Suzann Hughes

Chapter 2 :: Question For Thought

Chapter 2 – Motion – Question for Thought

1. An insect inside a bus flies from the back toward the front at 5.0 mi/h. The bus is
moving in a straight line at 50.0 mi/h. What is the speed of the insect?
the speed of the insect is relative to the ground is the 50.0 mi/hr of the bus plus the 5
mi/hr of the insect relative to the bus for a total of 55 mi/hr.

2. Disregarding air friction, describe all the forces acting on a bullet shot from a rifle
into the air.
Gravity acts on the bullet at all times, no matter where it is. Acceleration due to gravity is
independent of any motion that the bullet may have.

3. Can gravity act in a vacuum? Explain.

Yes, it acts however the rate in which items fall is different in a vacuum than in normal
air. In a vacuum the items fall at the same speed b/c air resistance in gone. Items are in a
free fall in a vacuum. Therefore gravity does act in a vacuum, causing all times to fall at
the same speed, regardless of weight.

4. Is it possible for a small car to have the same momentum as a large truck? Explain.
Yes. If the small car has a higher velocity than the large truck, it can make up the
difference in the masses of the two cars, therefore making the momentum the same or
greater.

5. What net force is needed to maintain the constant velocity of a car moving in a
straight line? Explain.
An unbalanced or net force of zero is required to maintain a constant velocity. If there
were more than a net force of zero, there would be acceleration.
6. How can there ever be an unbalanced force on an object if every action has an equal
and opposite reaction?
an unbalanced force occurs on a single object as the result of one or more interactions
with other objects.

7. Why should you bend your knees as you hit the ground after jumping from a roof?
By bending your knees, you are lower your center of mass.

8. Is it possible for your weight to change as your mass remains constant? Explain.
Weight can change and your mass remain constant. Mass is a measurement of the amount
of matter in an object and that does not change. You weigh a lot less on the moon than
earth b/c of the gravitational pull.

9. What maintains the speed of the earth as it moves in its orbit around the sun?
Nothing. There is no force parallel to the motion to increase or decrease the earth’s speed,
so the speed remains constant.

10. Suppose you are standing on the ice of a frozen lake and there is no friction
whatsoever. How can you get off the ice? (Hint: Friction is necessary to crawl or
walk, so that will not get you off the ice.)
 Suzann Hughes
Chapter 2 :: Question For Thought
If you have something to throw, like your cell phone, you can easily get off the ice. Since
the force you apply to the cell phone as you throw it results in an equal and opposite
force, you will move in the opposite direction.

11. A rocket blasts off from a platform on a space station. An identical rocket blasts off
from free space. Considering everything else to be equal, will the two rockets have
the same acceleration? Explain
They will have the same acceleration. The acceleration results as burning rocket fuel
escapes the rocket, exerting an unbalanced force on the rocket and the rocket accelerates
during the applied force.

12. An astronaut leaves a spaceship that is moving through free space to adjust an
antenna. Will the spaceship move off and leave the astronaut behind? Explain.
The astronaut is traveling with the same speed as the spaceship. If no net force is applied
to the astronaut or the spaceship, they will both stay at a constant velocity and will stay
together. Or rather “fall” together.