Physics Class-11

Chapter
03 Translatory Motion
SHORT QUESTION AND ANSWERS
1. What is translatory motion?
Ans: Translatory motion is the movement of an object where every point of the
object moves in the same direction and at the same speed, without any
rotation. It can be linear (straight-line motion) or curvilinear (along a curved
path).
2. What is the difference between translatory and rotatory motion?
Ans: In translatory motion, all parts of the object move in the same direction, while
in rotatory motion the object moves around a fixed axis, and different points on
the object move in circular paths.
3. What is linear motion?
Ans: Linear motion is a type of translatory motion where an object moves along a
straight line.
4. What is curvilinear motion?
Ans: Curvilinear motion is a type of translatory motion where an object moves along
a curved path.
5. What is displacement in translatory motion?
Ans: Displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and final positions of
an object in motion, measured in a straight line. It is a vector quantity with both
magnitude and direction.
6. What is the difference between distance and displacement?
Ans: Distance is the total path length traveled by an object, while displacement is the
shortest distance between the initial and final positions including direction.
7. What is velocity in translatory motion?
Ans: Velocity is the rate of change of displacement with respect to time. It is a vector
quantity with both magnitude and direction.

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8. What is speed in translatory motion?

Ans: Speed is the rate of change of distance with respect to time. It is a scalar
quantity with only magnitude.
9. What is acceleration in translatory motion?
Ans: Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. It is a vector
quantity and can occur to a change in speed, direction or both
10. What is uniform translatory motion?
Ans: Uniform translatory motion refers to motion at a constant speed in a straight
line, where the acceleration is zero.
11. What is non-uniform translatory motion?
Ans: Non-uniform translatory motion refers to motion where the speed or direction
of the object changes over time, resulting in acceleration.
12. What is Newton’s First Law of Motion in relation to translatory motion?
Ans: Newton’s First Law, also known as the Law of Inertia, states that an object will
remain at rest or in uniform translatory motion in a straight line unless acted
upon by an external force.
13. What is inertia in translatory motion?
Ans: Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. It
depends on the mass of the object – the greater the mass, the greater the
inertia.
14. What is the relationship between force, mass and acceleration in translatory
motion?
Ans: According to Newton’s Second Law of Motion, force is equal to mass multiplied
by acceleration (F = ma). This means that the acceleration of an object is directly
proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.
15. What is momentum in translatory motion?
Ans: Momentum is a vector quantity defined as the product of an object’s mass and
its velocity (p = mv). It describes the quantity of motion an object has.
16. What is the principle of conservation of momentum in translatory motion?
Ans: The principle states that the total momentum of a closed system remains
constant if no external forces act on it. This is true for collisions and explosions.

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17. What is projectile motion?

Ans: Projectile motion is a form of translatory motion where an object is thrown or
projected into the air and moves under the influence of gravity. It follows a
parabolic trajectory.
18. What is free fall?
Ans: Free fall is a type of translatory motion where an object moves under the
influence of gravity alone, with no other forces acting on it (e.g air resistance is
negligible)
19. What is the significance of a velocity-time graph in translatory motion?
Ans: A velocity-time graph shows how the velocity of an object changes over time.
The slope of the graph represents acceleration, and the area under the curve
represents displacement.
20. What is terminal velocity?
Ans: Terminal velocity is the maximum constant velocity reached by an object when
the force of gravity is balanced by the opposing force of air resistance, resulting
in zero acceleration.
21. What is the difference between static and kinetic friction in translatory
motion?
Ans: Static friction acts on an object at rest, preventing it from moving, while kinetic
friction acts on an object in motion, opposing its movement.
22. What is the role of friction in translatory motion?
Ans: Friction opposes the relative motion between two surfaces in contact, affecting
the speed and direction of an object in translatory motion.
23. What is the difference between elastic and inelastic collisions in translatory
motion?
Ans: In an elastic collision, both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. In an
elastic collision, momentum is conserved, but kinetic energy is not.
24. What is the center of mass in translatory motion?
Ans: The center of mass is the point where the entire mass of an object or system is
considered to be concentrated. In translatory motion, the center of mass moves
as if all external forces were applied at that point.

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25. What is the difference between rectilinear and curvilinear translatory

motion?
Ans: Rectilinear translatory motion occurs along a straight line, while curvilinear
translatory motion occurs along a curved path. Both are types of translatory
motion.
26. What is projectile motion?
Ans: Projectile motion is the motion of an object thrown or projected into the air,
moving under the influence of gravity alone. It follows a curved (parabolic)
trajectory.
27. What are the two components of projectile motion?
Ans: The two components of projectile motion are:
 Horizontal motion: Constant velocity (no acceleration)
 Vertical motion: Accelerated motion due to gravity
28. What is the shape of the trajectory of a projectile?
Ans: The trajectory of a projectile is a parabola.
29. What is the acceleration of a projectile in the horizontal direction?
Ans: The horizontal acceleration is zero because there is no force acting horizontally
(ignoring air resistance)
30. What is the acceleration of a projectile in the vertical direction?
Ans: The vertical acceleration is equal to the acceleration due to gravity (g = 9.8 m/s2
downward)
31. What is the horizontal velocity of the projectile?
Ans: The horizontal velocity remains constant throughout the motion because there
I no horizontal acceleration.
32. What happens to the vertical velocity of a projectile during its flight?
Ans: The vertical velocity changes due to gravity. It decreases as the projectile rises,
becomes zero at the maximum height, and then increases in the downward
direction as it falls.
33. What is the velocity of a projectile at its maximum height?
Ans: At the maximum height, the vertical velocity is zero, but the horizontal velocity
remains constant.

