COM OBJECTIVE

Position of center of mass of point mass:

1. Two point masses (m) are placed at separation d as shown. Find the location
of center of mass of the system w.r.t origin.
Y
d
m m X
(A) d/4 (B) d/2 (C) d/3 (D) 2d/3
2. Three point masses are arranged as shown. Find the location of center of mass
of the system w.r.t. to origin.
Y
m
d/2
h
m m X
d
(A) (d/3, h/2) (B) (2d/3, h/2) (C) (d/2, 2h/3) (D) (d/2, h/3)
3. Four point masses 4m, 2m, 3m and 6m are located at the corners of a massless
square frame of side a. Find the position of center of mass.
Y
2m 3m

a/2
X
4m 6m
 10 a a   a 10 a   a 11a   11 a a 
(A)  ,  (B)  ,  (C)  ,  (D)  , 
 11 3   3 11   3 10   10 3 
4.  
A 1 kg mass is kept at 2 iˆ  5 ˆj  13 kˆ and a 3 kg mass is kept at position

 
vector 10 iˆ  ˆj  3 kˆ . Find the position vector of the center of mass.
1 ˆ 11 ˆ 1 11
(A) 8 iˆ  j k (B) 8 iˆ  ˆj  kˆ
2 2 2 2
1 11 1 11
(C) 8 iˆ  ˆj  kˆ (D) 8 iˆ  ˆj  kˆ
2 2 2 2
5. Center of mass particles of masses 1 kg, 2 kg, & 3 kg lies at the point (1,2,3)
and center of mass of another system of particles 3 kg and 2 kg lies at the
point (-1, 3, -2). Where should we put a particle of mass 5 kg so that the COM
entire system lies at the center of mass of the first system?
(A) (2, 1, 8) (B) (3, 2, 8) (C) (3, 1, 8) (D) (3, 1, 7)
6. n point masses of magnitude 1,2,3......,n units are placed at points x =
2,3,4,........ n + 1 respectively. Find the position of center of mass.
(A) 2(n+2)/3 (B) 2(n+1)/3 (C) 2(n+3)/3 (D) 2(n+4)/3
7. Six point masses m, 2m,… 6m are placed at the vertices and at the mid points
of the sides of an equilateral triangle of side a. Find the position of center of
 mass of system.
Y 2m

4m
5m

6m
m a 3m X
 47 a 13 3 a   37 a 13 3 a 
(A)  ,  (B)  , 
 42 42   84 84 
 47 a 13 3 a   47 a 3 3 a 
(C)  ,  (D)  , 
 84 84   84 84 
1 1 1 1
8. Point masses of values 1, , infinite in number are placed at x = 1, ,
2 4 2 4
respectively. Locate the center of mass of the system.
(A) 1 (B) 1/2 (C) 3/4 (D) 2/3
Position of center of mass of rigid bodies:
9. Find the location of COM of isosceles triangular plate of height h and base 2b
of uniform mass density. Write the distance from the base of the plate.
(A) h/2 (B) h/3 (C) h/4 (D) h/5
10. Find the location of center of mass of a hollow cone from the base of cone (of
base radius R and height h).
(A) h/2 (B) h/3 (C) h/4 (D) h/5
11. Find the location of center of mass of a solid cone from the base of the cone
(of base radius R and height h).
(A) h/2 (B) h/3 (C) h/4 (D) h/5
12. A solid paraboloid shaped object is formed by rotating
Y
on parabola y  2 x 2 about y-axis as shown in figure. If
the height of the body is ‘h’ then the position of center h
of mass from origin. (Assume density to be uniform X
throughout).
(A) h/2 (B) h/3 (C) 2h/3 (D) 3h/5
Center of mass of system of rigid bodies:
13. Two thin rods each of mass M and length L is kept along X axis and Y axis
with its one end at origin. Find location of COM of the system.
Y

m, L
X
m, L
(A) (L/2, L/2) (B) (L/3, L/3) (C) (L/4, L/4) (D) (L/5, L/5)
14. A metal sheet 14 cm × 2 cm of uniform thickness is cut into two pieces of
width 1 cm each. The two pieces are joined and laid along XY plane as
shown. Coordinate of COM is:
Y

14 cm
X
14 cm
 19 19  8 8
(A) (1, 1) (B)  ,  (C)  ,  (D) None of these
 7 7  7 7
15. A uniform wire of length l is bent into the shape of ‘V’ as shown. The
distance of its center of mass from the vertex A is
B
O
A 60

C
3 3
(A) l/2 (B) l (C) l (D) none of these
4 8
16. Four cubes of side “a” each of mass 40 gm, 20 gm,10 gm and 20 gm are
arranged in XY plane as shown in figure. The coordinates of center of mass of
the combination with respect to O, are:
Y
40
20 10 20 X
(A) 19a/18, 17a/18 (B) 17a/18, 11a/18
(C) 17a/18, 13a/18 (D) 13a/18, 17a/18
17. One end of a thin uniform rod of length L and mass M is riveted to the center
of a uniform circular disc of radius r and mass 2M so that the rod is normal to
the disc. The center of mass of the combination from the center of the disc is
at distance of
L L L
(A) zero (B) (C) (D)
2 3 6
18. From the circular disc of radius 4R two small disc of radius R is cut off. The
COM of the new structure will be:
Y

