Newton's Laws of Motion Practice Test

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• What is another name for Newton's Second Law?
• List the forces acting on a block resting on a horizontal surface with no vertical acceleration.
• In a non-inertial frame accelerating to the right with acceleration a, what is the fictitious force that appears on a mass m?
• Paddling a canoe demonstrates which law?
• A 10 kg block on a horizontal surface with μ_s = 0.4 and μ_k = 0.3 is at rest. If a horizontal force of 25 N is applied, will it move? If it does move, what is the acceleration using μ_k?
• The impulse applied to an object equals the change in its momentum. If a force acts on an object for time Δt, the impulse is J = F Δt. Which statement is correct?
• If two forces act to the right with magnitudes 12 N and 5 N, what is the net force and its direction?
• If the coefficient of friction is 0.20 and the normal force is 10 N, what is the frictional force?
• What is the maximum static friction value for a surface with normal force N and coefficient μ_s?
• A mass m on a horizontal surface experiences gravity mg downward, normal N upward, an applied force F to the right, and kinetic friction f_k to the left with f_k = μ_k N. If F > f_k, what is the acceleration?
• A cannonball shot forward and the cannon moves back demonstrates which law?
• Which sequence is a correct approach to solving a Newton's laws problem with multiple objects?
• An object weighs 8000 N on Earth, using g ≈ 10 m/s^2. What is its mass?
• An object with a mass of 2 kg experiences a net force of 6 N to the right. What is its acceleration?
• A 1000 kg car starts from rest and reaches 30 m/s in 5 s. What average force is required?
• A block of mass 2 kg on a horizontal surface experiences a constant horizontal force of 10 N. If μk = 0.3, what is the acceleration?
• What is the maximum static friction force for a block of mass 2 kg on a horizontal surface with μ_s = 0.4 and g = 9.8 m/s^2?
• What is the weight of a 0.611 kg mass on Earth? (Use g ≈ 9.8 m/s^2)
• Which law describes the interaction where one body pushes on another and experiences an equal and opposite response?
• The force that pulls objects downward toward Earth is called __________.
• If net force is zero, what happens to motion?
• Which statement best describes Newton's First Law?
• Which law applies when a ship fires a cannonball and the ship recoils?
• Which law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction?
• An object experiences a net force of 6 N to the right and has a mass of 2 kg. What is its acceleration?
• If you double the mass while applying the same net force, acceleration
• How is the acceleration of the center of mass of a system related to external forces?
• Which statement about friction is true when a block is at rest on a plane and static friction is in effect?
• Which law explains why a wagon with more mass requires more force to achieve the same acceleration?
• A 1 kg mass moves along a frictionless horizontal track with an applied force that linearly increases from 0 to 4 N over 2 s. What is the approximate change in momentum after 2 s?
• How do action-reaction pairs relate to Newton's third law in a push-pull scenario?
• For a mass-spring system with angular frequency ω, what is the period T of the motion?
• Which law explains why pushing a heavier cart requires more force to achieve the same acceleration as a lighter cart?
• Which law explains that a soccer ball will not move until it is kicked?
• A 2 kg object accelerates to the right at 4 m/s^2. What is the net force acting on it?
• A 60 kg person stands on a scale in an elevator accelerating upward at 2.0 m/s^2. What does the scale read?
• Which law describes the action-reaction forces on two interacting objects?
• Which law states that an object at rest and an object in motion remain in that state unless acted upon by an unbalanced force?
• If the net force on an object is zero, the object will:
• A scale in an elevator accelerates upward; the scale reading changes with acceleration. Which statement is true?
• A seesaw is balanced if torques on both sides are equal. If the left weight is 8 N at 2 m from the pivot and the right weight is 4 N at 4 m, is it balanced?
• Newton's Second Law is commonly named what?
• What is the minimum speed at the top of a vertical loop to maintain contact with the track?
• In an Atwood machine with masses m1 and m2 connected by a rope over a frictionless pulley, the acceleration is given by which expression?
• A passenger's head snaps backward when a car suddenly accelerates forward. This effect illustrates which of Newton's laws?
