Physics
Vandebilt Catholic High School
W. Dupre

Newton's Laws - Questions

Newton's Laws - Questions

  1. Many automobile passengers have suffered neck injuries when struck by cars from behind. How do Newton's Laws apply to this situation? How do head rests prevent this type of injury?

  2. If an elephant were chasing you, its enormous mass would be most threatening. But if you zigzagged, its mass would be to your advantage. Explain.

  3. If the head of a hammer is loose and you wish to tighten it by banging it against the top of the workbench, why is it best to hold the hammer handle end down instead of head end down?

  4. Two closed containers look identical, but one is filled with lead while the other with feathers. How could you determine which had more mass if you and the containers were orbiting in a weightless condition in outer space? (You may not look inside the container.)

  5. On a roller coaster why do you feel like you will fly out of the car when it goes over the top of a hill?

  6. Why is it easier to walk on a carpeted floor than on a smooth polished floor?

  7. Since the force that acts on a bullet when a gun is fired is equal and opposite to the force that acts on the gun, doesn't this imply a zero net force, and therefore the impossibility of an accelerating bullet? Explain.

  8. A tennis ball and a solid steel ball, that has identical dimension as the tennis ball, are dropped at the same time. Which ball has the greatest force acting on it? Defend your answer.

  9. If a bicycle and a truck have a head on collision upon which vehicle is the impact force greater? Which vehicle undergoes the greatest acceleration? Explain.

  10. Sprinters on a track often use starter's blocks at the beginning of a race. Explain how this helps them run the race faster.