AP Physics Multiple Choice Practice – Work-Energy
1. A mass m attached to a horizontal massless spring with spring constant k, is set
into simple harmonic motion. Its maximum displacement from its equilibrium position is
A. What is the masses speed as it passes through its equilibrium position?
2. A force F at an angle θ above the horizontal is used to pull a heavy suitcase of weight mg a distance d along a level
floor at constant velocity. The coefficient of friction between the floor and the suitcase is µ. The work done by the
frictional force is:
(A) –Fd cos θ (B) – µ Fd cos θ (C) -µmgd (D) -µ mgd cos θ
4. A pendulum bob of mass m on a cord of length L is pulled sideways until the
cord makes an angle θ with the vertical as shown in the figure to the right. The change
in potential energy of the bob during the displacement is:
(A) mgL (1–cos θ) (B) mgL (1–sin θ) (C) mgL sin θ
(D) mgL cos θ
5. A softball player catches a ball of mass m, which is moving towards her with horizontal speed V. While bringing
the ball to rest, her hand moved back a distance d. Assuming constant deceleration, the horizontal force exerted on
the ball by the hand is
(A) mV2/(2d) (B) mV2/d (C) 2mV/d (D) mV/d
6. A pendulum is pulled to one side and released. It swings freely to the opposite side and stops. Which of the
following might best represent graphs of kinetic energy (Ek), potential energy (Ep) and total mechanical energy (ET)
Questions 7-8: A car of mass m slides across a patch of ice at a speed v with its brakes locked. It the hits dry pavement
and skids to a stop in a distance d. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the tires and the dry road is µ.
7. If the car has a mass of 2m, it would have skidded a distance of
(A) 0.5 d (B) d (C) 1.41 d (D) 2 d
8. If the car has a speed of 2v, it would have skidded a distance of
(A) d (B) 1.41 d (C) 2 d (D) 4 d
9. A ball is thrown vertically upwards with a velocity v and an initial kinetic energy Ek. When half way to the top of its
flight, it has a velocity and kinetic energy respectively of
10. A football is kicked off the ground a distance of 50 yards downfield. Neglecting air resistance, which of the
following statements would be INCORRECT when the football reaches the highest point?
(A) all of the balls original kinetic energy has been changed into potential energy
(B) the ball’s horizontal velocity is the same as when it left the kickers foot
(C) the ball will have been in the air one-half of its total flight time
(D) the vertical component of the velocity is equal to zero
11. A mass m is attached to a spring with a spring constant k. If the mass is set into motion by a displacement d from
its equilibrium position, what would be the speed, v, of the mass when it returns to equilibrium position?
(A) (B) (C) (D)
12. A fan blows the air and gives it kinetic energy. An hour after the fan has been turned off, what has happened to the
kinetic energy of the air?
(A) it disappears (B) it turns into potential energy (C) it turns into thermal energy
(D) it turns into sound energy
13. A rock is dropped from the top of a tall tower. Half a second later another rock, twice as massive as the first, is
dropped. Ignoring air resistance,
(A) the distance between the rocks increases while both are falling.
(B) the acceleration is greater for the more massive rock.
(C) they strike the ground more than half a second apart.
(D) they strike the ground with the same kinetic energy.
14. Which of the following is true for a system consisting of a mass oscillating on the end of an ideal spring?
(A) The kinetic and potential energies are equal to each other at all times.
(B) The maximum potential energy is achieved when the mass passes through its equilibrium position.
(C) The maximum kinetic energy and maximum potential energy are equal, but occur at different times.
(D) The maximum kinetic energy occurs at maximum displacement of the mass from its equilibrium position
15. From the top of a high cliff, a ball is thrown horizontally with initial speed vo. Which of the following graphs best
represents the ball's kinetic energy K as a function of time t ?
(A) (B) (C) (D)
Questions 16-17: A block oscillates without friction on the end of a spring as
shown. The minimum and maximum lengths of the spring as it oscillates are,
respectively, xmin and xmax. The graphs below can represent quantities
associated with the oscillation as functions of the length x of the spring.
(A) (B) (C) (D)
16. Which graph can represent the total mechanical energy of the block-spring system as a function of x ?
(A) A (B) B (C) C (D) D
17. Which graph can represent the kinetic energy of the block as a function of x ?
(A) A (B) B (C) C (D) D
Questions 18-19
A ball swings freely back and forth in an arc from point I to point IV, as
shown. Point II is the lowest point in the path, III is located 0.5 meter above
II, and IV is I meter above II. Air resistance is negligible.
18. If the potential energy is zero at point II, where will the kinetic and
potential energies of the ball be equal?
(A) At point II (B) At some point between II and III
(C) At point III (D) At some point between III and IV
19. The speed of the ball at point II is most nearly
(A) 3.0 m/s (B) 4.5 m/s (C) 9.8 m/s (D) 14 m/s
20. The figure shows a rough semicircular track whose ends are at a vertical height h. A block placed at point P at one
end of the track is released from rest and slides past the bottom of
the track. Which of the following is true of the height to which
the block rises on the other side of the track?
(A) It is equal to h/4 (B) It is equal to h/2
(C) It is equal to h
(D) It is between zero and h; the exact height depends on how
much energy is lost to friction.
21. The graph shown represents the potential energy U as a function of displacement
x for an object on the end of a spring moving back and forth with amplitude x.
Which of the following graphs represents the kinetic energy K of the object
as a function of displacement x ?
