PreAP Physics

Spring 2012

Homework Problems
Unit 7: Momentum and Impulse

1. A compact car, mass 725 kg, is moving at +100 km/h. What is its momentum?
[20139.05 kg m/s]
2. A snowmobile has a mass of 2.5 x 102 kg. It is acted upon by a force so that its
velocity changes from 6.0 m/s to 28 m/s. What is the change in its momentum?
[5500 kg m/s]
3. Jenny has a mass of 35.6 kg and her skateboard has a mass of 1.3 kg. What is
the momentum of Jenny and her skateboard together if they are going 9.50
m/s? [350.55 kg m/s]
4. A 0.20 kg baseball is pitched horizontally with a speed of +40 m/s. When it hits
the bat a force of 1.7 x 104 N acts on the ball to send it soaring in the opposite
direction. If the bat and ball are in contact for 8.0 x 10-3 s, what is the impulse
delivered to the ball by the bat? [136 N s]
5. A hockey player makes a slap shot, exerting a force of 30.0 N on the puck for
0.16 s. What impulse is given to the puck? [4.8 N s]
6. A basketball of mass 0.23 kg is thrown horizontally against a rigid vertical wall
with a velocity of 20 m/s. It rebounds with a velocity of 15 m/s. a) Calculate
the impulse of the force of the wall on the basketball. [-8.05 N s]
b) What is the force of the wall on the basketball if it remains in contact with
the wall for 0.5 s? [-16.1 N]
7. A 125 g snowball is traveling with a speed of 22 m/s when it hits the fence. If
the snowball is completely stopped by the fence and does not rebound, what is
the impulse of the force of the fence on the snowball? [-2.75 N s]
8. A woman of mass 50 kg is swimming with a velocity of 1.6 m/s. If she stops
stroking and glides to a stop in the water, what is the impulse of the force that
stops her? [-80 N s]
9. A 0.41 kg football that is initially at rest acquires a velocity of 35 m/s when it is
kicked. If the kickers boot remains in contact with the ball for 0.08 s, what is
the average force of the kick? [179.375 N]
10. A 1.5 kg object moving with a speed of 2.5 m/s strikes a wall and the ball
rebounds with a speed of 1.5 m/s. The ball is in contact with the wall for 0.045
s. What is the magnitude of the average force exerted on the ball by the wall? [133.333 N]
11. A 1525 kg car traveling 30 m/s crashes into a concrete wall. The front of the car
crumples and the car comes to rest in 0.12 s. Calculate the average force
exerted on the car by the wall. [-381250 N]
12. A woman, driving a golf ball off of the tee, gives the ball a speed of 20.0 m/s. The
mass of the ball is 45 g and the duration of the impact with the golf club is 6.0 x
10-3 s. a) What is the change in the momentum of the ball? [0.9 kg m/s]
b) Determine the average force applied by the club. [150 N]
13. A 0.144 kg baseball is pitched horizontally at +38 m/s. After it is hit by a bat, it
moves horizontally at -38 m/s. a) What impulse did the bat deliver to the ball?
[-10.944 kg m/s]
b) If the bat and ball were in contact 8.0 x 10-4 s, what was the average force the
bat exerted on the ball? [-13680 N]
c) Find the acceleration of the ball during its contact with the bat. [-95000
m/s2]
14. A 32 g bullet strikes a 5 kg block of wood that is initially at rest and embeds in
the wood. If the subsequent velocity of the block is 3.8 m/s, calculate the initial
velocity of the bullet. [597.55 m/s]
26

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
15. A 0.105 kg hockey puck moving at 48 m/s is caught by a 75 kg goalie at rest.
With what speed does the goalie slide on the ice? [0.0671 m/s]
16. A 35.0 g bullet moving at 475 m/s strikes a 2.5 kg wooden block. The bullet
passes through the block, leaving at 275 m/s. The block was at rest when it was
hit. How fast is it moving when the bullet leaves? [2.8 m/s]
17. A 0.5 kg ball traveling at 6.0 m/s collides head on with a 1.00 kg ball moving in
the opposite direction at a velocity of -12.0 m/s. The 0.50 kg ball moves away at
-14.0 m/s after the collision. Find the velocity of the second ball. [-2.0 m/s]
18. A 95 kg fullback, running at 8.2 m/s collides in midair with a 128 kg defensive
tackle moving in the opposite direction. Both players end up with zero speed. a)
What was the fullbacks momentum before the collision? [779 kg m/s]
b) What was the change in the fullbacks momentum? [-779 kg m/s]
c) What was the tackles original momentum? [-779 kg m/s]
d) What was the change in the tackles momentum? [779 kg m/s]
19. Two 75 kg campers are in the middle of a creek in a 45 kg boat without a
paddle. All they have on board the boat is a quantity of 0.50 kg cans of beans.
One of the campers is able to throw a can with a speed of 26.8 m/s. How many
cans of beans must the camper throw to give the boat a speed of 1.0 m/s?
Ignore friction. Since mass of cans is so much less than the mass of the boat
initially, can ignore mass of cans initially as well. [15 cans]

27

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems
Unit 8: Work and Energy Homework

1. A 196 N suitcase is raised at a constant velocity 3.0 m above a platform by a

crane. How much work is done on the suitcase? [588 J]
2. A tugboat pulls a ship with a constant net horizontal force of 5000 N and causes
the ship to move through the harbor. How much work is done on the ship if it
moves a distance of 3.0 km? [1.50 x 107 J]
3. A weight lifter lifts a set of weights a vertical distance of 2.00 m. If a constant
net force of 350 N is exerted on the weights, what is the net work done on the
weights? [700 J]
4. A loaded sled requires a force of 250 N applied horizontally to push it across
wet snow. How far can it be pushed with 800 kJ of work? [3200 m]
5. The cable of a large crane applies a force of 2.2 x 104 N to a demolition ball as it
lifts the ball vertically upward a distance of 7.6 m. How much work does this
force do on the ball? [1.67 x 105 J]
b. Is the work positive or negative? Explain.
6. How much work is done on a vacuum cleaner pulled 3.0 m by a force of 50 N at
an angle of 30o above the horizontal? [129.904 J]
7. A shopper in a supermarket pushes a cart with a force of 35 N directed at an
angle of 25o downward from the horizontal. Find the work done by the shopper
on the cart as the shopper moves along a 50.0 m length of aisle. [1586.039 J]
8. A horse tows a barge in a canal by means of a rope that makes an angle of 15
degrees with the direction of motion of the barge. The tension in the rope is 120
N. How much work is done in moving the barge 1000 m? [1.159 x 105 J]
9. A child drags a toboggan 30 m across a level snow slope, exerting a force of 100
N on a rope inclined at 30 degrees with the horizontal. How much work is done
by the force? [2598 J]
10. A worker pushes a 1500 N crate with a horizontal force of 345 N a distance of
24.0 m. The coefficient of friction between the crate and the floor is 0.220.
a. How much work is done by the worker on the crate? [8280 J]
b. How much work is done by the floor on the crate? [-7920 J]
c. What is the net work done on the crate? [360 J]
d. What is the net force on the crate? [15 N]
e. What is the crates acceleration? [0.098 m/s2]
11. A 6.0 kg cat runs after a mouse at 10 m/s. What is the cats kinetic energy? [300
J]
12. A 7.00 kg bowling ball moves at 3.00 m/s. How much kinetic energy does the
bowling ball have? [31.5 J]
b. How fast must a 2.45 g table-tennis ball move in order to have the same
kinetic energy as the bowling ball? [160.357 m/s]
c. If the fastest table tennis ball speed recorded is around 70 miles per hour, is
this speed reasonable for a table-tennis ball? (hint: 1 mph = 0.447 m/s)
13. Calculate the speed of an 8.0 x 104 kg airliner with a kinetic energy of 1.1 x 109 J.
[165.831 m/s]
14. Two bullets have masses of 3.0 g and 6.0 g, respectively. Both are fired with a
speed of 40.0 m/s. Which bullet has more kinetic energy? What is the ratio of
their kinetic energies? [2:1] Why?
15. A car has a kinetic energy of 4.32 x 105 J when traveling at a speed of 23 m/s.
What is its mass? [1633.270 kg]
16. If the velocity of a car is doubled, how is its kinetic energy affected? Why?
28

