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AP Physics 1 Two-Dimensional Kinematics and Projectile Motion — practice questions

Explore 80 free Two-Dimensional Kinematics and Projectile Motion questions in AP Physics 1 Physics. Open each question or exercise to read its content, reference answers and available explanation.

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Two-Dimensional Kinematics and Projectile Motion questions and exercises with answers

Showing questions 1–30 of 80.

An object thrown into the air and moving under gravity alone is called a:Read the answer and worked solution →The path followed by a projectile is called its:Read the answer and worked solution →The key to analysing projectile motion is to resolve it into motions along:Read the answer and worked solution →The horizontal and vertical components of two-dimensional motion are:Read the answer and worked solution →Adding two vectors graphically by placing the tail of one at the head of the other is the:Read the answer and worked solution →The vector drawn from the tail of the first vector to the head of the last is called the:Read the answer and worked solution →The horizontal and vertical components of a motion add together to give:Read the answer and worked solution →Because gravity acts vertically, the horizontal acceleration of a projectile is:Read the answer and worked solution →If you set up a coordinate system with downwards as positive, the acceleration due to gravity takes:Read the answer and worked solution →Subtracting vectors is described as analogous to the subtraction of:Read the answer and worked solution →The two named approaches to vector addition and subtraction are graphical methods and:Read the answer and worked solution →Resolving projectile motion into perpendicular directions works because each direction can then be treated as:Read the answer and worked solution →The head-to-tail method gives the same resultant regardless of the order the vectors are drawn because vector addition is:Read the answer and worked solution →Choosing which direction counts as positive in a projectile problem affects:Read the answer and worked solution →A projectile's horizontal velocity stays constant during flight because:Read the answer and worked solution →Horizontal or vertical component?Read the answer and worked solution →Match each two-dimensional termRead the answer and worked solution →Solve a projectile problem in orderRead the answer and worked solution →True or false: projectile motionRead the answer and worked solution →Complete the projectile rulesRead the answer and worked solution →Kinematics only describes how objects move. The study of the forces that cause motion is:Read the answer and worked solution →A force is a push or pull that has both magnitude and direction, so it is a:Read the answer and worked solution →A diagram showing a body as a single point with only the external forces acting on it is a:Read the answer and worked solution →A stretched spring pulling back to its relaxed shape exerts a:Read the answer and worked solution →A hockey puck glides far on an air table because friction is nearly gone. This illustrates Newton's:Read the answer and worked solution →The property of a body to remain at rest or keep moving at constant velocity is called:Read the answer and worked solution →Inertia is measured by an object's:Read the answer and worked solution →A kilogram of cotton balls and a kilogram of gold have:Read the answer and worked solution →Newton's second law states acceleration is directly proportional to net external force and inversely proportional to:Read the answer and worked solution →The newton is the force needed to accelerate a 1 kg system at:Read the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

An object thrown into the air and moving under gravity alone is called a:

  1. Projectile
  2. Pendulum
  3. Oscillator
  4. Resultant
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Correct answer: A. Projectile

1. Two-dimensional motion under gravity has its own name. 2. The object is called a projectile. 3. Its path is called its trajectory. 4. A pendulum swings on a string rather than flying freely. _Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 'Two-Dimensional Kinematics', sections 3.1-3.4_

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The path followed by a projectile is called its:

  1. Displacement
  2. Trajectory
  3. Amplitude
  4. Wavelength
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Correct answer: B. Trajectory

1. The object and its path get separate names. 2. The object is called a projectile, and its path is called its trajectory. 3. That path is curved because gravity acts on only one of the two components. 4. Displacement is the straight line from start to finish rather than the path taken. _Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 'Two-Dimensional Kinematics', sections 3.1-3.4_

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The key to analysing projectile motion is to resolve it into motions along:

  1. Circular directions
  2. Random directions
  3. Perpendicular lines
  4. Parallel directions
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Correct answer: C. Perpendicular lines

1. A curved path is hard to handle as a single motion. 2. The key to analyzing such motion, called projectile motion, is to resolve it into motions along perpendicular directions. 3. Those directions are conventionally horizontal and vertical. 4. Each of them can then be treated with the one-dimensional equations. _Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 'Two-Dimensional Kinematics', sections 3.1-3.4_

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More Physics topics

KinematicsMomentum, Impulse and CollisionsWork, Energy, and Energy ResourcesDynamics: Force and Newton's Laws of MotionUniform Circular Motion and GravitationFluid StaticsStatics and TorqueRotational Motion and Angular Momentum