Special HW DP1 [100 marks]

1. [Maximum mark: 10]

A football player kicks a stationary ball of mass 0.45 kg towards a wall. The initial
speed of the ball after the kick is 19 m s−1 and the ball does not rotate. Air
resistance is negligible and there is no wind.

(a) The player’s foot is in contact with the ball for 55 ms. Calculate
the average force that acts on the ball due to the football
player. [2]

(b.i) The ball leaves the ground at an angle of 22°. The horizontal
distance from the initial position of the edge of the ball to the
wall is 11 m. Calculate the time taken for the ball to reach the
wall. [2]

([Link]) The top of the wall is 2.4 m above the ground. Deduce whether
the ball will hit the wall. [3]

(c) In practice, air resistance affects the ball. Outline the effect that
air resistance has on the vertical acceleration of the ball. Take
the direction of the acceleration due to gravity to be positive. [2]

(d) The player kicks the ball again. It rolls along the ground without
sliding with a horizontal velocity of 1. 40 m s−1. The radius of
the ball is 0. 11 m. Calculate the angular velocity of the ball.
State an appropriate SI unit for your answer. [1]
2. [Maximum mark: 10]
A company delivers packages to customers using a small unmanned aircraft.
Rotating horizontal blades exert a force on the surrounding air. The air above the
aircraft is initially stationary.

The air is propelled vertically downwards with speed v. The aircraft hovers
motionless above the ground. A package is suspended from the aircraft on a
string. The mass of the aircraft is 0. 95 kg and the combined mass of the
package and string is 0. 45 kg. The mass of air pushed downwards by the
blades in one second is 1. 7 kg.

(a(i)) State the value of the resultant force on the aircraft when
hovering. [1]

(a(ii)) Outline, by reference to Newton’s third law, how the upward lift
force on the aircraft is achieved. [2]

(a(iii)) Determine v. State your answer to an appropriate number of

significant figures. [3]

(a(iv)) Calculate the power transferred to the air by the aircraft. [2]

(b) The package and string are now released and fall to the ground.
The lift force on the aircraft remains unchanged. Calculate the
initial acceleration of the aircraft. [2]
3. [Maximum mark: 9]
The graph shows the variation with time t of the horizontal force F exerted on a
tennis ball by a racket.

The tennis ball was stationary at the instant when it was hit. The mass of the
tennis ball is 5.8 × 10–2 kg. The area under the curve is 0.84 N s.

(a) Calculate the speed of the ball as it leaves the racket. [2]

(b) Show that the average force exerted on the ball by the racket is
about 50 N. [2]

(c) Determine, with reference to the work done by the average

force, the horizontal distance travelled by the ball while it was
in contact with the racket. [3]

(d) Draw a graph to show the variation with t of the horizontal

speed v of the ball while it was in contact with the racket.
Numbers are not required on the axes.
 [2]

4. [Maximum mark: 20]

A cylindrical cork of height H and cross-sectional area A is floating stationary in
water. Its depth below the water surface is D.

(a.i) Draw and label the forces acting on the cork. [1]

([Link]) Show that

D ρC
=
H ρW

where ρC is the density of the cork and ρW is the density of

water. [2]

The cork is displaced downward by a force. It is then released and it oscillates.

(b) Outline why the cork undergoes simple harmonic motion. [2]
(c.i) Explain why the density of most substances in a solid state is
larger than its density in a liquid state. [2]

Water shows an anomaly with respect to what is stated in (c)(i).

Graph 1 shows the variation with temperature of the density of water between
−100 °C and 100 °C. Graph 2 shows the same graph enlarged for the range 0 to
10 °C.

Graph 1

Graph 2
([Link]) Identify the temperature at which water has its maximum
density. [1]

(d) An icebreaking ship is designed to withstand a collision with an

iceberg, a large partially submerged body of ice freely floating
in water. The designers model the shape of the iceberg as a
cylinder with an approximate cross-sectional area of 4200 m2
and height above sea level of 32 m.

The following data are available:

ρice = 920 kg m−3

ρseawater = 1030 kg m−3
(d.i) Show that the mass of the iceberg is about 1.2 × 109 kg. [2]

The designers assume that the mass of the ship is about 1

40
the mass of the
iceberg and is moving at 12 m s−1 when it collides with the iceberg. They stick
together after the collision.

([Link]) Calculate the speed of the ship after the collision. [2]

Ice in a still lake will usually form in a single layer on the surface.

(e) On a winter day, the surface of a lake is frozen. The temperature

of the air above the lake is −6.0 °C. The layer of ice frozen on the
 surface of the lake has a thickness of 1.9 cm.

(e.i) The thermal conductivity of ice is 2.3 W m−1 K−1. Calculate the
rate per unit area at which thermal energy leaves the lake by
conduction through the ice layer. [2]

([Link]) The depth of water below the ice is 22 m and its average initial
temperature is 2.0 °C. Estimate the minimum thermal energy per
unit area that must be removed to freeze all the water in the
lake.

The following data are available:

Specific heat
= 4.2 × 103 J kg−1 K−1
capacity of water
Latent heat of
= 3.3 × 105 J kg−1
fusion of water
ρwater = 1000 kg m−3
[3]

Layers of ice on lakes do not grow thicker than a small percentage of the lake’s
depth even when the exterior temperature remains constant below the freezing
point for some time.

