Physics Word Problems

Two ropes are attached to a heavy box to pull it along the floor. One rope applies a force of 475 newtons in a direction due west; the other applies a force of 315 newtons in a direction due south. As we will see later in the text, force is a vector of quantity. (a) How much force should be applied by a single rope, and (b) in what direction (relative to due west), if it is to accomplish the same effect as the two forces added together?

a) 5.7 x 10^2 N b) 33.6 ° south of west

How many seconds are there in (a) one hour and thirty-five minutes and (b) one day?

a) 5700 s b) 86400 s

You are on a treasure hunt and your map says "Walk due west for 52 paces, then walk 30.0o north of west for 42 paces, and finally walk due north for 25 paces." What is the magnitude of the component of your displacement in the direction (a) due north and (b) due west?

a. Therefore, the magnitude of the displacement in the direction due north is 46 paces . b. b. Similarly, the magnitude of the displacement in the direction due west is 88 paces.

The largest diamond ever found had a size of 3106 carats. One carat is equivalent to a mass of 0.200 g. Use the fact that 1 kg (1000 g) has a weight of 2.205 lb under certain conditions, and determine the weight of this diamond in pounds.

1.37 lb

A student sees a newspaper ad for an apartment that has 1330 square feet (ft2 ) of floor space. How many square meters of area are there?

124 m^2

A force vector F1 points due east and has a magnitude of 200 newtons. A second force F2 is added to F1. The resultant of the two vectors has a magnitude of 400 newtons and points along the east/west line. Find the magnitude and direction of F2. Note that there are two answers.

200 N if east, 600 N if west

You are driving into St. Louis, Missouri, and in the distance, you see the famous Gateway-to-the-West arch. This monument rises to a height of 192 m. You estimate your line of sight with the top of the arch to be 2.0o above the horizontal. Approximately how far (in kilometers) are you from the base of the arch?

5.5 km

The two hot-air balloons in the drawing are 48.2 and 61.0 m above the ground. A person in the left balloon observes that the right balloon is 13.3o above the horizontal. What is the horizontal distance x between the two balloons?

54.1 m