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IB DP Physics Questions

2.1 Motion

Question 1

A car travels a distance of 120 km to the north and then 80 km to the east. What is the car's total displacement?

A. 140 km northeast

B. 200 km

C. 160 km northeast

D. 100 km northeast

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the difference between speed and velocity?

A. Speed is scalar, while velocity is vector.

B. Speed has direction, while velocity does not.

C. Speed is vector, while velocity is scalar.

D. There is no difference between speed and velocity.

Question 3

A train accelerates uniformly from rest to 30 m/s in 15 seconds. What is its acceleration?

A. 0.5 m/s^2

B. 1 m/s^2

C. 2 m/s^2

D. 4 m/s^2

Question 4

On a distance-time graph, which of the following represents an object at rest?

A. A horizontal line

B. A vertical line

C. A line with a positive slope

D. A line with a negative slope

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a unit of acceleration?

A. m/s^2

B. km/h^2

C. m/s

D. ft/s^2

Question 6

a) Define the terms 'distance' and 'displacement'. Highlight the main differences between them. [3]

b) A car travels 5 km north, then 3 km south. Calculate its total distance travelled and its resultant displacement. [2]

Question 7

a) Differentiate between 'speed' and 'velocity'. [2]

b) A cyclist covers a displacement of 150 m towards the east in 30 seconds. Calculate the velocity of the cyclist. [3]

Question 8

a) Define 'acceleration'. [2]

b) A car accelerates uniformly from a speed of 10 m/s to 20 m/s in 5 seconds. Calculate its acceleration. [3]

Question 9

a) Explain the difference between average speed and instantaneous speed. [2]

b) A runner completes a 400 m race in 50 seconds. Calculate the average speed of the runner. [2]

c) If the runner took 20 seconds to complete the first 100 m and then sped up for the remaining distance, was his instantaneous speed at the end greater or less than his average speed? Justify your answer. [2]

Question 10

a) Describe the relationship between velocity and acceleration. [2]

b) A car accelerates from rest to 30 m/s in 10 seconds. Calculate its average acceleration. [2]

c) Sketch a velocity-time graph for the car's motion. [2]

Question 11

A cyclist travels 300 m in 10 seconds. What is the average speed of the cyclist?

A. 10 m/s

B. 30 m/s

C. 3 m/s

D. 20 m/s

Question 12

A car accelerates from 20 m/s to 40 m/s in 5 seconds. What is its average acceleration?

A. 2 m/s^2

B. 4 m/s^2

C. 6 m/s^2

D. 8 m/s^2

Question 13

Which of the following is a vector quantity?

A. Time

B. Mass

C. Displacement

D. Speed

Question 14

On a velocity-time graph, the gradient represents which of the following?

A. Displacement

B. Speed

C. Acceleration

D. Distance

Question 15

A ball is thrown vertically upwards with an initial velocity of 20 m/s. Ignoring air resistance, what will be its velocity after 2 seconds?

A. 20 m/s

B. 0 m/s

C. 10 m/s

D. -10 m/s

Question 16

a) Define the term 'uniform motion'. [2]

b) A train travels 120 km in 2 hours with uniform motion. Calculate its speed. [2]

c) If the same train travels the next 120 km in 1.5 hours, calculate its speed for this segment. Which segment had a higher speed? [3]

Question 17

a) What does a horizontal line on a distance-time graph represent? [2]

b) A car travels 50 km and then stops for 30 minutes. Sketch a distance-time graph for this scenario. [2]

c) Calculate the speed of the car before it stopped. [2]

Question 18

a) What is meant by 'uniform acceleration'? [2]

b) A car accelerates uniformly from 0 m/s to 20 m/s over a distance of 50 m. Calculate the time taken for this acceleration. [3]

c) Using the information from part b, determine the acceleration of the car. [2]

d) If the car continues to move at 20 m/s for another 10 seconds, how much additional distance will it cover? [2]

Question 19

a) Describe the significance of the slope in a velocity-time graph. [2]

b) A ball is thrown upwards and reaches a maximum height before falling back down. Sketch a velocity-time graph for this motion. [3]

c) Calculate the acceleration due to gravity if the ball takes 4 seconds to reach its maximum height. [3]

d) If the ball reaches a maximum height of 40 m, determine its initial velocity. [3]

Question 20

a) What does 'negative acceleration' imply about the motion of an object? [2]

b) A motorbike decelerates from 60 m/s to 30 m/s over a time period of 5 seconds. Calculate its acceleration. [2]

c) If the motorbike continues to decelerate at this rate, how long will it take to come to a complete stop? [3]

d) Over the time period in part c, how much distance will the motorbike cover? [3]

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