R
X
4R

R ˆ ˆ R ˆ ˆ 3R ˆ ˆ
(A) (i  j ) (B) (i  j ) (C)  (i  j ) (D) None of these
5 5 14
19. Figure shows a square lamina with a disc of radius L/2 removed from it which
is now placed symmetrically over upper right quarter. What is location of
center of mass of system relative to origin shown in figure?
Y
L ˆ ˆ L ˆ ˆ
(A) (i  j ) (B) (i  j )
12 8
L ˆ ˆ L ˆ ˆ 2L
(C) (i  j ) (D) (i  j ) X
4 16

20. A wire is bent into the structure as shown in the figure, and placed on a table.
It consists of two half rings of radius R and two straight parts of length R.
The height of COM from the table is:
2R
(A)

R
(B)

(C) R/2 R
R
(D) zero
21. A circular platform of mass 100 kg is placed symmetrically on a square frame
of a four legged table of side 4 m. The radius of the platform is 5 m. Find
maximum permissible mass that can lie at the periphery of the platform
without causing the table to topple.
(A) 86.7 Kg (B) 76.7 Kg (C) 66.7 Kg (D) 56.7 Kg
22. Four planks, each of length L, are arranged one over the other over a table as
shown. Each projects a distance ‘a’ beyond the edge below it. What is the
maximum possible value of ‘a’ for the system to be in equilibrium?

L
(A) L/4 (B) L/3 (C) L/2 (D) L/5
23. An isosceles triangle is to be cut from one edge of a square lamina of uniform
mass density such that the remaining portion when suspended from the apex P
of the cut will remain in equilibrium in any position. Find h.
P
l
h

(A) (3 + 3) l/2 (B) (3 + 2) l/2 (C) (2 + 3) l/2 (D) (2 + 2) l/2
24. A cylindrical tank of mass M and height H is filled with oil of mass m. The
tank is then drained through a valve on the bottom (not shown in figure).
What is the depth x to which the tank is filled when COM of tank and its
remaining contents reaches its lowest point?

M M  m 
(A) H (B) H  1  1
m m  M 
L
M  M M  M 
(C) H  1  (D) H  1  1
m  m m  m  x

25. A solid cone is mounted on a solid hemisphere of radius R, made of same

material. What should be the height h, of the cone, so that the COM of the
combined mass lies at the center of base of the cone?

h
R

(A) 1.5 R (B) 3R (C) 3 R (D) R

COM of non-homogeneous bodies:
a
26. A rod AB of length l is such that its linear density varies as   where
bx
x is the distance of the section from end A. a and b (> l) are positive constants
of appropriate dimensions. Determine the distance of center of mass of the
rod from the end A.
l l
(A) b  (B) b 
ln b / l  ln  b / (b  l )
b l
(C) b  (D)
ln  b / (b  l ) ln b / (b  l )
Displacement of center of mass:
27. Two blocks of masses 10 kg and 20 kg are placed on the x-axis. The first
mass is moved on the axis by a distance of 2 cm. By what distance should the
second mass be moved to keep the position of CM unchanged?
(A) 0 cm (B) 1 cm (C) 2 cm (D) 3 cm
28. A woman of mass m clings to a rope ladder of length l
suspended below a balloon of mass M. The balloon is stationary
with respect to the ground. If the woman begins to climb the M
ladder by how much distance does the balloon come down
when the woman reaches the top of the ladder? l
(A) Ml/m (B) ml/(m + M)
(C) Ml/(m + M) (D) Ml/(2m + M)
m
29. A cannon and a supply of cannonballs are inside a sealed railroad car of
length L, as in Fig. The cannon fires to the right; the car recoils to the left.
The cannonballs remain in the car after hitting the far wall. After all the
cannonballs have been fired, what (nearly) is the greatest distance the car
could have moved from its original position?
L

(A) 0 (B) L/2 (C) L/3 (D) L

30. Three boys A, B & C of mass 40kg, 50kg & 60kg are standing on a plank of
mass 90kg, which is kept on a smooth horizontal plane. If A & C exchange
their positions, then mass B will shift
2m 2m
A B C
40kg 50kg 60kg
90kg
(A) 1/3m towards left (B) 1/3m towards right
(C) will not move w.r.t. ground (D) 5/3 m towards left
31. A 10 kg boy standing in a 40 kg boat floating on water is 20 m from the shore
of the river. If he moves 8 m on the boat towards the shore, then how far is he
from the shore now?
(A) 13.6 m (B) 6.4 m (C) 12 m (D) 12.6 m
32. Two skaters, one with mass 65 kg and the other with mass 42 kg, stand on an
ice rink holding a pole with a length of 9.7 m and a mass that is negligible.
Starting from the ends of the pole, the skaters pull themselves along the pole
until they meet. How far will the 42 kg skater move?
(A) 3.8 m (B) 5.9 m (C) 4.9 m (D) 4.8 m
33. Richard, mass 70 kg, and Judy, who is lighter, are sitting on opposite ends of
a 30 kg boat. When the boat is at rest in the placid water, they exchange their
seats, which are 3 m apart and symmetrically located with respect to the
boat’s center. Richard notices that the canoe moved 40 cm relative to a
submerged log. Find Judy's mass.
(A) 40 kg (B) 50 kg (C) 60 kg (D) 70 kg
34. A bomb of mass 3m is kept inside a closed box of mass 3m and length 4L at
its center. It explodes in two parts of mass m & 2m. The two parts move in
opposite direction and stick to the opposite side of the walls of box. Box is
kept on a smooth horizontal surface. What is the distance moved by the box
during this time interval?
 4L