• Which statement best differentiates mass from weight?
• A 0.5 kg mass is swung in a horizontal circle of radius 0.50 m at speed 2.50 m/s. What is the required centripetal force?
• In simple harmonic motion, where is the velocity maximum?
• The impulse-momentum theorem states what relation between impulse and momentum?
• Define impulse and state the impulse–momentum theorem.
• A 4-kg block on a horizontal surface experiences forces of 7 N to the left and 3 N to the right. What is the acceleration and its direction?
• A push F is directed at angle α above the horizontal. Which component of F is responsible for horizontal acceleration?
• Which law describes the sensation of being pushed back into your seat as an airplane accelerates forward?
• A 5 N force is applied to a 2 kg block on a rough surface with a 1 N opposing friction. What is the net force on the block?
• Which law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction?
• A 4 kg block on a horizontal surface experiences a vertical normal force of 39.2 N. If the kinetic friction coefficient is μk = 0.4, what is the kinetic frictional force?
• A 10 N horizontal force is applied to a 5 kg block on a horizontal surface with μk = 0.3. What is the resulting acceleration?
• A spring with k = 100 N/m is stretched so that the displacement from equilibrium is 0.25 m. What is the potential energy stored in the spring?
• If the net force on an object is zero and the object is moving with a constant velocity, what is its acceleration?
• A net force of 9 N upward acts on an object with mass 3 kg. What is the acceleration?
• A 4 kg block on a rough horizontal surface is pulled with F = 11.8 N and μ_k = 0.25. What is the resulting acceleration if it is already sliding?
• Newton's First Law of Motion is also known by which alternative name?
• A 2 kg block on a horizontal surface experiences a static friction μs = 0.4. If the impending motion would start at F = 8 N, what is the maximum static friction force?
• Explain why the force of friction is not always equal to μ N; include static vs kinetic regimes.
• During a period when the object moves with constant velocity, are the forces balanced?
• If a 6 kg mass has weight on Earth of about 60 N, its weight on the Moon would be about 10 N because gravity is weaker.
• A car of mass 1200 kg travels around a flat curve of radius 50 m at a steady speed. If the static friction coefficient is μ_s = 0.3, what is the maximum speed to avoid slipping?
• What is the restoring force on a spring that is stretched by x from its equilibrium position?
• If two equal external forces act on a block in opposite directions, what is the net external force and the resulting acceleration?
• In uniform circular motion, what provides the centripetal force?
• The air escaping from a balloon and causing it to move around demonstrates which Newtonian law?
• Centripetal force is given by F_c = m v^2 / R. If the speed v increases, how does F_c change?
• Which expression gives the tension in the string of an Atwood machine with masses m1 and m2 (m1 > m2)?
• What is the net force on an object if 12 N are directed to the right and 7 N are directed to the left act on it?
• An Atwood machine with m1 = 5 kg and m2 = 2 kg, frictionless pulley. Find acceleration and rope tension (g = 9.8 m/s^2).
• Which force opposes motion between two surfaces in contact?
• If two forces of 4 N and 6 N act on an object in the same direction, what is the net force?
• Which law best explains the recoil you feel when you push off from a raft?
• Which data are typically needed to solve a two-body Newton's law problem with friction?
• An object accelerates to the right at 0.25 m/s^2. Which statement correctly describes its acceleration?
• In an Atwood-style system with m1 = 2 kg on a table and m2 = 3 kg hanging, what is the acceleration and the tension?
• A spring with k = 50 N/m is attached to a 2 kg mass on a frictionless surface. The mass is displaced by x = 0.2 m from equilibrium. What is the restoring force, and what is the resulting acceleration?
• Which statement correctly relates weight, mass, and gravitational acceleration on Earth?
• Which statement correctly describes how gravity and weight vary with location on Earth?
• On Earth vs Moon, how do mass and weight change?
• If a block of mass moves in a circle of radius r at constant speed v on a horizontal frictionless table, which forces must provide the centripetal acceleration?
• A rocket blasting off demonstrates which Newtonian law?
• A 4 kg mass experiences a net force of 12 N to the right. What is its acceleration?
