1st Edition

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 1

 This book is written strictly in accordance with the latest syllabus
prescribed by the ministry of education, science and technology
and the Current Examinations Format (2019) given by the
National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA)
 Each chapter of this book has been divided into two parts ie,.
Part – I, which includes definitions of terms and Chapter
Summary while Part – II includes Questions and answers and
Self Assessment.

Author’s: Geofrey M Idebe

Title of the Book: Physics for CSEE – Volume 2
ISBN: 978 – 9912 – 40 – 339 – 0
First Edition: 2022

Contacts info:
Phone: +255 688 082 089
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
Mwanza – Tanzania

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, recording, photocopying or otherwise without the prior
permission of the Copyright Owner

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Static Electricity
2. Current Electricity
3. Magnetism.
4. Forces in Equilibrium.
5. Simple Machine
6. Motion in a straight line
7. Newton’s Laws of motion.
8. Temperature
9. Sustainable Energy

SI UNITS OF SOME PHYSICAL QUANTITIES USED:

1. Acceleration, a is metre per second squared (m/s2)
2. Acceleration due to gravity, g is m/s2 (or N/kg)
3. Activity (of a radio nuclide) is Becquerel (Bq)
4. Amount of substance is Mole (mol)
5. Area (A) is square meter (m2)
6. Capacitance is Farad (F) [other = C/V]
7. Density is kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m3) (or g/cm3)
8. Effort, E and Load, L in machine is Newton (N)
9. Electric Charge, Quantity of electricity is Coulomb (C)
10. Electric current, I is Ampere (A)
11. Electric Resistance is Ohm () [other= V/A]
12. Electric Potential difference, Emf is Volts (V) [other =W/A]
13. Energy, Work, Quantity of heat is Joule (J)
14. Extension , e is meter (m)
15. Force (Weight)/Tension is Newton (N) [others = kgm/s2]
16. Frequency , F is Hertz (Hz)
17. Heat Capacity is Joule per Kelvin (J/K)
18. Impulse, J is Newton second (Ns)
19. Length, (L), Displacement and distance is meter (m)
20. Linear expansivity, ∝ is per Kelvin (K-1 ) [ per Celsius, 0C-1]
21. Mass is kilogram (kg) [others = grams, tones]
22. Moment of force (M) is Newton meter (Nm)
23. Momentum, p is kilogram meter per second (kgm/s)
WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 3
24. Power is Watts (W) [others = Horsepower, Hp]
25. Pressure, stress is Pascal (Pa) [others = N/m2, mmHg, Bar, Atm]
26. Resistivity, 𝜌 is Ohm meter (m)
27. Specific latent heat of vaporization/fusion is Joule per kilogram (J/kg)
28. Specific heat Capacity, C is Joule per kilogram Kelvin (J/kgK)
29. Speed, Velocity is meter per second (m/s) [other = km/h]
30. Spring constant, k (Force constant) is Newton per meter (N/m)
31. Temperature is Kelvin (K) [others = Celsius, 0C/ Fahrenheit, 0F]
32. Time is second (s) [others = minutes, hours]
33. Volume is cubic meter (m3) [others = cm3,mm3]
34. Wave length,  is Meter (m)
UNITS CONVERSION
 1 kilo unit = 1000 (103) Units
 1 Mega units = 1,000,0000 (106) units
 1 Giga unit = 1,000,000,000 (109) units
 1Unit = 0.001 (10-3) mill unit
 1 Unit = 0.000001(10-6) micro unit
 1 unit = 0.000000001 (10-9) nano unit
 10m/s = 36km/h
 1 m3 = 1000 Litres
 1 Litre = 1000 cm3
 1g/cm3 = 1000kg/m3
 1 atm = 760 mmHg = 1.01325 x 105 Pa (N/m2)
 1 Hp = 746W
 1AU = 1.4960 x 1011m → AU = Astronomical unit
Symbols:
Mega = M, Kilo = k, Giga = G, mill = m, micro =𝝁, nano = n
Examples:
1. Change the following
(a) 3MHz into Hz → 1MHz = 106Hz, 3MHz =Hz?, = 3x106Hz
(b) 5k into  → 1k = 103, 5k =? , 5k = 5000
(c) 50mA into A → 5 x 10-2A or 0.05A
(d) 8 𝜇F into F → 8 x 10-6 F
(e) 50 kg into g → 50,000g
(f) 25m/s into km/h → 90kh