(A) 0 (B) L/6 (C) L/12 (D) L/3

35. Two uniformly charged non conducting balls A & B of radius R, and mass m
& 2m respectively is placed on a smooth horizontal surface. Ball A is
positively charged & ball B is negatively charged. The balls are released at
the separation 10R as shown in figure. Because of mutual attraction the balls
start moving towards each other. They will collide at a point:
Y
2m A B m
(0, 0) X
10R
10 R 11R 7R
(A) x = (B) x = (C) x = 5R (D) x =
3 3 5
36. A small sphere of mass M & radius R is held against the inner surface of a
smooth spherical shell of mass 4M & radius 6R. The arrangement is placed
on a smooth horizontal table. The small sphere is now released. Find the x –
coordinate of the center of the shell when the small sphere reaches the other
extreme position.
Y

6R R

X
(A) R (B) 2R (C) 3R (D) 4R
37. For the figure shown, mass m is released from rest. Find the distance moved
by the mass M, when mass m arrives at the bottom of mass M.
m

M

m m
(A) h tan  (B) h cot 
m M m M
m m
(C) h cos  (D) h sin 
m M m M
Velocity of center of mass:
38. A projectile is fired at a speed of 100 m/s at an angle of 37° above the
horizontal. At the highest point, the projectile breaks into two parts of mass
ratio 1:3, the smaller coming to rest. Find the distance from the launching
point to the point where the heavier piece lands.
(A) 1080 cm (B) 1120 cm (C) 1320 cm (D) 1540 cm
39. Figure shows two blocks of masses 5 kg and 2 kg placed on a frictionless
surface and connected with a spring. An external kick gives a velocity 14 m/s
to the heavier block in the direction of lighter one. Find [in m/s] (a) the
velocity gained by the center of mass and (b) the velocities of the two blocks
in the center of mass co-ordinate system just after the kick.
5 kg 2 kg
A B
(A) (a) vcom = 10, (b) v1 = 10, v2 = 4
(B) (a) vcom = 10, (b) v1 = –10, v2 = – 10
(C) (a) vcom = 10, (b) v1 = 4, v2 = – 10
(D) (a) vcom = 10, (b) v1 = 10, v2 = – 4
40. Two blocks of masses m1 and m2, connected by a weightless spring of
stiffness constant k, rests on a smooth horizontal plane as shown in figure.
The second block is shifted a small distance x to the left and then released.
Find the velocity of center of mass of the system after the first block breaks
off the wall.

m1 m2

(A) k m2 x / (m1  m2 ) (B) k m1 x / (m1  m2 )

(C) k m2 x / m1 (D) k m1 x / m2
Acceleration of C-frame:
41. A ball of mass 1 kg is thrown up with an initial speed of 4 m/s. A second ball
of mass 2 kg is released from rest from some height at the same time. Select
the correct alternative.
(A) The COM of the two balls comes down with an acceleration g/2
(B) The COM first moves down and then comes up
(C) The acceleration of the COM is g downward.
(D) The COM of the two balls remains stationary.
42. The resultant force on a system of particles is non-zero.
(A) The linear momentum of the system must increase
(B) The velocity of COM of the system must change.
(C) The distance of COM may remain constant from a fixed point.
(D) Kinetic energy of all particles must either increase simultaneously or
decrease simultaneously.
43. Three particles of different masses are acted on by external forces as shown in
figure. What is the magnitude of acceleration of center of mass of system?
 Y 6N
6N
4 kg
8 kg
X

4 kg 14 N

(A) 0.625 m/s2 (B) 1 m/s2 (C) 1.625 m/s2 (D) 2.625 m/s2
44. In the arrangement shown in figure, mA = 2 kg and mB = 1 kg. The string is
light and inextensible. Find the acceleration of center of mass of both the
blocks. Neglect friction everywhere.

A
B
(A) 0 (B) g/3  (C) g/6  (D) g/9 
45. Two blocks A & B of equal mass are released on two sides of a fixed wedge
'C' as shown in figure. Find the acceleration of the center of mass of the
blocks A and B. Neglect friction.
A B

fixed
o o
45 45
(A) 0 (B) g/6  (C) g/3  (D) g/2 
46. For the figure shown, mass m is released from the rest. Find the acceleration
of center of mass of the system.
(A) 0
m
mg sin 2 
(B) 
M  m sin 2  h
2
M g sin  M
(C) 2

M  m sin  
2
mg sin 
(D) 
m  M sin 2 
47. Two particles of equal masses are projected simultaneously with speed v1 &
v2 and angle 1 & 2 so that their horizontal components are directed towards
each other. What is the trajectory of COM of the particle?
(A) vertical straight line (B) horizontal straight line
(C) straight line (D) parabolic path
Potential Energy
48. Two 20 g worms climb over a 10 cm high, very thin wall. One worm is thin
and 20 cm long the other is fat and only 10 cm long. What is the ratio of the
potential energy (w.r.t. the base of wall) of the thin worm as compared to that
of the fat worm when each is half way over the top of the wall as shown?

