A–Level Mechanics Year 1: Forces and Motion

Mr. Goodier, March 2019 (updated July 2019)

Questions 1–6 due on

1 A car of mass 800 kg pulls a trailer of mass 200 kg along a straight horizontal road using a
light towbar which is parallel to the road. The horizontal resistances to motion of the car and
the trailer have magnitudes 400 N and 200 N respectively. The engine of the car produces a
constant horizontal driving force on the car of magnitude 1200 N. Find
(a) the acceleration of the car and trailer (3)
(b) the magnitude of the tension in the towbar (3)
The car is moving along the road when the driver sees a hazard ahead. He reduces the
force produced by the engine to zero and applies the brakes. The brakes produce a force
on the car of magnitude F newtons and the car and trailer decelerate. Given that the
resistances to motion are unchanged and the magnitude of the thrust in the towbar is
100 N,
(c) Find the value of F (7)
2 Two particles P and Q have mass 0.5 kg and m kg respectively, where m < 0.5. The particles
are connected by a light inextensible string which passes over a smooth, fixed pulley. Initially
P is 3.15 m above horizontal ground. The particles are released from rest with the string taut
and the hanging parts of the string vertical, as shown in the figure below. After P has been
descending for 1.5 s, it strikes the ground. Particle P reaches the ground before Q has reached
the pulley.

(a) Show that the acceleration of P as it descends is 2.8 ms−2 . (3)

1
 When P strikes the ground, P does not rebound and the string becomes slack. Particle
Q then moves freely under gravity, without reaching the pulley, until the string becomes
taut again.
(e) Find the time between the instant when P strikes the ground and the instant when the
string becomes taut again. (6)
3 Two forces P and Q act on a particle. The force P has magnitude 7 N and acts due north.
The resultant of P and Q is a force of magnitude 10 N acting in a direction with bearing 120.
Find
(a) the magnitude of Q
(b) the direction of Q, giving your answer as a bearing
(9)
4 A vertical light rod P Q has a particle of mass 0.5kg attached to it at P and a particle of
mass 0.75kg attached to it at Q, to form a system, as shown in the diagram. The system is
accelerated vertically upwards by a vertical force of magnitude 15N applied to the particle at
Q. Find the thrust in the rod. (6)

5 A woman travels in a lift. The mass of the woman is 50 kg and the mass of the lift is 950 kg.
The lift is being raised vertically by a vertical cable which is attached to the top of the lift.
The lift is moving upwards and has constant deceleration of 2 ms−2 . By modelling the cable
as being light and inextensible, find
(a) the tension in the cable (3)
(b) the magnitude of the force exerted on the woman by the floor of the lift (3)
The tension in the cable must not exceed 10 000 N for safety reasons, and the maximum
upward acceleration of the lift is 3 ms−2 . A typical occupant of the lift is modelled as a
particle of mass 75 kg and the cable is modelled as a light inextensible string. There is
still a constant downwards resistance of magnitude 100 N on the lift.
(c) Find the maximum number of typical occupants that can be safely carried in the lift
when it is ascending with an acceleration of 3 ms−2 . (7)

2
6 A small ball A of mass 2.5 kg is held at rest on a rough horizontal table. The ball is attached
to one end of a string.
The string passes over a pulley P which is fixed at the edge of the table. The other end of the
string is attached to a small ball B of mass 1.5kg hanging freely, vertically below P and with
B at a height of 1m above the horizontal floor.
The system is release from rest, with the string taut, as shown in Figure 2. The resistance to
the motion of A from the rough table is modelled as having constant magnitude 12.7N. Ball
B reaches the floor before ball A reaches the pulley.
The balls are modelled as particles, the string is modelled as being light and inextensible,
the pulley is modelled as being small and smooth and the acceleration due to gravity, g, is
modelled as being 9.8ms−2 .

(a) Write down an equation for the motion of A and an equation for the motion of B. (4)
(b) Hence find the acceleration of B. (2)
(c) Using the model, find the time it takes, from release, for B to reach the floor. (2)
(d) Suggest two improvements that could be made in the model. (2)

3
 Optional Question.

7 (STEP). A train is made up of two engines, each of mass M , and n carriages, each of mass
m. One of the engines is at the front of the train, and the other is coupled between the kth
and (k + 1)th carriages. When the train is accelerating along a straight, horizontal track, the
resistance to the motion of each carriage is R and the driving force on each engine is D, where
2D > nR . The tension in the coupling between the engine at the front and the first carriage
is T .
(a) Show that
n(mD + M R)
T = .
nm + 2M

(b) Show that T is greater than the tension in any other coupling provided that k > 12 n .
(c) Show also that, if k > 12 n , then at least one of the couplings is in compression (that is,
there is a negative tension in the coupling).