Unit 2-Acceleration

Rollball Activity

Use the following website to do the Rollball Activity:

http://www.wsst.org/applet/applet.html

1) Check each of the sets of tracks and sketch predictions for the shapes of the motion map, x-t, v-t
and a-t graphs. Predictions must be done prior to running the applet!!!
2) After completing your predictions, run the applet for each question.
3) Construct the appropriate x-t, v-t and a-t graphs for each question.
4) If you finish early you may create your own tracks and explore their x-t, v-t and a-t graphs.

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 Unit II: WS 1
Given the following position vs time graphs, sketch the corresponding velocity vs time and
acceleration vs time graphs.

For the following velocity vs time graphs, draw the corresponding position vs time and acceleration vs time
graphs.
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 UNIT II: Worksheet 2
While cruising along a dark stretch of highway with the cruise control set at 25 m/s (≈55 mph), you
see, at the fringes of your headlights, that a bridge has been washed out. You apply the brakes and come to
a stop in 4.0s. Assume the clock starts the instant you hit the brakes.

1. Construct a motion map that represents the motion map, v-t and a-t graph

2. Determine how far the car traveled during braking. (Please explain your problem solving
method.)
3. Determine the acceleration. (Please explain your problem solving method.)

This time, while cruising along a dark stretch of highway at 30 m/s (≈65 mph), you see, at the
fringes of your headlights, some roadkill on the highway. It takes you 0.5 s to react, then you apply the
brakes and come to a stop 3.5s later. Assume the clock starts the instant you see the hazard.

1. Construct a motion map, v-t and a-t graph.

2. Determine how far the car traveled during braking. (Please explain your problem solving
method.)

3. Determine the acceleration. (Please explain your problem solving method.)

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 UNIT II: Worksheet 3

1. The graph below represents the motion of an object.

C
A

D t

E
G

a. At what point(s) on the graph above is the object moving most slowly? (How do you know?)

b. Over what intervals on the graph above is the object speeding up? (How do you know?)

c. Over what intervals on the graph above is the object slowing down? (How do you know?)

d. At what point(s) on the graph above is the object changing direction? (How do you know?)

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2. A stunt car driver testing the use of air bags drives a car at a constant speed of 25 m/s for a total of
100m.
He applies his brakes and accelerates uniformly to a stop just as he reaches a wall
50. m away.

a. How long does it take for the car to travel the first 100.m?

b. How long must the brakes be applied for the car to come to a stop in 50 m?

c. What acceleration is provided by the brakes? How do you know?

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 UNIT II: Worksheet 4
1. A poorly tuned Geo Metro can accelerate from rest to a speed of 28 m/s in 20 s.

a) What is the average acceleration of the car?

b) What distance does it travel in this time?

2. At t = 0 a car has a speed of 30 m/s. At t = 6 s, its speed is 14 m/s.

What is its average acceleration during this time interval?

3. A bear spies some honey and takes off from rest, accelerating at a rate of 2.0 m/s2.
If the honey is 16 m away, how fast will his snout be going when it reaches the treat?

4. A bus moving at 20 m/s (t = 0) slows at a rate of 4 m/s each second.

a) How long does it take the bus to stop?
b) How far does it travel while braking?
5. A physics student skis down a hill, accelerating at a constant
2.0 m/s2.
If it takes her 15 s to reach the bottom, what is the length of the
slope?

6. A dog runs down his driveway with an initial speed of 5 m/s for 8 s,
then uniformly increases his speed to 10 m/s in 5 s.
a) What was his acceleration during the 2nd part of the motion?
b) How long is the driveway?

7. A mountain goat starts a rock slide and the rocks crash down the
slope 100 m.
If the rocks reach the bottom in 5 s, what is their acceleration?

8. A car whose initial speed is 30 m/s slows uniformly to 10 m/s in 5 seconds.

a) Determine the acceleration of the car.
b) Determine the distance it travels in the 3rd second

(t = 2s to t = 3s).

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 UNIT II: Worksheet 5
1. Answer the following questions about the
velocity/time graph to the right.
a) Describe a situation that would fit the graph
to the right. (Invent a scenario.)

velocity (m/s)
0
time (s)

b) What units will the slope have? What does the slope tell you about the object’s motion? How do you know?
Explain

d) Draw a vertical line from the end of the line on your graph down to the x-axis. How would you calculate the
area of that shape?

e) What are the units of the area? How do you know? What do you think the area of a velocity/time graph tells
you? Explain your reasoning.

f) Does the graph tell you where the object is? Explain.