(A) 1: 1 (B) 2: 1 (C) 2: 3 (D) 1: 2

49. A brick has 3 sides a, b, c {a > b > c}. The brick can be kept on ground on
any face. The work required to be done to move from minimum potential
energy to maximum potential energy is:
c

a
b
a b a c
(A) mg    (B) mg   
 2 2  2 2
b c ac b
(C) mg    (D) mg   
2 2  2 2
 MOMENTUM & COLLISION OBJECTIVE
Momentum &/or Energy Conservation
1. A particle of mass 4m which is at rest explodes into four v
equal fragments. All 4 fragments are scattered in the same
horizontal plane. Three fragments are found to move with v
velocity v each as shown in the fig. The total energy released v
in the process of explosion is 45o
(A) mv 2 (3  2) (B) mv 2 (3  2) / 2
(C) 2mv 2 (D) mv2 (1  2) / 2
2. Two men of mass 60 kg and 80 kg stand on a plank of mass 20 kg. Ram can
jump to the left and Shyam can jump to the right, both with a speed of 1 m/s
relative to the plank. The speed of plank after
60 kg 80 kg
+X
Ram Shyam

Smooth level ground

(A) Ram jumps alone is 3/8 m/s
(B) Shyam jumps alone is – 0.5 m/s
(C) Both jump together is – 1/8 m/s
(D) Shyam jumps after Ram –17/40 m/s
3. Figure shows a smooth irregular shaped wedge of mass m placed on a smooth
horizontal surface. What minimum velocity should be imparted to a small
block of same mass m so that it may reach point B?
B
m v m H h
(A) 2 g H (B) 2g H (C) 2 g ( H  h) (D) gh
4. In a circus act, a 4 kg dog is trained to jump from cart B to cart A & then
immediately back to cart B. Each cart has a mass of 20 kg and they are
initially at rest. In both cases the dog jumps at 6 m/s relative to the cart. If the
cart moves along the same line with negligible friction, find the final speed (in
m/s) of each cart with respect to the floor.
(A) v A  55/36 (B) v A  55/46 (C) vB  11/6 (D) vB  13/6
5. In the figure shown, upper block is
rough
given a velocity 6 m/s and very 1kg 6m/s
long plank is given velocity of smooth 2kg
3m/s
3m/s. The following quantities are
to be matched when both attain same velocity.
(A) WD by friction on 1 kg block is – 10 J
(B) WD by friction on 2 kg plank is 7 J

(C) |  p |  2 Ns for 2 kg.
(D) K  3 J of block and plank.

 
6. Two blocks A & B are connected by a spring of stiffness 512 N/m and placed
on a smooth horizontal surface. Initially the spring has its equilibrium length.
The indicated velocities are imparted to A & B. Find the maximum extension
of spring.
1.8m/s K 2.2m/s
3kg 6kg
(A) 25 cm (B) 10 cm (C) 12 cm (D) 2.5 cm.
7. A man is standing on a cart of mass twice that of his. Initially cart is at rest.
Now man jumps horizontally with relative velocity ‘u’ with respect to cart.
Then work done by internal forces of the man during the process of jumping
will be:
(A) mu 2 /2
u
(B) 3mu 2 /4
(C) mu 2
(D) mu 2 /3
8. In the figure shown the cart of
mass 6 m is initially at rest. A l m
particle of mass m is attached to
6m
the end of the light rod which can
rotate freely about A. If the rod is
released from rest in a horizontal position shown, determine the velocity vrel
of the particle w.r.t. cart when the rod is vertical.
(A) 7 g l /3 (B) 7 g l /6 (C) 14 g l /3 (D) 8 g l /3
9. A small ring of mass m attached at an end of a light string the other end of
which is tied to a small block B of mass 2 m. The ring is free to move on a
fixed smooth horizontal rod. Find the velocity of the ring when the string
becomes vertical.
m
l 2m
(A) 7 g l /3 (B) 7 g l /6 (C) 14 g l /3 (D) 8 g l /3
10. A massless spring of stiffness k connects two blocks mass m and 3m. The
system is lying on a frictionless horizontal surface. A constant horizontal
force F starts acting on the block of mass m, directed towards the other block.
Then, the maximum compression of the spring will be
(A) 3F/4k (B) 9F/8k (C) 3F/2k (D) 4F/3k
11. Three masses are connected with a spring & a string as shown. They are
initially at rest, with spring at its natural length. The string is inextensible.
Find the maximum extension of spring after the forces start acting as shown:
F
F m m 2m 2F
(A) F/K (B) 2F/K (C) F/2K (D) 4F/K

 
Impulse
12. A ball weighing 10 grams hits a hard surface vertically with a speed of 5 m/s
and rebounds with the same speed. The ball remains in contact with the
surface for (0.01) sec. the average impulsive force exerted by the surface on
the ball is
(A) 100 N (B) 10 N (C) 1 N (D) 0.1 N
13. Figure shows F vs t graph during collision of a 58-g tennis ball with a wall.
The ball moves perpendicular to the ball with speed of the 32 m/s & rebounds
perpendicularly with same speed. What is the value of Fmax?
F(N)
Fmax

