Energy and Momentum Conceptual Survey

Instructions
 Select one of the ve choices (a)-(e) for each of the 25 questions.
 Ignore the retarding eects of friction and air resistance unless otherwise stated.
 Gravity is used as an abbreviation for the gravitational force.
1. You lift a suitcase from the oor to a table. In addition to the weight of the suitcase, select
all of the following factors that determine the work done by gravity on the suitcase.
(1) whether you lift it directly up to the table or along a longer path
(2) whether you lift it quickly or slowly
(3) the height of the table above the oor
(a) (1) only
(b) (3) only
(c) (1) and (3) only
(d) (2) and (3) only
(e) (1), (2) and (3)

2. Two frictionless slides are shaped dierently but start at the same height h and end at
the same level as shown below. You and your friend, who has the same weight as you,
slide down from the top on dierent slides starting from rest. Which one of the following
statements best describes who has a larger speed at the bottom of the slide?

(a) You, because you initially encounter a steeper slope so that there is more opportunity
for accelerating.
(b) You, because you travel a longer distance so that there is more opportunity for
accelerating.
(c) Your friend, because her slide has a constant slope so that she has more opportunity
for accelerating.
(d) Your friend, because she travels a shorter distance so that she can conserve her kinetic
energy better.
(e) Both of you have the same speed.
c 2001 Chandralekha Singh
3. A moving white hockey puck collides elastically with a stationary red hockey puck on a
frictionless horizontal surface. No net external force acts on the two-puck system. Select
all of the following statements that must be true for this elastic collision.
(1) The kinetic energy of the white puck is conserved (same
before and after the collision).
(2) The linear momentum of the white puck is conserved.
(3) The linear momentum of the two-puck system is conserved.
(a) (1) only
(b) (3) only
(c) (1) and (2) only
(d) (1) and (3) only
(e) (1), (2) and (3)

4. Two identical stones, A and B, are shot from a cli from the same height and with
identical initial speeds v0. Stone A is shot vertically up, and stone B is shot vertically
down (see Figure). Which one of the following statements best describes which stone has
a larger speed right before it hits the ground?

(a) Both stones have the same speed.

(b) A, because it travels a longer path.
(c) A, because it takes a longer time.
(d) A, because it travels a longer path and takes a longer time.
(e) B, because no work is done against gravity.
5. Two identical bullets are red horizontally with identical speeds v0 at two blocks of equal mass.
The blocks rest on a frictionless horizontal surface and are made of hard steel and soft wood
respectively (see Figure). One bullet bounces elastically o the steel block. The other bul-
let becomes embedded inside the wood block. Which one of the following statements best
describes which block travels faster after the collision?

(a) The wood block, because it has gained the momentum of the bullet, while the other
bullet does not impart its momentum to the steel block.
(b) The wood block, because the bullet transfers all of its kinetic energy to it.
(c) The wood block, because its larger eective mass after the collision, in accordance with
Newton's second law, results in a larger force to accelerate the block.
(d) The steel block, because the bullet bounces o from it.
(e) Both blocks travel with the same speed.

6. A satellite is moving around the earth in a circular orbit at a constant speed (see Fig-
ure). The only force that acts on the satellite is earth's gravity which points directly
toward earth's center. Which one of the following statements is true as the satellite moves
from point A to point B in the orbit?

(a) The gravitational potential energy of the satellite changes as it moves from A to B.
(b) The work done on the satellite by gravity is negative for the motion from A to B.
(c) The work done on the satellite by gravity is zero for the motion from A to B.
(d) The velocity of the satellite remains unchanged as it moves from A to B.
(e) None of the above.
7. A motorcycle and a truck are both moving in the same direction in adjacent lanes on a
highway. At a particular instant, the speed of the motorcycle is four times as large as
the speed of the truck v. At that instant, the motorcycle is accelerating forward while
the truck is moving at a constant velocity. Which one of the following statements best
describes which vehicle has a larger momentum at that instant?

(a) The truck, because it has a larger mass.

(b) The motorcycle, because it is moving faster.
(c) The motorcycle, because it has an acceleration.
(d) The motorcycle, because it is moving faster and also has an acceleration.
(e) Not enough information.

8. You want to lift a heavy block through a height h by attaching a string of negligible mass
to it and pulling so that it moves at a constant velocity. You have the choice of lifting
it either by pulling the string vertically upward or along a frictionless inclined plane (see
Figure). Which one of the following statements is true?