• For a 4-kg block on a 30° incline with kinetic friction μk = 0.3, which of the following is true about the net force components? (use g = 9.8 m/s^2)
• Along a ramp, the gravitational component along the ramp is which expression?
• An object experiences a net force of 2000 N to the left. What can be said about its motion?
• Which Newtonian law states that the force on an object equals its mass multiplied by its acceleration?
• What is the relationship between momentum conservation and external impulses?
• A 0.6 kg ball experiences a total impulse of 3.6 N·s during a collision lasting 0.02 s. What is the average impact force?
• What is a Free-Body Diagram (FBD) and what is it used for?
• A car with mass 1000 kg turns around a flat curve of radius 40 m at 20 m/s. What is the required centripetal force?
• Which statement best describes a situation where acceleration is zero?
• On a 60° incline, a 3 kg mass experiences a normal force. What is the normal force?
• Identify the forces acting on a hanging mass in a simple pulley system.
• Which force acts perpendicular to a surface in contact and is responsible for supporting the weight component perpendicular to the plane?
• Which statement best describes static friction and kinetic friction?
• A 4-kg block on a 30° incline slides with kinetic friction μk = 0.3. Find its acceleration down the plane (g = 9.8 m/s^2).
• A car on a track of radius R goes around in a circle at speed v. If R doubles without changing v, what happens to the required centripetal force?
• On a ramp with angle θ, the normal force is N = m g cos θ. Which expression is the normal force?
• Which law is illustrated when a bowling ball hits pins and they fly backwards?
• What is the direction of friction when an object is about to move to the left?
• For a block on a frictional incline with μ_s = 0.4, what is the maximum incline angle θ_max for which the block remains at rest without any other force along the plane?
• Which law is demonstrated when a balloon jets air backwards causing it to move forward?
• In a vacuum, a projectile launched with initial velocity components has accelerations a_x and a_y. What are they?
• In a velocity-time graph, if the velocity is constant, are the forces acting on the object balanced or unbalanced?
• A 2 kg block on a horizontal surface has kinetic friction with μk = 0.3. What is the magnitude of the kinetic friction force?
• Which statement correctly describes kinetic friction forces?
• Two springs push a mass on a frictionless horizontal surface from opposite sides: left spring exerts 5 N toward the right, right spring exerts 3 N toward the left. What is the net force on the mass and its direction?
• Which statement best explains why increasing net force increases acceleration according to Newton's second law?
• In uniform circular motion, centripetal acceleration is directed toward the center of the circle. Which statement is true?
• Which law explains inertia, the resistance to changes in motion?
• Which of Newton's laws explains action-reaction pairs such as pushing against a wall and the wall pushing back?
• A 3 kg block on a horizontal frictionless table is connected to a 2 kg hanging mass via a massless string over a pulley. If the system starts from rest, what is the acceleration and the string tension?
• A 1500 kg cart moves at 15 m/s around a curve with radius 30 m. What are the centripetal acceleration and the necessary centripetal force?
• What is the gravitational component of weight along the plane for a 3 kg mass on a 60° incline?
• A person pushes against a wall with 50 N. What force does the wall exert on the person?
• A 5 kg mass on a frictionless horizontal surface experiences a net force of 10 N. What is its acceleration?
• Two forces of 3 N and 5 N act on a 4 kg block in the same direction to the left. What is the acceleration?
• A 4-kg block on a frictionless table connected by a string over a pulley to a hanging 2-kg mass. Which equations describe the motion?
• The Law of Action/Reaction is which law?
• For a block on a frictionless incline, the acceleration along the incline is a = g sin θ. If θ is used in the expression, which statement is correct?
• A swimmer pushes back on the water and moves forward demonstrates which law?
• Which law relates the acceleration of an object to the net force acting on it and its mass?
• The tendency of an object to resist any change is called __________.
• Which force is the contact force that acts perpendicular to the surface to support objects at rest on a surface?
• Which expression represents Newton's second law in vector form?
• If a system experiences only internal forces and there are no external forces, what is the acceleration of the center of mass?
