Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Physics

Concept Items

PhysicsConcept Items

Concept Items

5.1 Vector Addition and Subtraction: Graphical Methods

1.

There is a vector A→A→, with magnitude 5 units pointing towards west and vector B→B→, with magnitude 3 units, pointing towards south. Using vector addition, calculate the magnitude of the resultant vector.

  1. 4.0
  2. 5.8
  3. 6.3
  4. 8.0
2 .
If you draw two vectors using the head-to-tail method, how can you then draw the resultant vector?
  1. By joining the head of the first vector to the head of the last
  2. By joining the head of the first vector with the tail of the last
  3. By joining the tail of the first vector to the head of the last
  4. By joining the tail of the first vector with the tail of the last
3 .
A global angle is an angle with the positive x-axis (considered to be an angle of 0°), and the terminal angle as the angle formed after a counterclockwise rotation. What is the global angle of 20° south of west?
  1. 110 ∘
  2. 160 ∘
  3. 200 ∘
  4. 290 ∘

5.2 Vector Addition and Subtraction: Analytical Methods

4 .
What is the angle between the x and y components of a vector?
  1. 0 ∘
  2. 45 ∘
  3. 90 ∘
  4. 180 ∘
5 .
Two vectors are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. What is the magnitude of their resultant vector?
  1. The magnitude of the resultant vector will be zero.
  2. The magnitude of the resultant vector will be twice the magnitude of the original vector.
  3. The magnitude of the resultant vector will be same as magnitude of the original vector.
  4. The magnitude of the resultant vector will be half the magnitude of the original vector.
6 .
How can we express the x and y-components of a vector in terms of its magnitude, A , and direction, global angle θ ?
  1. A x = A cos ⁡ θ ; A y = A sin ⁡ θ
  2. A x = A cos ⁡ θ ; A y = A cos ⁡ θ
  3. A x = A sin ⁡ θ ; A y = A cos ⁡ θ
  4. A x = A sin ⁡ θ ; A y = A sin ⁡ θ
7.

True or False—Every 2-D vector can be expressed as the product of its x and y-components.

  1. True
  2. False

5.3 Projectile Motion

8 .
Horizontal and vertical motions of a projectile are independent of each other. What is meant by this?
  1. All objects in projectile motion with the same initial vertical velocity fall at the same rate, regardless of their horizontal velocity.
  2. All objects in projectile motion fall at different rates, regardless of their initial horizontal velocities.
  3. Any object in projectile motion falls at the same rate as its initial vertical velocity, regardless of its initial horizontal velocity.
  4. All objects in projectile motion fall at different rates and the rate of fall of the object is independent of the initial velocity.
9 .
Using the conventional choice for positive and negative axes described in the text, what is the y-component of the acceleration of an object experiencing projectile motion?
  1. − 9.8 m/s
  2. − 9.8 m/s 2
  3. 9.8 m/s
  4. 9.8 m/s 2

5.4 Inclined Planes

10.

True or False—Kinetic friction is less than the limiting static friction because once an object is moving, there are fewer points of contact, and the friction is reduced. For this reason, more force is needed to start moving an object than to keep it in motion.

  1. True
  2. False
11 .
When there is no motion between objects, what is the relationship between the magnitude of the static friction f s and the normal force N ?
  1. f s ≤ N
  2. f s ≤ μ s N
  3. f s ≥ N
  4. f s ≥ μ s N
12 .
What equation gives the magnitude of kinetic friction?
  1. f k = μ s N
  2. f k = μ k N
  3. f k ≤ μ s N
  4. f k ≤ μ k N

5.5 Simple Harmonic Motion

13 .
Why is there a negative sign in the equation for Hooke’s law?
  1. The negative sign indicates that displacement decreases with increasing force.
  2. The negative sign indicates that the direction of the applied force is opposite to that of displacement.
  3. The negative sign indicates that the direction of the restoring force is opposite to that of displacement.
  4. The negative sign indicates that the force constant must be negative.
14.

With reference to simple harmonic motion, what is the equilibrium position?

  1. The position where velocity is the minimum
  2. The position where the displacement is maximum
  3. The position where the restoring force is the maximum
  4. The position where the object rests in the absence of force
15 .
What is Hooke’s law?
  1. Restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement from the mean position and acts in the the opposite direction of the displacement.
  2. Restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement from the mean position and acts in the same direction as the displacement.
  3. Restoring force is directly proportional to the square of the displacement from the mean position and acts in the opposite direction of the displacement.
  4. Restoring force is directly proportional to the square of the displacement from the mean position and acts in the same direction as the displacement.
PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute Texas Education Agency (TEA), and must distribute any derivative works under the same license. The original material is available at: https://www.texasgateway.org/book/tea-physics . Changes were made to the original material, including updates to art, structure, and other content updates.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/physics/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/physics/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Jul 8, 2026 Texas Education Agency (TEA). The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.