0 2 4 t(ms)
(A) 715 N (B) 828 N (C) 878 N (D) 928 N
14. A bob of mass 10m is suspended through an
inextensible string of length l. When the bob is at rest
at the equilibrium position, two particles of mass m o o
each moving with velocity u making an angle 60° m 60 60 m
with the string strike and get simultaneously attached u 10m u
to the bob. What is the value of impulsive tension in
the string during the impact?
(A) zero (B) 2 mu (C) mu (D) 12 mu
15. A ball of mass m falls vertically from a height h and collides with a block of
equal mass m which is moving horizontally with a velocity v on a surface at
the instant of collision. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block
and the surface is 0.2, while the coefficient of restitution e between the ball
and the block is 0.5. There is no friction acting between the ball and the block.
Find the decreases in the speed of the block.
m
h u=0
m v
(A) 0 (B) 0.1 2gh   (C) 0.2 2gh (D) 0.3 2gh
16. Two particles A and B each of mass m are attached by a light inextensible
string of length 2l. The whole system lies on a smooth horizontal table with B
initially at a distance l from A. The particle at end B is projected across the
table with speed u perpendicular to AB. Velocity of ball A just after the jerk is
m
A
l
B
u
m
(A) 3u / 4 (B) 3 u (C) 3 u / 2 (D) u / 2

 
17. A chain hangs on a thread and touches the surface of the table at its lower
end. Show that, after the thread has been burned through, the force exterted on
the table by the falling part of the chain at any point is twice as great as the
force exterted by the part already on the table.
(A) Favg   g y (B) Favg  2 g y /3 (C) Favg  3  g y (D) Favg  2 g y
18. Initially the system is at rest. From the instance shown, 2m
‘2m’ is projected towards pulley with speed u. Find the
speed of ‘m’ just after the string becomes taut. m
(A) 2u/3 (B) 4u/3 (C) u (D) 5u/3
Collision in 1D
19. A ball dropped from a height of 6.25 m onto a smooth floor rises to a height
of 4m after the first bounce. Find ‘e’.
(A) 0.75 (B) 0.8 (C) 0.6 (D) none
20. From a boy, a vertical wall is at a distance of 10 m. Boy throws a ball towards
wall. Had wall not been there the horizontal distance moved by the ball would
have been 50 m. If collision between wall and ball is elastic at what distance
from boy will the ball fall.
(A) 30 m (B) 40 m (C) 20 m (D) 0
21. Particle A makes a perfectly elastic collision with another stationary particle
B. They fly apart in opposite directions with equal velocities. The mass ratio
will be
(A) 1/3 (B) 1/2 (C) 1/4 (D) 1 3
22. A particle of mass m collides head on with another stationary particle of the
same mass 'm'. Maximum KE is lost by the colliding particle for e = ?
(A) 1 (B) 0 (C) 0.5 (D) none
23. A moving particle of mass m makes a head on elastic collision with a particle
of mass 2m which is initially at rest. The fraction of the KE lost by the
colliding particle is
(A) 1/9 (B) 1/3 (C) 2/3 (D) 8/9
24. A ball of mass m approaches a moving wall of infinite mass with speed v
along the normal to the wall. The speed of the wall is u toward the ball. The
speed of the ball after ‘elastic’ collision with wall is:
(A) u + v away from the wall (B) 2u + v away from the wall
(C) |u – v| away from the wall (D) |v – 2u | away from the wall
25. A body of mass 2kg is projected upward from the surface of the ground at t =
0 with a velocity of 20m/s. One second later a body B, also of mass 2kg, is
dropped from a height of 20m. If they collide elastically, then velocities just
after collision are
(A) vA = 5 m/s , vB = 5 m/s 
(B) vA = 10 m/s , vB = 5 m/s 
(C) vA = 10 m/s , vB = 10 m/s 
(D) Both move  with speed of 5 m/s

 
26. A uniform horizontal rod of length l falls vertically from height h on two
identical blocks placed symmetrically below the rod as shown in figure. The
coefficients of restitution are e1 and e2. The maximum height through which
the center of mass of the rod will rise after bouncing off the blocks is
l
h (e  e ) 2 h
(A) (B) 1 2
(e1  e2 ) 4
h
(e  e ) 2 h 4h
(C) 1 2 (D)
2 (e1  e2 2 )
2

27. A ball of mass m, suspended on the end of a wire, is released from height h
and collides elastically, when it is at its lowest point, with a block of mass 2m
at rest on a frictionless surface. After collision, the ball rises to final height of:
(A) 1/9 h
(B) 1/8 h
(C) 1/3 h m
(D) 1/2 h h
2m
Collision in 2D
28. A particle is projected from a smooth horizontal surface with speed v at an
angle  from horizontal. Coefficient of restitution between the surface and
ball is e. The distance of the point where ball strikes the surface second time
from the point of projection is
v 2 sin 2 (1  e 2 ) v 2 sin 2 (1  e 4 )
(A) (B)
g g
2 3 2
v sin 2 (1  e ) v sin 2 (1  e)
(C) (D)
g g
29. A ball falls vertically for 2 sec and hits a plane inclined at 30o to horizontal. If
e = 3/4, find the time that elapses before it again hits the plane.
(A) 3 s (B) 2 s (C) 5 s (D) 4 s
30. In the figure shown a particle P strikes the smooth inclined plane horizontally
and rebounds vertically. Find the coefficient of restitution.
(A) 1/3 Y
(B) 1/4
(C) 1/2 v P
(D) 1 

X
31. At what angle  must a ball strike a horizontal surface so m
u v
that after the impact its direction of motion is
 

perpendicular to the direction of incidence? Assuming that
friction is absent and e = coefficient of restitution
 e  1  e 
(A) sin 1   (B) tan 
1
 (C) tan 1/ e (D) tan 1 1/ e
1 e   1 e 