• What is the normal force acting on the object if its weight is 5 N?
• Which equation expresses force in terms of mass and acceleration?
• A plate experiences a push F at an angle α above the horizontal. Which portion of F causes horizontal acceleration?
• Which change would increase the frictional force between two contacting surfaces (assuming the coefficient of friction remains constant)?
• On a level surface, which force always acts upward?
• If an object is accelerating, are there unbalanced forces acting on it?
• A 20 kg box on a horizontal frictionless surface is pushed with a force of 60 N. What is its acceleration?
• Which law states that an object will continue moving at a constant velocity in a straight line if no net external force acts on it?
• If a block on a frictionless horizontal surface experiences no net horizontal force, what is its acceleration?
• In physics, the symbol μ represents what?
• An object is subjected to a 10 N force to the right and a 4 N force to the left. What is the net force and its direction?
• At the top of a vertical loop, when v equals the minimum speed to maintain contact, what is the normal force on the car?
• A bird pushes down on the air with its wings in order to fly demonstrates which law?
• A 9 kg mass experiences a horizontal force of 6 N to the right and a force of 4 N to the left. What is the acceleration?
• Which statement best describes Newton's first law of motion?
• If a car accelerates forward, how does the friction between tires and road relate to the car's acceleration?
• In a conical pendulum, the horizontal distance from the pivot to the mass (radius of the circular path) is given by r = L sin θ. Which option expresses this relation?
• Which statement is true for an object at terminal velocity falling through a fluid?
• An object moves to the right with increasing speed. Its acceleration is
• An object moving with constant velocity experiences no net external force. What can be said about its motion?
• Which of the following best defines an inertial frame of reference?
• In a collision where no external impulses act, how is momentum before related to momentum after?
• In a frictionless pulley system with a 6 kg hanging mass and a 3 kg block on a horizontal table connected by a rope over a massless pulley, what is the acceleration of the block on the table?
• A satellite of mass m is in a circular orbit at radius r around Earth. What force keeps the satellite in orbit, and in which direction relative to the radius?
• What is the acceleration of a 1 kg mass if a net force of 3 N acts on it?
• If the net external force on a body is zero, what is its acceleration?
• What is the weight of the object? (use g = 10 m/s^2)
• On a horizontal surface, the kinetic friction force magnitude is f_k = μ_k N. If the surface is horizontal and N = m g, what is f_k?
• Newton's third law can be illustrated by which of the following statements?
• A ball of mass 0.6 kg hits a rigid wall and rebounds with the same speed. If the impact lasts 0.02 s, what is the average force exerted on the ball?
• In a free-body diagram of a 5-kg block on a horizontal surface pulled by a constant horizontal force with kinetic friction μ_k, which forces act on the block?
• A 5 kg cart is pushed so that its acceleration is 2 m/s^2 to the east. What net force acts on it?
• What is the impulse delivered to an object when a constant force F is applied for time Δt?
• In an Atwood machine with two masses, which mass accelerates downward?
• A body with no net external force acts on it. Which statement best describes its motion?
• Which term describes a condition where the net force on an object is zero?
• When a person pushes against a wall with 50 N of force, what force does the wall exert on the person and in what direction?
• On a level surface, which force balances gravity?
• A rope is used to lift a big toy upward. What forces act on the toy? (neglect air resistance)
• A ball of mass 0.5 kg is thrown vertically upward with speed 6 m/s in air with negligible air resistance. What is the maximum height?
• Describe the difference between the normal force and gravitational force in terms of direction and origin.
• A block on a horizontal surface is moving with velocity and there is a kinetic friction μ_k N opposing motion. What is the direction of work done by friction?
• A 2 kg block on a horizontal surface has kinetic friction coefficient μk = 0.4. If an external horizontal force of 20 N is applied, what is the net horizontal force on the block?
• If the applied horizontal force on a block on a rough surface is doubled, how does the acceleration change?
• A 0.5 kg block on a frictionless horizontal surface has a net force of 4 N to the right. What is its acceleration?
• When you sit in a chair, what force does the chair exert on you to support your weight?