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 4

Chapter : 6
MOTION IN A STRAIGHT LINE
PART: I
Definitions of terms:
1. Acceleration -Is the rate of change of velocity.
2. Acceleration due to gravity is the acceleration gained by an object
due to gravitational force
OR – Is the acceleration of freely falling body under the action of
gravity of the earth
3. Average speed - is the ratio of the total distance travelled by the
object to the total time taken.
4. Average velocity- is the mean of initial and final velocities.
𝐮+𝐯
→ Va =
𝟐
OR: Average velocity is the ratio of the total displacement to the
𝐬
total time. Average velocity, Va =
𝐭
5. Circular Motion - Is a motion of an object around the circle.
6. Distance - Is the length of path taken by an object in motion.
7. Displacement - Is the distance moved by an object in a specific
direction.(OR-Displacement of an object from a point of reference,
O is the shortest distance of the object from point O in a specific
direction.)
8. Displacement time graph- is the graph which shows the
displacement (y-axis) versus time (x-axis).
9. Final velocity -is the velocity of the body at the ending point of
observation.
10. Initial velocity -is the velocity of the body at the starting point of
observation.
11. Instantaneous Speed: It is defined as the speed of an object at a
given instant of time
12. Instantaneous velocity is - the velocity of the body at any instant.
13. Linear Motion -Is a motion of an object in a straight line.
14. Motion- is the process of continuously changing in position of an
object from one place to another
15. Retardation (Deceleration)-Is the rate of decreasing of velocity.

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 5

16. Simple pendulum -is a small heavy body suspended by a light
inextensible string from a fixed support.
17. Speed - Is the rate of change of distance.
18. Ticker time tape is a piece of apparatus that we use to measure
time. See the figure below

NB:
 A ticker tape timer consists of an electrical vibrator which
vibrates 50 times per second.
 This enables it to make 50 dots per second on a ticker-tape
being pulled through it.
 The time interval between two adjacent dots on the ticker-tape
is called one tick.
 One tick is equal to 1/50 s or 0.02 s.
 We have to count the number of SPACES and not the number
of dots themselves to measure the time taken.
 The first dot at the direction of movement is the starting dot.
 If the object moves quickly, the dots are far apart. If the
object moves slowly, the dots are close to each other.
19. Uniform acceleration is the type of acceleration in which the rate
of change of velocity is constant
20. Uniform Motion: An object is said to be in uniform motion if it
undergoes equal displacements in equal intervals of time which may
be very small.
21. Uniform retardation- is the one in which the rate of decreasing of
velocity does not change.
22. Uniform Speed: An object is said to be moving with uniform
speed if it covers equal distances in equal small intervals of time.

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 6

23. Uniform velocity - is the type of velocity in which the rate of
change of displacement with time is constant.
24. Variable Speed: An object is said to be moving with variable
speed if it covers equal distances in unequal small intervals of time.
25. Variable velocity is a velocity of a body in which either changes
in magnitude or in direction or both
26. Velocity - Is the rate of change of displacement
27. Velocity time graph - Is the graph which shows the velocity (in y-
axis) versus time (in x-axis).

Part: II – Questions with answers

1. The figure below shows a series of dots which were printed at
equal time intervals on a tape pulled through a ticker timer
operating at a frequency of 50 Hz. If the trolley pulling the tape
was initially at rest:
(i) In which direction is the tape moving?
(ii) What sort of motion does the tape represent?
(iii) What is the time taken to make these dots?
ANSW:
(i) Towards A (the first dots are close together)
(ii) The first 5 dots are equally spaced. This indicates constant
velocity. The dots are then spaced out uniformly ie,. Constant
acceleration. The motion is a constant velocity followed by a
constant acceleration.
𝑛 𝑛 8
(iii) From: 𝑓 = → 𝑡 = = = 0.16 𝑠, where n = No. of spaces
𝑡 𝑓 50
1 1
Alternatively: 𝑓 = → 𝑇 = = 0.02𝑠 (for one space)
𝑇 50
Thus, for 8 spaces, time taken = 0.02 x 8 = 0.16s
2. A ticker – tape is moved through a ticker timer for 5 seconds. If the
timer is operating at 25Hz
(a) How many dots would have been printed on the tape? [A:125 dots]
(b) What kind of motion does the tape represents.
ANS: the tape represents linear motion
3. A ticker tape timer makes 40 dots in 1 second. The results of an
experiment to find the average speed of a toy car is shown below

What is the average speed of the toy car?

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 7

1 0.6
Answer: total time = x 10 = 0.25 s, speed = = 2.4 m/s
40 0.25
4. Diagram below shows a strip of ticker tape that was pulled through a
ticker tape timer that vibrated at 50 times a second.

What is the
(a) Time taken from the first dot to the last dot?
(b) Average velocity of the object that is represented by the ticker
tape? [AN: (a) t =15x0.02=0.3s, (b) v = d/t =15/0.3 =50cm/s]
5. Find the number of ticks and the time interval between the first
dot and the last dot on each of the ticker tapes below. The
frequency of the ticker timer is equal to 50Hz.