22. A child pushes horizontally on a box of mass m which moves with constant speed v across a horizontal floor. The
coefficient of friction between the box and the floor is . At what rate does the child do work on the box?
(A) mgv (B) mgv (C) mg/v (D) mg/v
23. A block of mass 3.0 kg is hung from a spring, causing it to stretch
12 cm at equilibrium, as shown. The 3.0 kg block is then replaced
by a 4.0 kg block, and the new block is released from the position
shown, at which the spring is unstretched. How far will the 4.0 kg
block fall before its direction is reversed?
(A) 18 cm (B) 24 cm
(C) 32 cm (D) 48 cm
24. What is the kinetic energy of a satellite of mass m that orbits the Earth, of mass M, in a circular orbit of radius R?
1 GMm 1 GMm 1 GMm GMm
(A) (B) (C) 2
(D)
2 R 4 R 2 R R2
25. A rock of mass m is thrown horizontally off a building from a height h, as shown above. The speed of the rock as it
leaves the thrower’s hand at the edge of the building is v0. What is the kinetic energy of the rock just before it hits
the ground?
(A) mgh (B) ½ mv02 (C) ½ mv02 - mgh (D) ½ mv02+mgh
26. A sphere of mass m1, which is attached to a spring, is displaced downward from its equilibrium position as shown
above left and released from rest. A sphere of mass m2, which is suspended from a string of length L, is displaced
to the right as shown above right and released from rest so that it swings as a simple pendulum with small
amplitude. Assume that both spheres undergo simple harmonic motion Which of the following is true for both
spheres?
(A) The maximum kinetic energy is attained as the sphere passes through its equilibrium position.
(B) The minimum gravitational potential energy is attained as the sphere passes through its equilibrium position.
(C) The maximum gravitational potential energy is attained when the sphere reaches its point of release.
(D) The maximum total energy is attained only as the sphere passes through its equilibrium position.
Questions 27-28
An object of mass m is initially at rest and free to move without friction in any direction in the xy-plane. A
constant net force of magnitude F directed in the +x direction acts on the object for 1 s. Immediately thereafter a
constant net force of the same magnitude F directed in the +y direction acts on the object for 1 s. After this, no
forces act on the object.
27. Which of the following vectors could represent the velocity of the object at the end of 3 s, assuming the scales on
the x and y axes are equal?
(A) (B) (C) (D)
28. Which of the following graphs best represents the kinetic energy K of the object as a function of time?
29. A system consists of two objects having masses ml and m2 (ml < m2). The objects are connected
by a massless string, hung over a pulley as shown, and then released. When the object of mass
m2 has descended a distance h, the potential energy of the system has decreased by
(A) (m2 - ml)gh (B) m2gh (C) (m1 + m2)gh (D) ½(ml + m2)gh
30. The following graphs, all drawn to the same scale, represent the net force F as a function of displacement x for an
object that moves along a straight line. Which graph represents the force that will cause the greatest change in the
kinetic energy of the object from x = 0 to x = x1?
(A) (B) (C) (D)
31. A pendulum consists of a ball of mass m suspended at the end of a massless
cord of length L as shown. The pendulum is drawn aside through an angle of 60°
with the vertical and released. At the low point of its swing, the speed of the
pendulum ball is
(A) gL (B) 2gL (C) ½gL (D) gL
32. A rock is lifted for a certain time by a force F that is greater in magnitude than the rock's weight W. The change in
kinetic energy of the rock during this time is equal to the
(A) work done by the net force (F - W)
(B) work done by F alone
(C) work done by W alone
(D) difference in the potential energy of the rock before and after this time.
33. A block on a horizontal frictionless plane is attached to a
spring, as shown. The block oscillates along the x-axis with
amplitude A. Which of the following statements about energy
is correct?
(A) The potential energy of the spring is at a minimum at x = 0.
(B) The potential energy of the spring is at a minimum at x = A.
(C) The kinetic energy of the block is at a minimum at x =0.
(D) The kinetic energy of the block is at a maximum at x = A.
34. A spring-loaded gun can fire a projectile to a height h if it is fired straight up. If the same gun is pointed at an angle
of 45° from the vertical, what maximum height can now be reached by the projectile?
h h
(A) h/4 (B) (C) h/2 (D)
2 2 2
35. An ideal massless spring is fixed to the wall at one end, as shown. A block of mass
M attached to the other end of the spring oscillates with amplitude A on a
frictionless, horizontal surface. The maximum speed of the block is vm. The force
constant of the spring is (A)
Mgv m Mv m2 Mv m2 Mv m2
(B) (C) (D)
2A 2A A2 2A 2
37. A block of mass M on a horizontal surface is connected to the end of a
massless spring of spring constant k . The block is pulled a distance x from
equilibrium and when released from rest, the block moves toward
equilibrium. What coefficient of kinetic friction between the surface and
the block would allow the block to return to equilibrium and stop?
38. An object is dropped from rest from a certain height. Air resistance is negligible. After falling a distance d, the
object’s kinetic energy is proportional to which of the following?
(A) 1 / d2 (B) 1 / d (C) √d (D) d
39. An object is projected vertically upward from ground level. It rises to a maximum height H. If air resistance is
negligible, which of the following must be true for the object when it is at a height H/2 ?
(A) Its speed is half of its initial speed.
(B) Its kinetic energy is half of its initial kinetic energy.
(C) Its potential energy is half of its initial potential energy.
(D) Its total mechanical energy is half of its initial value.