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
17. A 10.0 kg crate is pulled up a rough incline with an initial speed of 1.5 m/s. The
pulling force is 100.0 N parallel to the incline, which makes an angle of 15.0o
with the horizontal. Assuming the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.40 and the
crate is pulled a distance of 7.5 m, find the following:
a. The work done by the Earths gravity on the crate. [-190.232 J]
b. The work done by the force of friction on the crate. [-283.982 J]
c. The work done by the puller on the crate. [750 J]
d. The change in kinetic energy of the crate. [275.786 J]
e. The speed of the crate after it is pulled 7.5 m. [7.577 m/s]
18. On a frozen pond, a person kicks a 10.0 kg sled, giving it an initial speed of 2.2
m/s. How far does the sled move if the coefficient of kinetic friction between
the sled and ice is 0.10? [2.469 m]
19. A student wearing frictionless in-line skates on a horizontal surface is pushed
by a friend with a constant force of 45 N. How far must the student be pushed,
starting from rest, so that her final kinetic energy is 352 J? [7.822 m]
20. A 2000 kg car accelerates from rest under the actions of two forces. One is a
forward force of 1140 N provided by the traction between the wheels and the
road. The other is a 950 N resistive force due to various frictional forces.
Determine how far the car must travel to reach a speed of 2.0 m/s. [21.053 m]
21. A 2100 kg car starts from rest at the top of a driveway that is sloped at an angle
of 20.0o with the horizontal. An average friction force of 4.0 x 103 N impedes the
cars motion so that the cars speed at the bottom of the driveway is 3.8 m/s.
What is the length of the driveway? [4.990 m]
22. A 75 kg bobsled is pushed along a horizontal surface by two athletes. After the
bobsled is pushed a distance of 4.5 m starting from rest, its speed is 6.0 m/s.
Find the magnitude of the net force on the bobsled. [300 N]
23. A spoon is raised 21.0 cm above a table. If the spoon and its contents have a
mass of 30.0 g, what is the gravitational potential energy associated with the
spoon at that height relative to the surface of the table? [0.0617 J]
24. Calculate the increase in gravitational potential energy of a 75 kg hiker who
climbs a 1500 m peak. [1.103 x 106 J]
25. A 40.0 kg child is in a swing that is attached to ropes 2.00 m long. Find the
gravitational potential energy associated with the child relative to the childs
lowest position under the following conditions:
a. When the ropes are horizontal. [784 J]
b. at the bottom of the circular arc. [0J]
26. If 2.0 J of work is done in raising a 180 g apple, how far is it lifted? [1.134 m]
27. A spring with a force constant of 5.2 N/m has a relaxed length of 2.45 m. When
a mass is attached to the end of the spring and allowed to come to rest, the
vertical length of the spring is 3.57 m. Calculate the elastic potential energy
stored in the spring. [3.261 J]
28. The staples inside a stapler are kept in place by a spring with a relaxed length of
0.115 m. If the spring constant is 51.0 N/m, how much elastic potential energy
is stored in the spring when its length is 0.150 m? [0.031 J]
29. When a 2.00 kg mass is attached to a vertical spring, the spring is stretched 10
cm such that the mass is 50 cm above the table.
a. What is the gravitational potential energy associated with this mass
relative to the table? [9.8 J]
b. What is the springs elastic potential energy if the spring constant is
400.0 N/m? [2.00 J]
c. What is the total potential energy of this system? [11.8 J]
29

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
30. A 70 kg stuntman is attached to a bungee cord with an un-stretched length of
15.0 m. He jumps off a bridge spanning a river from a height of 50 m. When he
finally stops, the cord has a stretched length of 44.0 m. Treat the stuntman as
the point mass, and disregard the weight of the bungee cord. Assuming the
spring constant of the bungee cord is 71.8 N/m, what is the total potential
energy relative to the water when the man stops falling? [34307.9 J]
31. Starting from rest, a child zooms down a frictionless slide from an initial height
of 3.00 m. What is her speed at the bottom of the slide? Assume she has a mass
of 25 kg. [7.668 m/s]
32. A bird is flying with a speed of 18 m/s over water when it accidentally drops a
2.00 kg fish. If the altitude of the bird is 5.40 m and friction is disregarded, what
is the speed of the fish when it hits the water? [20.733 m/s]
33. A 755 N diver drops from a board 10.0 m above the waters surface. Find the
divers speed 5.00 m above the waters surface. Then find the divers speed just
before striking the water. [9.899 m/s; 14.0 m/s]
34. If the diver from the above problem leaves the board with an initial upward
speed of 2.00 m/s, find the divers speed when striking the water. [14.142 m/s]
35. A pendulum bob is released from some initial height such that the speed of the
bob at the bottom of the swing is 1.9 m/s. What is the initial height of the bob?
[0.184 m]
36. A 60 kg jogger runs up a long flight of stairs in 4.0 s. The vertical height of the
stairs is 4.5 m. What is the joggers power output? [661.5 W]
37. A 193 kg curtain needs to be raised 7.5 m, at constant speed in as close to 5.0 s
as possible. What power rating would be ideal for this situation? [2.83 kW]
b. If the power ratings for the 3 available motors are listed as 11.0 kW, 3.5 kW
and 5.5 kW. Which motor
should you choose to do the best job of lifting the curtain? Why? [3.5 kW motor]
38. A 1000 kg elevator carries a maximum load of 800 kg. A constant frictional
force of 4.0 x 103 N retards the elevators motion upward. What minimum
power, in kilowatts, must the motor deliver to lift the fully loaded elevator at a
constant speed of 3.00 m/s? [64.92 kW]
39. A car with a mass of 1.50 x 103 kg starts from rest and accelerates to a speed of
10.0 m/s in 12.0 s. What is the average power developed by the cars engine?
[6.25 kW]
40. A rain cloud contains 2.66 x 107 kg of water vapor. How long would it take for a
2.00 kW pump to raise the same amount of water to the clouds altitude, 2.0
km? [2.61x108 s]
41. How long does it take a 19 kW steam engine to do 6.8 x 107J of work? [3578.95
s]
42. A 1500 kg car accelerates uniformly from rest to 10.0 m/s in 3.0 s.
a. What is the work done on the car in this time interval? [75000 J]
b. What is the power delivered by the engine in this time interval? [25000
W]

30

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems
Unit 9: Electrostatics Homework

Coulombs Law
1. The electron and proton of a hydrogen atom are separated, on average, by a distance
of about 5.3 x 10-11 m. Find the magnitudes of the electric force and the gravitational
force that each particle exerts on the other. (mass of electron = 9.109 x 10-31 kg; mass of
proton = 1.673 x 10-27 kg)
2. A balloon rubbed against denim gains a charge of -8.0 C. What is the electric force
between the balloon and the denim when the two are separated by a distance of 5.0
cm? Assume the charges are located at a point. [230.4 N, attractive]
3. A small cork with an excess charge of +6.0 C is placed 0.12 m from another cork
which carries a charge of -4.3 C.
a. What is the magnitude of the electric force between the corks? [16.125 N]
b. Is this force attractive or repulsive? [attractive]
4. Two identical conducting spheres are placed with their centers 0.30 m apart. One is
given a charge of +12 x 10-9 C and the other is given a charge of -18 x 10-9 C. Find the
electric force exerted on one sphere by the other. [2.16 x 10-5 N, attractive]
b. The spheres are connected by a conducting wire. After equilibrium has occurred, find
the electric force between the two spheres. [9.0 x 10-7 N, repulsive]
5. Two electrostatic point charges of +60 C and +50 C exert a repulsive force on each
other of 175 N. What is the distance between the two charges? [0.393 m]
Equilibrium
6. Three charges lie along the x-axis. One positive charge, q1 = 15 C, is at x = 2.0 m, and
another positive charge, q2 = 6.0 C, is at the origin. At what point on the x-axis must a
negative charge, q3, be placed so that the resultant force on it is zero? [0.775 m from q2]
7. A charge of +2.00 x 10-9 C is placed at the origin, and another charge of +4.00 x 10-9 C
is placed at x= 1.5 m. Find the point between these two charges where a charge of +3.00
x 10-9 C should be placed so that the net electric force on it is zero. [0.622 m from q1]
8. A charge q1 of -5.00 x 10-9 C and a charge q2 of -2.00 x 10-9 C are separated by a
distance of 40.0 cm. Find the equilibrium position for a third charge of +15.0 x 10-9 C.
[0.245 m from q1]
9. A charge q1 of -6.00 x 10-9 C and a charge q2 of charge -3.00 x 10-9 C are separated by
a distance of 60.0 cm. Where could a third charge be placed so that the net Electric
force on it is zero? [0.352 m from q1]
Electric Field Strength
10. A charge q1 = +7.00 C is at the origin, and a charge q2 = -5.00 C is on the x-axis
0.30 m from the origin. Find the electric field strength at point P, which is on the y-axis
0.40 m from the origin. [2.72 x 105 N/C at 66.605o]
11. A charge, q1 = 5.00 C, is at the origin, and a second charge, q2 = -3.00C, is on the xaxis 0.80 m from the origin. Find the electric field at a point on the y-axis 0.50 m from
the origin. [1.66 x 105 N/C at 81.01o]
31