ANS:
(a)Number of ticks = 15, time interval = 15 x 0.02s = 0.3s
(b) Number of ticks = 5, time interval = 5 x 0.02s = 0.1s
(c)Number of ticks = 8, time interval = 8 x 0.02s = 0.16s
6. The tape shown in the diagram below was made by a trolley
moving with a constant acceleration. If the frequency of the
ticker – timer is 100Hz, find the acceleration in m/s2

ANS:
𝟏 𝟏
Given; f = 100Hz, time in one tick, T = = = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟏𝒔
𝒇 𝟏𝟎𝟎

𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝟎.𝟎𝟐𝒎
Initial velocity, u is at X: 𝒖 = = = 𝟏m/s
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝟎.𝟎𝟐
𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝟎.𝟎𝟒𝒎
Final velocity, v is at Y: 𝒗 = = = 𝟐m/s
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝟎.𝟎𝟐

Time taken from X to Y = one tick x No. of spaces between X and Y

t = 0.01s x 5 = 0.05s
𝑣−𝑢 2−1
∴𝑎= = = 20m/s2
𝑡 0.05
7. On turning a corner, a motorist rushing at 44 m/s finds a child on the
road 100 m ahead. He instantly stops the engine and applies the brakes
so as to stop it within 1 m of the child. Calculate time required to stop it.

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 8

ANS: Since he stops 1m from child, distance travelled by motorist is
(100-1) = 99m, u = 44m/s, v =0m/s find a then t → 𝒕 = 𝟒. 𝟓s]
8. A car is moving with velocity 5ms-1 reaches a velocity of 25ms-1 in
5s. What is the acceleration of the car? [ANS: 4m/s2]
9. An airplane initially flying at a speed of 60.0 m/s accelerates at 5.0
m/s2 for 600 meters. What is its velocity after this acceleration?
[ANS: v2 = u2 + 2as → 𝒗 = √𝟔𝟎𝟐 + 𝟐 × 𝟓 × 𝟔𝟎𝟎 = 98m/s]
10. A cyclist riding at a speed of 40 ms-1 braked with uniform
acceleration and stopped in 40m. How long did he take to stop?
[ANS: 2s]
11. A pilot stops a plane in 484 m using a constant acceleration of -8.0
m/s2. How fast was the plane moving before braking began?
Answer: v =0m/s, u2 = 2as → 𝒖 = √𝟐 × 𝟖 × 𝟒𝟖𝟒 = 88 m/s
12. A car is accelerated at 4 ms-2 from an initial velocity of 5 ms-1 for
10 seconds. What is the distance traveled by the car? [A: 250m]
13. A car accelerates from 4 ms-1 reaches a velocity of 28 ms-1 after
traveling for 64m. What is the deceleration of the car? [A: 6m/s]
14. A man falls 1.0 m to the floor. How long does the fall take?
𝟏
Answer: u =0m/s, s = 𝒂t2 , t = 0.45 sec
𝟐
15. An object accelerates from stationary with the acceleration of 4 ms-2.
What is the velocity of the object after 7s? [ANS: 28m/s]
16. (a) A car travels at a speed of 20m/s for 30s. How far does it
travel in this time?
(b) A cyclist travels 1000 m in 3 minutes. What is his speed?
(c)A girl walks 3km at 1.5m/s. How long does her journey take?
[ANS: (a) 600m (b) 5.56m/s (c) 2000s]
2
17. A train accelerates at 9m/s for 5s. If its initial velocity is 5m/s,
what is its final velocity? [ANS: 50 m/s]
18. A car increases its velocity from 10m/s to 20m/s in 5s. What is its
acceleration? [ANS: 2m/s2]
19. A bunch of feathers and a stone of the same mass are released
simultaneously in air. Which will fall faster and why? How will
your observation be different if they are released simultaneously
in vacuum?
ANS:
The feathers fall much after the stone falls because of air friction.
The observation will be different in vaccum as there is no friction in
air because of absence of air. As a result of which the acceleration

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 9

due to gravity acting on both bodies will be the same and hence the
feathers and the stone will fall at the same time without any delay.
20. The two steel balls shown in the diagram are both released from
rest at the same time. What time interval elapses between when the
1 kg ball strikes the ground and when the 2 kg ball strikes the
ground? (the acceleration due to gravity is 10 m/s2). [ANS: 1 sec]

