Name Class Date
Concept-Development
Practice Page 4-1
Free Fall Speed
1. Aunt Minnie gives you $10 per second for 4 seconds. How much money do you have
after 4 seconds? $40
2. A ball dropped from rest picks up speed at 10 m per second. After it falls
for 4 seconds, how fast is it going? 40 m/s
3. You have $20, and Uncle Harry gives you $10 each second for 3 seconds.
How much money do you have after 3 seconds? $50
4. A ball is thrown straight down with an initial speed of 20 m/s. After 3 seconds,
how fast is it going? 50 m/s
5. You have $50 and you pay Aunt Minnie $10/second. When will your money run out? 5s
6. You shoot an arrow straight up at 50 m/s. When will it run out of speed? 5s
7. So what will be the arrow’s speed 5 seconds after you shoot it? 0 m/s
8. What will its speed be 6 seconds after you shoot it? 7 seconds? 10 m/s; 20 m/s
Free Fall Distance
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1. Speed is one thing; distance another. Where is the arrow you
shoot up at 50 m/s when it runs out of speed? 125 m
2. How high will the arrow be 7 seconds after being shot up at 50 m/s? 105 m
3. a. Aunt Minnie drops a penny into a wishing well and and it falls for 3 seconds
before hitting the water. How fast is it going when it hits? 30 m/s
b. What is the penny’s average speed during its 3-second drop? 15 m/s
c. How far down is the water surface? 45 m
4. Aunt Minnie didn’t get her wish, so she goes to a deeper wishing well and throws
a penny straight down into it at 10 m/s. How far does this penny go in 3 seconds? 75 m
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
Chapter 4 Linear Motion 13
Straight Up and Down
The sketch is similar to Figure 4.9 in the textbook.
Assume negligible air resistance and g = 10 m/s2.
• Table 1 shows the velocity data of the figure for t = 0 to t = 8 seconds.
Complete the table.
Distances traveled are from the starting point (the displacements).
• Table 2 is for a greater initial velocity. Complete it.
• Table 3 doesn’t specify an initial velocity. Choose your own
and complete the table accordingly.
25 30 35
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40 20 60
45 10 75
40 0 80
25 –10 75
0 –20 60
–35 –30 35
–80 –40 0
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
14 Chapter 4 Linear Motion
Name Class Date
Free Fall
1. A rock dropped from the top of a cliff
picks up speed as it falls. Pretend that a
speedometer and odometer are attached
to the rock to show readings of speed and
distance at 1-second intervals. Both speed
and distance are zero at time = zero (see
sketch). Note that after falling 1 second, the
speed reading is 10 m/s and the distance
fallen is 5 m. The readings for succeeding
seconds of fall are not shown and are left for
you to complete. Draw the position of the
speedometer pointer and write in the correct
odometer reading for each time. Use
g = 10 m/s2 and neglect air resistance.
2 0
4 5
a. The speedometer reading increased by
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the same amount, 10 m/s,
each second. This increase in speed per
second is called acceleration .
8 0
b. The distance fallen increases as the
square of the time .
c. If it takes 7 seconds to reach the ground,
then its speed at impact is 70 m/s,
the total distance fallen is 245 m, 1 2 5
and its acceleration of fall just before
impact is 10 m/s2.
1 8 0
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
Chapter 4 Linear Motion 15
Non-Accelerated Motion
1. The sketch shows a ball rolling at constant velocity along a level floor. The ball rolls from the first
position shown to the second in 1 second. The two positions are 1 meter apart. Sketch the ball at
successive 1-second intervals all the way to the wall (neglect resistance).
a. Did you draw successive ball positions evenly spaced, farther apart, or closer together? Why?
Evenly spaced — constant velocity means equal distances covered in equal times.
b. The ball reaches the wall with a speed of 1 m/s and takes a time of 5 seconds.
2. Table I shows data of sprinting speeds
of some animals. Make whatever
computations are necessary to
complete the table. 16 m/s
Table I 0.01 h
Accelerated Motion 30 cm
3. An object starting from rest gains a speed v = at when it undergoes uniform acceleration. The
distance it covers is d = 1/2 at2. Uniform acceleration occurs for a ball rolling down an inclined
plane. The plane below is tilted so a ball picks up a speed of 2 m/s each second; then its accelera-
tion a = 2 m/s2. The positions of the ball are shown for 1-second intervals. Complete the six blank
spaces for distance covered, and the four blank spaces for speeds.
9m
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3m 16 m
5m
7m
4 m/s
6 m/s 9m
8 m/s
10 m/s
a. Do you see that the total distance from the starting point increases as the square of the time?
This was discovered by Galileo. If the incline were to continue, predict the ball’s distance from
the starting point for the next 3 seconds.
Yes, distance increases as the square of time; 36 m, 49 m, 64 m
b. Note the increase of distance between ball positions with time. Do you see an odd-integer pat-
tern (also discovered by Galileo) for this increase? If the incline were to continue, predict the
successive distances between ball positions for the next 3 seconds.
Yes; 11 m, 13 m, 15 m
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
16 Chapter 4 Linear Motion