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems

Mixed Practice
12. Object A has a positive charge of 6.0 x 10-6 C. Object B, carrying a positive charge of
3.0 x 10-6 C, is 0.30 m away.
a. Calculate the force on A. [1.8 n, repulsive]
b. Calculate the electric force if the charge on B was negative. [1.8 N, attractive]
13. An object, A, with +6.0 x 10-6 C charge, has two other charges nearby. Object B, -3.00
x 10-6 C, is 0.040 m to the right. Object C, +1.5 x 10-6 C, is 0.030 m below. What is the net
force on A? [135.468 N at 41.634o]
14. Two positive charges of 6.0 C are separated by 0.50 m. What force exists between
the charges? [1.296 N, repulsive]
15. A negative charge of -2.0 x 10-4 C and a positive charge of 8.0 x 10-4 C are separated
by 30 cm. What is the force between the two charges? [16000 N, attractive]
16. Object A has a charge of +1.8 C and object B has a charge of -1.0 C. They are 0.014
m apart. What is the electric force between them? [82.653 N, attractive]
17. How far apart are two electrons, each with a charge of -1.6 x 10-19 C, if they exert a
repulsive force of 1.0 N on each other? [1.518 x 10-14 m]
18. A force of 4.4 x 103 N exists between a positive charge of 8.0 x 10-4 C and a negative
charge of -3.0 x 10-4 C. What distance separates the charges? [0.701 m]
19. Two identical point charges are separated by a distance of 3.0 cm and they repel
each other with a force of 4.0 x 10-5 N. What is the new force if the distance between the
point charges is doubled? [1 x 10-5 N]
20. Two point charges are separated by 10.0 cm. If one charge is + 20.0 C and the
other is -6.0 C, what is the force between them? [108 N]
21. A charge of 4.0 x 10-5 C is attracted by a second charge with a force of 350 N when
the separation is 10.0 cm. Calculate the size of the second charge. [-9.722 x 10-6 C]
22. A charge of +3.5 x 10-9 C and a charge of +5.0 x 10-9 C are separated by 40.0 cm. Find
the equilibrium position for a -6.0 x 10-9 C charge. [0.182 m from q1]
23. A charge of +1.5 x 10-9 C is placed at the origin, and another charge of +3.5 x 10-9 C is
placed at x = 2.1 m. Find the point between these two charges where a charge of +2.75 x
10-9 C should be placed so that the net electric force on it is zero. [0.831 m from q1]
24. A charge q1of -6.0 x 10-9 C and a charge q2 of -2.80 x 10-9C are separated by a
distance of 60.0 cm. Find the equilibrium position for a third charge of +11.0 x 10-9 C.
[0.356 m from q1]
25. A charge q1 of +8.00 C is at the origin and a charge q2 of -5.65 C is on the x-axis
0.520 m from the origin. Find the electric field strength at point P, which is on the yaxis 0.60 m from the origin. [1.487 x 105 N/C at 69.199o]
26. A charge q1 = +4.80 C is at the origin and a charge q2 of -2.80 C is on the x-axis
0.910 m from the origin. Find the electric field strength at point P, which is on the yaxis 0.65 m from the origin. [9.200 x 104 N/C at 79.73o]
27. A charge q1 of -6.25 x 10-9 C and a charge q2 of -3.30 x 10-9 C are separated by a
distance of 80.0 cm. Where could a third charge be placed so that the net electric force
on it is zero? [0.463 m from q1]
32

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012
Unit 10: Electrical Energy, Capacitance, Ohms Law and Power

Homework Problems

Electrical Energy and Capacitance

1. A uniform electric field with a magnitude of 250 N/C is directed in the positive
x direction. A 12 C charge moves from the origin to a point 20.0 cm to the right
of origin. What is the change in electrical potential energy of the system? [-6 x
10-4 J]
2. What is the change in electric potential energy in a lightning bolt if 35 C of
charge travels to the ground from a cloud 2.0 km above the ground in the
direction of the field? Assume the electric field is uniform and has a magnitude
of 1.0 x 106 N/C. [-7 x 1010J]
3. A charge moves a distance of 2.0 cm in the direction of a uniform electric field
having a magnitude of 215 N/C. The electrical potential energy of the charge
decreases by 6.9 x 10-19 J as it moves. Find the magnitude of the charge on the
moving particle. [1.605 x 10-19C]
4. The electrical potential energy associated with an electron of charge -1.6 x 10-19
C and a proton of charge 1.6 x 10-19 C is 4.35 x 10-18 J. What is the distance
between the two charges? [5.297 x 10-11 m]
5. Two charges are located along the x-axis. One has a charge of 6.4 C, and the
second has a charge of -3.2 C. If the electrical potential energy associated with
the pair of charges is 0.041 J, what is the distance between the charges? [4.50m]
6. A point charge of 9.00 x 10-9 C is located at the origin. A positive charge of 3.00 x
10-9 C is brought in from infinity to a point such that the electrical potential
energy associated with the two charges is 8.09 x 10-7 J. How far apart are the
charges at this time? [0.30 m]
7. Find the potential difference between a point infinitely far away and a point 1.0
cm from a proton with charge, 1.6 x 10-19 C. [1.44 x 10-7 V]
8. What is the potential difference between a point infinitely far away and a point
35 cm from a point charge of magnitude 5.0 x 10-9 C? [128.571 V]
9. A 3.0 F capacitor is connected to a 12 V battery. What is the magnitude of the
charge on each plate of the capacitor, and how much electrical potential energy
is stored in the capacitor? [3.6 x 10-5C, 2.16 x 10-4 J]
10. A 4.00 F capacitor is connected to a 12 V battery. What is the charge on each
plate of the capacitor? If this same capacitor is connected to a 1.50 V battery,
how much electrical potential energy is stored? [4.8 x 10-5 C, 4.5 x 10-6 J]
11. A parallel-plate capacitor has a charge of 6.0 C when charged by a potential
difference of 1.25 V. Find its capacitance. How much electrical potential energy
is stored when this capacitor is connected to a 1.5 V battery? [4.8 x 10-6 F, 5.4 x
10-6 J]
12. You are asked to design a parallel-plate capacitor having a capacitance of 1.00 F
and a plate separation of 1 mm. Calculate the required surface area of each
plate. Is this a realistic size for a capacitor? [1.13 x 108 m2 , not reasonable]
13. How strong is the electric field between two parallel plates 5.8 mm apart if the
potential difference between them is 220 V? [3.8 x 104 N/C]
14. The electric field between two parallel plates connected to a 45 V battery is
1500 N/C. How far apart are the plates? [0.03 m]
Electricity
15. A steady current of 2.5 A flows in a wire for 240 s. How much charge passes
through any point in the circuit? [600 C]
33

