1. Two train cars—one loaded, one empty—roll down a sorting hill. Which will travel farther on the straight track after descending? Assume the drag force is proportional to the load on the wheels and independent of speed. Neglect air resistance.
Answer
Both wagons will travel the same distance.
2. What mass of ballast
Answer
Hint
The conditions for uniform motion of the aerostat during descent and ascent are expressed respectively:
3. A mine cage of mass
a) the cable tension;
b) the tension when descending at the same acceleration;
c) the tension when moving up or down at constant speed.
Answer
a)
b)
c)
4. A person stands on a spring scale in an elevator. How do the scale readings change as the elevator moves up and down, considering changes in motion?
Answer
When the elevator moves with acceleration directed upwards (this will be at the beginning of the ascent and at the end of the descent), the scale reading is greater than
Hint
The equation of motion for the person is
5. A person stands on a board and suddenly crouches. Does the board's deflection initially increase or decrease? What happens if the person was squatting and suddenly stands?
Answer
When squatting, it will decrease; when straightening up, it will increase.
Hint
When squatting, the acceleration of the person's center of mass is directed downwards, and when straightening up - upwards.
6. A box filled with balls is thrown upward. How do the forces of the balls on the box's bottom, sides, and each other change during flight? How does the answer change if the box is thrown at an angle? Neglect air resistance.
Answer
During the free movement of the box (movement in the field of gravity in the absence of other forces), the pressure force of the balls on the bottom and walls of the box, as well as on each other, is zero.
7. A heavy object is suspended from a spring attached to an elevator ceiling. How will the object move relative to the elevator if the elevator starts free-falling?
Answer
The body will oscillate on the spring, the amplitude of which is equal to the initial extension of the spring.
Hint
The problem is conveniently solved in a non-inertial coordinate system associated with the moving elevator (see 'Elementary Physics Textbook' edited by Acad. G. S. Landsberg, vol. I, ch. 6). In this reference frame, three forces act on the mass: the force of gravity
8. A body on a stand is suspended from a ceiling by a spring (initially unstretched). The stand is lowered at acceleration
Answer
Solution
Until the moment the body detaches from the support, it moves with acceleration
9. Masses
Answer
Solution
The forces acting on the weights are shown in the following figure. Let's write the equations of motion for the weights: 
10. Two masses
Answer
Hint
See the previous problem. Each weight will travel a path equal to 5 cm.
11. Two identical masses
Answer
Solution
In accordance with Newton's second law, let's write the equations of motion for each of the bodies (see figure): for the first body 
12. A horizontal axis passes through the middle of a rod, about which it can rotate. Masses with
- Find the force exerted by the rod on the axis at the initial moment after its release. Neglect the mass of the rod and friction at the axis; consider the masses as material points.
- Solve the problem for the case when the axis does not pass through the center of the rod but is located at a distance of
of its length from the smaller mass.
Answer
1.
N.
Solution
1. The force
- The force
must be replaced (see figure below, b) by forces and , applied to weights and respectively. The accelerations of the weights are related by , i.e., .
13. Masses 
Answer
Solution
Let's write the equations of Newton's second law for each of the weights, projecting the forces acting on the weights (see figure) onto the direction of possible motion of the corresponding weights, i.e., along the faces of the prism (assume that weight 
14. Two masses
Answer
15. Find the accelerations 
Answer
Hint
From the kinematic connection, it follows that the acceleration of weight
16. A cart with a liquid container moves horizontally at acceleration
Answer
Solution
Let's conditionally isolate a small part of the liquid inside. Two forces act on this element of liquid with mass 
17. Find the angle of a liquid's surface in a container sliding without friction on an inclined plane.
Answer
The surface of the liquid is parallel to the inclined plane.
1st method. See solution to problem 16.
2nd method. Let's solve the problem in the reference frame associated with the moving vessel (in a non-inertial system). In this case, forces 
18. A bucket of water with a floating body is in an elevator. Does the body's submersion depth change if the elevator accelerates upward or downward?
Answer
Will not change.
Solution
When the elevator moves with acceleration
If the volume displaced by the body were occupied by liquid, a force, also equal to
here
hence it follows that
19. A board of mass
Answer
Solution
The dog must run with such acceleration, directed downwards, so that the force
1st method. See solution to problem 16.
2nd method. Let's solve the problem in the reference frame associated with the moving vessel (in a non-inertial system). In this case, forces 
20. A cylinder of mass
Answer
Hint
The cylinder is at rest relative to the Earth.
21. A rope over a fixed pulley has a mass
Answer
Solution
Since the person is stationary relative to the Earth, the forces applied to him are balanced. Thus, the tension force is numerically equal to the weight of the person
22. 1. Two boys of equal mass on skates
- Two gymnasts of equal mass pull a rope over a pulley and begin ascend simultaneously: one at speed
, the other at relative to the rope. How long until each reaches the pulley? The rope's length is , initially centered.
Answer
1. Both boys will reach the middle of the distance between them simultaneously after time
- The gymnasts will reach the block simultaneously after time
.
Solution
Since the forces applied to the boys are equal, according to Newton's third law, the accelerations, and consequently, the velocities of the boys relative to the Earth are equal. The length of the rope between the boys decreases with speed
- Compare the solution of this problem with the solution of problem item 1.
23. A body of mass
Answer
0.5 N; 1 N.
Hint
The magnitude of the static friction force cannot exceed
24. A block of mass
Answer
The graph is shown below. 
25. A block is on a plane whose angle
Answer
The graph is shown below. 
Hint
The motion of a body located on an inclined plane becomes possible if
26. Estimate the friction coefficient
Answer
27. A cord is thrown over a light, frictionless pulley. At one end of the cord, a mass
- With what acceleration
does the ring move if the mass is stationary? What is the friction force between the ring and the cord? - The ring slides down with a constant acceleration
relative to the cord. Find the acceleration of the mass , and the friction force between the ring and the cord. The mass of the cord can be neglected; assume the mass is descending.