21. A body of mass 1.5 kg is dropped from a height of 12 m. What

is the force acting on it during its fall? (g = 9.8 m/s2 (ANS: 14.7 N)
22. A train moving with uniform speed covers a distance of 120 m in
2s. Calculate:
(a) The speed of the train (ANS: 60m/s)
(b) The time it will take to cover 240m (ANS: 4s)
23. A train starts from rest and accelerates uniformly at a rate of 2m/s 2
for 10 s. It then maintains a constant speed for 200s. The brakes are
then applied and the train is uniformly retarded and comes to rest in
50s. Find:
(a) The maximum velocity reached (ANS: 20m/s)
(b) The retardation in the last 50 s. (ANS: 0.4 m/s2)
(c) The total distance travelled. (ANS: 4600 m)
(d) The average velocity of the train. (ANS: 17.69 m/s)
24. A ball is thrown vertically upwards with an initial velocity of
49m/s. Calculate:
(a) The maximum height reached (ANS: 122.5 m)
(b) The time taken by it before it reaches the ground again.(A: 10s)
25. The displacement of a body is proportional to the square of time
along a straight line. Is the body moving with constant velocity or
constant acceleration?
Answer: It is moving with constant acceleration.
26. A ball is thrown vertically upwards. It returns 6 s later. Calculate

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 10

(a) The greatest height reached by the ball (ANS: 45 m)
(b) Initial velocity of the ball (ANS: 30 m/s)
27. A stone is dropped freely from the top of a tower and it reaches the
ground in 4 s. Taking g = 10m/s2, calculate the height of the tower.
(ANS: 80m)
28. A bicycle initially moving with a velocity of 5.0m/s accelerates for
5s at a rate of 2m/s2. What will be its final velocity? (ANS: 15 m/s)
29. A car moving on a straight path covers a distance of 1km due
east in 100s. What is the speed of car? What is its velocity?
(ANS: speed = 10m/s, velocity = 10m/s due east)
30. A car accelerates at a rate of 5 ms-2. Find the increase in its
velocity in 2 s.
31. A toy car initially moving with a uniform velocity of 18 km/h
comes to a stop in 2 s. Find the retardation of the car in its S.I units
(ANS: 2.5 m/s2)
32. A body is moving vertically upwards. Its velocity changes at a
constant rate from 50m/s to 20m/s in 3s. What is its acceleration?
(ANS; a = -10ms-2)
33. If a stone and a pencil are dropped simultaneously in vacuum from the
top of a tower. Which of the two will reach the ground first?
ANS: both will reach the ground simultaneously, since
acceleration due to gravity is same
34. The value of g remains same at all places on the earth surface’. Is
this statement true?

35. A toy car of mass 500 g travels with a uniform velocity of 25 m/s
for 5 s. The brakes are then applied and the car is uniformly retarded
and comes to rest in further 10 s. Calculate.
(a) The retardation (ANS: 2.5 m/s2)
(b) The distance which the car travels after the brakes are applied
(ANS: 125 m)
(c) The force exerted by the brakes (ANS: 1.25N)
36. Starting from rest and after 5 minutes, a train reached a velocity of
500 m/s. If the acceleration had been constant, how far did the train
travel in the 5 minutes? [ANS: 75 000m]
37. A body whose initial velocity is 30m/s moves with a constant
retardation of 3m/s2. Calculate the time taken for the body to come
to rest. [ANS: 10s]

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38. A body moving with uniform acceleration of 10ms-2 covers a
distance of 320m. If its initial velocity was 60m/s. Calculate its final
velocity. [ANS:100m/s]
39. A stone is released from the top of a cliff 180m high. Calculate:
(a) The time it takes to hit the water. [ANS: (a) 6s (b) 60m/s]
(b) The velocity with which it hits the water, take g = 10m/s.
40. A stone is projected vertically upwards with a velocity of 30m/s
from the ground. Calculate:
(a) The time it takes to reach the maximum height. [ANS: 3s]
(b) The time of flight [ANS: 6s]
(c) The maximum height reached [ANS: 45m]
(d) The velocity with which it lands on the ground
(Take g = 10m/s2) [ANS: 30m/s]
41. Explain the importance of the position-time graph.
Answer: The importance of a position-time graph is that its
slope gives the velocity of the object in uniform motion.
42. A car is travelling at a speed of 72 km/h is uniformly retarded by
application of brakes and comes to rest after 8 seconds. If the car
with its occupants has a mass of 1250 kg, calculate.
(i) The braking force [ANS: -3125N]
(ii) The work done in bringing it to rest [ANS: 2.5 x 105J]
43. A motorway designer can assume that cars approaching a
motorway enter a slip road with a velocity of 10m/s and reach a
velocity of 30m/s before joining the motorway. Calculate the
minimum length for the slip road, assuming that vehicles have an
acceleration of 4.0 m/s2 [ANS: 100m]
44. What are the difference between distance and displacement
Distance Displacement
Actual path traversed by object Shortest distance between
in given time initial and final positions of
object in given time
It is a scalar quantity It is a vector quantity
It cannot be zero or negative, it It can be positive, negative or
will be always positive zero
It is either equal or greater than It is either equal or less than
displacement but never less distance but never greater than
than displacement distance
It can have many values It has unique value
depending upon path followed
between two positions
WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 12
Between two positions of an It does not tell type of path
object, it tells type of path followed
followed
 Consider the figure below showing distance and displacement