(a) The magnitude of the tension force in the string is smaller in case (i) than in case (ii).
(b) The magnitude of the tension force in the string is the same in both cases.
(c) The work done on the block by the tension force is the same in both cases.
(d) The work done on the block by the tension force is smaller in case (ii) than in case (i).
(e) The work done on the block by gravity is smaller in case (ii) than in case (i).
 9. Three bicycles approach a hill as described below:
(1) Cyclist 1 stops pedaling at the bottom of the hill, and her bicycle
coasts up the hill.
(2) Cyclist 2 pedals so that her bicycle goes up the hill at a constant
speed.
(3) Cyclist 3 pedals harder, so that her bicycle accelerates up the hill.
Ignoring the retarding eects of friction, select all the cases in which the total mechanical energy
of the cyclist and bicycle is conserved.
(a) (1) only
(b) (2) only
(c) (1) and (2) only
(d) (2) and (3) only
(e) (1), (2) and (3)

10. A bomb at rest on a horizontal frictionless surface explodes and breaks into three pieces
that y apart horizontally as shown below. Select all of the following statements that must
be true after the bomb has exploded.
(1) The total kinetic energy of the bomb fragments is the same
as that of the bomb before explosion.
(2) The total momentum of the bomb fragments is the same as that
of the bomb before explosion.
(3) The total momentum of the bomb fragments is zero.

(a) (1) only

(b) (2) only
(c) (3) only
(d) (2) and (3) only
(e) (1), (2) and (3)
11. You and your friend are both standing on a horizontal frictionless surface. To get your
friend's attention, you throw a ball due west at your friend as shown below. The ball
bounces elastically o your friend's back. Which one of the following statements is true
about this situation?

(a) Your friend will remain stationary because the ball bounces elastically and does not
impart its momentum to her.
(b) Your friend will remain stationary because the kinetic energy of the ball is conserved
in an elastic collision.
(c) Your friend will remain stationary due to conservation of both linear momentum
and kinetic energy.
(d) You will remain stationary after you throw the ball due to conservation of both
linear momentum and kinetic energy.
(e) You will move east after you throw the ball due to conservation of linear momentum.

12. Using a rope of negligible mass, you pull a box along a horizontal surface with a constant
horizontal force F . The box moves at a constant velocity from position A to position B.
The force of friction Fk cannot be neglected. Which one of the following statements con-
cerning the motion of the box from A to B is true?

(a) The work done on the box by gravity is non-zero.

(b) The work done on the box by Fk is positive.
(c) The total work done on the box by the net force is non-zero.
(d) The magnitude of the work done on the box by F is equal to the magnitude of
the work done by Fk .
(e) The magnitude of F is greater than the magnitude of Fk .
  Setup for questions (13) and (14)
Carts A and B are identical in all respects before the collision.
Figure (i): Cart A starts from rest on a hill at a height h above the ground. It rolls down
and collides \head-on" with cart B which is initially at rest on the ground. The two carts
stick together.
Figure (ii): Carts A and B are at rest on opposite hills at heights h=2 above the ground.
They roll down, collide \head-on" with each other on the ground and stick together.

13. Which one of the following statements is true about the two-cart system just before the
carts collide in the two cases?
Just before the collision on the ground,
(a) the kinetic energy of the system is zero in case (ii).
(b) the kinetic energy of the system is greater in case (i) than in case (ii).
(c) the kinetic energy of the system is the same in both cases.
(d) the momentum of the system is greater in case (ii) than in case (i).
(e) the momentum of the system is the same in both cases.

14. Which one of the following statements is true about the two-cart system just after the carts
collide in the two cases?
Just after the collision,
(a) the kinetic energy of the system is greater in case (ii) than in case (i).
(b) the kinetic energy of the system is the same in both cases.
(c) the momentum of the system is greater in case (ii) than in case (i).
(d) the momentum of the system is non-zero in case (i) while it is zero in case (ii).
(e) the momentum of the system is the same in both cases.
15. While in a playground, you and your niece take turns sliding down a frictionless slide.
Your mass is 75 kg while your little niece's mass is only 25 kg. Assume that both of you
begin sliding from rest from the same height. Which one of the following statements best
describes who has a larger speed at the bottom of the slide?
(a) Both of you have the same speed at the bottom.
(b) Your niece, because she is not pressing down against the slide as strongly so her motion
is closer to free fall than yours.
(c) You, because your greater weight causes a greater downward acceleration.
(d) Your niece, because lighter objects are easier to accelerate.
(e) You, because you take less time to slide down.

16. Two small spheres of putty, A and B, of equal mass, hang from the ceiling on massless
strings of equal length. Sphere A is raised to a height h0 as shown below and released.
It collides with sphere B (which is initially at rest); they stick and swing together to a
maximum height hf . Select all of the following principles that must be invoked to nd the
height hf in terms of h0.
(1) the conservation of mechanical energy
(2) the conservation of linear momentum

(a) (1) only

(b) (2) only
(c) both (1) and (2)
(d) either (1) or (2) but not both
(e) None of the above
17. You drop a ball from a high tower and it falls freely under the in uence of gravity. Which
one of the following statements is true?
(a) The kinetic energy of the ball increases by equal amounts in equal times.
(b) The kinetic energy of the ball increases by equal amounts over equal distances.
(c) There is zero work done on the ball by gravity as it falls.
(d) The work done on the ball by gravity is negative as it falls.
(e) The total mechanical energy of the ball decreases as it falls.

