October 15, 2009

Physics 130 - a

Dr. Schmidt
Midterm 1

Write you name on the cover of the blue book. Put all your answers in the blue book. Start a new page for each
problem. Partial credit will be given for incomplete answers. At the conclusion of the exam fold this exam in half and
place in your blue book and turn in your blue book.
(15 points) A ball is thrown straight up with some initial vertical velocity vyo. Which of the following

statements are correct? Assume air friction to be negligible.

a) The speed of the ball at the highest point in the trajectory is zero.
b) The acceleration of the ball as it rises is in the upward direction.
c) The acceleration of the ball at the highest point in the trajectory is zero.
d) The speed of the ball when it returns to the thrower will be the same as the
initial speed.
e) A lighter ball will go higher than a heavier ball given the same initial launch
speed
2. (15 points) For the figure shown of a spring scale weighing a mass with the free body
diagrams of each part shown in the adjacent figure identify which of the following pairs of
forces represent the principle of action-reaction. The system is at rest.
a) mg and T1
b) T1 and T1
c) T1 and T2
d) T2 and T2
e) T2 and F

F
F
T2

T2

T1 T1

m
mg

3. A.(10 points) Briefly discuss the relation between the velocity and acceleration of an
object in one dimension. How would one, in principle if not in actuality, obtain the
instantaneous acceleration of an object given detailed information about the velocity as a function of time?

mg

B.(5 points) Can the velocity of an object be zero when its acceleration is not? Give an example.
4. (15 points) An airport taxi driver knows that he can make it to the airport from Evanston in 30 minutes traveling at
a speed of 80.0 km/hr. Half way there he encounters a Columbus Day parade and has to wait 5.0 minutes for the
parade to pass. Once he is going again what minimum speed will get him to the airport at the same time he would
have arrived without having to pause for the parade?

5. (15 points) Comedian Lou Costello claimed that the horse he bet on was so slow, they measured his speed in
furlongs per fortnight. A furlong is about 201.2 meters and a fortnight is 2 weeks. What was the speed in meters
per second of 1 furlong per fortnight? A week is 7 days, 1 day is 24 hrs, 1 hour is 3600 seconds
6. (15 points) A speeder moving at 140 km/hr passes a patrol car moving at 80 km/hr. The officer instantly accelerates
at a uniform rate of 7.5 m/s2 until he overtakes the speeder (matches the position of the speeder but not necessarily
going at the same speed). 1km = 1000m, 1hr = 3600 s
a) (5 points How long does this take?
b) (5 points) How much distance is needed as measured from the initial position of the patrol car?
c) (5 points) How fast in km/hr is the patrol car moving when it overtakes the speeder?
7. (15 points) In an accidental death investigation n where a flower vase dropped onto a pedestrian killing him, a 4.8
kg vase fell from the ledge of a balcony 56.2 m above the street. From the damage the pot made on it s victim,
who was 1.4 m tall, it was estimated that the speed with which it struck the man was 38 m/s. Does this support the
accident theory or was the vase thrown presumably with purpose. If so, with what velocity and direction up or
down?