Musa go to work by motorcycle everyday as shown in the diagram

above. The distance that Musa travels from his house to the factory
is 200m. The displacement of Musa from his house after arriving
at the factory is 120m.
45. A train is travelling at 50m/s when the driver applies the
brakes and gives the train a constant deceleration of magnitude
0.50 m/s2 for 100 s. Describe what happens to the train.
Calculate the distance travelled by the train in 100 s. [ANS: d
=2500, and the train slows to rest and covers a distance of 2500m]
46. The displacement of a moving object in a given interval of time
is zero. Would the distance travelled by the object also be zero?
Give a reason for your answer.
ANS: No, because when a body takes a round trip from its final
position to the initial position, then the distance travelled will be a
non-zero whereas the displacement is zero.
47. Bus X travels a distance of 360km in 5 hours whereas bus Y
travels a distance of 476km in 7 hours. Which bus is faster?
ANS: Bus X is faster than bus Y
48. What type of motion, uniform or non-uniform is exhibited by a
freely falling body? Give a reason for your answer.
ANS: A freely falling body has a non-uniform motion because in
the initial 1 second the distance covered is small and in the later 1
second, the distance covered is large. As the distance covered is
uneven, the motion is non-uniform
49. What type of motion is exhibited by a freely falling body?
ANS: Uniformly accelerated motion
50. Give one example of a situation in which a body has a certain
average speed but its average velocity is zero.

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ANS: When a car moves from the parking area to the mall and back
from the mall to the parking area, the average speed is certain but
the average velocity is zero.
51. Which of the two can be zero under certain conditions: average
speed of a moving body or average velocity of a moving body?
ANS: The average velocity of a moving body can be zero.
52. Under which condition is the magnitude of average velocity
equal to average speed?
ANS: The magnitude of average velocity is equal to the average
speed when the object moves in a single straight line.
53. Under what conditions can a body travel a certain distance and
yet its resultant displacement be zero?
ANS: The resultant displacement of a body is said to be zero when
the body comes back to its starting point and covers a certain non-
zero distance
54. The Figure below shows the velocity–time graph for a vertically
bouncing ball. The ball is released at A and strikes the ground at
B. The ball leaves the ground at D and reaches its maximum
height at E. The effects of air resistance can be neglected.

(a) State:
(i) Why the velocity at D is negative
(ii) Why the gradient of the line AB is the same as the gradient of
line DE
(iii) What is represented by the area between the line AB and the
time axis
(iv) Why the area of triangle ABC is greater than the area of
triangle CDE.
(b) The ball is dropped from rest from an initial height of 1.2 m.
After hitting the ground the ball rebounds to a height of 0.80
m. The ball is in contact with the ground between B and D for
a time of 0.16 s. Using the acceleration of free fall, calculate:
(i) The speed of the ball immediately before hitting the ground
(ii) The speed of the ball immediately after hitting the ground
WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 14
(iii) The acceleration of the ball while it is in contact with the
ground. State the direction of this acceleration.
ANS: (b) (i) 4.9 m/s2 (ii) 4.0 m.s (iii) 55m/s upward direction
(a)
(i) Ball travels upwards (or reverses direction) on bouncing
(ii) In both cases, the ball is accelerating due to gravity only.
(iii) Initial height of the ball above the ground.
(iv) Ball dos not bounce as high as initial position or (kinetic)
energy is lost (as heat/internal energy) during the bouncing
55. Draw a velocity-time graph for a particle in the following situations:
(a) Moving with uniform retardation.
(b) Moving with variable velocity
(c) Moving with uniform velocity
(d) Moving with uniform acceleration
(e) Moving with variable acceleration
(f) A body fall freely
(g) A body projected vertically upwards

56. What does the slope of a displacement-time graph represent?

ANS: The slope of a displacement-time graph gives the velocity.
If the slope is positive, it indicates that the body is moving away
from the reference or the starting point. If the slope is negative, the
body is reverting to the initial point.
57. Draw a displacement -time graph for a particle in the following situations:
(a) A body projected vertically upwards
(b) A body at stationary

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(c) Moving with variable velocity
(d) Moving with uniform velocity
(e) A body fall freely
(f) Moving with uniform acceleration
(g) Moving with uniform retardation.