 In questions (18) and (19) below, the impulse of a force is dened as the
product of the average force and the time interval during which the force acts.

18. Which one of the following statements is true concerning linear momentum?
(a) Momentum is a force.
(b) The momentum of an object is always positive.
(c) Momentum is a scalar quantity.
(d) The SI unit of momentum is kg
m2/s.
(e) Momentum and impulse have the same units.

19. The brakes of your bicycle have failed, and you must choose between slamming into either
a haystack or a concrete wall. Which one of the following statements best justies why
hitting a haystack is a wiser choice than hitting a concrete wall?
(a) The haystack gives you a smaller impulse than the concrete wall.
(b) The haystack changes your momentum over a longer time.
(c) Your change in kinetic energy is smaller if you hit the haystack than if you hit the
concrete wall.
(d) Your change in momentum is smaller if you hit the haystack than if you hit the concrete
wall.
(e) More potential energy is stored in the wall which is released upon the impact and
results in a greater force on you.
20. You slide down two consecutive slopes of frictionless ice whose vertical heights h are iden-
tical, as shown below. Select all of the following statements that must be true.
(1) The change in your kinetic energy is identical for the motion
from A to B and from B to C.
(2) The work done on you by gravity is smaller for the motion
from A to B than from B to C.
(3) The work done on you by gravity is greater for the motion
from A to B than from B to C.

(a) (1) only

(b) (2) only
(c) (3) only
(d) (1) and (2) only
(e) (1) and (3) only

21. Rain starts falling vertically down into a cart with frictionless wheels which is initially
moving at a constant velocity on a horizontal surface. The rain drops come to rest with
respect to the cart after striking it, and rain water accumulates in the cart. Select all of
the following statements that must be true about this situation.
(1) The cart will continue to move at a constant velocity because
the rain is falling vertically while the cart is moving horizontally.
(2) The cart will continue to move at a constant velocity because
the total mechanical energy of the cart-rain system is conserved.
(3) The cart will slow down because the horizontal momentum of
the cart-rain system is conserved.

(a) (1) only

(b) (2) only
(c) (3) only
(d) (1) and (2) only
(e) None of the above
22. Three balls are launched from the same horizontal level with identical speeds v0 as shown
below. Ball (1) is launched vertically upward, ball (2) at an angle of 600, and ball (3) at an
angle of 450. In order of decreasing speed (fastest rst), rank the speed each one attains
when it reaches the level of the dashed horizontal line. All three balls have suÆcient speed
to reach the dashed line.

(a) (1), (2), (3)

(b) (1), (3), (2)
(c) (3), (2), (1)
(d) They all have the same speed.
(e) Not enough information, their speeds will depend on their masses.

23. You drop two balls of equal mass, made of rubber and putty, from the same height h above
a horizontal surface (see Figure). The rubber ball bounces up after it strikes the surface
while the putty ball comes to rest after striking it. Assume that in both cases the velocity
of the ball takes the same time
t to change from its initial to its nal value due to contact
with the surface. Compare the average forces F R and F P exerted on the surface by the
rubber and putty balls, respectively, during time
t.

(a) F R = F P
(b) F R > F P
(c) F R < F P
(d) F R may be smaller or larger than F P depending upon the relative size of the balls.
(e) F R may be smaller or larger than F P depending upon the actual height h from which
the balls are dropped.
24. Two blocks are initially at rest on a frictionless horizontal surface. The mass mA of block
A is less than the mass mB of block B. You apply the same constant force F and pull the
blocks through the same distance d along a straight line as shown below (force F is applied
for the entire distance d).

Which one of the following statements correctly compares the kinetic energies of the blocks
after you pull them the same distance d?
(a) The kinetic energies of both blocks are identical.
(b) The kinetic energy is greater for the smaller mass block because it achieves a larger
speed.
(c) The kinetic energy is greater for the larger mass block because of its larger mass.
(d) Not enough information, need to know the actual mass of both blocks to compare the
kinetic energies.
(e) Not enough information, need to know the actual magnitude of force F to compare the
kinetic energies.
25. A box slides with an initial speed vo on a horizontal surface with friction and eventually
comes to a stop. Which one of the following is equal to the change in the kinetic energy of
the box?

(a) The momentum of the box multiplied by the distance travelled before coming to rest.
(b) The momentum of the box multiplied by the time elapsed before coming to rest.
(c) The momentum of the box multiplied by the deceleration of the box.
(d) The mass of the box multiplied by the deceleration of the box.
(e) None of the above.