AP Physics 1 : Specific Forces

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Physics 1

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Example Questions

Example Question #688 : Newtonian Mechanics

Consider the following scenario:

Sledder

A sledder of mass  is at the stop of a sledding hill at height  with a slope of angle .

The sledder has a mass  and . If the gravitational force in the direction of the sledders movement is , what is the force of kinetic friction? Neglect air resistance or any other frictional forces.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In order to determine the normal force, we are going to need the angle of the hill, which we can calculate from the gravitational force that we are given. The vertical force of gravity is:

Its component in the direction of the sledder's movement is:

If you're wondering why sin was used, think about the situation practically. As the angle grows, the hill gets steeper, and there will be more gravitational force in the direction of acceleration. Sine is the function that gets larger as the angle gets larger.

No rearranging for the angle:

Plugging in the values from the problem statement:

Now we can use the FUN equation to determine the kinetic frictional force:

Now we need an expression for the normal force, which is the gravitational force multiplied by cosine:

Once again, if you're unsure why we used cosine, think about the situation practically. As the hill gets flatter (angle decreased), the normal force grows, and cos is the function that gets larger as the angle gets smaller. Now substituting this into the FUN equation, we get:

We have all of our values, so we can solve the problem:

Example Question #689 : Newtonian Mechanics

Consider the following scenario:

Sledder

A sledder of mass  is at the stop of a sledding hill at height  with a slope of angle .

If a  sledder is being towed by a rope up a hill with a slope  at a constant velocity, what is the force being applied by the tow rope? Neglect air resistance.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Since the problem statement tells us that the sledder is traveling at a constant velocity, we know that the net force on the sledder is 0:

Now, we simply need to balance the 3 forces acting on the sledder: gravity, friction, and the tow rope. It's important to not that the force from the rope is up the hill, and the forces of gravity and friction are down the hill. In other words:

Beginning with the gravitational force, we have:

However, we need the component that is parallel with the sledder's motion:

If you're wondering why sine was used, think about the situation practically. As the angle grows, the hill gets steeper, and there will be more gravitational force in the direction of acceleration. Sin is the function that gets larger as the angle gets larger.

Now moving on to the frictional force. We will use the FUN equation:

We need an expression for the normal force, which is a component of the gravitational force:

Once again, if you're unsure why we used cosine, think about the situation practically. As the hill gets flatter (angle decreased), the normal force grows, and cos is the function that gets larger as the angle gets smaller. Now substituting this into the FUN equation, we get:

Substituting our expanding forces back into equation (1):

We have all of these values, so time to finish the problem:

Example Question #21 : Force Of Friction

The force of friction, , points always points along which direction?

Possible Answers:

 can point in any direction relative to a surface.

 points perpendicular to the direction of motion.

 always points opposite of the direction of motion, or intended direction of motion.

 points along the direction of motion.

Correct answer:

 always points opposite of the direction of motion, or intended direction of motion.

Explanation:

By definition, , always points opposite of the objects direction of motion.  If the object is not moving, but an applied force  is attempted to move the object along a particular direction,  points opposite of the intended direction.

Example Question #721 : Ap Physics 1

Assuming that the brakes are locked up and thus all friction is kinetic, what does the coefficient of friction need to be for a  car traveling at in ?

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Use the following experience:

All energy will be kinetic, and final energy will be zero as the car has stopped.

Using the definition of the force of friction. (Frictional force points in the direction opposite of travel, so will be a negative value)

Solving for

Plugging in values

Example Question #121 : Specific Forces

How will changing the amount of surface area in contact between two surfaces affect friction?

Possible Answers:

It depends on the surfaces involved

Increasing surface area will increase friction

It is unaffected

Increasing surface area will increase friction to a point, then decrease it

Increasing surface area will decrease friction

Correct answer:

It is unaffected

Explanation:

Frictional force is independent of surface area, it only depends on the normal force and the coefficient of friction.

Example Question #732 : Ap Physics 1

 box is in a moving bus. When the bus is moving at  and goes around a corner with a radius of , the force is just enough to cause the box to “move to the outside” of the bus. Determine the coefficient of static friction between the floor and the box.

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Right when the box starts to slide, the magnitude of the frictional force is equal to the magnitude of the centripetal force.

Using the definition of frictional force.

Solving for

Plugging in values:

Example Question #733 : Ap Physics 1

What coefficient of friction would be needed to stop a box sliding across a level surface at in ?

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Solving for :

Plugging in values:

Example Question #734 : Ap Physics 1

Ramp force diagram

 box starts sliding down an adjustable ramp when the angle has reached . Determine the coefficient of friction between the box and the ramp.

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

By constructing a force diagram, it can be seen that:

Right when the box starts to move, these will be equal

Solving for

Plugging in values:

Example Question #21 : Force Of Friction

Pulley with friction

2 masses are connected by a pulley as demonstrated by the image above. The weight of mass 1 is  and and the weight of mass 2 is . The coefficient of static friction between mass 1 and the block it rests on is  and the coefficient of kinetic friction between the 2 surfaces is . The system is not drawn to scale. 

How fast will mass 1 be accelerating in this system?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Because the mass of object 1 is given, the force acting on it must be found in order to figure out how fast it is accelerating. These 3 variables are related by the equation:

There are 2 forces acting on mass 1. The first force is the tension in the rope. This tension is equal to the magnitude of the gravitational force created by object 2. This can be found using the equation:

where g is the gravity constant which is equal to 

The other force acting on the object is friction. The force of friction can be found by multiplying the normal force exerted by the object on the surface that it is resting on by the coefficient of friction. This is demonstrated by the equation:

Where  is the coefficient of friction and N is the normal force. Static friction is the force of friction acting on an object that is not moving. because the magnitude of the force of static friction would not be as great as the magnitude of the force of tension in the rope the object would be moving. Because the object is moving, kinetic friction would be the other force that is acting on mass 1. Kinetic friction represents the friction exerted on an object that is moving on a surface. 

Because there are 2 forces acting on this object, a free body diagram can be made to illustrate these forces. 

Fbd

T represents tension in the rope while F represents friction. The total net force can be found by subtracting the force of friction from the magnitude of tension in the rope. 

Acceleration of mass 1 can now be figured out because the force acting on the object has been found and the mass is given.

Example Question #22 : Force Of Friction

Pulley with friction

Mass 1 weighs  and mass 2 weighs .

What would be the minimum coefficient of static friction between mass 1 and the surface that would cause mass 1 to not slide in this system?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In order for mass 1 to remain stationary while mass 2 is experiencing free fall, the magnitude of the force of static friction acting on mass 1 must be greater than the magnitude of the force of tension in the rope that is created by mass 2. The force of tension in the rope is equal to the gravitational force that is created by mass 2. This force can be found using the equation:

The minimum coefficient of static friction would create a force in the opposite direction that has the same magnitude as the force found above. Force of static friction is equal to the coefficient static friction between an object and surface multiplied by the normal force exerted by the object being analyzed. This is represented by the following equation:

Where  is the coefficient of static friction and N is normal force. Normal force in this problem would be equal to the mass of object 1 multiplied by the gravity constant. By setting the 2 equations above equal to each other, minimum coefficient of static friction can be found. 

After plugging in given values,

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