Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES

nd
2 Semester S/Y 2024-2025
PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS

PRACTICE PROBLEMS: KINEMATICS. Solve the following problems. Kindly show your solutions.
KINEMATICS IN ONE DIMENSION

Problem 1: Two motorcycles are traveling due east with different velocities. However, four seconds later, they have the same
velocity. During this four-second interval, cycle A has an average acceleration of due east, while cycle B has an
average acceleration of due east. By how much did the speeds differ at the beginning of the four-second interval, and
which motorcycle was moving faster?

Problem 2: A car is traveling at a constant speed of on a highway. At the instant this car passes an entrance ramp, a
second car enters the highway from the ramp. These second car starts from the rest and has a constant acceleration. What
acceleration must it maintain, so that the two cars meet for the first time at the next exit, which is away?

Problem 3: A ball is thrown vertically upward, which is the positive direction. A little later it returns to its point of release. The
ball is in the air for a total time of . What is its initial velocity? Neglect air resistance.

Problem 4: A hot-air balloon is rising upward with a constant speed of . When the balloon is above the
ground, the balloonist accidentally drops a compass over the side of the balloon. How much time elapses before the compass
hits the ground?

Problem 5: The speedboat has a constant acceleration of . If the initial velocity of the boat is , find the
boat’s displacement after

Problem 6: A spacecraft is traveling with a velocity of . Suddenly the retrorockets are fired, and the spacecraft
begins to slow down with an acceleration whose magnitude is . What is the velocity of the spacecraft when the
displacement of the craft is , relative to the point where the retrorockets began firing?

Problem 7: A motorcycle ride consists of two segments. During segment 1, the motorcycle starts from rest, has an acceleration
of , and has a displacement of . Immediately after segment 1, the motorcycle enters segment 2 and begins
slowing down with an acceleration of until its velocity is . What is the displacement of the motorcycle
during segment 2?

Problem 8: An object is thrown straight upward, and later it is rising at a speed of . Assuming air resistance has no
effect on the object, calculate its speed:

(a) at launch and

(b) after the launch

Problem 9: An astronaut on a distant planet wants to determine its acceleration due to gravity. The astronaut throws a rock
straight up with a velocity of and measures a time of before the rock returns to his hand. What is the
acceleration (magnitude and direction) due to gravity on this planet?

Problem 10: A ball is thrown straight upward and rises to a maximum height of above its launch point. At what height
above its launch point has the speed of the ball decreased to one-half of its initial value?

KINEMATICS IN TWO DIMENSION

PROBLEM 11: A rocket is fired at a speed of 75.0 m/s from ground level, at an angle of 60.0° above the horizontal. The rocket is
fired toward an 11.0-m-high wall, which is located 27.0 m away. The rocket attains its launch speed in a negligibly short
period of time, after which its engines shut down and the rocket coasts. By how much does the rocket clear the top of the wall?

PROBLEM 12: A soccer player kicks the ball toward a goal that is 16.8 m in front of him. The ball leaves his foot at a speed of
16.0 m/s and an angle of 28.0° above the ground. Find the speed of the ball when the goalie catches it in front of the net.

Problem 13: A golfer hits a shot to a green that is elevated above the point where the ball is struck. The ball leaves the
club at a speed of at an angle of above the horizontal. It rises to its maximum height and then falls down to the
green. Ignoring air resistance, find the speed of the ball just before it lands.

Problem 14: A golf ball rolls off a horizontal cliff with an initial speed of . The ball falls a vertical distance of
into a lake below.
(a) How much time does the ball spend in the air?

(b) What is the speed of the ball just before it strikes the water?

Problem 15: A ball is thrown upward at a speed at an angle above the horizontal. It reaches a maximum height of .
How much high would this ball go if it were thrown straight upward at speed ?

Problem 16: A spacecraft is traveling with a velocity of along the direction. Two engines are turned on for
a time of . One engine gives the spacecraft an acceleration in the direction of , while the other gives it
an acceleration in the direction of . At the end of the firing, find:

(a) and

(b)

Problem 17: In the absence of air resistance, a projectile is launched from and returns to ground level. It follows a trajectory
and has a range of . Suppose the launch speed is doubled, and the projectile is fired at the same angle above the ground.
What is the new range?

Problem 18: A fire hose ejects a stream of water at an angle of above the horizontal. The water leaves the nozzle with a
speed of . Assuming that the water behaves like a projectile, how far from a building should the fire hose be located to
hit the highest possible fire?

Problem 19: After leaving the end of a ski ramp, a ski jumper lands downhill at a point that is displaced horizontally
from the end of the ramp. His velocity, just before landing, is and points in a direction below the horizontal.
Neglecting air resistance and any lift he experiences while airborne, find his initial velocity (magnitude and direction) when
he left the end of the ramp. Express the direction as an angle relative to the horizontal.

Problem 20: A projectile is launched from ground level at an angle of above the horizontal. It returns to ground level. To
what value should the launch angle be adjusted, without changing the launch speed, so that the range doubles?