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34. What is the angle of projection for maximum range?

Ans: The maximum range of a projectile is achieved when the angle of projection is
45 (assuming no air resistance)
35. What is the range of a projectile?
Ans: The range is the horizontal distance traveled by the projectile from the point of
projection to the point where it hits the ground.
36. What is the time of flight of a projectile?
Ans: The time of flight is the total time taken by the projectile to return to the same
horizontal level from which it was projected.
37. What is the formula for the maximum height of a projectile?
Ans: The maximum height (H) is given by:
where us is the initial velocity, __ is the angle of projection, and g is the
acceleration due to gravity.
38. What is the formula for the range of a projectile?
Ans: The range ___ is given by: __ is the angle of projection, and g is the acceleration
due to gravity.
39. What happens to the range of a projectile if the angle of projection is increase
by 45?
Ans: The range decreases if the angle of projection is increased beyond 45 because
the horizontal component of velocity decreases.
40. What is the effect of air resistance on projectile motion?
Ans: Air resistance reduces the range, maximum height, and time of flight of a
projectile by opposing its motion.
41. What is the initial vertical velocity of a projected launched horizontally?
Ans: The initial vertical velocity is zero for a horizontally launched projectile.
42. What is the relationship between the time of ascent and the time of decent?
Ans: The time of ascent (time to reach maximum height) is equal to the time of
decent (time to fall back to the ground) in the absence of air resistance.

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43. What is the velocity of a projectile just before it hits the ground?
Ans: The velocity just before hitting the ground is equal in magnitude to the initial
velocity but directed at an angle below the horizontal.
44. What is the angle of projection for maximum height?
Ans: The maximum height is achieved when the angle of project is 90 (vertical
projection)
45. What is the horizontal range of a projectile when launched at 30 and 60?
Ans: The horizontal range is the same for angles of projection that are
complementary (e.g., 30 and 60) because 2__ is the same for both angles.
46. What is the law of conservation of momentum?
Ans: The law states that the total momentum of a closed system remains constant
if no external forces act on it. In other words, momentum is conserved in the
absence of external forces.
47. What is momentum?
Ans: Momentum is a vector quantity defined as the product of an object’s mass and
its velocity (p = mv).
48. What is a closed system?
Ans: A closed system is a collection of objects that do not interact with anything
outside the system. No external forces act on the system.
49. Is momentum conserved in all types of collisions?
Ans: Yes, momentum is conserved in all types of collisions (elastic and inelastic) as
long as no external forces act on the system.
50. What is the difference between elastic and inelastic collisions in terms of
momentum?
Ans: In both elastic and inelastic collisions, momentum is conserved. However, in
elastic collisions, kinetic energy is also conserved, while in elastic collisions
kinetic energy is not conserved.
51. What is the example of the conservation of momentum in daily life?
Ans: When a person jumps off a boat, the boat moves backward. The total
momentum of the person and the boat remains zero before and after the jump.

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52. What happens to the momentum of two objects after a collision?

Ans: The total momentum of the two objects before the collision is equal to the total
momentum after the collision, provided no external forces act on the system.
53. Can momentum be lost?
Ans: No, momentum cannot be lost in a closed system. It can only be transferred
between objects.
54. What is the formula for the conservation of momentum?
Ans: For two objects colliding, the conservation of momentum is expressed as:

where m1, m2 are masses, u1, u2 are initial velocities and v1, v2 are final velocities.
55. What is the role of external forces in the conservation of momentum?
Ans: External forces can change the total momentum of a system. The law of
conservation of momentum applies only when no external forces act on the
system.
56. What is an isolated system?
Ans: An isolated system is a system where no external forces act, and the total
momentum remains constant.
57. Does the conservation of momentum apply to explosions?
Ans: Yes, the conservation of momentum applies to explosions. The total
momentum of all fragments after the explosion is equal to the momentum
before the explosion.
58. What is the momentum of a system if the net external force is zero?
Ans: If the net external force is zero, the total momentum of the system remains
constant.
59. What is the relationship between impulse and momentum?
Ans: Impulse is the change in momentum of an object when a force is applied over a
time interval. It is given by J = p = F t
60. Can momentum be conserved in one direction but not in another?
Ans: Yes, momentum can be conserved in one direction if there are no external
forces acting in that direction, even if forces act in other directions.

