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AP Physics 1

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Unit 3

3.9 Multiple Choice Questions

5 min read•march 13, 2023

AP Physics 1 🎡

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Multiple Choice Practice for Circular Motion and Gravitation

Welcome to Unit 3 AP Physics 1 Multiple Choice Questions! Grab some paper and a pencil 📄 to record your answers as you go. You can see how you did on the Unit 3 Practice Questions Answers and Review sheet once you're done. Don't worry, we have tons of resources available if you get stumped 😕 on a question. And if solo study is not your thing, join a group in Hours!

Not ready to take a quiz yet? Take a look at the Intro to Unit 3.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Facts about the test: The AP Physics 1 exam has 50 multiple choice questions (45 single-select and 5 multiple-select) and you will be given 90 minutes to complete the section. That means it should take you around 15 minutes to complete 8 questions.

The following questions were not written by College Board and, although they cover information outlined in the AP Physics 1 Course and Exam Description, the formatting on the exam may be different.

1. A car is moving around a curve on an interstate highway at 55 mph. What force keeps the car, when turning on the curve, from skidding?

A. Kinetic friction

B. Static friction

C. Normal force

D. Centripetal force

2. For the roller coaster pictured, the riders are moving at position "a" and state they feel "lighter" than normal. Which of the following reasons explains why they feel lighter?

A. The riders' seatbelts are loose giving them a feeling of "weightlessness".

B. The riders are getting "pushed out" of their seats and therefore feel lighter at point "a".

C. The normal force for the riders is greater than the weight of the riders, mg.

D. The normal force for the riders is smaller in magnitude than their weight, mg.

3. For the roller coaster pictured, the riders are moving at position "b" and state they feel "heavier" than normal. Which of the following reasons explains why they feel heavier?

A. The normal force for the riders is greater than the weight of the riders, mg.

B. The normal force for the riders is smaller in magnitude than their weight, mg.

C. The riders are getting "pushed down" in their seats and therefore feel heavier at point "b".

D. The riders' seatbelts are too tight giving them a feeling of "heaviness".

4. A person is swinging a rock at the end of a string as seen from above. If the string breaks at point "P", at which lettered path will the rock travel?

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D or E

5. A satellite is moving in a circular orbit around the planet Jupiter. Which one feels a greater force?

A. The satellite because Jupiter is so much more massive

B. Jupiter because the satellite has such little mass

C. Jupiter and the satellite feel the exact same force

D. It depends on the distance between the two objects

6. A motorcycle goes around a circular curve on a horizontal road at constant speed. What is the direction of the friction force on the motorcycle due to the road?

A. Inward, perpendicular to the road.

B. Outward, perpendicular to the road.

C. Tangent to the curve in the forward direction.

D. Tangent to the curve opposite the direction of the car's motion.

7. A 5.0-kg ball is moving with a constant speed of 2.0 m/s in a horizontal circle whose diameter is 2.0 m. What is the magnitude of the net force on the ball?

A. 0 N

B. 5 N

C. 10 N

D. 20 N

8. A coin is able to stay on a turntable without sliding. Which of the following is the correct force that keeps the coin from sliding?

A. Centripetal force

B. Weight

C. Normal

D. Friction

9. Two golf balls, 1 and 2, attract each other gravitationally with a force of magnitude F. If we now double both masses but leave the radius the same, what will now be the magnitude of the attractive force on each one?

A. The same force as the original

B. 2 times the original force

C. 4 times the original force

D. Cannot be determined without knowing the acceleration due to gravity

10. A par of tennis balls are held by two students at a distance "D". If the students double the distance, what happens to the force between the tennis balls?

A. 1/4 of the original force

B. 1/2 of the original force

C. 2 of the original force

D. 4 of the original force

11. A student builds a track for a toy car to go around a curve. If the student doubles the radius of the curve, what happens to the acceleration of the car if the speed remains unchanged?

A. The acceleration is 1/4 of the original.

B. The acceleration is 1/2 of the original.

C. The acceleration is 2 times of the original.

D. The acceleration is 4 times of the original.

12. A student places a rock in a sling and whirls it around her head. If the student then places an additional, equal mass rock in the sling and keep the radius the same, how much more force will she need in order to keep the rocks moving at the same tangential velocity?

A. 1/4 of the original

B. 1/2 of the original

C. 2 times the original

D. 4 times the original

13. A student is riding a roller coaster and finds himself upside-down at the top of a loop. Which force keeps him in the seat of the roller coaster car?

A. Weight

B. Force due to gravity

C. Tension

D. Normal Force

14. For an object moving in a circle at a constant speed, which of the following constantly changes?

A. Velocity

B. Speed

C. Mass

D. Radius

15. If a person feels "weightless" at the top of a roller coaster hill, which of the following forces would be "missing" from the free-body diagram?

A. Tension

B. Normal Force

C. Weight (mg)