NUMS — Medical & Dental Entry Test
Take the NUMS Physics — Mechanics: Motion, Force, Work and Energy (Set 3): 30 multiple-choice questions (40 minutes) with instant scoring and a full…
What this test covers
The first 5 questions of this test, with the correct answer and explanation.
Q1. A boat can move at 4 m/s in still water. It heads perpendicular to the bank of a 120 m wide river whose current flows at 3 m/s. How far downstream is it carried by the time it reaches the opposite bank?
Answer: D. 90 m
Explanation: Crossing time = 120/4 = 30 s; downstream drift = 3 × 30 = 90 m.
Q2. A train travelling at 72 km/h is brought uniformly to rest in 20 s. How far does it travel while stopping?
Answer: A. 200 m
Explanation: 72 km/h = 20 m/s. s = (u + v)t/2 = (20 + 0) × 20/2 = 200 m.
Q3. A body starts from rest and its velocity increases uniformly to 10 m/s in 5 s, stays constant for 10 s, then decreases uniformly to zero in 5 s. What total distance does it cover?
Answer: C. 150 m
Explanation: Area under the v–t graph: 25 + 100 + 25 = 150 m.
Q4. A block slides from rest down a smooth plane inclined at 30° to the horizontal. How long does it take to travel 10 m along the plane? (g = 10 m/s²)
Answer: A. 2 s
Explanation: a = g sin 30° = 5 m/s². s = ½at² gives 10 = 2.5t², so t = 2 s.
Q5. Masses of 3 kg and 1 kg are connected by a light string over a smooth frictionless pulley (Atwood machine). What is the tension in the string? (g = 10 m/s²)
Answer: C. 15 N
Explanation: a = (3 − 1)g/(3 + 1) = 5 m/s². For the 1 kg mass T − 10 = 1 × 5, so T = 15 N.
Take the timed test (free, no sign-up) to see your score and the answer and explanation for every question.
Q6. A 60 kg person stands on a weighing scale inside a lift that accelerates upwards at 2 m/s². What does the scale read in newtons? (g = 10 m/s²)
Q7. A car travels round a flat circular curve of radius 100 m. If the coefficient of friction between tyres and road is 0.40, what is the maximum speed at which it can take the curve without skidding? (g = 10 m/s²)
Q8. A planet has the same mass as Earth but twice its radius. What is its escape velocity, if that of Earth is 11.2 km/s?
Q9. What is the acceleration due to gravity at a height above Earth's surface equal to Earth's radius? (g at the surface = 9.8 m/s²)
Q10. One planet orbits the Sun at four times the orbital radius of another. According to Kepler's third law, how does its period compare?
Q11. If the orbital radius of an Earth satellite in a circular orbit is increased to four times its original value, what happens to its orbital speed?
Q12. A wheel starting from rest has a constant angular acceleration of 2 rad/s² for 10 s. How many revolutions does it make in this time?
Q13. A uniform see-saw is balanced at its centre. A 30 kg child sits 2.0 m from the pivot. At what distance from the pivot must a 20 kg child sit on the other side to balance it?
Q14. A solid disc and a thin ring of equal mass and radius roll without slipping from rest down the same incline. Which reaches the bottom first, and why?
Q15. A skater spinning with moment of inertia 4 kg m² pulls in her arms so that it becomes 2 kg m². By what factor does her rotational kinetic energy change?
Q16. A ball is projected at 20 m/s at 30° above the horizontal. What is its maximum height? (g = 10 m/s²)
Q17. A projectile is launched at 75° with speed u and has horizontal range R. At which other launch angle with the same speed will it have the same range?
Q18. A 2 kg block moving at 6 m/s collides with a stationary 4 kg block and the two stick together. What kinetic energy is lost in the collision?
Q19. A 5 kg rifle fires a 50 g bullet at 400 m/s. What is the recoil speed of the rifle?
Q20. The force on a 0.5 kg ball rises linearly from zero to 200 N and back to zero in 0.1 s. If it starts from rest, what is its final speed?
Q21. How much work is done in stretching a spring (k = 200 N/m) from an extension of 0.10 m to 0.30 m?
Q22. A 2 kg block moving at 10 m/s slides on a rough horizontal surface with μ = 0.25 and comes to rest. How far does it slide? (g = 10 m/s²)
Q23. A lift motor raises a 500 kg load through 20 m in 25 s at constant speed. What is the power delivered to the load? (g = 10 m/s²)
Q24. Masses of 2 kg and 3 kg are placed at x = 0 and x = 5 m on a straight line. Where is their centre of mass?
Q25. A physical quantity Q = (energy × time)/(mass × length). Which quantity has the same dimensions as Q?
Q26. What is the scalar product A·B of the vectors A = 2i + 3j + k and B = i − j + 4k?
Q27. Water flowing at 2 m/s in a horizontal pipe enters a narrower section where its speed is 8 m/s. What is the drop in pressure? (density = 1000 kg/m³)
Q28. A steel ball dropped in a deep tank of viscous oil attains a constant terminal velocity. Which statement is correct at terminal velocity?
Q29. What is the absolute pressure at a depth of 10 m in a lake? (atmospheric pressure = 1.0 × 10⁵ Pa, density = 1000 kg/m³, g = 10 m/s²)
Q30. A block just begins to slide on a rough plane when the plane is tilted to 30° from the horizontal. What is the coefficient of static friction?