2. Answer the following questions about the

acceleration/time graph above.
acceleration (m/s2)

a) Describe a situation that would fit the graph

to the right. (Invent a scenario.)
0
time (s)

b) Draw a vertical line from the end of the line on your graph down to the x-axis. How would you calculate the
area of that shape?
 c) What units would the area have? What does the area tell you? How do you know? Explain.

d) Does the graph tell you how fast the object is moving? Explain

e) What do you think the area of an acceleration/time graph tells you? Explain your reasoning.

Now we will try some problems using the principles discussed above. The problems on this worksheet are to be solved
using graphs, even if you are able to solve them algebraically. Your first step is to sketch the graph or graphs needed to
solve the problem. When you sketch the graph, mark in the key values as shown below.
A object accelerates from 5 m/s
to 10 m/s in 10s and travels at
that speed for 15 s.
A ball rolls down a .50m ramp An object accelerates at 5 m/s2
in 10s 10 for 2.5 s.
.5 5
5
x (m)

vel (m/s)

acc (m/s2)
0
10 25 time 0
2.5 time (s)
(s)
0
10 time (s)

3. Juan Adanz pedals his bicycle from rest to a speed of 15 m/s in 3.0 s.
a) What was his average acceleration?

b) How far did he travel? c) Sketch an x/t and an a/t graph for the trip.
a (m/s2)
x (m)

0 0
time (s) time (s)

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4. Anita Life is driving her car at 20m/s and brakes to a stop in 3.5 s. (For this problem, only consider
the time she was stopping.
a) What was her average acceleration while stopping?

b) How far did she travel while stopping? c) Sketch an x/t and an a/t graph for the trip.

a (m/s2)
x (m)
d) What decision did you have to make to do part c?

0 0
time (s) time (s)

5. Clara Nett starts at rest and accelerates to 20 m/s in 5.0 s after which she travels at 20m/s for 10 s.
a) How far did she travel in the 15 seconds?

b) What was her average acceleration c) Sketch an x/t and an a/t graph for the trip.
for the first 5.0s?
a (m/s2)
x (m)

0 0
time (s) time (s)

6. A bus speeds up at a rate of 2.0 m/s2 for 5.0 s.

a) What was the change in velocity for the bus?

b) If the bus was moving at 10 m/s before accelerating, how far did it travel while accelerating?

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 7. Harry Back drives his car at 15m/s for 10 s and then slows to 5.0 m/s in 4.0 s.
a) How far did he travel in the 14 seconds?

b) What was his average acceleration c) Sketch an x/t and an a/t graph for the trip.
for the last 4.0 s?

a (m/s2)
x (m)

0 0
time (s) time (s)
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8. A bus travels at 6.0 m/s for 20 s and then speeds up at a rate of 2.0 m/s for 4.0 s.
a) What was the change in velocity for the bus?

b) If the bus was located at position 50 m at time 0 s, where is the bus after the 24 s?

9. An elevator goes from rest to 2.0 m/s in 1.0 s after which it travels at a constant speed for 5.0 s and then it stops in
2.0 s.
a) How far did the elevator travel in the 8.0 s?
a (m/s2)
x (m)

b) Sketch the position/time graph and an acceleration/time

graph for the elevator’s trip.

0 0
time time
(s) (s)
c) What assumption have you made about the elevator’s trip? What alternate assumption could you have made?

d) Sketch the three motion graphs for the opposite assumption

a (m/s2)
v (m/s)
x (m)

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0 0 0
time (s) time (s)
 Ball Toss Questions

1) A ball is dropped from a height of 5m.

2) A ball is dropped from a height of 10m.

3) A ball is tossed up at 4m/s and lands 2 sec later.

4) A ball is tossed up at 4 m/s and has a speed of 8m/s right before it hits the ground.

5) A ball is thrown down from 30m above the ground and lands 2 sec later.

6) A ball was thrown up from a 30m above the ground and lands 6 sec later.

7) A student throws his worthless lab partner off a 120 m high bridge with an initial downward speed of 10 m/s.

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