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
16. The current in a light bulb is 0.835 A. How long does it take for a total charge of
1.67 C to pass a point in the wire? [2 s]
17. If the current in a wire of a CD player is 5.00 mA, how long would it take for
2.00 C of charge to pass a point in the wire? [400 s]
18. In a particular television tube, the beam current is 60.0 A. How long does it
take for 3.75 x 1014 electrons to strike the screen? One electrons charge is -1.6
x 10-19 C. [1 s]
19. If a metal wire carries a current of 80.0 mA, how long does it take for 3.00 x1020
electrons to pass a given cross-sectional area of the wire? [600 s]
20. The compressor on an air conditioner draws 40.0 A when it starts up. If the
start-up time is 0.50 s, how much charge passes a cross-sectional area of the
circuit in this time? [20 C]
21. A total charge of 9.0 mC passes through a cross-sectional area of nichrome wire
in 3.5 s. a. What is the current in the wire? [2.57 x 10-3 A]
b. If the number of charges that pass through the cross-sectional area during
the given time interval doubles, what is the resulting current? [5.14 x 10-3 A]
22. The charge that passes through the filament of a certain light bulb in 5.00 s is
3.0 C.
a. What is the current in the light bulb? [0.60 A]
b. How many electrons pass through the filament of the light bulb in a time
interval of 1.0 min? [2.25 x 1020 electrons]
23. The resistance of a steam iron is 19.0 . What is the current in the iron when it
is connected across a potential difference of 120 V? [6.316 A]
24. A 1.5 V battery is connected to a small light bulb with a resistance of 3.5 .
What is the current in the bulb? [0.429 A]
25. A stereo with a resistance of 65 is connected across a potential difference of
120 V. What is the current in this device? [1.846 A]
26. Find the current in the following devices when they are connected across a
potential difference of 120V.
a. a hot plate with a resistance of 48 [2.5 A]
b. a microwave oven with a resistance of 20 [6 A]
27. The current in a microwave oven is 6.25 A. If the resistance of the ovens
circuitry is 17.6 , what is the potential difference across the oven? [110 V]
28. A typical color television draws 2.5 A of current when connected across a
potential difference of 115 V. What is the effective resistance of the television
set? [46 ]
29. The current in a certain resistor is 0.50 A when it is connected to a potential
difference of 110 V. What is the current in this same resistor if:
a. the operating potential difference is 90 V? [0.409 A]
b. the operating potential difference is 130 V? [0.591 A]
30. A potential difference, V, is applied across a resistance, R, resulting in a
current, I. Determine the new current when the following changes are made:
a. potential difference is doubled, resistance doesnt change
b. potential difference doesnt change, resistance is doubled
c. potential difference is doubled, resistance is doubled
31. An electric space heater is connected across a 120 V outlet. The heater
dissipates 1320 W of power in the form of electromagnetic radiation and heat.
Calculate the resistance of the heater. [10.909 ]
32. A 1050 W electric toaster operated on a household circuit of 120 V. What is the
resistance of the wire that makes up the heating element of the toaster? [13.714
]
34

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
33. A small electronic device is rated at 0.25 W when connected to 120 V. What is
the resistance of this device? [57600 ]
34. A calculator is rated at 0.10 W when connected to a 1.5 V battery. What is the
resistance of this device? [22.5 ]
35. An electric heater is operated by applying a potential difference of 50.0 V across
a nichrome wire of total resistance 8.00 . Find:
a. the current in the wire [6.25 A]
b. the power rating of the heater. [312.5 W]
36. The potential difference across a resting neuron in the human body is about 70
mV, and the current in it is approximately 200A. How much power does the
neuron release? [1.4 x 10-5 W]
37. How much does it cost to operate a 100 W light bulb for 24 hours if electrical
energy costs $0.08 per kWh? [$0.19]
38. Assuming electrical energy costs $0.08 per kWh, calculate the cost of running
each of the following appliances for 24 hours if 115 V is supplied to each:
a. a 75.0 W stereo. [$0.14]
b. an electric oven that draws 20.0 A of current. [$4.42]
c. a television with a resistance of 60 . [$0.42]

35

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems
Unit 11: Electric Circuits and Magnetism

1. Four 15 resistors are connected in series with a 45 V battery, what is the current in
the circuit? [0.75 A]
2. There are three 30 resistors connected in series across a 120 V generator.
a. What is the equivalent resistance of the circuit? [90 ]
b. What is the current in the circuit? [1.333 A]
3. A 10 resistor, a 15 resistor and a 5 resistor are connected in series across a 90
V battery.
a. What is the equivalent resistance of the circuit? [30 ]
b. What is the current in the circuit? [3 A]
4. Ten Christmas tree bulbs connected in series have equal resistances. When
connected to a 120 V outlet, the current through the bulbs is 0.06 A.
a. What is the equivalent resistance of the circuit? [2000 ]
b. What is the resistance of each bulb? [200 ]
5. A 9.0 V battery is connected to four light bulbs in series, one light bulb has a
resistance of 2.0 , another has a resistance of 4.0 , the third has a resistance of 5.0
and the fourth has a resistance of 7.0 .
a. Find the equivalent resistance for the circuit. [18]
b. Find the current in the circuit. [0.5 A]
c. The current found in part b must be the current in each resistor in the circuit. Find
the potential difference across each resistor. [1V, 2V, 2.5 V, 3.5 V]
6. A 7.0 resistor is connected in series with another resistor and a 4.5 V battery. The
current in the circuit is 0.60 A. Calculate the value of the unknown resistance. [0.5 ]
7. Several light bulbs are connected in series across a 115 V source of emf.
a. What is the equivalent resistance if the current in the circuit is 1.70 A? [67.647 ]
b. If each light bulb has a resistance of 1.50 , how many light bulbs are in the circuit?
[45 bulbs]
8. Three resistors of 60 , 30 and 20 are connected in parallel across a 90 V
difference in potential.
a. Find the equivalent resistance of the circuit. [10]
b. Find the current in the entire circuit. [9 A]
c. Find the current through each branch of the circuit. [1.5A, 3 A, 4.5 A]
9. Three 15 resistors are connected in parallel and placed across a 30 V potential
difference.
a. Find the equivalent resistance of the circuit. [5 ]
b. Find the current in the entire circuit. [6 A]
c. Find the current through each branch of the circuit. [2A, 2A, 2A]
10. A 12.0 resistor and a 15 resistor are connected in parallel and placed across the
terminal of a 15 V battery.
a. Find the equivalent resistance of the circuit. [6.670 ]
b. Find the current in the entire circuit. [2.249 A]
c. Find the current through each branch of the circuit. [1.25 A, 1 A]
11. Suppose the 12 resistor in problem #10 is replaced by a 10 resistor.
a. Does the equivalent resistance become smaller, larger, or remain the same? What is
the new resistance? [5.988]
b. Does the amount of current through the entire circuit change? How? [2.505 A]
c. Does the amount of current through the 15 resistor change? In what way? [1A]
12. An 18 , 9.00 and 6.00 resistor are connected in parallel to an emf source. A
current of 4.00 A is in the 9.00 resistor.
a. Calculate the equivalent resistance of the circuit. [3.003]
36

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012
b. What is the potential difference across the source? [36 V]
c. Calculate the current in the other resistors. [2A, 6A]
13. For each of the following sets of values, determine the
equivalent resistance for the circuit shown in the figure below.
Rb = 3.0
Rc = 40.0
[27.791 ]
a. Ra = 25.0
b. Ra = 12.0
Rb = 35.0
Rc = 25.0
[26.583 ]

Homework Problems

14. For the following set of values, determine the equivalent resistance for the circuit
shown in the figure below.
Ra = 25.0
Rd = 15.0
[50.861 ]

Rb = 3.0
Re = 18.0

Rc = 40.0

15. For the following circuit find:

a. the equivalent resistance [6.6 ]
b. the total current [1.818 A]
c. the current and potential difference in the 3
resistor [1.818 A, 5.454 V]
d. the current and potential difference in the 6
resistor [1.091 A, 6.545 V]
e. the current and potential difference in the 9
resistor [0.727 A, 6.545 V]
16. For the following circuit find:
a. the equivalent resistance [9.833 ]
b. the current and the potential difference in the 1.5
resistor
[1.831 A, 2.747 V]

17. For the following circuit find:

a. the equivalent resistance [13.167 ]
b. the current in and the potential difference across the
1.5 resistor [0.911 A, 1.367 V]
Magnetism
18. A proton, with a charge of 1.6 x 10-19 C, moving east experiences a force of 8.8 x 1019 N upward due to the Earths magnetic field. At this location, the field has a magnitude
of 5.5 x 10-5 T to the north. Find the speed of the particle. [1.0 x 105 m/s]
19. A proton, with a charge of 1.6 x 10-19 C, moves perpendicularly to a magnetic field
that has a magnitude of 4.20 x 10-2 T. What is the speed of the particle if the magnitude
of the magnetic force on it is 2.40 x 10-14 N? [3.571 x 106m/s]
20. A proton, with a charge of 1.6 x 10-19 C, traveling to the right along the x-axis (east)
enters a region where there is a magnetic field of magnitude 2.5 T directed upward
37

