Home > AP Physics > Quizzes > Gravitation and Circular Motion
Gravitation and Circular Motion
Fast practice, instant feedback. Timer auto-submits when time’s up.
Avg score: 25% • Most missed: “A warrior spins a slingshot in a horizontal circle above his head at a constant …”
Gravitation and Circular Motion
Time left 00:00
25 Questions

1. Four planets, A through D, orbit the same star. The relative masses and distances from the star for each planet are shown in the table. Which planet has the highest gravitational attraction to the star?
2. The coefficient of friction between the rubber tires of a car and dry concrete is μ = 0.64. If a car enters a horizontal turn with a radius of 10.0 m, what is the maximum velocity that the car can have and still hold the road?
3. A car moves in a horizontal circle with a radius of 10 m. The tangential velocity of the car is 30 m/s. What is the car’s acceleration?
4. A record player has four coins at different distances from the center of rotation. Coin A is 1 cm away, Coin B is 2 cm away, Coin C is 4 cm away, and Coin D is 8 cm away. If the player is spinning 45 rotations/min, what coin has the greatest velocity?
5. A skater holds out her arms level to the ground as she spins. In one hand she holds a tennis ball. Each of her arms is 1 m long. If the tennis ball travels at 5 m/s, what is its centripetal acceleration?
6. A space shuttle is in orbit around the Earth. It travels at an unknown speed (v) at an orbital radius (r). The commander fires the engine and the speed doubles to 3v. What happens to the orbit if the centripetal acceleration stays the same?
7. A warrior spins a slingshot in a horizontal circle above his head at a constant velocity. The sling is 1.5 m long and the stone has a mass of 50 g. The tension in the string is 3.3 N. When he releases the sling, what will the stone’s velocity be?
8. The centripetal acceleration on a 1,000-kg car in a turn is 1 × 105 m/s2. The radius of the turn is 10 m. What is the car’s velocity?
9. An ice skater skates around a circular rink with a diameter of 20 m. If it takes her 62.8 s to go around the rink once, what is the coefficient of friction of the ice?
10. The Moon has a mass of 7.4 × 1022 kg and a distance from the Earth of 3.8 × 108 m. The Earth’s mass is 6 × 1024 kg. What is the gravitational potential energy of the Moon?
11. A bicycle wheel has a radius of 0.5 m. When it spins, it completes one full turn in 1.6 s. A pebble wedged in the tread has a mass of 10 g. What is the centripetal force on the pebble?
12. A satellite orbits the Earth at a distance of 200 km. If the mass of the Earth is 6 × 1024 kg and the Earth’s radius is 6.4 × 106 m, what is the satellite’s velocity?
13. You swing a 100-g object attached to a 2-m string in a circle above your head. The velocity of the object is 12 m/s. What is the centripetal force on its mass?
14. If the car in Question 181 has a mass of 1,000 kg, then what is the force of friction acting on the car?
15. A block with a mass of 30 kg is hanging still from a string. If you place another block with a mass of 10 kg at a distance of 2 m away, what is the gravitational attraction between the two blocks?
16. A spinning top has a radius of 2 cm. If the top takes 0.06 s to complete one rotation, what is the centripetal acceleration at the edge of the top?
17. [For Physics C Students Only] The Earth is at an average distance of 1 AU from the Sun and has an orbital period of 1 year. Jupiter orbits the Sun at approximately 5 AU. About how long is the orbital period of Jupiter?
18. A proposed “space elevator” can lift a 1,000-kg payload to an orbit of 150 km above the Earth’s surface. The radius of the Earth is 6.4 × 106 m and the Earth’s mass is 6 × 1024 kg. What is the gravitational potential energy of the payload when it reaches orbit?
19. [For Physics C Students Only] Saturn has an orbital period of 29 Earth years. What is its approximate orbital distance?
20. The Moon has a mass of 7.4 × 1022 kg and a radius of 1.7 × 106 m. What is the force of gravity experienced by a 70-kg astronaut standing on the lunar surface?
21. A 1,000-kg car experiences a centripetal force of 1.8 × 105 N while making a turn. The car is moving at a constant speed of 30 m/s. What is the radius of the turn?
22. This graph depicts the tangential velocities of several circular space stations with different radii. All the stations are spinning. Which of the following statements is true?
23. A satellite orbits the Earth at a distance of 100 km. The mass of the satellite is 100 kg, while the mass of the Earth is approximately 6.0 × 1024 kg. The radius of the Earth is approximately 6.4 × 106 m. What is the approximate force of gravity acting on the satellite?
24. Two satellites of equal mass orbit a planet. Satellite B orbits at twice the orbital radius of Satellite A. Which of the following statements is true?
25. A 70-kg astronaut floats at a distance of 10 m from a 50,000-kg spacecraft. What is the force of attraction between the astronaut and spacecraft?

⚡ Recently practiced quizzes in this topic
Live quiz activity
Momentum Free-Body Diagrams and Equilibrium Fluid Mechanics Magnetism Waves Test Energy Conservation Atomic and Nuclear Physics Kinematics Vectors Simple Harmonic Motion
 
❤ If you liked Fatskills, consider supporting us by checking out The Life Manuals You Never Got.

🌈  Our mission is to help improve your scores in any subject and exam withonline quizzes, practice tests, study guides, & advice for students. Since 2018.
About | Explore | User Guide | Topics | Subjects | Doubt Solver | Career Aptitude Test | Answers | Free Tools | OSHA Basics Quiz | What Should We Know?
Privacy | Terms |
Without work one finishes nothing. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
© 2026 Fatskills.com

All trademarks, logos and brand names are the property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement.