measured to be 100.0 J.
(a) What is the moment of inertia of this system about the fixed axis?
(b) What is the angular speed (in revolutions per second) of this system?
Answer: (a) 1.25 kg∙m2 (b) 2.01 rev/s
Var: 1

34) A uniform solid sphere of mass M and radius R rotates with an angular speed ω about an axis
through its center. A uniform solid cylinder of mass M, radius R, and length 2R rotates through
an axis running through the central axis of the cylinder. What must be the angular speed of the
cylinder so it will have the same rotational kinetic energy as the sphere?
A) 2ω/5
B) ω
C) 4ω/5
D) 2ω/
E) ω/
Answer: D
Var: 1

35) While spinning down from 500.0 rpm to rest, a solid uniform flywheel does of work.
If the radius of the disk is what is its mass?
A) 5.2 kg
B) 4.4 kg
C) 6.0 kg
D) 6.8 kg
Answer: A
Var: 50+

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36) At any angular speed, a certain uniform solid sphere of diameter D has half as much
rotational kinetic energy as a certain uniform thin-walled hollow sphere of the same diameter
when both are spinning about an axis through their centers. If the mass of the solid sphere is M,
the mass of the hollow sphere is
A) 3/5 M.
B) 5/3 M.
C) 5/6 M.
D) 6/5 M.
E) 2 M.
Answer: D
Var: 1

37) A futuristic design for a car is to have a large solid disk-shaped flywheel within the car
storing kinetic energy. The uniform flywheel has mass 370 kg with a radius of 0.500 m and can
rotate up to Assuming all of this stored kinetic energy could be transferred to the
linear velocity of the car, find the maximum attainable speed of the car.
Answer: 246 m/s
Var: 50+

38) Three solid, uniform, cylindrical flywheels, each of mass 65.0 kg and radius 1.47 m rotate
independently around a common axis. Two of the flywheels rotate in one direction at
the other rotates in the opposite direction at 3.42 rad/s. Calculate the magnitude of the net
angular momentum of the system.
A) 298 kg∙m2/s
B) 778 kg∙m2/s
C) 257 kg∙m2/s
D) 222 kg∙m2/s
Answer: A
Var: 50+

39) A potter's wheel, with rotational inertia is spinning freely at 40 rpm. The potter
drops a lump of clay onto the wheel, where it sticks a distance 1.2 m from the rotational axis. If
the subsequent angular speed of the wheel and clay is 32 rpm what is the mass of the clay?
A) 8.0 kg
B) 5.4 kg
C) 7.0 kg
D) 8.8 kg
Answer: A
Var: 38

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40) A bicycle is traveling north at 5.0 m/s. The mass of the wheel, 2.0 kg, is uniformly
distributed along the rim, which has a radius of 20 cm. What are the magnitude and direction of
the angular momentum of the wheel about its axle?
A) 2.0 kg∙m2/s towards the west
B) 5.0 kg∙m2/s vertically upwards
C) 2.0 kg∙m2/s towards the east
D) 5.0 kg∙m2/s towards the east
E) 5.0 kg∙m2/s towards the west
Answer: A
Var: 1

41) A figure skater rotating at 5.00 rad/s with arms extended has a moment of inertia of 2.25
kg∙m2. If the arms are pulled in so the moment of inertia decreases to 1.80 kg∙m2, what is the
final angular speed?
A) 2.25 rad/s
B) 4.60 rad/s
C) 6.25 rad/s
D) 1.76 rad/s
E) 0.810 rad/s
Answer: C
Var: 1

42) A 5.0-m radius playground merry-go-round with a moment of inertia of 2000 kg∙m2 is
rotating freely with an angular speed of 1.0 rad/s. Two people, each having a mass of 60 kg, are
standing right outside the edge of the merry-go-round and step on it with negligible speed. What
is the angular speed of the merry-go-round right after the two people have stepped on?
A) 0.20 rad/s
B) 0.40 rad/s
C) 0.60 rad/s
D) 0.80 rad/s
E) 0.67 rad/s
Answer: B
Var: 1

43) A record is dropped vertically onto a freely rotating (undriven) turntable. Frictional forces
act to bring the record and turntable to a common angular speed. If the rotational inertia of the
record is 0.54 times that of the turntable, what percentage of the initial kinetic energy is lost?
A) 35%
B) 18%
C) 46%
D) 60%
Answer: A
Var: 50+

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44) A turntable has a radius of 0.80 m and a moment of inertia of 2.0 kg · m2. The turntable is
rotating with an angular velocity of 1.5 rad/s about a vertical axis though its center on frictionless
bearings. A very small 0.40-kg ball is projected horizontally toward the turntable axis with a
velocity of 3.0 m/s. The ball is caught by a very small and very light cup-shaped mechanism on
the rim of the turntable (see figure). What is the angular velocity of the turntable just after the
ball is caught?

A) 2.1 rad/s
B) 1.3 rad/s
C) 0.94 rad/s
D) 0.75 rad/s
E) 0.30 rad/s
Answer: B
Var: 1

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45) A turntable has a radius of 0.80 m and a moment of inertia of 2.0 kg · m2. The turntable is
rotating with an angular velocity of 1.5 rad/s about a vertical axis though its center on frictionless
bearings. A very small 0.40-kg ball is projected horizontally toward the turntable axis with a
velocity of 3.0 m/s. The ball is caught by a very small and very light cup-shaped mechanism on
the rim of the turntable (see figure). The percent of the initial kinetic energy of the system that is
lost during the capture of the ball is closest to

A) 45%.
B) 51%.
C) 55%.
D) 60%.
E) 65%.
Answer: B
Var: 1

46) A uniform disk has a mass of 3.7 kg and a radius of 0.40 m. The disk is mounted on
frictionless bearings and is used as a turntable. The turntable is initially rotating at 30 rpm. A
thin-walled hollow cylinder has the same mass and radius as the disk. It is released from rest,
just above the turntable, and on the same vertical axis. The hollow cylinder slips on the turntable
for 0.20 s until it acquires the same final angular velocity as the turntable. What is the final
angular momentum of the system?
A) 0.93 /s
B) 1.1 /s
C) 1.3 /s
D) 1.6 /s
E) 1.9 /s
Answer: A
Var: 50+

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