58. An aeroplane is travelling horizontally at a speed of 80m/s and

drops a crate of emergency supplies (see figure below). To avoid
damage, the maximum vertical speed of the crate on landing is
20 m/s. You may assume air resistance is negligible.

a) Calculate the maximum height of the aeroplane when the crate is

dropped. [ANS: 20m]
b) Calculate the time taken for the crate to reach the ground from
this height. [ANS: 2 s]
c) The aeroplane is travelling at the maximum permitted height.
Calculate the horizontal distance travelled by the crate after it is
released from the aeroplane. [ANS: 2s]
59. A stone is dropped freely from the top of a tower and it reaches the
ground in 4 sec taking. Calculate the height of the Tower. [ANS: 80m]
60. What does the slope of the velocity-time graph represent?
ANS: acceleration.

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 16

61. If stone and a pencil are dropped simultaneously in a vacuum
from the top of a tower, which of the two will reach the ground
first? Give reason.
ANS: In vacuum, there is no resistance from the viscous force of air
hence both the objects i.e., the pencil and the stone will reach the
ground at the same time from the top of the tower as the value of
acceleration due to gravity ‘g’, is the same on both the objects.
62. A bus moves from rest with a uniform acceleration of 2ms² for
the first 10 seconds. It then accelerates at a uniform rate of 1ms²
for another 15seconds. It continues at a constant speed for
70seconds and finally came to rest in 20seconds by uniform
acceleration, calculate the average speed for the whole journey.
63. A car moves with a velocity of 12m/s for 6 seconds. It accelerates
at 2 m/s2 for 4 seconds. It then travels for 2 more seconds with
uniform velocity. The car finally decorates to a stop in 15 seconds.
Draw a velocity time graph and from it calculate:
(a) The distance travelled in 5 s. [ANS: 60m]
(b) Average velocity for the journey, assuming that the journey is
in a straight line. [ANS: 12.07 m]
(c) Deceleration of the car
ANS: Given; a = 2m/s2

(a) In 5 s, t = 5s, u = 12m/s, a = 0m/s

1
From: 𝑠 = 𝑢𝑡 + 𝑎 𝑡 2 = 12 × 5 + 0 = 60𝑚
2
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝐴1 +𝐴2+𝐴3+𝐴4
(b) Average velocity = =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡
1 1
12×6+ ×4×(12+20)+20×2+ ×15×20 326
2 2
V= = = 12.07𝑚/𝑠
27 27

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 17

∆𝒗 𝒗−𝒖 𝟎−𝟐𝟎
(c) 𝒂= = = = −𝟏. 𝟑𝟑𝒎/s2
𝒕 𝒕 𝟏𝟓
64. A stone is released from the top of a cliff 180m high. Calculate:
(a) The time it takes to hit the water [ANS: 6s]
(b) The velocity with which it hits the ground [ANS: 60m/s]
65. A car starts from rest and attains a velocity of 72km/h in 5s. It
travels at this velocity for a 10s and then decelerates to a stop after
another 6 s. Draw a velocity time graph for this motion. From the
graph
(a) Calculate the total distance covered by the car
(b) Find the acceleration of the car at each stage
ANSW: see the figure below

(a) From the graph; total distance travelled = area under the graph
1 1
Total distance = ℎ (𝑎 + 𝑏) = × 20 × (10 + 21) = 310m
2 2
∆𝑣 20−0
(b) Acceleration = slope of the graph = = = 4m/s2
∆𝑡 5−0
66. Two cars A and B start moving at the same time along straight line
with uniform acceleration of 5m/s2 and 3m/s2 respectively. If the
distance of separation between the two cars is 60km, after how long
will car A overtake car B? [ANS: 246 sec]
67. A small ball is projected vertically upwards from ground level
with speed u m/s. The ball takes 4 s to return to ground level.
(a) Draw, a velocity – time graph to represent the motion of the
ball during the first 4 s.
(b) The maximum height of the ball above the ground during the
first 4s is 19.6m. Find the value of u
ANS;
(a) See the figure below

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 18

𝑻 𝟒
(b) Given; 𝒉 = 𝟏𝟗. 𝟔𝒎, 𝒕 = = = 𝟐𝒎/𝒔, 𝒂 = 𝟗. 𝟖𝒎/𝒔2, v=0m/s
𝟐 𝟐
From; 𝒗 = 𝒖 − 𝟐𝒂𝒔  𝒖𝟐 = 𝒗𝟐 + 𝟐𝒂𝒔
𝟐 𝟐

∴ 𝒖 = √𝒗𝟐 + 𝟐𝒂𝒔 =√𝟎𝟐 + 𝟐 × 𝟗. 𝟖 × 𝟏𝟗. 𝟔 = √𝟑𝟖𝟒. 𝟏𝟔 = 19.6m/s

68. An athlete runs along a straight road. She starts from rest and
moves with constant acceleration for 5 seconds, reaching a speed
of 8m/s. This speed is then maintained for T seconds. She then
decelerates at a constant rate until she stops. She has run a total
of 500 m in 75s.
(a) Sketch a speed – time graph to illustrate the motion of the athlete
(b) Calculate the value of T
(c) Calculate the deceleration of the athlete
ANS;
(a) See the figure below

