Intro to Physics
Acceleration practice problems
1. A race car accelerates uniformly from 18.5 m/s to 46.1 m/s in 2.47 seconds. Determine the acceleration of the
car. (11.2 m/s2)
2. Rocket-powered sleds are used to test the human response to acceleration. If a rocket-powered sled accelerates to
a speed of 444.m/s in 1.8 seconds, what is its acceleration? (2.5 x 102 m/s2)
3. A dragster in a race accelerated from stop to 60. m/s by the time it reached the finish line. The dragster moved
in a straight line and traveled from the starting line to the finish line in 8.0 sec. What was the acceleration of the
dragster? (7.5 m/s2)
4. A high speed train travels from Paris to Lyons at an average velocity of 227. km/hr. The trip takes 2.00 hours.
How far is Lyons from Paris? (454. km)
5. The velocity of a car increases from 2.0 m/s at 1.0 sec to 16. m/s at 4.5 sec. What is the car’s average
acceleration? (4.0 m/s2)
6. A bus is moving at 25. m/s. The driver steps on the brakes, and the bus stops in 3.0 seconds. What is the average
acceleration of the bus while braking? (-8.3 m/s2)
7. If a car with a velocity of 2.0 m/s at t = 0 seconds accelerates at a rate of 4.0 m/s2 for 2.5 seconds, what is its
velocity at t = 2.5 seconds? (12. m/s)
8. A spacecraft can be accelerated from 200.0 km/hr to 350.0 km/hr in 10.0 sec. What is its acceleration in m/s2?
(4.17 m/s2)
9. A car accelerates from a stop light for 20.0 sec with an acceleration of 5.0 mph/s. Find its velocity at the end of
this time. (1.0 x 102 mph)
10. What force would be required to accelerate a 40.9 kg mass b y 4.0 m/s2? (1.6 x 102N)
11. How large is a mass if a force of 100. N is required to accelerate it by 2.0 m/s2? (50. kg)
12. A stationary car with a mass of 1500. kilograms reaches a velocity of 15. meters per second 5.0 seconds after starting. What is the car’s acceleration? How much force was required to reach this acceleration? (3.0 m/s2; 4.5 x 103 N)
13. Upton Chuck is riding the Giant Drop at Great America. If Upton free-falls for 2.6 seconds, what will be his
final velocity? (25. m/s)
14. The time the Demon Drop ride at Cedar Point, Ohio is freely falling is 1.5 second. What is its velocity at the
end of this time? (15. m/s)
15. A penny is dropped from a building rooftop in freefall and takes 6.0 seconds to hit ground. What velocity does
it hit the ground with? (59. m/s)
16. A man has a mass of 66.0 kg on the earth. What is his weight? (647. N)
17. A person weighs 540. N on the earth. What is the person’s mass? What would the person weigh on the moon where the acceleration due to gravity is 1.67 m/s2? (55.1 kg; 92.0 N)