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61. What is the momentum of a system before and after a perfectly inelastic
collision?
Ans: In a perfectly inelastic collision, the objects stick together after the collision. The
total momentum before the collision equals the total momentum after the
collision.
62. What is the significance of the conservation of momentum in rocket
propulsion?
Ans: In rocket propulsion, the conservation of momentum explains how rockets
move forward by ejecting exhaust gases backward. The momentum of the
rocket and gases is conserved.
63. What happens to the momentum of a system if two object with equal and
opposite momenta collide?
Ans: If two objects with equal and opposite momenta collide, the total momentum
of the system is zero before and after the collision.
64. What is the momentum of a stationary object?
Ans: The momentum of a stationary object is zero because its velocity is zero.
65. How does the conservation of momentum explain recoil in guns?
Ans: When a gun is fired, the bullet moves forward, and the gun recoils backward.
The total momentum of the gun and bullet system remains zero, conserving
momentum.
66. What is a collision?
Ans: A collision is an event where two or more objects exert forces on each other for
a short period of time, resulting in a change in their motion.
67. What is an elastic collision?
Ans: An elastic collision is a collision where both momentum and kinetic energy is
conserved.
68. What is an inelastic collision?
Ans: An inelastic collision is a collision where momentum is conserved, but kinetic
energy is not conserved.

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69. What is a perfectly inelastic collision?

Ans: A perfectly inelastic collision is a type of inelastic collision where the colliding
objects stick together after the collision and move as a single object.
70. Is momentum conserved in elastic collisions?
Ans: Yes, momentum is conserved in elastic collisions.
71. Is momentum conserved in inelastic collisions?
Ans: Yes, momentum is conserved in inelastic collisions.
72. Is kinetic energy conserved in elastic and inelastic collisions?
Ans: Kinetic energy is conserved in elastic collision but not in case of inelastic
collision. Some kinetic energy is converted into other forms of energy such as
heat or sound.
73. What happens to the total energy in a collision?
Ans: The total energy (including kinetic, potential and thermal etc) is always
conserved in a collision, but kinetic energy alone may not be conserved.
74. What is an example of an elastic collision?
Ans: A collision between two billiard balls or two steel balls is an example of an
elastic collision.
75. What is an example of an inelastic collision?
Ans: A car crash or a collision between two pieces of clay is an example of an inelastic
collision.
76. What is the coefficient of restitution?
Ans: The coefficient of restitution (e) is a measure of the elasticity of a collision. It is
the ratio of the relative velocity after the collision to the relative velocity before
the collision. For elastic collision e = 1; for inelastic collision: 0 < e < 1; and for
perfectly inelastic collisions e = 0.
77. What is the formula for the coefficient of restitution?
Ans: The coefficient of restitution (e) is given by:
e=

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78. What happens to the kinetic energy in a perfectly inelastic collision?

Ans: In a perfectly inelastic collision, the maximum amount of kinetic energy is lost,
and the colliding object stick together.
79. What is the final velocity of two objects in a perfectly inelastic collision?
Ans: The final velocity (vf) of two objects in a perfectly inelastic collision is given by:

where m1, m2 are masses and u1, u2 are initial velocities.

80. Can an inelastic collision be perfectly inelastic?
Ans: Yes, a perfectly inelastic collision is a special case of an inelastic collision where
the objects stick together after the collision.
81. What is the difference between elastic and inelastic collisions in terms of
energy?
Ans: In elastic collisions, kinetic energy is conserved, while in inelastic collisions
kinetic energy is not conserved (some energy is converted into other forms)
82. What is the condition for a collision to be elastic?
Ans: For a collision to be elastic, both momentum and kinetic energy must be
conserved.
83. What is the condition for a collision to be inelastic?
Ans: For a collision to be inelastic, momentum must be conserved, but kinetic energy
is not conserved.
84. What happens to the center of mass in a collision?
Ans: The center of mass of a system of colliding object continues to move with the
same velocity before and after the collision, as long as no external forces act on
the system.
85. What is the role of deformation in inelastic collisions?
Ans: In inelastic collisions, objects may deform, and some kinetic energy is converted
into potential energy of deformation, heat or sound.
86. Can a collision be both elastic and inelastic?
Ans: No, a collision cannot be both elastic or inelastic. It is either elastic (kinetic
energy conserved) or inelastic (kinetic energy not conserved).

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87. What is the significance of elastic collisions in physics?

Ans: Elastic collisions are important in physics because they help us understand the
conservation of momentum and kinetic energy in ideal systems.
88. What is the significance of inelastic collisions in real life?
Ans: Inelastic collisions are common in real-life scenarios, such as car crashes, where
kinetic energy is converted into other forms of energy and objects may deform
or stick together.
89. What is the difference between head-on and oblique collisions?
Ans: In a head-on collision, object collide directly along the line of motion, while in
an oblique collision, objects collide at an angle. Both types can be elastic or
inelastic.

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