Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
Physics

Short Answer

PhysicsShort Answer

Short Answer

9.1 Work, Power, and the Work–Energy Theorem

34 .
Describe two ways in which doing work on an object can increase its mechanical energy.
  1. Raising an object to a higher elevation does work as it increases its PE; increasing the speed of an object does work as it increases its KE.
  2. Raising an object to a higher elevation does work as it increases its KE; increasing the speed of an object does work as it increases its PE.
  3. Raising an object to a higher elevation does work as it increases its PE; decreasing the speed of an object does work as it increases its KE.
  4. Raising an object to a higher elevation does work as it increases its KE; decreasing the speed of an object does work as it increases its PE.
35.

True or false—While riding a bicycle up a gentle hill, it is fairly easy to increase your potential energy, but to increase your kinetic energy would make you feel exhausted.

  1. True
  2. False
36.

Which statement best explains why running on a track with constant speed at 3 m/s is not work, but climbing a mountain at 1 m/s is work?

  1. At constant speed, change in the kinetic energy is zero but climbing a mountain produces change in the potential energy.
  2. At constant speed, change in the potential energy is zero, but climbing a mountain produces change in the kinetic energy.
  3. At constant speed, change in the kinetic energy is finite, but climbing a mountain produces no change in the potential energy.
  4. At constant speed, change in the potential energy is finite, but climbing a mountain produces no change in the kinetic energy.
37 .
You start at the top of a hill on a bicycle and coast to the bottom without applying the brakes. By the time you reach the bottom of the hill, work has been done on you and your bicycle, according to the equation: W = 1 2 m ( v 2 2 − v 1 2 ) If m is the mass of you and your bike, what are v 1 and v 2 ?
  1. v 1 is your speed at the top of the hill, and v 2 is your speed at the bottom.
  2. v 1 is your speed at the bottom of the hill, and v 2 is your speed at the top.
  3. v 1 is your displacement at the top of the hill, and v 2 is your displacement at the bottom.
  4. v 1 is your displacement at the bottom of the hill, and v 2 is your displacement at the top.

9.2 Mechanical Energy and Conservation of Energy

38.

True or false—The formula for gravitational potential energy can be used to explain why joules, J, are equivalent to kg × m2 / s2 . Show your work.

  1. True
  2. False
39 .
Which statement best explains why accelerating a car from 20 mph to 40 mph quadruples its kinetic energy?
  1. Because kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of the velocity.
  2. Because kinetic energy is inversely proportional to the square of the velocity.
  3. Because kinetic energy is directly proportional to the fourth power of the velocity.
  4. Because kinetic energy is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the velocity.
40 .
A coin falling through a vacuum loses no energy to friction, and yet, after it hits the ground, it has lost all its potential and kinetic energy. Which statement best explains why the law of conservation of energy is still valid in this case?
  1. When the coin hits the ground, the ground gains potential energy that quickly changes to thermal energy.
  2. When the coin hits the ground, the ground gains kinetic energy that quickly changes to thermal energy.
  3. When the coin hits the ground, the ground gains thermal energy that quickly changes to kinetic energy.
  4. When the coin hits the ground, the ground gains thermal energy that quickly changes to potential energy.
41.

True or false—A marble rolls down a slope from height h1 and up another slope to height h2, where (h2 < h1). The difference mg(h1 – h2) is equal to the heat lost due to the friction.

  1. True
  2. False

9.3 Simple Machines

42.

Why would you expect the lever shown in the top image to have a greater efficiency than the inclined plane shown in the bottom image?

  1. The resistance arm is shorter in case of the inclined plane.
  2. The effort arm is shorter in case of the inclined plane.
  3. The area of contact is greater in case of the inclined plane.
43.

Why is the wheel on a wheelbarrow not a simple machine in the same sense as the simple machine in the image?

  1. The wheel on the wheelbarrow has no fulcrum.
  2. The center of the axle is not the fulcrum for the wheels of a wheelbarrow.
  3. The wheelbarrow differs in the way in which load is attached to the axle.
  4. The wheelbarrow has less resistance force than a wheel and axle design.
44.

A worker pulls down on one end of the rope of a pulley system with a force of 75 N to raise a hay bale tied to the other end of the rope. If she pulls the rope down 2.0 m and the bale raises 1.0 m, what else would you have to know to calculate the efficiency of the pulley system?

  1. the weight of the worker
  2. the weight of the hay bale
  3. the radius of the pulley
  4. the height of the pulley from ground
45.

True or false—A boy pushed a box with a weight of 300 N up a ramp. He said that, because the ramp was 1.0 m high and 3.0 m long, he must have been pushing with force of exactly 100 N.

  1. True
  2. False
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.