Motion

Test Questions

100

Velocity is a measurement related to motion. What is velocity?

1. a force that considers the rate at which acceleration changes
2. a force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are touching
3. a measure of both the speed and direction of a moving object
4. a measure of how fast something moves between two points

3. 

• a measure of both the speed and direction of a moving object 

200

Which describes friction?

1. a unit that is a measure of speed
2. a force that works against gravity
3. a form of energy that depends on light and heat
4. a force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are touching

4. 

• a force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are touching 

300

The speed of which of the following objects is affected by gravity?

1. a rock falling off a high cliff
2. an airplane flying through the air
3. a sailboat gliding across the water
4. a marble rolling along the ground

1. 

• a rock falling off a high cliff 

400

Astronauts design an experiment to test the effect of force on an object. They know that one of the forces we experience on Earth is less on the moon. Which force are the astronauts testing?

1. gravity
2. acceleration
3. friction
4. velocity

1. gravity

500

A bus driving on the road during the winter drives onto an icy spot and starts to slide. A decrease in which of the following forces causes the bus to slide?

1. thrust
2. acceleration
3. friction
4. gravity

3. friction

Test Questions

100

A car traveling down a road approaches a red light. The driver pushes the car’s brakes and the car slows to a stop. What causes the car’s speed to change?

1. a decrease in velocity 
2. an increase in velocity 
3. a decrease in friction 
4. an increase in friction

4. an increase in friction

200

Mrs. Newton’s class designed an experiment to test the effect of force on an object. Four students rolled a tennis ball across floors with different surfaces. Three used smooth surfaces. One student used a rough surface. They measured how far the balls rolled. The table below shows the data they collected.

Analyze the data. Which student rolled a tennis ball across a rough surface?

1. Alicia 
2. Alex 
3. Jorge 
4. Lucy

3. Jorge

300

Lukas designed an experiment to investigate forces and motion. The table shows the distances and times a ball rolled during his investigation. For each trial, the ball started from rest and a force caused it to move.

Analyze the data. During which trial did the greatest force cause the ball to move?

1. Trial 1 
2. Trial 2 
3. Trial 3 
4. Trial 4 

1. Trial 1

400

Bodhi designed an experiment to study motion. He used the measured data he collected about the distance a toy car traveled over time to make this graph.

Analyze the pattern shown in the graph. What did Bodhi do to the car between points W and X?

1. He slowed it down. 
2. He made it accelerate. 
3. He put it on a steep incline. 
4. He stopped it from moving. 

4. He stopped it from moving

500

Carla designed an experiment to test velocity. She made the table below to analyze her data.

What important information is missing from Carla’s data table?

1. the total distance the object traveled 
2. the direction the object traveled 
3. the total time taken to travel the distance 
4. the time taken to complete the experiment 

2. the direction the object traveled

Test Questions

100

Luis is using toy cars to investigate speed. He is changing the length and shape of the track to see the effects on speed. What change could he make to the investigation to make a car go faster?

1. make the car as heavy as possible 
2. make the track as rough as possible 
3. make the end of the track higher than the beginning 
4. make the beginning of the track higher than the end 

4. make the beginning of the track higher than the end

200

Keesha designs an experiment to test the effect of force on the motion of a ball. She uses a rubber band wrapped around the legs of a chair to launch the ball. She discovers that the farther she pulls back with the rubber band, the faster the ball travels. Which conclusion should she draw?

1. Increasing the weight of a moving object will increase its speed. 
2. Increasing the distance an object travels will increase its speed. 
3. Increasing the force applied to a moving object will increase its speed. 
4. Increasing the friction on a moving object will increase its speed.

3. Increasing the force applied to a moving object will increase its speed

300

Denelle pulled gently on a spring scale. The scale showed a force, but the block did not move. Why not?

1. The force that she applied was balanced by another force. 
2. The string between the spring and the block was not strong enough. 
3. There was not enough friction for the block to move. 
4. The spring scale was broken, so there was no force when she pulled on it. 

1. 

• The force that she applied was balanced by another force. 

400

Suri tapes batteries to three identical toy cars to give them different masses. Then, Suri measures how far each car rolls when she launches it from the same starting point using the same stretched rubber band. The three toy cars are pictured in the following illustration.

How will the force of the rubber band affect the cars?

1. Car 3 will travel the longest distance. 
2. Car 1 will travel the shortest distance. 
3. Car 1 will be the least affected by the force acting upon it. 
4. Car 3 will be the least affected by the force acting upon it. 

4. 

• Car 3 will be the least affected by the force acting upon it. 

500

A spring scale measures force.

Which is the force that causes the reading on the spring scale shown in the illustration?

1. friction 
2. gravity 
3. mass 
4. weight 

2. gravity

Test Questions

100

Two race cars with the same mass started moving on a race track at the same time. One car reached the finish line of the track in 15 sec, and the other reached the finish line in 20 sec. Why did the cars take different amounts of time to reach the finish line?

1. The force of gravity slowed one car, but not the other car. 
2. The slower car did not experience any force, so it moved more slowly. 
3. The forces on one car were balanced and on the other car unbalanced. 
4. The engine of the faster car exerted more force than the engine of the other car. 

4. 

• The engine of the faster car exerted more force than the engine of the other car.