Chapter 2 Solutions — Motion in a Straight Line

Exercises

1. 1.
   In which of the following examples of motion, can the body be considered approximately a point object:

   • (a) a railway carriage moving without jerks between two stations.
   • (b) a monkey sitting on top of a man cycling smoothly on a circular track.
   • (c) a spinning cricket ball that turns sharply on hitting the ground.
   • (d) a tumbling beaker that has slipped off the edge of a table.
2. 2.
   The position-time (x-t) graphs for two children A and B returning from their school O to their homes P and Q respectively are shown in Fig. 2.9. Choose the correct entries in the brackets below:

   • (a) (A/B) lives closer to the school than (B/A)
   • (b) (A/B) starts from the school earlier than (B/A)
   • (c) (A/B) walks faster than (B/A)
   • (d) A and B reach home at the (same/different) time
   • (e) (A/B)…
3. 3.
   A woman starts from her home at 9.00 am, walks with a speed of 5 km h^-1 on a straight road up to her office 2.5 km away, stays at the office up to 5.00 pm, and returns home by an auto with a speed of 25 km h^-1. Choose suitable scales and plot the x-t graph of her motion.
4. 4.
   A drunkard walking in a narrow lane takes 5 steps forward and 3 steps backward, followed again by 5 steps forward and 3 steps backward, and so on. Each step is 1 m long and requires 1 s. Plot the x-t graph of his motion. Determine graphically and otherwise how long the drunkard takes to fall in a pit 13 m away from the start.
5. 5.
   A car moving along a straight highway with speed of 126 km h^-1 is brought to a stop within a distance of 200 m. What is the retardation of the car (assumed uniform), and how long does it take for the car to stop?
6. 6.
   A player throws a ball upwards with an initial speed of 29.4 m s^-1.

   • (a) What is the direction of acceleration during the upward motion of the ball?
   • (b) What are the velocity and acceleration of the ball at the highest point of its motion?
   • (c) Choose the x = 0 m and t = 0 s to be the location and time of the ball at its highest point, vertically downward direction to be the positive direction of…
7. 7.
   Read each statement below carefully and state with reasons and examples, if it is true or false; A particle in one-dimensional motion

   • (a) with zero speed at an instant may have non-zero acceleration at that instant
   • (b) with zero speed may have non-zero velocity,
   • (c) with constant speed must have zero acceleration,
   • (d) with positive value of acceleration must be speeding up.
8. 8.
   A ball is dropped from a height of 90 m on a floor. At each collision with the floor, the ball loses one tenth of its speed. Plot the speed-time graph of its motion between t = 0 to 12 s.
9. 9.
   Explain clearly, with examples, the distinction between:

   • (a) magnitude of displacement (sometimes called distance) over an interval of time, and the total length of path covered by a particle over the same interval;
   • (b) magnitude of average velocity over an interval of time, and the average speed over the same interval. [Average speed of a particle over an interval of time is defined as the…
10. 10.
    A man walks on a straight road from his home to a market 2.5 km away with a speed of 5 km h^-1. Finding the market closed, he instantly turns and walks back home with a speed of 7.5 km h^-1. What is the

    • (a) magnitude of average velocity, and
    • (b) average speed of the man over the interval of time
    • (i) 0 to 30 min,
    • (ii) 0 to 50 min,
    • (iii) 0 to 40 min?
11. 11.
    In Exercises 2.9 and 2.10, we have carefully distinguished between average speed and magnitude of average velocity. No such distinction is necessary when we consider instantaneous speed and magnitude of velocity. The instantaneous speed is always equal to the magnitude of instantaneous velocity. Why?
12. 12.
    Look at the graphs

    • (a) to
    • (d) (Fig. 2.10) carefully and state, with reasons, which of these cannot possibly represent one-dimensional motion of a particle.
13. 13.
    Figure 2.11 shows the x-t plot of one-dimensional motion of a particle. Is it correct to say from the graph that the particle moves in a straight line for t < 0 and on a parabolic path for t > 0? If not, suggest a suitable physical context for this graph.
14. 14.
    A police van moving on a highway with a speed of 30 km h^-1 fires a bullet at a thief's car speeding away in the same direction with a speed of 192 km h^-1. If the muzzle speed of the bullet is 150 m s^-1, with what speed does the bullet hit the thief's car? (Note: Obtain that speed which is relevant for damaging the thief's car).
15. 15.
    Suggest a suitable physical situation for each of the following graphs (Fig 2.12):

    • (a) x-t graph: x rises from a negative constant value up to a positive peak A, then falls to a negative value B and stays constant there.
    • (b) v-t graph: several parallel line segments of negative slope, giving more than one velocity at some instants.
    • (c) a-t graph: acceleration is zero, rises to a single sharp…
16. 16.
    Figure 2.13 gives the x-t plot of a particle executing one-dimensional simple harmonic motion. (You will learn about this motion in more detail in Chapter 13). Give the signs of position, velocity and acceleration variables of the particle at t = 0.3 s, 1.2 s, -1.2 s.
17. 17.
    Figure 2.14 gives the x-t plot of a particle in one-dimensional motion. Three different equal intervals of time are shown. In which interval is the average speed greatest, and in which is it the least? Give the sign of average velocity for each interval.
18. 18.
    Figure 2.15 gives a speed-time graph of a particle in motion along a constant direction. Three equal intervals of time are shown. In which interval is the average acceleration greatest in magnitude? In which interval is the average speed greatest? Choosing the positive direction as the constant direction of motion, give the signs of v and a in the three intervals. What are the accelerations at…