 
32. Two bodies of mass 1 kg and 2 kg move towards each other in mutually
perpendicular direction with the velocities 3 m/s and 2 m/s respectively. If the
bodies stick together after collision the heat liberated will be
(A) 13 J (B) 13/3 J (C) 8 J (D) 7 J.
33. A particle is projected from ground towards a vertical wall 80m away at an
angle of 37º with horizontal with initial velocity of 50m/s. After its collision
with wall & then once with ground find at what distance from wall will it
strike the ground again if coefficient of restitution for both collisions is 1/2.
(A) 70 m (B) 120 m (C) 140 m (D) none
34. Two smooth balls A and B, each of mass m Y
and radius R, have their centers at (0, 0, R)
and at (5R, –R, R) respectively, in a A X
coordinate system as shown. Ball A, moving B
along positive x axis, collides with ball B. Just before the collision, speed of
ball A is 4 m/s and ball B is stationary. The collision between the balls is
elastic. Velocity of the ball A just after the collision is:
(A) iˆ  3 ˆj m/s (B) iˆ  3 ˆj m/s (C) 2iˆ  3 ˆj m/s (D) 2iˆ  2 ˆj m/s
35. Velocity vector of a particle just before making an inelastic impact with
horizontal smooth surface with coefficient of restitution 0.2 is
 
3iˆ  10 ˆj  50kˆ m/s with z axis being vertically upwards. Speed of the
particle 1s after collision (in m/s) will be
(A) (3iˆ  10 ˆj  10 kˆ ) (B)  (3iˆ  10 ˆj  10kˆ)
(C) (3iˆ  10 ˆj ) (D)  (3iˆ  10 ˆj )
36. A particle of mass 'm' is projected with velocity vo at an angle '' with the
horizontal. The coefficient of restitution for any impact with the smooth
ground is e. Let ‘T’ be the time for which the particle moves vertically and
‘R’ is the horizontal distance travelled during that time.
u sin  u sin 
(A) T  (B) T 
g (1  e) g (1  e)
u 2 sin 2 u 2 sin 2
(C) R  (D) R 
2 g (1  e) 2 g (1  e)
37. Two identical balls A & B each of
mass 2 kg & radius R are suspended m = 1 kg
vertically from inextensible strings m C
r M = 2 kg
as shown. Third ball C of mass 1 kg
A M M B r  ( 2  1)R
& radius r  ( 2  1) R falls & hits R
A & B symmetrically with 10 m/s.
Speed of both A & B just after the collision is 3 m/s. Find speed of C just
after collision.
(A) 2 m/s (B) 2 2 m/s (C) 5 m/s (D) ( 2  1) m/s

 
 SUBJECTIVE
1. AB is a quadrant of a circle made up of wire whose mass per unit length
varies as   o (1  s ) where s is the distance measured from the end A
along the arc and o is the constant of suitable dimensions. Find the position
of center of mass of the wire.
Y
B

s
A X
2. A stationary pulley carries a rope whose one end supports a ladder with a
man and the other end the counterweight of mass M. The man of mass m
climbs up a distance l' with respect to the ladder and then stops. Neglecting
the mass of the rope and the friction in the pulley axle, find the
displacement l of the center of inertia of this system.
3. A weight w is used to hoist two unequal slender uniform iron bars of same
cross-section. One bar is of length 2 m, while the other is of length 2/3 m.
The weight moves down at 4 m/s as shown. For the instant shown, find the
velocity of point: (a) A, (b) C, (c) vcom of bar AB, & (d) vCOM of two bars.

B 4m/s
2m o 2/m
30
A C  
4. A 65-kg man standing on a frictionless surface kicks forward a 0.158-kg
stone lying at his feet so that it acquires a speed of 12.7 m/s. What velocity
does the man acquire as a result?
5. A 1400-kg cannon, which fires a 70.0-kg shell with a muzzle speed of 556
m/s, is set at an elevation angle of 30o above the horizontal. The cannon is
mounted on frictionless rails, so that it recoils freely. (a) What is the speed
of the shell with respect to the Earth? (b) At what angle with the ground is
the shell projected?

6. A man running with velocity v fires a bullet of mass m. Velocity of bullet

with respect to man is u . If mass of man with gun and bullet is M, find the
velocity of man (plus gun) after firing the bullet.
7. Two identical buggies 1 and 2 with one man in each, move without friction
due to inertia along the parallel rails, towards each other. When the buggies
get opposite each other, the men exchange their places by jumping in the
direction perpendicular to the motion direction. As a consequence, buggy 1
stops and buggy 2 keeps moving in the same direction, with its velocity
becoming equal to v. Find the initial velocities of the buggies v1 and v2 if
the mass of each buggy (without a man) equals M & mass of each man m.

 
8. Two objects, A and B, collide. A has mass 2.0 kg, and B has mass 3.0 kg.
 
The velocities before the collision are vA  1.5 iˆ  3 ˆj and vA   iˆ  5 ˆj .

