RYERSON UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND SCIENCE
PCS 120 FINAL EXAMINATION
DURATION: 2.5 hours
DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2007

Student Number

Section

PRINT First Name

PRINT Last Name

Your Instructor (check):

T. Antimirova
M. Milner-Bolotin
R. Szmidt
________________________________________________________________________
INSTRUCTIONS
Do not open the examination paper until you are told to do so.
This is a closed book multiple-choice examination; please WRITE your solution in the space
provided, select the option that is closest to your answer and circle it in the exam booklet, then
CAREFULLY transcribe your answer onto the bubble sheet.
All questions are of equal weight. Incorrect answers will receive a mark of zero.
In principle, only the bubble sheets will be marked, but we reserve the right to do a check of the
solutions. Whenever the nature of the question requires a written solution, the correct answer
without the supporting solution may not be credited.
Turn bubble sheet face down when not writing on it. Do not fold your bubble sheet.
The formula sheet may be detached. The remaining exam pages must not be unstapled.
The only calculators allowed are Sharp EL-546 and Casio FX-991.
The test consists of 25 questions on pages 2-10. Once you are allowed to open the examination
paper, verify that you have all the pages. Inform one of the invigilators if any pages are missing.
Pagers and cell phones must be silenced and placed in the bags at the front of the room.
Earphones are not allowed.
Talking to another student or glancing over another student's paper is not permitted and it may
result in a charge of academic misconduct.
At the end of the test, insert your bubble sheet into the examination booklet and hand in both.
Please sign here indicating you have read and understood the above instructions.
SIGNATURE:______________________________________________
DO NOT OPEN THE TEST UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

PART A
1. An object goes from one point in space to another. After it arrives at its destination, the
magnitude of its displacement is:
a) either greater than or equal to the distance traveled.
b) always greater than the distance traveled.
c) always equal to the distance traveled.
d) either smaller than or equal to the distance traveled.
e) always smaller than the distance traveled

2. You are throwing a ball straight up in the air. At the highest point of its trajectory,
a) the ball's velocity and acceleration are zero.
b) velocity is nonzero but its acceleration is zero.
c) acceleration is nonzero, but its velocity is zero.
d) velocity and acceleration are both nonzero.
e) not enough data to predict

3. Which position-versus-time graph represents the motion shown in the motion diagram?

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 2 out of 10

4. A particle moves from position 1 to position 2 during the interval t.

Which vector shows the particles average velocity?

5. Three forces act on an object, as shown. In which direction does the object accelerate?

6. An elevator suspended by a cable is moving upward and slowing to a stop. Which freebody diagram is correct?

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 3 out of 10

7. A 1.8-kg block is released from rest at the top of a rough 30 inclined plane. As the
block slides down the incline, its acceleration is 3.0 m/s2 down the incline. Determine
the magnitude of the force of friction acting on the block. In this problem, use
g=9.80 m/s2.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

4.2 N
3.0 N
3.4 N
3.8 N
2.3 N

8. A lady pushes a shopping cart up the ramp (inclined at an angle to the horizontal)
with a horizontal force F. What is true about the magnitude of the Normal Force the
ramp exerts on the cart?

a) N incline on cart = mg cos( )

b) N incline on cart = mg cos( ) + F
c) N incline on cart = mg cos( ) + F sin( )
d) N incline on cart = mg cos( ) F sin( )
e) N incline on cart = mg cos( ) F

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 4 out of 10

PART B
9. Consider two carts, of masses m and 2m, at rest on an air track. If you push first one
cart for 3 s and then the other for the same length of time, exerting an equal force on
each, the momentum of the light cart is ______ the momentum of the heavy cart.
a) four times
b) twice
c) equal to
d) one-half
e) one-quarter
10. A spring-loaded toy dart gun is used to shoot a dart straight up in the air, and the dart
reaches a maximum height of 24 m. The same dart is shot straight up a second time from
the same gun, but this time the spring is compressed only half as far before firing. How
high does the dart go this time, neglecting air resistance and assuming an ideal spring?
a) 48 m
b) 24 m
c) 12 m
d) 6 m
e) 3 m

11. A cart on an air track is moving at 0.5 m/s when the air is suddenly turned off. The
cart comes to rest, due to friction, after traveling 1 m. The experiment is repeated, but
now the cart is moving at 1 m/s when the air is turned off. How far does the cart travel
before coming to rest?
a) 1 m
b) 2 m
c) 3 m
d) 4 m
e) Not enough information.

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 5 out of 10

12. A rock attached to a string swings in a vertical circle. Neglect air resistance.
At the lowest point of the circle:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Three forces act on the rock.