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
along the y-axis (north). If the proton experiences a force of 3.2 x 10-12 N, find the speed
of the proton. [8.0 x 106m/s]
21. If an electron, with a charge of 1.6 x 10-19 C, in an electron beam experiences a
downward force of 2.0 x 10-14 N while traveling in a magnetic field of 8.3 x 10-2 T west,
what is the direction and magnitude of the velocity? [1.51 x 106m/s, north]
22. A uniform 1.5 T magnetic field points north. If an electron, with a charge of 1.6 x 1019 C, moves vertically downward (toward the ground) with a speed of 2.5 x 107 m/s
through this field, what force (magnitude and direction) will act on it? [6.0 x 10-12 N,
west]
23. A proton, with a charge of 1.6 x 10-19 C, moves straight upward (away from the
ground) through a uniform magnetic field that points from east to west and has a
magnitude of 2.5 T. If the proton moves with a speed of 1.5 x 107 m/s through this field,
what force (magnitude and direction) will act on it? [6.0 x 10-12 N, south]
24. An alpha particle (the nucleus of a helium atom, carrying a charge of 3.2 x 10-19 C)
moves at 5.5 x 107 m/s at a right angle to a magnetic field. If the particle experiences a
force of 1.5 x 10-14 N due to the magnetic field, when what is the magnitude of the
magnetic field? [8.52 x 10-4 T]
25. A wire 36 m long carries a current of 22 A from east to west. If the maximum
magnetic force on the wire at this point is downward (toward Earth) and has a
magnitude of 4.0 x 10-2 N, find the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field at this
location. [5.05 x 10-5 T, south to north]
26. A 6.0 m wire carries a current of 7.0 A toward the east. A magnetic force of 7.0 x 10-6
N acts on the wire upwards. Find the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field
producing the force. [1.67 x 10-7 T, north]
27. A wire 1.0 m long experiences a magnetic force of 0.50 N due to a perpendicular
uniform magnetic field. If the wire carries a current of 10.0 A, what is the magnitude of
the magnetic field? [0.050 T]
28. The magnetic force on a straight 0.15 m segment of wire carrying a current of 4.5 A
is 1.0 N. What is the magnitude of the component of the magnetic field that is
perpendicular to the wire? [1.48 T]
29. The magnetic force acting on a wire that is perpendicular to a 1.5 T uniform
magnetic field is 4.4 N. If the current in the wire is 5.0 A, what is the length of the wire
that is inside the magnetic field? [0.59 m]
30. A particle with a charge of 0.030 C experiences a magnetic force of 1.5 N while
moving at right angles to a uniform magnetic field. If the speed of the charge is 620
m/s, what is the magnitude of the magnetic field the particle passes through? [0.081 T]
31. An electron moving north encounters a uniform magnetic field. If the magnetic field
points east, what is the direction of the magnetic force on the electron? Explain.
[upward]
32. A straight segment of wire has a length of 25 cm and carries a current of 5.0 A. If the
wire is perpendicular to a magnetic field of 0.60 T, then what is the magnitude of the
magnetic force on this segment of the wire? [0.75 N]
33. Two parallel wires have charges moving in the same direction. Is the force between
them attractive or repulsive?

38

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems
Unit 12: Simple Harmonic Motion and Waves

1. If a mass of 0.55 kg attached to a vertical spring stretches the spring 2.0 cm from its
original equilibrium position, what is the spring constant? [269.5 N/m]
2. Suppose the spring in problem #1 is replaced with a spring that stretches 36cm from
its equilibrium position. What is the new springs spring constant? Is the spring stiffer
or less stiff than the spring in problem #1? [14.972 N/m]
3. A load of 45 N is attached to a spring that is hanging vertically stretches the spring
0.14 m. What is the spring constant? [321.429 N/m]
4. A slingshot consists of a light leather cup attached between two rubber bands. If it
takes a force of 32 N to stretch the bands 1.2 cm, what is the equivalent spring constant
of the rubber bands? [2667 N/s]
b. How much force is required to pull the cup of the slingshot 3.0 cm from its
equilibrium position? [80.01 N]
5. Which of these periodic motions are simple harmonic?
a. A child swinging on a playground swing at a small angle.
b. A record rotating on a turntable
c. An oscillating clock pendulum
6. A pinball machine uses a spring that is compressed 4.0 cm to launch a ball. If the
spring constant is 13 N/m, what is the force on the ball at the moment the spring is
released? [0.52 N]
7. How does the restoring force acting on a pendulum bob change as the bob swings
toward the equilibrium position? How do the bobs acceleration (along the direction of
motion) and velocity change?
8. When an acrobat reaches the equilibrium position, the net force acting along the
direction of motion is zero. Why does the acrobat swing past the equilibrium position?
9. You need to know the height of a tower, but darkness obscures the ceiling. You note
that a pendulum extending from the ceiling almost touches the floor and its period is
12 s. How tall is the tower? [35.746 m]
b. If the period of the pendulum were 24 s, how tall would the tower be? [142.984 m]
10. You are designing a pendulum clock to have a period of 1.0 s. How long should the
pendulum be? [24.8 cm]
11. Calculate the period and frequency of a 3.5 m long pendulum at the following
locations:
a. the North Pole, where g = 9.832 m/s2 [3.749 s, 0.2667 Hz]
b. Chicago, where g = 9.803 m/s2 [3.754 s, 0.2664 Hz]
c. Jakarta, Indonesia, where g = 9.782 m/s2 [3.758 s, 0.2661 Hz]
12. The free-fall acceleration on the surface of the moon is approximately one-sixth of
the free-fall acceleration on the surface of the earth. Compare the period of a pendulum
on Earth with that of an identical pendulum set in motion on the moon.
39

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems

13. Why is a pendulum a reliable time-keeping device, even if its oscillations gradually
decrease in amplitude over time?
14. The body of a 1275 kg car is supported on a frame by four springs. Two people
riding in the car have a combined mass of 153 kg. When driven over a pothole in the
road, the frame vibrates with a period of 0.840 s. For the first few seconds, the
vibration approximates SHM. Find the spring constant for a single spring. [19974.2
N/m]
b. If 2 more people get in the car so that the total mass is 255 kg, what is the period of
vibration of the car when it drives over the pothole? [0.86 s]
15. A spring of spring constant 30.0 N/m is attached to different masses and the system
is set in motion. Find the period and frequency of vibration for masses of the following
magnitudes:
a. 2.3 kg [1.74 s, 0.57 Hz]
b. 15 g [0.14 s, 7.14 Hz]
16. Two mass-spring systems vibrate with simple harmonic motion. If the spring
constants of each system are equal and the mass of one is twice that of the other, which
system has a greater period?
17. A child swings on a playground swing with a 2.5 m long chain. What is the period of
the childs motion? [3.17 s]
b. What is the frequency of vibration? [0.32 Hz]
18. A 0.75 kg mass attached to a vertical spring stretches the spring 0.30 m. What is the
spring constant? [24.5 N/m]
b. The mass-spring system is now placed on a horizontal surface and set vibrating.
What is the period of the vibration? [1.1 s]
19. The reading on a metronome indicates the number of oscillations per minute. What
are the period and frequency of the metronomes vibration when the metronome is set
at 180? [0.33 s, 3.0 Hz]
20. The piano string tuned to middle C vibrates with a frequency of 264 Hz. Assuming
the speed of sound in air is 343 m/s, find the wavelength of the sound waves produced
by the string. [1.30 m]
21. A piano emits frequencies that range from a low of about 28 Hz to a high of about
4200 Hz. Find the range of wavelengths in air attained by this instrument when the
speed of sound in air is 340 m/s. [0.081 m 12.14 m]
22. The red light emitted by a He-Ne laser has a wavelength of 633 nm in air and travels
at 3.0 x 108 m/s. Find the frequency of the laser light. [4.74 x 1014 Hz]
23. A tuning fork produces a sound with a frequency of 256 Hz and a wavelength in air
of 1.35 m. What value does this give for the speed of sound in air? [345.6 m/s]
b. What would be the wavelength of the wave produced by this tuning fork in water in
which sound travels at 1500 m/s? [5.86 m]
40