After the collision, v fA  6 iˆ  3 ˆj . All speeds are given in meters per
second. (a) What is the final velocity of B? (b) How much kinetic energy
was gained or lost in the collision?
9. A block of mass m rests on a wedge of mass M which, in turn, rests on a
horizontal table, as shown in figure. All surfaces are frictionless. If the
system starts at rest with point P of the block a distance h above the table,
find the velocity of the wedge the instant point P touches the table.
m

M


10. A bead of mass M can slide on a smooth straight m

horizontal wire and a particle of mass m is attached
to the body by a light string of length l. The particle 
l
is held in contact with the wire with the string taut 2m
and is then let fall. When the string is inclined to the wire at an angle , find
the distance s slipped along the wire by the bead and the angular velocity of
m w.r.t to M.
11. A closed system consists of two particles of masses m1 and m2 which move
at right angles to each other with velocities v1 and v2. Find: (a) The
magnitude of momentum of each particle and (b) The total kinetic energy of
the two particles in the reference frame fixed to their centre of inertia.
12. Two masses M1 & M2 are connected by a spring of force constant K and are
placed on a frictionless horizontal table. Initially the spring is stretched
through a distance x0. Find the distance moved by two masses M1 & M2
respectively before coming to rest again for the first time.
13. A 2000-kg truck traveling north at 40.0 km/h turns east and accelerates to
50.0 km/h. (a) What is the change in kinetic energy of the truck? (b) What is
the magnitude of the change of the truck's momentum?
14. A particle of mass m moving with a velocity 3i  2 j m/s collides with
stationary body of mass M and finally moves with velocity 2i  j m/s.
Then find the impulse received by m.
15. The bumper of a new car is being tested. The 2300-kg vehicle, moving at
15 m/s, is allowed to collide with a bridge abutment, being brought to rest
in a time of 0.54 s. Find the average force that acted on the car during
impact.

 
16. A golfer hits a golf ball, imparting to it an initial velocity of magnitude 52.2
m/s directed 30o above the horizontal. Assuming that the mass of the ball is
46.0 g and the club and ball are in contact for 1.20 ms, find (a) the impulse
imparted to the ball, (b) the impulse imparted to the club, (c) the average
force exerted on the ball by the club, and (d) the work done on the ball.
17. A 325-g ball with a speed v of 6.22 m/s strikes a wall
at an angle  = 30o and then rebounds with the same  
speed and angle. It is in contact with the wall for 10.4 m
ms. (a) What impulse was experienced by the ball? (b) What was the
average force exerted by the ball on the wall?
18. During a violent thunderstorm, hail of radius 0.5 cm falls at a speed of 25
m/s. There are estimated to be 120 hailstones per cubic meter of air. Ignore
the bounce of the hail on impact. (a) What is the mass of each hailstone? (b)
What force is exerted by the hail on a 10 m x 20 m flat roof during the
storm? Assume that 1.0 cm3 of hail has a mass of 0.92 g.
19. Two masses m1 & m2 (m1 < m2), are connected by a fine inelastic taut string
as shown. Then m1 is raised vertically by height ‘h’ and let fall. Find the
time interval between m2 leaving the table and returning to it again? 

m2 m1

20. Initially the system is at rest. Now, a ball of mass m is projected downwards
to strike the pan of the balance. If the ball strikes the pan with speed u and
sticks to it instantaneously, find the speed of each body just after the impact
of the ball with the pan.

m
m
u
m 
21. A 150 gm baseball pitched at a speed of 40 m/s is hit straight back to the
pitcher at a speed of 60 m/s. What is the magnitude of Favg on the ball from
the bat if the bat is in contact with the ball for 5 ms.
22. A platform scale is calibrated to indicate the mass in kilograms of an object
placed on it. Particles fall from a height of 3.5 m and collide with the
balance pan of the scale. The collisions are elastic; the particles rebound

 
 upward with the same speed they had before hitting the pan. Each particle
has a mass of 110 g & collisions occur at the rate of 42 s-1. Find the scale
reading.
23. A steel ball of mass m =50 g falls from the height h = 1.0 m on the
horizontal surface of a massive slab. Find the cumulative momentum that
the ball imparts to the slab after numerous bounces, if every impact
decreases the velocity of the ball  = 1.25 times.
24. A canon of mass M starts sliding freely down a smooth inclined plane at an
angle α to the horizontal. After the cannon covered the distance l, a shot
was fired, the shell leaving the cannon in the horizontal direction with a
momentum p. As a consequence, the cannon stopped. Assuming the mass
of the shell to be negligible, as compared to that of the cannon, determine
the duration of the shot.
25. Two titanium spheres approach each other head-on with the same speed and
collide elastically. After the collision, one of the spheres, whose mass is
300 g, remains at rest. What is the mass of the other sphere?
26. The two spheres on the right of Figure are slightly separated and initially at
rest; the left sphere is incident with speed vo. Assuming head-on elastic
collisions, (a) if M  m, show that there are two collisions and find all final
velocities; (b) if M > m, show that there are three collisions and find all
final velocities.
vo
m m M
27. A particle of mass m1 experienced a perfectly elastic collision with a
stationary particle of mass m2. What fraction of the kinetic energy does the
striking particle lose, if it recoils at right angles to its original motion
direction?
28. Particle 1 experiences a perfectly elastic collision with a stationary particle
2. Determine their mass ratio, if (a) After a head-on collision the particles
fly apart in the opposite directions with equal velocities; (b) The particles
fly apart symmetrically relative to the initial motion direction of particle 1
with the angle of divergence  = 60°.
29. A ball moving with a velocity u strikes a wall moving towards the ball with
a velocity v normally. An elastic impact occurs. Considering the mass of
the wall to be infinity, find the work done by wall during collision.
30. A ball falls on the ground from a height h. The coefficient of restitution
between the ball and the ground is e. Find the speed and height up to which
it rebounds after nth impact of the ball with the ground?
31. A rubber ball falls from height ‘h’ on a floor. It keeps on rebounding till it
comes to rest. Find (a) the total distance covered by the ball before coming
to rest. (b) The total time during which the ball was in motion. [‘e’:
coefficient of restitution].