(b) Given, s = 500m, u = 0m/s, v = 8m/s

Using the formula that,
Area under the graph = Total distance travelled
𝟏
But, from the figure above; A = (𝒂 + 𝒃)𝒉
𝟐
Whereby; 𝒗 = 𝒉 = 𝟖𝒎/𝒔, 𝑨 = 𝒔 = 𝟓𝟎𝟎, 𝒂 = 𝑻, 𝒃 = 𝟕𝟓
𝟏 𝟏
Then; A = (𝒂 + 𝒃)𝒉 → 𝟓𝟎𝟎 = (𝑻 + 𝟕𝟓) × 𝟖
𝟐 𝟐
𝟐×𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎
= 𝑻 + 𝟕𝟓 ∴𝑻= − 𝟕𝟓 = 125 – 75 =50s
𝟖 𝟖

(c) From the graph, t = 75 – 50 = 25 s, u = 8m/s, v =0m/s, a =?

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 19

𝒗−𝒖 𝟎−𝟖 𝟖
From; 𝑎 = ∴ 𝒂= = − = −𝟎. 𝟑𝟐m/s2
𝒕 𝟐𝟓 𝟐𝟓
69. Maryam drove her car from rest to a speed of 30 m/s in 10 s.
She maintained this steady speed for 10 seconds, after which she
applied the brakes and stopped after 5 seconds.
(a) Draw a graph of speed against time
(b) From the graph in (a) above calculate
(i) The total distance travelled
(ii) The time taken for the whole journey
(iii)The maximum speed attained
(iv) Average speed
ANS;
(a) See the figure below

(b) From the graph above

(i) Total distance travelled = Area under the graph
𝟏 𝟏
A= × (𝒂 + 𝒃) × 𝒉 = × (𝟏𝟎 + 𝟐𝟓) × 𝟑𝟎 = 𝟓𝟐𝟓m
𝟐 𝟐
Therefore; total distance travelled = 525m
(ii) Time take for the whole journey = 10+10+5 = 25sec
(iii) The maximum speed attained, v =30 m/s
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝟓𝟐𝟓
(iv) Average speed, v = = =21m/s
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝟐𝟓
70. Highway safety engineers build soft barriers so that cars hitting
them will slow down at a safe rate. A person wearing a safety belt
can withstand an acceleration of –300 m/s2. How thick should
barriers be to safely stop a car that hits a barrier at 30.56 m/s?
𝒗𝟐 −𝒖𝟐
[ANS: v=0m/s, u = 30.56m/s, a = -300m/s2, s =?, 𝒔 = 𝟐𝒂
= 𝟏. 𝟓𝟔𝒎]
71. A stone was dropped from the top of a building and hit the ground
4 s latter
(a) How tall is the building?
(b) What was the stone’s velocity when it hit the ground?

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 20

ANS;
Given; 𝑢 = 0m/s, 𝑡 = 4𝑠, 𝑔 =10m/s2
1 𝟏
(a) From; 𝑠 = 𝑢𝑡 + 𝑔𝑡 2 ∴ 𝒔 = 𝟎 × 𝟒 + × 𝟏𝟎 × 𝟒𝟐 = 𝟖𝟎m
2 𝟐
2 2
(b) From; 𝑣 = 𝑢 + 2𝑔𝑠

∴ 𝑣 = √𝑢2 + 2𝑔𝑠 = √02 + 2 × 10 × 80 = √1600 = 𝟒𝟎m/s

72. A car accelerates uniformly from rest for 20 seconds. It moves
at constant speed v m/s for the next 40 seconds and then
decelerates uniformly for 10 seconds until it comes to rest.
(a) For the motion of the car, sketch
(i) A speed – time graph
(ii) An acceleration – time graph
(b) If the total distance moved by the car is 880 m, find the value of v
ANS;
(a) See the figure below

(b) Given; s = 880m, t= 70s

But, area under the graph = total distance moved by the car
𝟏 𝟏
A = × (𝒂 + 𝒃) × 𝒉 → 𝟖𝟖𝟎 = × (𝟒𝟎 + 𝟕𝟎) × 𝒗
𝟐 𝟐
𝟏 𝟖𝟖𝟎
𝟖𝟖𝟎 = × 𝟏𝟏𝟎 × 𝒗  𝟓𝟓𝒗 = 𝟖𝟖𝟎 ∴ 𝒗= =16m/s
𝟐 𝟓𝟓
73. A pilot of an airplane traveling 160 km/hr wants to drop supplies to
flood victims isolated on a patch of land 160 m below. The supplies

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 21

should be dropped how many seconds before the plane is directly
overhead?
𝟏 𝟐𝒔
[A: u = 0m/s, s= 160m, t =?, s = 𝒖𝒕 + at2 → 𝒕 = √ = 𝟓.71 sec]
𝟐 𝒈
74. The figure below shows the speed – time graph of a cyclist
moving on a straight road over a 7s period. The sections of the
graph from t = 0 to t = 3, and from t = 3 to t = 7, are straight
lines. The section from t =3 to t = 7 is parallel to the t – axis.
State what can be deduced about the motion of the cyclist from
the fact that.