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
24. As waves pass by a duck floating on a lake, the duck bobs up and down but remains
in essentially one place. Explain why the duck is not carried along by the wave motion.
25. Sketch each of the following waves on a spring that is attached to a wall at one end:
a. a pulse wave that is longitudinal
b. a periodic wave that is longitudinal
c. a pulse wave that is transverse
d. a periodic wave that is transverse
26. Draw a graph for waves (b) and (d) in the problem above, and label the y-axis of
each graph with the appropriate variable. Label the following on each graph, where
appropriate: crest, trough, wavelength, amplitude, compression, rarefaction.
27. If the amplitude of a sound wave is increased by a factor of four, how does the
energy carried by the sound wave in a given time interval change? Why? [16 times
greater]
28. A wave of amplitude 0.30 m interferes with a second wave of amplitude 0.20 m.
What is the largest resultant displacement that may occur? [0.50 m]
29. A string is rigidly attached to a post at one end. Several pulses of amplitude 0.15 m
sent down the string are reflected at the post and travel back down the string without a
loss of amplitude. What is the amplitude at a point on the string where the maximum
displacement points of two pulses cross? What type of interference is this?
b. What if the same pulses were sent down a string whose end was free? What is the
amplitude at a point on the string where the maximum displacement points of two
pulses cross? What type of interference is this?
30. A stretched string fixed at both ends is 2.0 m long. What are three wavelengths that
will produce standing waves on this string?
b. name at least one wavelength that would not produce a standing wave pattern and
explain your answer.
Sound
31. If you hear a higher pitch from a trumpet than from a saxophone, how do the
frequencies of the sound waves from the trumpet compare with those from the
saxophone?
32. Dolphins can produce sound waves with frequencies ranging from 0.25 kHz 220
kHz, but only those at the upper end of the spectrum are used in echolocation. Explain
why high-frequency waves work better than low-frequency waves.
33. Sound pulses emitted by a dolphin travel through 20o C ocean water at a rate of
1450 m/s. In 20oC air, these pulses would travel 342.9 m/s. how can you account for
this difference in speed?
34. As a dolphin swims toward a fish, it sends out sound waves to determine the
direction the fish is moving. If the frequency of the reflected waves is increased, is the
dolphin catching up to the fish or falling behind?
35. What is the intensity of the sound wave produced by a trumpet at a distance of 3.2
m when the power output of the trumpet is 0.20 W? Assume that the sound waves are
spherical. [1.55 x10-3 W/m2]
41

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
36. At a maximum level of loudness, the power output of a 75-piece orchestra radiated
as sound is 70 W. What is the intensity of these sound waves to a listener who is sitting
25 m from the orchestra? [8.91x10-3 W/m2]
37. If the intensity of a persons voice is 4.6 x 10-7 W/m2 at a distance of 2.0 m, how
much sound power does that person generate? [2.3 x10-5 W]
38. If a 15 person musical ensemble gains 15 new members, so that its size doubles,
will a listener perceive the music created by the ensemble to be twice as loud? Why or
why not?
39. Federal regulations require that no office or factory worker be exposed to noise
levels that average above 90 dB over an 8 hour day. Thus, a factory that currently
averages 100 dB must reduce its noise level by 10 dB. Assuming that each piece of
machinery produces the same amount of noise, what percentage of equipment must be
removed? Explain your answer.
40. Opera singers have been known to set crystal goblets in vibration with their
powerful voices. In fact, an amplified human voice can shatter the glass, but only at
certain fundamental frequencies. Speculate about why only certain fundamental
frequencies will break the glass.
41. Electric guitars, which use electric amplifiers to magnify their sound, can have a
variety of shapes, but acoustic guitars must have an hourglass shape. Explain why.
42. Which of the following change when a sound gets louder? Which change when a
pitch gets higher?
a. Intensity
b. Speed of sound waves
c. Frequency
d. Decibel level
e. Wavelength
f. Amplitude
43. A certain microphone placed in the ocean is sensitive to sounds emitted by
dolphins. To produce a usable signal, sound waves striking the microphone must have a
decibel level of 10 dB. If dolphins emit sound waves with a power of 0.050 W, how far
can a dolphin be from the microphone and still be heard? Assume the sound wave
propagate spherically and disregard absorption of the sound waves. [1.99 x 104 m]
44. When the decibel level of traffic in the street goes from 40 to 60 dB, how much
louder does the traffic noise seem? How much greater is the intensity?
45. What are the first three harmonics in a 2.45 m long pipe that is open at both ends?
[70.41 Hz, 140.82 Hz, 211.22 Hz] What are the first three harmonics of this pipe when
one end of the pipe is closed? [35.20 Hz, 105.61 Hz, 176.02 Hz] Assume that the speed
of sound in air is 345 m/s for both of these situations.
46. A violin string that is 50 cm long has a fundamental frequency of 440 Hz. What is
the speed of the waves on this string? [440 m/s]
47. What is the fundamental frequency of a 0.20 m long organ pipe that is closed at one
end, when the speed of sound in the pipe is 352 m/s? [440 Hz]
48. On a piano, the note middle C has a fundamental frequency of 264 Hz. What is the
second harmonic of this note? [528 Hz] If the piano wire is 66 cm long, what is the
speed of waves on the wire? [348.5 m/s]
49. A piano tuner using a 392 Hz tuning fork to tune the wire for G-natural hears four
beats per second. What are the two possible frequencies of vibration of this piano wire?
[388 Hz & 396 Hz]

42

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems

Unit 13: Light and Optics

Mirrors:
1. A concave spherical mirror has a focal length of 10.0 cm. Locate the image of a
pencil that is placed upright 30.0 cm from the mirror. Find the magnification of
the image. Is the image real/virtual, inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [15
cm, -0.5]
2. Find the image distance and magnification of a pencil that is placed upright 10.0
cm from the concave spherical mirror in question #1. Is the image real or
virtual? Is the image inverted or upright? Is the image real/virtual,
inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [no image]
3. Find the image distance and magnification of a pencil that is placed upright 5.0
cm from the concave spherical mirror in question #1. Is the image real or
virtual? Is the image inverted or upright? Is the image real/virtual,
inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [-10 cm, 2.0]
4. A concave shaving mirror has a focal length of 33 cm. Calculate the image
position of a cologne bottle placed in front of the mirror at a distance of 93 cm.
Calculate the magnification of the image. Is the image real/virtual,
inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [-0.55]
5. A concave makeup mirror is designed so that a person 25.0 cm in front of it sees
an upright image at a distance of 50.0 cm behind the mirror. What is the radius
of curvature of the mirror? What is the magnification of the image? Is the image
real/virtual, inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [R = 100 cm, 2.00]
6. A pen placed 11.0 cm from a concave spherical mirror produces a real image
13.2 cm from the mirror. What is the focal length of the mirror? What is the
magnification of the image? If the pen is placed 27.0 cm from the mirror, what
is the new position of the image? What is the magnification of the new image? Is
the image real/virtual, inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [6 cm, -1.2, 7.71
cm, -0.286]
7. An upright pencil is placed in front of a convex mirror with a focal length of
8.00 cm. An upright image 2.50 cm tall is formed 4.44 cm behind the mirror.
Find the position if the object, the magnification of the image and the height of
the pencil. Is the image real/virtual, inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged?
[9.978 cm, 0.445, 5.63 cm]
8. The image of a crayon appears to be 23.0 cm behind the surface of a convex
mirror and is 1.70 cm tall. If the mirrors focal length is 46.0 cm, how far in front
of the mirror is the crayon positioned? What is the magnification of the image?
Is the image real/virtual, inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? How tall is the
actual crayon? [46 cm, 0.50, 3.4 cm]
9. A convex mirror with a focal length of 0.25 m forms a 0.080 m tall image of an
automobile at a distance of 0.24 m behind the mirror. What is the magnification
of the image? Where is the car located and how tall is it? Is the image
real/virtual, inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [6m, 0.04, 2 m]
10. A convex mirror with focal length 33 cm forms an image of a soda bottle at a
distance of 19 cm behind the mirror. If the height of the image is 7.0 cm, where
is the object located and how tall is it? What is the magnification of the image?
Is the image real/virtual, inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [44.79 cm, 16.50
cm, 0.424]