Only two forces act on the rock, and their resultant is zero.
Only two forces act on the rock, and their resultant is not zero.
Only one force acts on the rock.
No forces act on the rock.

13. A toy iceboat is traveling in a circle on the ice as shown in the figure below (view
from above). Halfway around the circle the string breaks. Which path will the toy boat
follow?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

path a
path b
path c
path d
none of the above

14. An object moving at a constant speed requires 6.0 s to go once around a circle with a
diameter of 4.0 m. What is the magnitude of the instantaneous acceleration of the object
during this time?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

2.2 m/s2
2.7 m/s2
3.3 m/s2
3.8 m/s2
2.9 m/s2

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 6 out of 10

15. A fearless 40-kg teenager slides down a 12-m-high slide, starting from rest. Her speed
at the bottom of the slide is 15 m/s. Neglecting air resistance, find the work done by the
force of friction. (In this problem, use g = 10.0 m/s2).
a) 4800 J
b) -300 J
c) -4500 J
d) 300 J
e) 4500 J

16. The ratio of the mass of object A to the mass of object B is 2:1 and the ratio of their
speeds is 1:2 in the same order. What is the ratio of their kinetic energies?
a) 1:1
b) 2:1
c) 4:1
d) 1:4
e) 1:2
17. A 4.0-kg particle is moving horizontally with a speed of 5.0 m/s when it strikes a
vertical wall. The particle rebounds with a speed of 3.0 m/s. What is the magnitude of
the impulse delivered to the particle?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

24 Ns
32 Ns
40 Ns
30 Ns
8.0 Ns

18. A 2.0-kg object moving at 5.0 m/s collides with and sticks to an 8.0-kg object initially
at rest. Determine the kinetic energy lost by the two-object system as a result of this
collision.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

20 J
15 J
30 J
25 J
5.0 J

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 7 out of 10

PART C
19. Two satellites A and B of the same mass are in circular orbits around Earth. The
distance of satellite B from Earth's center is twice that of satellite A. What is the ratio of
the speed of B to that of A?
a) 1 / 2
b) 1 / 2
c) 1
d) 2
e) 2

20.A satellite orbits Earth at a height above the surface equal to Earths radius. The
magnitude of the satellites acceleration is
a) (1/4)g on earth.
b) (1/2)g on earth.
c) g on earth.
d) 2g on earth.
e) 4g on earth.
21. Imagine a Superwoman being able to through a rock vertically upward at the speed of
vi, which exceeds the escape speed from Earth. If air resistance is neglected, what will be
the final speed vf of this rock infinitely far from Earth?
RE stands for the radius of Earth, ME stands for the mass of Earth.
a ) v f = vi2 +

2GM E
RE

b) v f = vi2

2GM E
RE

c) v f =vi +

2GM E
RE

d ) v f = vi2

2GM E
R E2

e) v f = vi2

GM E
RE

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 8 out of 10

22. Three small spheres are suspended from thin threads. Various objects are then rubbed
against other objects (nylon against silk, glass against polyester, etc.) and each of the
spheres is charged by touching them with one of these objects. It is found that spheres
1 and 2 repel each other and that spheres 2 and 3 repel each other. From this we can
conclude that:
a) 1 and 3 carry charges of opposite signs.
b) 1 and 3 carry charges of the same sign (but 2 is different).
c) all three carry charges of the same sign.
d) one of the rubbed objects carries no charge.
e) we need to do more experiments to determine the signs of the charges.
23. If a = 3.0 mm, b = 4.0 mm, Q1 = 60 nC, Q2 = 80 nC, and q = 40 nC in the
figure, what is the magnitude of the total electric force on q? 1 nC = 10-9 C

a
q

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

b
Q1

Q2

1.8 N
2.3 N
2.7 N
3.0 N
4.2 N

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 9 out of 10

24. A point charge of +2.0 nC is placed at one corner of a square (1.5 m on a side), and a
point charge of -3.0 nC is placed at a corner diagonally away from the first charge. What
is the magnitude of the electric field at either of the two unoccupied corners?
1nC=10-9 C

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

20 N/C
14 N/C
4.0 N/C
12 N/C
8.0 N/C

25. Three point charges of equal magnitudes are placed at points A(-a,0), B(+a,0) and
C(0,b), as shown in the diagram. Find the direction of the resultant electric field at O(0,0)
where the black dot is.
a) Left.
b) Down.
c) Right.
d) Up.
e) The electric field is zero.

THE END

PCS 120 Final Examination Fall 2007

Page 10 out of 10