• In the same system, what is the tension in the rope?
• A block of mass m on a horizontal surface is being pulled with force F and experiences kinetic friction μ_k. Which expression gives the acceleration?
• If the net force on an object remains constant while its mass doubles, what happens to its acceleration?
• For a mass m attached to a horizontal spring with constant k displaced by x and released, what is the angular frequency ω of the resulting simple harmonic motion?
• An object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by a net external force. This describes which of Newton's laws?
• A skydiver reaches terminal velocity. Which statement describes the forces and the resulting acceleration?
• A massless rope passes over a frictionless pulley with m1 = 4 kg and m2 = 1 kg. Which statement is true about the acceleration?
• If the net force on an object is not zero, are the forces balanced?
• On an incline plane with angle θ, which statement correctly identifies the normal force and the component of gravity along the plane?
• If a 1 kg mass experiences a net force of 3 N to the right, its acceleration is what?
• A 5 kg block is moving at 2 m/s along the x-axis. A constant 3 N force acts for 3 s. What is the final velocity if no other forces act?
• If a seesaw has left torque of 16 N·m and right torque of 16 N·m about the pivot, what is the net torque?
• A frictionless incline with θ = 30° accelerates a block downward. Which expression gives the acceleration along the plane?
• Which law describes the interaction forces when two objects push on each other with equal magnitude in opposite directions?
• Which scenario best demonstrates an action-reaction pair?
• In a frictionless pulley system, is the tension the same on both sides of the rope? Why?
• If the net force on an object is increased while mass fixed, what happens to acceleration?
• In an Atwood machine with two masses, which statement about the net external force on the system is correct?
• A person stands on a scale inside an elevator accelerating upward with acceleration a. The scale reads:
• A 9-kg block on a frictionless horizontal table is pushed with a net horizontal force of 45 N. What is the acceleration and direction?
• If you push against a wall, the wall pushes back against you with equal force. This is an example of which principle?
• A person stands on a horizontal surface with gravity and normal forces only. If the person is not accelerating vertically, what is the net vertical force?
• If two forces of equal magnitude act on an object in opposite directions, what is the net force?
• For a conical pendulum (string length L, angle θ with vertical, mass m, velocity v), which set of force component equations is correct?
• According to Newton's Second Law, which statement is true?
• In an Atwood machine with masses m1 > m2, which mass experiences downward acceleration?
• A massless rope connects two blocks m1 = 4 kg on a frictionless table and m2 = 1 kg hanging over a pulley. What is the acceleration and the tension?
• Which law is associated with the equation F = m a?
• A 60 kg person stands on a scale on Earth. What is the approximate scale reading?
• The force directed downward on an object near Earth's surface is called gravity.
• The floor pushing up as a person pushes down illustrates which law?
• If the mass doubles while the net force remains constant, what happens to the acceleration?
• For a block on an incline to remain at rest considering static friction μ_s, which inequality must hold?
• A feather falls at terminal velocity. Which forces act on the feather?
• On a horizontal plane with no vertical displacement, which statement is true about work done by forces on the moving object?
• If a mass is doubled and the same net force is applied, how does the acceleration change?
• A block on a frictionless incline of 60° has acceleration along the incline. Which is the approximate value of a = g sin θ?
• A 2-kg block on a frictionless ramp with θ = 30° is released. What is its acceleration down the ramp?
• Which property describes an object's resistance to changes in motion?
• Centripetal force is not an actual separate force; it is:
• A 3 kg mass sits on a 60° incline with kinetic friction coefficient μk = 0.15. Which statement best describes the forces along the plane and the motion?
• A 2-kg block on a horizontal surface connected to a 1-kg hanging mass over a pulley with kinetic friction μ_k = 0.2 on the table. Using g = 9.8 m/s^2, what are the acceleration and the tension?
• If altitude is increased, how does the weight of a fixed mass change?
• If a swimmer pushes water backward with 0.30 N, what is the force exerted by the water on the swimmer?
• In a system where two objects are connected by a rope or contact, what is true about their accelerations?
• Which statement correctly relates external forces to the acceleration of a system's center of mass?