43

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
Lenses: **Make sure your calculator is in DEGREES!!!**
11. A light ray of wavelength 589 nm (produced by a sodium lamp) traveling
through air strikes a smooth, flat slab of crown glass at an angle of 30.0o to the
normal. Index of refraction of crown glass is 1.52. Find the angle of refraction,
r. [19.2 degrees]
12. Find the angle of refraction for a ray of light that enters a bucket of water from
air at an angle of 25.0o to the normal. (nwater = 1.333) [18.5 degrees]
13. A ray of light of vacuum wavelength 550 nm traveling in air enters a slab of
transparent material. The incoming ray makes an angle of 40o with the normal
and the refracted ray make an angle of 26.0o with the normal. Find the index of
refraction of the transparent material. [1.47]
14. For each of the following cases will that light rays be bent toward or away from
the normal?
a. ni > nr, where i = 20o
b. ni < nr, where i = 20o
c. from air to glass with an angle of incidence of 30o
d. from glass to air with an angle of incidence of 30o
15. An object is placed 30 cm in front of a converging lens and then 12.5 cm in front
of a diverging lens. Both lenses have a focal length of 10.0 cm. For both cases,
find the image distance and the magnification. Is the image real/virtual,
inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [15 cm, -0.5; -5.56 cm, +0.445]
16. An object is placed 20 cm in front of a converging lens of focal length 10.0 cm.
Find the image distance and magnification. Is the image real/virtual,
inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [20 cm, -1, R, I]
17. An object placed 20 cm in front of a diverging lens of focal length 10 cm. Find
the image distance and the magnification. Is the image real/virtual,
inverted/upright, reduced/enlarged? [-6.67 cm, 0.33, V, U]
18. Fill in the missing values for the table:
f
6.0 cm
2.9 cm
-6.0 cm

p
q
Converging Lens
-3.0 cm
7.0 cm
Diverging Lens
4.0 cm
5.0 cm

0.50

Ray Diagram Practice: square on principal axis = F, little dot on principal axis = C

19.

44

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems

20.

21.

22..

23..

24.

25.
45

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems

26.

27.

28.

46

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems

Unit 14: Thermodynamics

Temperature
1. Change the following Celsius temperatures to Fahrenheit:
A. 50 C
B. 90 C
C. 10 C
2. Change the following Fahrenheit temperatures to Celsius:
A. 90 F
B. 49 F
C. 10 F
3. Change the following Celsius temperatures to Kelvin:
A. 65C
B. 25 C
C. 100 C
Heat
4. A beaker containing 300 grams of water is heated and the temperature begins
to rise from 30 C to 90 C. How many calories did it take to heat the water?
5. Problem 5: What mass of water will give up 240 calories of heat when its
temperature drops from 80 C to 68 C?
6. A 30 gram piece of iron is heated to 100 C and cools to 30 C. If irons specific
heat is 0.11 cal/g C, how many calories does it lose to the air?
7. A 50 gram piece of aluminum at 100 C is placed in a beaker of water. It loses
735 calories of heat as it cools to 30 C. Calculate the specific heat capacity of
the aluminum.
8. A 100g brass block at 90.0C is placed in a Styrofoam cup containing 200 g of
water at 20.0C Assume no heat is lost to the surroundings. What is the final
temperature of the mixture? (Cwater = 4.18 J/gC, Cbrass = 0.378J/gC)
Thermal Expansion
9. A newly developed alloy is tested. A bar of the alloy is cut to a length of 1.0000
m when at 0C. When heated to 100C, the length becomes 1.0015m. What is the
alloys coef. of linear expansion a?
10. The Eiffel Tower stands 300.0m tall on a day of average temperature of 22.0C.
How much taller is the steel tower on a hot summer day (T = 40C) ( steel = 11 x
10-6 /C)
11. An aluminum rod grows 0.0033 m in length when its temperature is raised
from 20C to 100C. What is the initial length of the rod before it is heated? (
-6
aluminum = 24 x 10 /C)
12. Two equal length strips of aluminum and steel are heated. Which expands
more? (See coef of linear expansion from a #9, #10)
13. Two 5.00 m strips of metal, one aluminum and one steel, are the same length at
room temperature (20C). When heated to 200C, how long is each? What is the
difference in their lengths?
14. A 15.0 m length of steel rod expands 4.00 mm when heated. What is the
temperature change?
Efficiency
15. If the combustion chamber of an engine is 1000 oC and the exhaust is 100oC,
what is the efficiency of the engine?
16. If a turbine uses steam a 100oC and it exit the turbine at 75 oC , what is the
efficiency of the turbine?
17. The efficiency of an engine is 35 %. The hot reservoir is 99oC. What is the cold
reservoir?
Phase Changes
18. How much energy is released by 100g of ice at 0C as it melts to water at 0C?
(Hfusion = 334 J/g)
47

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
19. You are asked to melt 0.100 kg of ice at its melting point (0C) and warm the
resulting water to 20.0C. How much heat is needed? (Hfusion = 334 J/g)
20. How much energy is absorbed by 35kg of water at 0C as it freezes to ice at 0C?
(Hfusion = 334 J/g) [11.69 J]
21. How much energy is absorbed by 125 g of water as it boils at 100C to become
steam at 100C? (Hvap = 2260 J/g)
22. How much energy is released when 27kg of steam at 100C condenses to liquid
at 100C? (Hvap = 2260 J/g) [610,200,000 J or 6.10 x 107 J]
23. 200g sample of water at 60C is heated to steam at 140C. How much heat is
absorbed? (Hfus = 334 J/g
Hvap = 2260 J/g) [502,000 J or 5.02 x 105 J]
24. How much heat is needed to change 300g of ice at -30C to steam at 130C?
(Hfus = 334 J/g
Hvap = 2260 J/g) [940,000 J or 9.40 x 105 J]

48

PreAP Physics
Spring 2012

Homework Problems
Unit 15: Quantum and Nuclear Formulas:
E=hf

h =p = mv

hf = KE +
KE = mv2
/
-27
-31
mproton = 1.67x10 kg melectron = 9.1x10 kg
h= 6.63 x 10-34 Js=4.14 x 10-15eVs
1eV = 1.60 x 10-19 J

c = f

c = 3.0 x 108 m/s

1nm = 10-9m

Hydrogen Energy Diagram

eV

13.60
N=5
13.06
N=4
12.75
N=3
12.09

UV:
below 400
nm
Violet light 400 440
nm
Blue light
440 480 nm
Green light 480 530 nm

