Generic Assessment Questions PHY 11, 12, 13 &14
Dear Student, The following questions will not be your exam. We remind you that the authors of your
textbook, which was extensively reviewed by the international scientific community, recommends that you
be able to solve dozens of different types of problems located at the end of each chapter. The questions
below merely reflect the subject matter and the level of assessment of this course for which you are
responsible.
Vectors
Represent on a diagram the following three vectors:(1) 8m, 60o south of east; (2) 4m, 37o west of north;
and (3) 6m, south. Give the resultant of sum of these three vectors in terms of (a) components; and (b)
magnitude and angle with the east. Using the scalar product, find the angle between the first and second
vector. Using the vector product, find the angle between the first and third vector.
Kinematics in Two Dimensions (PHY 11)
A tennis ball rolls off the edge of a table top 1 m above the floor and strikes the floor a point 2.6 m
horizontally from the edge of the table. Find the magnitude of the initial velocity.
Kinematics in Two Dimensions (PHY 13)
A basketball player throws a ball with an initial speed of 15 m/s at a 37 o angle to the horizontal. Assume
the ball leaves the her hand at a height of 2 m above the ground. Calculate the maximum height above the
ground reached by the ball. Calculate how far from the her feet the ball lands.
Dynamics: Newton’s Laws of Motion
Find the acceleration of block A. The mass of block A is 2 kg. The mass of block B is 3 kg. The
angle the incline makes with the horizontal is 37o. Assume the surface is frictionless, the rope is
massless, and the pulley is frictionless.
A
B
Energy
A block with a mass of 2 kg is moving at 4 m/s along a surface towards a spring that is attached to a wall.
The force constant is 1000 N/m for the spring and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.10 between the
block and the plane. Find the maximum distance the spring is compressed.
Circular Motion (PHY 11)
Dry a teddy bear has a mass 0.3 kilograms. Wet its mass increases to 2.5 kilograms. The wet teddy bear
in placed in a clothes dryer of radius 0.8 meters. It takes exactly one hour for the teddy bear to dry.
During this entire period the teddy bear traveled in a vertical circle. What is the minimum number of
circles completed by the teddy bear?
Circular Motion (PHY 13)
An object is tied to a string and is rotated in a vertical circle. Prove that the tension in the string
at the lowest point exceeds that at the highest point by 6 times the weight of the object.
Gravitation (PHY 13)
A satellite is to be raised from one circular orbit to another twice as large. By what multiplicative factor
will its period change? By what multiplicative factor will its orbital speed change?
Linear Momentum (PHY 11)
A leaf having a mass of .1 kg is floating down stream at 2 m/s. As it pass under a bridge 2 bugs (each
having an of .01 kg) drop straight down onto the leaf. What is its speed as it emerges with its new
passenger from beneath the bridge?
Linear Momentum (PHY 13)
A red ball of mass 0.25 kg and moving with a speed of 4.00 m/s collides elastically with a blue ball
moving in the opposite direction at 8.00 m/s. Afterward, it is found that the red ball has bounced
backward with a speed of 2.00 m/s. Calculate the mass of the blue ball and the velocity of the blue ball
after the collision.
Oscillations
A 60 kg bungee jumper jumps from a bridge . She is tied to a 12 m long bungee cord (unstretched) and
falls a total of 31 m. Calculate the spring constant k of the bungee cord.
Static Equilibrium
The uniform beam shown in the accompanying figure weighs 400 N. The beam is attached to a wall and
supported by a cable attached at a point one-third the length of the beam. A sign that weighs 800 N is
attached at a point two-thirds the length of the beam. Find the tension in the cable.
30
Rotational Motion & Angular Momentum
A 15 kg child sits on the edge of a 100 kg merry-go-round. It the initial period of the merry-go-round if
2.5 seconds, find the period if the child stands up and walks radially inward to the center.
Waves (PHY 12)
A string is 25 cm long between fixed points with a fundamental frequency of 500 Hz and a linear density of 10 x
10-4 kg/m. Find the tension in the string. What is the length of a pipe closed at one end whose fundamental is
also 500 Hz if the speed of sound is 343 m/s in air?
Waves (PHY 14)
The equation of a traveling transverse wave is
y(x,t)=2 sin 2 (t/0.01 –x/30) mm
where x is in centimeters and t is in seconds. Find the a) amplitude, b) wavelength, c) frequency, d) speed
of propagation and e) sketch the shape of the string at t=0.005 seconds.
Electric Charge & Electric Field (PHY12)
A +25 C point charge is located at the point (0 cm, 0 cm), and a –6 C point charge is located at the
point (0 cm, +4 cm). Find the direction and magnitude of the electric field at the point (-3 cm, +4 cm).
Electric Potential & Electric Potential Energy (PHY12
A +25 C point charge is located at the point (0 cm, 0 cm), and a –6 C point charge is located at the
point (0 cm, +4 cm). Find the electric potential at the point (-3 cm, +4 cm).
Electric Charge & Electric Field (PHY14)
A solid conducting sphere of radius 8 cm that carries a charge +25 C is concentric with a very
thin insulating shell of 24 cm that carries a charge –50 C. Find the direction and magnitude of
the electric field and the electric potential at a point 16 cm from the origin.
Electric Potential & Electric Potential Energy (PHY14)
A positive charge Q is distributed uniformly along the x-axis from x=0 to x=-a. Find the electric potential
along the x-axis for x>0.
DC Circuits (PHY 12)
How many 2 F capacitors would you have to place is parallel if you want them to acquire a total charge
of 1 C when connected to a 400 V source?
DC Circuits (PHY 14)
What is the power dissipated by the 60  resistor?
10 
15 
5 
15 V
20 
60 
5 
10 
5 
Magnetism & Magnetic Fields (PHY 12)
An electron traveling in a straight line at 300 km/s passes within 30 cm of a long straight wire carrying
30A or current. Find the maximum force exerted on the electron by the wire.
Magnetism & Magnetic Fields (PHY14)
4 A
16 cm
8 A
16 cm
16 cm
2 A
Three current carrying wires are arranged as shown. A) Find the magnitude and direction of the
magnetic field mid-way between the 2A and 4A wires. B) Find the magnitude and direction of
the magnetic force on the 8A wire.
Electromagnetic Induction & Faraday’s Law (PHY 12)
A coil with 50 turns and area 10 cm2 is oriented with its plane perpendicular to a 0.75 T magnetic field. If
the coil is flipped over (rotated through 180o) in 0.20 s, what is the average emf induced in it?
Electromagnetic Induction & Faraday’s Law (PHY 14)
A single circular loop of wire is placed inside a long solenoid with its plane perpendicular to the axis of
the solenoid. The radius of the loop in 5 cm and it has a resistance of 10 k. The radius of the solenoid
is 20 cm. The solenoid has 100 turn per cm. The current in the solenoid changes from 50 mA to 10 mA in
4 s. Find the induced current in the loop.
Light
A layer of oil of index of refraction 1.60 floats on the surface of pool water of index of refraction 1.33.
What is the maximum angle of incidence of a ray incident on the water-oil interface such that the ray will
escape into the air.
Geometric Optics (PHY 12)
A concave mirror has a radius of curvature 4 cm. An object of height 10 cm is placed 12 cm to
the left of the mirror. Find the height and the location of the image of due the mirror. Draw a
principal ray diagram.
Geometric Optics (PHY 14)
A lens of focal length +25 cm is located 100 cm to the left of a mirror of radius of curvature -20 cm. An object of
height 5 cm is placed 70 cm to the left of the lens. Find the height and the location of the image due to both the
lens and the mirror. Draw a principal ray diagram.