PhysicsLAB Practice Problems
Conservation of Energy and Projectiles

Topics: On this worksheet you will practice working with projectiles released in five different modes. Solutions should include the use of energy methods as well as kinematics.

Page Directions The numerical values in this worksheet are randomly generated allowing students the opportunity to conveniently practice, and drill, common situations.

Before beginning any given worksheet, please look over all of the questions and make sure that there are no duplicate answers shown for the same question. If duplicates are present simply refresh the page until every answer is unique.

In order to check an answer (even when you are just starting the worksheet on Question 1) it is necessary to omit any questions that you have not answered. Once you start submitting answers, the page may be checked as many times as necesasary without changing the randomized answers. Relevant scoring will be provided at the top of the page only when you answer all of the questions on your original submission.



The ball from cliff A is released from rest.
The ball from cliff B is thrown straight up.
The ball from cliff C is thrown straight down.
The ball from cliff D is thrown up at an angle.
The ball from cliff E is thrown straight forward.



Question 1  Background Information for every problem:
  • Each cliff is 16 meters tall.
  • Each ball has a mass of 252 grams.
  • On cliffs B-E, each ball is released at a speed of 6 m/sec.
  • The ball from cliff D is released at an angle of 53º.

True or false. Energy methods reveal that balls B, C, D, and E will all strike the ground traveling at the same resultant impact velocity.
Question 2  How far from the base of the cliff E will ball #5 strike the ground?
Question 3  At what angle will ball #5 strike the ground at the base of cliff E?
Question 4  How high above the ground at the base of cliff D will ball #4 rise before it begins its final descent?
Question 5  How high above the ground will ball #2 be located when its instantaneous resultant velocity equals 3.00 m/sec?
Question 6  If balls B and C are released simultaneouly, how much time will pass after ball #3 strikes the ground at the base of cliff C before ball #2 strikes the ground at the base of cliff B?
Question 7  Another ball is later projected horizontally from cliff E with an initial velocity of 12 m/sec.

True or False: This second ball would require more time than the initial ball in question #2 before it strikes the ground at the base of the cliff.
Question 8  After it is released from the top of cliff A, how much PE will ball #1 have when its vertical velocity equals -14.9 m/sec?


PhysicsLAB
Copyright © 1997-2024
Catharine H. Colwell
All rights reserved.
Application Programmer
Mark Acton