AP PHYSICS 1 Test Booklet
Forces and Free-Body Diagrams Quiz
1.
A bucket rests on top of a crate, which rests on a floor, as shown in the diagram. The bucket is lifted off the crate.
How does the force due to microscopic interactions between the crate and the floor change, if at all, as the bucket is
lifted off the crate?
(A) It decreases.
(B) It increases.
(C) It stays the same.
(D) It could either increase or decrease depending on the materials that the crate and floor are made of.
2.
A cart rolls along a track that is inclined at an angle of to the horizontal, as shown. At the moment shown, there
are three forces exerted on the cart: a downward force of magnitude , a drag force of magnitude , and a
normal force from the track of magnitude , as shown in the free-body diagram. The magnitude of the vector
sum of the forces on the cart is most nearly
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Test Booklet
Forces and Free-Body Diagrams Quiz
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
3.
The diagram shows the directions and magnitudes of the forces exerted on a puck on a horizontal surface. What is
the magnitude of the vector sum of the forces exerted on the puck?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
4.
The forces exerted on an object at a particular instant are represented in the free-body diagram. The magnitude of
each force is drawn to scale. A student claims that the vector sum of the forces on the object is equal to zero. Is the
student’s claim valid? Why or why not?
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Test Booklet
Forces and Free-Body Diagrams Quiz
(A) Yes, because the horizontal components add to zero.
(B) Yes, because the vertical components add to zero.
(C) No, because the vertical components of the forces do not completely add to zero.
(D) No, because the magnitudes of all the forces are not equal
5. In which of the following free-body diagrams is the magnitude of the vector sum of the forces the greatest?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
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Test Booklet
Forces and Free-Body Diagrams Quiz
6.
The free-body diagram shows the three forces exerted on an object. Each square in the grid is by . What is
the magnitude of the vector sum of the forces exerted on the object?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
7.
The left figure shows a block at rest on a rough inclined surface. The block is attached to a wall by a string of
negligible mass. The vector sum of the forces is zero. The right figure shows the free-body diagram for the block.
The string is cut and the vector sum of the forces on the block remains zero. Which of the following free-body
diagrams could show the forces exerted on the block after the string is cut?
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Test Booklet
Forces and Free-Body Diagrams Quiz
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
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Test Booklet
Forces and Free-Body Diagrams Quiz
8.
A hollow plastic ball hangs at rest from a string at an angle, as shown. There is a force on the ball from the string
directed up and to the left, and a downward gravitational force. There is also a constant flow of air around the ball,
and the vector sum of all the forces exerted on the ball is equal to zero. Which of the following statements correctly
indicates a possible direction of the force exerted on the ball by the air, and provides a valid justification?
(A) To the right, because it will balance the leftward component of the force from the string
(B) To the right, because it will balance the downward gravitational force
(C) Down and to the left, because it will balance the force from the string
(D) Down and to the left, because it will balance the downward gravitational force
9.
A platform of mass is held at rest by two ropes connected to its ends, as shown in the diagram on the left. A
block, also of mass , is placed on the center of the platform. A student draws a free-body diagram representing the
forces exerted on the platform while it is at rest, as shown in the diagram on the right. Which of the following
claims best explains why the diagram is incorrect?
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Test Booklet
Forces and Free-Body Diagrams Quiz
(A) The tension forces from the ropes do not point in the correct directions.
(B) The diagram does not include components of the tension forces in the ropes.
(C) The horizontal forces are unbalanced.
(D) The vertical forces are unbalanced.
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