(a) The graph from t = 0 to t = 3 is a straight line,

(b) The graph from t = 3 to t = 7 is parallel to the t – axis
(c) Find the distance travelled by the cyclist during this 7s period.
ANS;
(a) Constant acceleration
(b) Constant speed/ velocity
(c) Distance travelled by cyclist in 7s = area under the graph
But; A= 𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒛𝒊𝒖𝒎 + 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆
𝟏 𝟏
A= × (𝒂 + 𝒃) × 𝒉 + 𝒍 × 𝒉 = × (𝟐 + 𝟓) × 𝟑 + 𝟒 × 𝟓=30.5m
𝟐 𝟐

75. A stone is falling down a well takes 2 s to reach the water

surface. Calculate:
(a) The velocity with which the stone hits the water surface.
(b) The distance of the water surface from the top of the well shaft
ANS;
(a) t = 2s, g = 9.8m/s2, ∴ 𝒗 = 𝒖 + 𝒈𝒕 = 𝟎 + 𝟐 × 𝟗. 𝟖 = 19.6m/s
(b) 𝑢 = 19.6m/s, v = 0m/s, a = 9.8m/s2, s=h =?
1 1
𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚; ℎ = 𝑢2 + 𝑔𝑡 2 ∴ ℎ = 02 + × 9.8 × 22 =19.6m
2 2

76. A weather balloon is floating at a constant height above Earth when

it releases a pack of instruments.
WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 22
(a) If the pack hits the ground with a velocity of 73.5 m/s, how far
does the pack fall? [Answer: s = 276 m down]
(b) How long does the pack fall? [Answer: t = 7.5 sec]
77. A ball is thrown upward from the ground with an initial speed
of 25m/s; at the same instant, another ball is dropped from a
building 15m high. After how long will the balls be at the same
height?
ANS; let t be the time at which balls will be at the same height
Consider a free body diagram below;

From the figure above;

For B1: s= 15 – h,
1 𝟏
𝑠 = 𝑢𝑡 + 𝑔𝑡 2 → 𝟏𝟓 − 𝒉 = 𝟐𝟓𝒕 − × 𝟏𝟎 × 𝒕𝟐
2 𝟐
𝟏 𝟐
𝟏𝟓 − 𝒉 = 𝟐𝟓𝒕 − × 𝟏𝟎 × 𝒕 → 𝟏𝟓 − 𝒉 = 𝟐𝟓𝒕 − 𝟓𝒕𝟐 ----- (i)
𝟐
For B2: s = h
1 1
𝑠 = 𝑢𝑡 + 𝑔𝑡 2 → ℎ = 0 × 𝑡 − × 10 × 𝑡 2
2 2
1 𝟐 𝟐
ℎ = 0 × 𝑡 − × 10 × 𝒕 → 𝒉 = 𝟎 − 𝟓𝒕 → 𝒉 = 𝟓𝒕𝟐 ----- (ii)
2
now substitute equation (ii) into (i)
𝟏𝟓 − 𝒉 = 𝟐𝟓𝒕 − 𝟓𝒕𝟐 → 𝟏𝟓 − 𝟓𝒕𝟐 = 𝟐𝟓𝒕 − 𝟓𝒕𝟐
𝟏𝟓
𝟏𝟓 = 𝟐𝟓𝒕 ∴ 𝒕= = 𝟎. 𝟔 seconds
𝟐𝟓

Self Assessment – 6

1. An object which is among over a horizontal surface does not

continue with constant velocity when the accelerating force is
removed. Instead it slows down and eventually stops. Explain
what cause deceleration
2. What would happen if gravitational force of the Sun suddenly
vanishes?
3. Explain why a parachutist usually travels at constant velocity for
the last part of his drop.

WRITER: GEOFREY M IDEBE (+255 082 089, MWANZA) Page 23

4. Starting from rest and after 5 minutes, a train reached a velocity
of 500 m/s. If the acceleration had been constant, how far did
the train travel in the 5 minutes?
5. Sketch the diagram of a body which starts from rest and
accelerates uniformly for sometimes to a constant velocity and
then maintains this velocity for a certain period of time before
decelerating uniformly to a stop.

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