Engineering Mechanics
Worksheet
1. A motorist enters a freeway at 10 m/s and accelerates uniformly to 25 m/s. From the
odometer in the car, the motorist knows that he travelled 200 m while accelerating.
Determine (a) the acceleration of the car and
(b) the time required to reach 25 m/s.
Ans. a = 1.313 m/s and t = 11.43 seconds
2. A trust travels 164 m in 8 sec whiles being decelerated at a constant rate of 0.5 m/s.
Determine (a) its initial velocity, (b) its final velocity and (c) the distance travelled during
the first 0.6 seconds
Ans. u = 22.5 m/s, v = 18.5 m/s and s = 13.41 m.
3. Automobile A shown in Fig. starts from O and accelerates at the constant rate of 0.75
m/s2 a short time later it is passed by bus B which is travelling in the opposite direction at
constant speed of 6 m/s. Knowing that bus B passes point O, 20 seconds after automobile
A started from there. Determine when and where the vehicles passed each other.
Ans. t = 11.6 seconds and s = 50.4 m.
4. Two trains P and Q leave the same station on parallel lines. Train P starts at rest with
uniform acceleration of 0.2 m/s2 attains a speed of 10 m/s. Further the speed is kept
constant. Train Q leaves 30 seconds later with uniform acceleration of 0.5 m/s 2 from rest
and attains a maximum speed of 20 m/s. when will train Q overtake train P?
Ans. After 75 seconds from the start of train P.
5. A burglar's car had a start with an acceleration 2 m/s 2. A police vigilant came in a van to
the spot at a velocity of 20 m/s after 3.75 seconds and continued to chase the burglar's car
with uniform velocity. Find the time in which the police van will overtake the burglar's
car.
6. A ball is thrown vertically upwards at 30 m/s from the top of a tower 100 m high. Five
seconds later another ball is thrown upwards from the base of the tower along the same
vertical line at 50 m/s. Find when and where both balls will meet and their instantaneous
velocity then.
7. A stone is dropped gently from the top of a tower. During its last one second of motion it
falls through 64 % of the height. Find the height of the tower.
8. A stone is dropped from the top of the tower 50 m high. At the same instant, another
stone is thrown up from the foot of the same tower with a velocity of 25 m/s. At the
distance from top and after how much time the two stones cross each other.
Ans. t = 2 seconds and h = 19.6 m from top.
9. Two objects A and B, 130 m above the ground are projected vertically. A is projected
vertically upwards with a velocity of 30 m/s while B is projected vertically downwards
with the same velocity. Find the time taken by each object to reach the ground. At what
height the object A must be just released in order the two objects may hit the ground
simultaneously?
Ans. t = 9.05 sec , t = 2.93 sec and h = 42.04 m.
10. During a test, the car moves in a straight line such that for a short time its velocity is
defined by v = 0.3(9t2 + 2t) m/s, where t is in seconds. Determine its position and
acceleration when t = 3 seconds. Given at t = 0, s = 0.
11. The acceleration of a particle is given by a = k/x, when x = 250 mm, v was 4 m/s. and
when
x = 500 mm, v was 3 m/s. Determine the velocity of the particle when x = 750 mm. Find
the position of the particle when it comes to rest.
12. A particle starting from rest, moves in a straight line, whose acceleration is given by
a = 10 - 0.006s2, where a is in m/s2 and s is in meter . Determine (a) the velocity of the
particle when it has travelled 50 m (b) the distance travelled by the particle, when it
comes to rest.
13.
14. A small projectile is fired vertically downward in to a fluid medium with an initial
velocity of 60 m/s. If the projectile experiences a deceleration, a = -0.4v3 m/s2, where v is
measured in m/s, determine the projectile velocity and position 4 seconds after it is fired.
Worksheet
1. Two guns are pointed at each other one upwards at an angle of elevation of 30º and
the other at the same angle of depression and being 30 meters apart, as shown in Fig.
If the bullets leave the guns with velocity of 350 m/s and 300 m/s, respectively, find
when and where they will meet.
2. A rocket follows a path such that its acceleration is given by a = (4 i + t j) m/s 2 at r =
0, it starts from rest. At t = 10 sec . Determine (i) speed of the rocket, (ii) radius of
curvature of its path and (iii) magnitude of normal and tangential components of
acceleration.
3. The basketball player likes to release his foul shots at an angle ፀ= 50º to the
horizontal, as shown in fig. What initial speed v0 will cause the ball to pass through
the center of the rim?
4. A box released from a helicopter moving horizontally with constant velocity 'u' from
a certain height 'h' from the ground takes 5 seconds to reach the ground hitting it at an
angle of 75º as shown in fig, Determine (a) the horizontal distance 'x', (b) the height
'h' and (c) the velocity 'u'.
5.
6. The curvilinear motion of a particle is given by v = 50 - 16t m/s and y = 100 - 4t2 m.
Determine the velocity and acceleration when the position y = 0 is reached.
7. In the curvilinear motion, particle P moves along the fixed path 9y = x2 where x and y
are expressed in centimeter s. At any instant t, the x-coordinate of P is given by x = t2
-14t. Determine the y-component of the velocity and acceleration of P when t = 15
sec.
Ans. v = 53.33 cm/s and a = 63.56 cm/s2.
8. A particle moves in a circular path of 0.3 m radius. Calculate acceleration if (a) speed
is constant at 0.6 m/s and (b) speed is 0.6 m/s but increasing at the rate of 0.9 m/s2
each second.
9.
10. For the curvilinear motion y = 4t3 - 3t m and ax = 12 t m/s2. If Vx = 4 m/s, when t = 0.
Calculate magnitude of velocity and acceleration for t = 1 second