Yellow light 530 590 nm

Orange light 590 630 nm
Red light
630 700 nm
Infrared radiation: above 700
nm

N=2
10.20

N=1
0.00

Quantum and Nuclear Homework

1. Convert to nanometers (nm)
a. 789 x 10-7 m [78900 nm]
b. 789 x 10-8 m [7890 nm]
c. 789 x 10-9 m [789 nm]
d. 789 x 10-10 m [78.9 nm]
e. 789 x 10-11 m [7.89 nm]
f. 789 x 10-12 m [0.789 nm]
2. Convert to meters (m)
a. 0.125 nm [1.25 x 10-10m]
b. 1.25 nm [1.25 x 10-9 m]
c. 12.5 nm [1.25 x 10-8 m]
d. 125 nm [1.25 x 10-7 m]
3. Calculate the amount of energy released when 2.3 kg of uranium 235 is
converted to energy in a fission reaction. [2.07 x 1017 J]
4. Calculate the amount of energy released when 15 kg of plutonium is converted
to energy in a fission bomb. [1.35 x 1020J]
5. A nuclear bomb releases 63 10
of energy. Calculate the mass of the bomb
that was converted to energy. [7.0 x 10-4 kg, 0.7 g]
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PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
6. Ms Jensen loses the specs for her diffraction grating and must recalibrate in
order to determine the grating spacing. She shines a red helium-neon laser,
with a wavelength of 633 nm through the grating. Two bright spots which are
1.40 m from the central maximum fall on the wall that is 4.00 m away. What is
the space between the groves on the diffraction grating?[1.81 x 10-6 m, 1810
nm]
7. Using the same diffraction grating, Ms Jensen tries to determine the wavelength
of a green helium-neon laser. Keeping the laser at the same distance from the
wall (4.00m) the distance from the central maximum to the first bright fringe is
1.20 m. What is the wavelength of the HeNe laser? [543 nm]
8. Judy and Earl are sitting under the boardwalk one warm summer evening while
the light of a low-pressure sodium vapor lamp whose wavelength is 589 nm
passes through two small cracks in a board, producing fringes of light 0.0020 m
apart on the ground.
a. If the board walk is 3.0 above the sand, what is the distance between the
two cracks in the board? [8.8 x 10-4m]
b. If the distance between the cracks were smaller, would the fringes of
light on the ground be closer or father apart? [farther]
9. Two loudspeakers broadcast the sound of a band tuning up before an outdoor
concert. While the band plays an A whose wavelength is 0.733m, Brenda walks
to the refreshment stand along a line parallel to the speakers. If the speakers
are separated by 12.0 m and Brenda is 24.0 m away, how far must she walk
between the loud spots? [1.46m]
10. In an attempt to test the particle nature of matter, Claus Jonsson performed an
experiment in 1961 that was very similar to Youngs Double slit experiment for
light that was done in 1801. Jonsson sent a beam of electrons through two slits
separated by 2.00 x 10-6 m onto a fluorescent screen 0.200 m away. Due to
their high speed, the electrons behaved like waves with a wavelength of 2.40 x
10-11m. How far apart were the bright lines formed on the screen? [2.4x10-6m]
11. Jon puts on a pair of diffraction gratings glasses that he bought at a novelty
shop and looks at a mercury vapor street lamp that is 5.00 m away. He sees a
yellow spectral line 1.16m on either side of the light source. If the diffraction
grating glasses have a slit separation of 2.49 x 10-6 m, what is the wavelength
Jon is looking at? [578 nm]
12. Houston radio station KKRW 93.7 has two transmitters that sit atop nearby
buildings broadcasting a wave that is 214 m long. As Kiesha drives down I-10
parallel to the two transmitters at a distance of 100.0m, she hears an increase
in signal form the station every 30.0 m. How far apart are the two
transmitters? [713.3 m]
De Broglie Waves
13. Glenn is a DJ at his high school radio station PHYS, which broadcasts at a
frequency of 91.7 MHz. When the station is on the air, how much energy does
each emitted photon possess?
a. In Joules? [6.08 x 10-26 J]
b. In electron volts? [3.8 x 10-7 eV]
14. Bart uses a helium-neon laser to align his telescope. The laser emits red light
with a wavelength o f633 nm. How much energy, in electron volts, is given off
by each photon of laser light? [3.14 x 10-19J, 1.96 eV]
15. Compare the de Broglie wavelengths for a proton and an electron, each
traveling at 3.00 x 107 m/s.
[p: 1.32 x 10-14m, e: 2.43x 10-11m]
50

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
16. The sun is a yellow star and emits most of its radiation in the yellow portion of
the spectrum. If the suns radiation peak at a frequency of 5.20 x 1014Hz, how
much energy is emitted by one photon of this visible light? [3.45x10-19J, 2.15eV]
17. After applying sunscreen, Cherie lies in the sun to get a tan. The ultraviolet
light responsible for tanning has a wavelength of 310 nm, while the burning
rays can range down to 280 nm.
a. Calculate the energy of the tanning rays [6.42 x 10-19 J, 4.01 eV]
b. Calculate the energy of the burning rays [7.10 x 10-19 J, 4.44 eV]
c. Which is has more energy, by how much? [burning, 0.43 eV]
18. Gayle cooks a roast in her microwave oven. The klyston tube in the oven emits
photos whose energy is 1.20 eV. What are the wavelengths of these photos?
[1035 nm]
19. During the winter Olympic biathlon trials, Eric is shooting his rifle at a target.
What is the de Broglie wavelength of a 10.0 g bullet firing form the rifle at 500
m/s? [1.33 x 10-34 m]
20. An Electron microscope is observing detail on a virus down to 5.0 nm. How fast
must an electron in the microscope be moving to observe detail this size (HINT:
Due to diffraction, the electrons wavelength must be about the same size or
smaller than the object observed) [150,000 m/s]
PHOTOELECTRC EFFECT
21. When Doug walks through the entrance to the hardware store, a bell in the back
of the store rings, triggered by a photocell whose work function is 2.40 eV.
a. What is the threshold frequency of the light shining on the photocell?
[5.797 x 1014 Hz]
b. What is the wavelength of light? [518 nm]
c. What color is this? [blue]
22. What is the kinetic energy of photoelectrons emitted when UV light of 200 nm
shines on a photocell whose work function is 2.50 eV? [5.95 x 10-19J]
23. The work function for three surfaces are: Wmercury = 4.5 eV, Wmagnesium = 3.85 eV,
Wlithium = 2.30 eV.
a. At what threshold frequency are electrons liberated from each of these
surfaces? [1.09 x 1015Hz, 9.30 x 1014 Hz, 5.55 x 1014 Hz)
b. What color light is corresponds to each? [275 nm UV, 338 nm UV,
541 nm - Yellow]
24. Shelby shines a red, helium-neon laser, with a wavelength of 633 nm, on a
photo cell that has a work function of 2.38 eV.
a. Will the photocell function with this wavelength? [no]
b. What wavelength corresponds to the threshold frequency? [522 nm]
25. A classic physics demonstration involves placing a shiny zinc plate on a
negatively charged electroscope and shining UV light on the plate. If the work
function of zinc is 4.31 eV and the wavelength of light is 250 nm,
a. What is the kinetic energy of the photoelectrons ejected from the zinc
plate? [0.66 eV]
b. What will happen to the leaves of the electroscope? [They will close]

Energy Level Diagrams

51

PreAP Physics
Homework Problems
Spring 2012
26. What wavelengths of light are emitted by an electron jumping from n=2 to n=1?
What does it correspond to? [122 nm, UV]
27. What wavelengths of light are emitted by an electron jumping from n = 4 to n =
3? [1880 nm, Infrared]
28. Using the energy level diagram, determine the shortest wavelength in diagram
for level three to infinity of hydrogen [832 nm]
29. The suns spectrum is made up of many absorption lies called Fraunhofer lines (
line). How many electron volts of energy are absorbed in order to produce
the H line whose wavelength is 657.7 nm? [1.89 eV]
30. A stellar spectrum shows three absorption lines of hydrogen produced as
electrons move from n=2 to higher energy levels (n=3, n=4, n=5) What are the
wavelengths and colors of the three lines missing from the continuous
spectrum? [657 nm, Red; 488 nm, Greenish blue; 435 nm, Violet]
31. On June 24, 1999, NASA launched FUSE (the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic
Explorer) to explore the universe using high- resolution spectroscopy in the far
UV spectral region. If FUSE records radiation of wavelength 102.8 nm:
a. What is the energy required to make the jump? [12.09 ev]
b. between which two energy levels mist the electron jump in the
hydrogen atom to produce this line? [n=3 and n=1]
Half Life/Radiation

32. Cobalt-60, used in radiation therapy for cancer patients has a half-life of 5.26
yr. A sample of cobalt 60 containing 5.00 x 1012 radioactive atoms sits in a lead
case in the medical stockroom of Ben-Taub for 10.0 years.
a. What is the decay constant for cobalt-60? [0.132 / yr]
b. How many cobalt 60 atoms remain? [1.33 x 1012 atoms]
33. Radioactive gold-198 is used as a tracer in liver tests in low level scans. Dr. R
uses gold-198 in a scan on Patient X who has been exhibiting signs of jaundice.
A solution containing 3.00 x 109 gold 198 atoms is injected into his live and
observed after 70.0 hr.
a. What is the decay constant of the gold if the half life is 2.70 days?
[0.0107 / hr]
b. How many gold atoms are remaining after 72.0 hours? [1.39 x 109
atoms]
c. What is the activity of the gold-198 in Bq? [-4130 Bq]
34. Spent fuel rods contain strontium-90 whose half life is 28.1 yr. Josh works at a
nuclear reactor and must safely store the spent rods. If a spent rod contains 1.0
x 1027 atoms of strontium-90 when stored in a sealed container, how many
strontium-90 atoms will remain if the container is excavated by archeologists in
1000 years? [1.85 x 1016 atoms]
35. The synthetically manufactured radiopharmaceutical technicium-99 is used to
produce brain scans. The half life of technicium-99 is 6.02 hr. What percent of
technicium-99 remains 24 hours after the scan? [6.3 %]

52