([Link]) Explain how the rate calculated in (e)(i) changes as the layer of
ice grows thicker. [1]

([Link]) Discuss why the anomaly in the value of the density of water
supports life in water on Earth. [2]

5. [Maximum mark: 6]
(a) A car of mass 1600 kg accelerates from rest.

The graph shows how the resultant force F acting in the

direction of motion of the car varies with the distance d
 travelled by the car.

(a.i) State what is represented by the area under the graph. [1]

([Link]) Calculate the final speed of the car. [2]

A different car travels on a horizontal road at a constant speed of 45 m s−1. The

engine of the car develops a power of 140 kW. The resistive force Fd acting on the
car is given by

Fd = cv2

where v is the speed of the car and c is a constant.

(b) Determine c. State the fundamental SI unit for your answer. [3]

6. [Maximum mark: 13]

(a) In a “loop-the-loop” toy, a car of mass 0.12 kg is released from
rest. The initial position of the car is 45 cm above level ground.
The radius of the circular loop is 15 cm. The car reaches the top
 of the loop at position P. Frictional and air resistance forces are
negligible.

(a.i) Show that the speed of the car at P is 1.7 m s−1. [2]

([Link]) Determine the normal force exerted by the loop on the car at P. [3]

([Link]) State why the car stays in contact with the loop. [1]

(b) At point A the car collides with a block of mass 0.18 kg and
sticks to it. After the collision, the car and the block move
together with speed 1.2 m s−1.

(b.i) Calculate the speed of the car just before it collides with the
block. [2]

([Link]) The surface from A to B is rough and the combined car and
block come to rest at B. The distance AB is 0.20 m. Determine the
rate of change of momentum of the combined car and block
from A to B.
 [3]

([Link]) Calculate the dynamic coefficient of friction between the rough

surface and the combined car and block. [2]

7. [Maximum mark: 6]
A stationary ball is hanging from a light string. A pellet from an air rifle is
travelling horizontally and becomes embedded in the ball. The velocity of the
pellet when it strikes the ball is 160 m s−1.

The following data are given.

Mass of the ball = 250 g

Mass of the pellet = 2.0 g

(a) Calculate the speed of the ball and the pellet immediately after
the impact. [2]

(b) Suggest why the combined kinetic energy of the ball and the
pellet after the impact is less than the initial kinetic energy of
the pellet. [2]

The ball with the embedded pellet rises to a maximum vertical height h.
 (c) Draw and label the free-body diagram for the ball at height h.

[2]

8. [Maximum mark: 5]
A student throws a ball towards a wall. The ball is released from a point 1.8 m
above the ground and 8.0 m from the wall. The initial velocity of the ball makes
an angle of 48° with the horizontal. Air resistance is negligible.
The diagram shows the initial path of the ball. P is a point on the path.

(a) Draw, on the diagram, an arrow to show

 (a.i) the velocity of the ball at P. Label this arrow v. [1]

([Link]) the acceleration of the ball at P. Label this arrow a. [1]

The ball takes 1.3 s to reach the wall. The initial speed of the ball is 9.2 m s−1.

(b) Determine the height above the ground at which the ball hits
the wall. [3]

9. [Maximum mark: 6]
A probe of mass m has landed on the equator of a rotating asteroid of mass M
and radius R.

The asteroid rotates with angular speed ω.

(a) By drawing a free-body diagram for the probe, show that the
normal force, N, on the probe from the asteroid is given by N = m(
GM

R
2
−ω2R).
 [2]

(b) Another probe orbits the Sun.

(b.i) The distance between the probe and the Sun is 4 times the
distance between the Earth and the Sun. Show that the
intensity of the solar radiation at the surface of the probe is 85
W m−2. [2]

([Link]) Estimate the equilibrium temperature of the probe assuming it

behaves as a black body. [2]

10. [Maximum mark: 15]

A toy rocket is made from a plastic bottle that contains some water.

Air is pumped into the vertical bottle until the pressure inside forces water and
air out of the bottle. The bottle then travels vertically upwards.

The air–water mixture is called the propellant.

The variation with time of the vertical velocity of the bottle is shown.

The bottle reaches its highest point at time T1 on the graph and returns to the
ground at time T2. The bottle then bounces. The motion of the bottle after the
bounce is shown as a dashed line.
(a) Estimate, using the graph, the maximum height of the bottle. [3]

(b) Estimate the acceleration of the bottle when it is at its maximum

height. [2]

(c) The bottle bounces when it returns to the ground.

(c.i) Calculate the fraction of the kinetic energy of the bottle that
remains after the bounce. [2]

([Link]) The mass of the bottle is 27 g and it is in contact with the

ground for 85 ms.

Determine the average force exerted by the ground on the

bottle. Give your answer to an appropriate number of
significant figures. [3]

(d) After a second bounce, the bottle rotates about its centre of
mass. The bottle rotates at 0.35 revolutions per second.
 The centre of mass of the bottle is halfway between the base
and the top of the bottle. Assume that the velocity of the centre
of mass is zero.

Calculate the linear speed of the top of the bottle. [3]

(e) The maximum height reached by the bottle is greater with an

air–water mixture than with only high-pressure air in the bottle.

Assume that the speed at which the propellant leaves the bottle
is the same in both cases.

Explain why the bottle reaches a greater maximum height with

an air–water mixture. [2]

© International Baccalaureate Organization, 2026