SPH4U Sample Test – Kinematics
Modified True/False
Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false. If false, change the identified word or phrase to make the
sentence or statement true.
____ 1. The slopes of position-time, velocity-time, and acceleration-time graphs represent velocity, acceleration, and
displacement, respectively. _________________________
____ 2. Two siblings leave their house and walk to the same school taking different routes. One of the routes is
farther, but the siblings take the same time to reach the school. It can be said that the two siblings have the
same average velocity but different average speeds. _________________________
____ 3. A car drives with constant speed around a corner. If it enters the corner travelling west and leaves travelling
south, its acceleration through the turn is directed south-west. _________________________
____ 4. An object is thrown vertically upward. At the top of its flight, when its velocity is momentarily zero, its
acceleration is zero. _________________________
____ 5. If air resistance is negligible, the acceleration of all projectiles is exactly the same.
_________________________
____ 6. To achieve maximum range across a horizontal surface, the angle at which a projectile must be launched is
90
°
. _________________________
____ 7. Provided that a boat always points perpendicular to the current in a river, the time it takes the boat to cross is
independent of the strength of the current. _______________________________
____ 8. A boat points directly across a river and gets carried 15° downstream by the current. To land at a position
directly across the river from its starting point, the boat must point at an angle slightly less than 15
°
upstream.
______________________________
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 9. The slope of a line drawn tangent to a curved position-time graph represents
a. displacement d. acceleration
b. instantaneous velocity e. distance
c. average velocity
____ 10. An object is thrown vertically upward at 18 m/s from a window and hits the ground 1.6 s later. What is the
height of the window above the ground? (Air resistance is negligible.)
a. 3.7 m d. 37 m
b. 16 m e. 41 m
c. 21 m
____ 11. A jogger is running at 4.2 m/s when she begins to accelerate uniformly. If she runs a distance of 14 m in the
next 3.0 s, what is her new speed?
a. 17 m/s d. 5.1 m/s
b. 14 m/s e. 4.9 m/s
c. 7.7 m/s
____ 12. What distance does an object travel during a period of uniform acceleration (a = 2.5 m/s2) when its speed
changes from 35 m/s to 45 m/s?
a. 6.5 × 102 m d. 32 m
b. 3.2 × 102 m e. 2.0 m
c. 1.6 × 102 m
____ 13. The acceleration due to gravity on Earth
a. is the same at all locations on the surface of Earth
b. is greater for heavier objects
c. is greater at the equator and less at the poles
d. is the same at any two locations provided that the distance to the centre of Earth at those
locations is the same
e. varies slightly with latitude
____ 14. For a javelin thrower to maximize her throwing distance, she should release the javelin at an angle
a. of 45°
b. of less than 45°
c. of greater than 45°
d. dependent on the javelin’s speed upon release
e. dependent on the thrower’s strength
____ 15. A boat always points directly at the opposite shore while crossing a river. The time it will take to cross will be
a. less if the current is stronger
b. greater if the current is stronger
c. the same regardless of the current
d. dependent on the strength of the current
e. impossible to predict without more information
____ 16. A plane must fly to a destination located due north from its departure point. A gentle wind is blowing from
the south-west. What direction must the plane point to reach its destination?
a. north d. west
b. north-west e. east
c. north-east
Short Answer
17. These graphs represent the acceleration of two objects. Determine the acceleration of each object.
18. A steel ball, starting from rest, rolls down one slope and up another. It takes 2.5 s to reach the bottom of the
first slope, at which point its speed is 5.0 m/s. If the magnitude of the acceleration on the second slope is
exactly one-half that on the first slope, how long will it take for the ball to come to a stop on the second
slope?
19. From the v–t graph below, draw the corresponding d–t graph and a–t graph. (Assume that d1 = 0.)
Problem
20. A baseball is hit by a bat and given a velocity of 40.0 m/s at an angle of 30.0° above the horizontal. The height
of the ball above the ground upon impact with the bat is 1.0 m.
(a) What maximum height above the ground does the ball reach?
(b) A fielder is 110.0 m from home plate when the ball is hit and the ball’s trajectory is directly at him. If he
begins running at the moment the ball is hit and catches the ball when it is still 3.0 m above the ground, how
long does he run before catching the ball?
(c) How fast (average speed) does he have to run in order to catch the ball?
21. A man walks 600 m [E47°N], then 500 m [N38°W], then 300 m [W29°S], and finally 400 m [S13°E]. Find
his resultant displacement.