Answer
1.
; .
Hint
1. Since weight
- The friction force is equal to the tension force of the string, and the acceleration of the ring relative to the block is
. The equations of motion for the weights are expressed as follows:
28. A body of mass
Answer
Hint
The normal pressure force is 
29. Board
- Find the tension
if , , and . Neglect pulley mass. - How does the answer change if the boards are swapped? 3. Find the force
on the pulley's axle in both cases.
Answer
1.
30. Two masses 
Answer
Solution
The accelerations of the weights relative to the table are equal in magnitude (weights are connected by an inextensible string):
31. Masses
Answer
32. 
Answer
33. Two blocks of masses 
Answer
Hint
See problem 28.
34. 1. Blocks
- A flat plate with mass
is placed on an inclined plane with angle , and on top of it is a block with mass . The coefficient of friction between the block and the plate is . Determine for which values of the coefficient of friction between the plate and the inclined plane the plate will not move, if it is known that the block slides on the plate (figure, b).

Answer
1.
.
Hint
1. The pressure forces of block B on block A and block A on the table are respectively
- Since block B slides on the plate, two forces act on the plate from block B: the normal pressure force
and the friction force The normal pressure force of the plate on the inclined plane is The plate does not slide on the inclined plane if i.e., if or .
35. A body is thrown vertically upward. What is its acceleration at the peak? How does the acceleration change during motion? Consider:
- no air resistance;
- air resistance increases with speed.
Answer
1) The acceleration of the body at all times during its motion is constant and equal to
- In accordance with Newton's second law
. When moving upwards, the resistance force is directed, like gravity, downwards and decreases as the body ascends (since the speed of the body decreases), during descent, the resistance force is directed upwards and increases. Therefore, the acceleration of the body at the beginning of the motion is maximum (and greater than ), decreases during ascent and becomes equal to at the highest point of the trajectory, then continues to decrease during descent and may even become zero.
36. Two balls fall in air. One has twice the diameter of the other. What is their speed ratio at terminal velocity? Assume drag is proportional to cross-sectional area and velocity squared.
Answer
The speed of the large ball will be
Solution
Under steady motion, the air resistance force
37. A ball of mass
Answer
39. A ball rises at constant speed in a liquid four times denser than the ball. Find the drag force if the ball's mass is 10 g.
Answer
0.29 N.
40. A body lies on a
a) the minimum friction coefficient
b) the acceleration
c) the time
d) the speed
Answer
a)
b)
c)
d)
41. How long
Answer
42. Two blocks of equal mass
Answer
Solution
On the upper weight along the inclined plane act the component of gravity
43. A mass
Answer
44. A weightless pulley is fixed at the top of two inclined planes forming angles
a) the acceleration
b) the tension force
The coefficient of friction between the weights and the inclined planes is

Answer
a)
b)
Hint
According to Newton's second law
45. An icy slope has angle
Answer
Hint
From the equations of motion of the stone up and down, find that its accelerations are respectively equal:
46. A block is on a horizontal board with friction coefficient
Answer
Hint
The force acting on the weight from the side of the board cannot be greater than the maximum static friction force.
47. A cylinder (height 20 cm, diameter 2 cm) stands on a sheet of paper. What minimum acceleration must the sheet have to make the cylinder topple? Assume no slipping.
Answer
Solution
1st method. The acceleration
2nd method. In the non-inertial reference frame associated with the sheet of paper, the force 
48. A cart of mass 
Answer
Solution
A force
49. A block of mass 
Answer
Solution
From the condition of constant velocity of the block relative to the stationary board, it follows that the friction force between them is maximum and equal to
50. The last car (mass
Answer
Solution
After the wagon detaches, the train will move with acceleration imparted to it by a force equal to