 
32. A sphere A of mass m, travelling with speed v, collides directly with a
stationary sphere B. If A is brought to rest and B is given a speed V, find (a)
the mass of B (b) the coefficient of restitution between A and B?
33. A ball moving with a velocity 2 m/s towards the heavy wall moving
towards the ball with the speed of 1 m/s collides with it elastically. Find the
velocity of the ball just after the collision.
34. Ball 1 collides directly with another identical ball 2 at rest. Velocity of
second ball becomes two times that of 1 after collision. Find the coefficient
of restitution between the two balls?
35. In a 1-dimensional collision between two identical particles A and B, B is
stationary and A has momentum P before impact. During impact B gives an
impulse J to A. Find the coefficient of restitution between A and B?
36. A smooth sphere is moving on a horizontal surface with velocity vector
2iˆ  2 ˆj immediately before it hits a vertical wall. The wall is parallel to ĵ
& the coefficient of restitution of the sphere & the wall is 0.5. Find the
velocity of the sphere after it hits the wall?
37. A ball of mass m hits a floor with a speed vo making an angle of incidence
 with the normal. The coefficient of restitution is e. Find the speed of the
reflected ball and the angle of reflection of the ball.
38. A ball is projected from the ground with speed u at an angle  with
horizontal. It collides with a wall at a distance 'a' from the point of
projection & returns to its original position. Find e between the ball and the
wall.
39. Two smooth spheres, A and B, of equal radius, lie on a horizontal table. A
is of mass m and B is of mass 3m. The spheres are projected towards each
other with velocity vectors 5iˆ  2 ˆj & 2iˆ  ˆj respectively and when they
collide the line joining their centers is parallel to the vector iˆ . If the
coefficient of restitution between A and B is 1/3, find their velocities after
impact and the loss in kinetic energy caused by the collision. Find also the
magnitude of the impulses that act at the instant of impact.
40. Two smooth spheres A and B, of equal radius but masses m and M, are free
to move on a horizontal table. A is projected with speed u towards B which
is at rest. On impact the line joining their centers is inclined at an angle  to
the velocity of A before impact. If e is the coefficient of restitution between
the spheres, find the speed with which B begins to move. If A's path after
impact is perpendicular to its path before impact. Show that
eM m
tan 2  
M m
41. Three identical discs A, B, and C rest on a smooth horizontal plane. The
disc A is set in motion with velocity v after, which it experiences an elastic
collision simultaneously with the discs B and C. The distance between the

 
 centers of the latter discs prior to the collision is  times greater than the
diameter of each disc. Find the velocity of the disc A after the collision. At
what value of  will the disc A recoil after the collision; stop; move on?
B
v
A
C
42. A ball of mass m = 1 kg, falling vertically with a velocity of vo = 2 m/s
strikes a wedge of mass M = 2 Kg kept on a smooth horizontal surface as
shown in the figure. The coefficient of restitution between the ball and the
wedge is e = 0.5. Find the velocity of the ball and the wedge immediately
after collision.
m

vo
M o
30
43. Ball B is hanging from an inextensible. An identical ball A acquires a
velocity vo before striking the ball B. Assuming perfectly elastic collision
and no friction, determine the velocity of each ball immediately after
impact.

vo
B

 
 COM OBJECTIVE KEYS
1. B 14. D 27. B 40. A
2. D 15. C 28. B 41. C
3. D 16. A 29. D 42. BC
4. A 17. D 30. B 43. A
5. C 18. C 31. A 44. D
6. A 19. D 32. B 45. D
7. C 20. B 33. B 46. B
8. D 21. C 34. D 47. C
9. B 22. A 35. B 48. C
10. B 23. A 36. B 49. B
11. C 24. B 37. B
12. C 25. B 38. B
13. C 26. B 39. C
MOMENTUM & COLLISION OBJECTIVE KEYS
1. A 11. B 21. A 31. C
2. ABC 12. B 22. A 32. B
3. A 13. D 23. D 33. C
4. A 14. C 24. B 34. A
5. ABCD 15. D 25. A 35. C
6. A 16. A 26. B 36. AC
7. D 17. D 27. A 37. A
8. A 18. B 28. D
9. D 19. B 29. A
10. C 20. A 30. A
SUBJECTIVE KEYS
8R 1  R  / 2  1  8R  1  R 
1. x   , y
  4  R    4   R 
2. m l’/2M
3. 2.3, 6.9, 2.3, 2.09
4. 3.1 cm/s
5. 536 m/s, tan-1(21/203)
 
6. ( M V  mu ) / M
7. mv/(M – m), Mv/(M – m)

8. vA  4iˆ  5 ˆj
c v cos  m
9. ; c
1  c cos 
2 2 mM
ml (1  cos  ) 2(m  M ) g sin 
10. s  ,
m M ( M  m cos 2  )l
11. (a) p   v12  v22
(b) T  0.5  v12  v22  Here,   m1m2 / (m1  m2 )
 2M 2 x0 2M 1 x0
12. ,
M1  M 2 M1  M 2
13. (a) 6.94 x 104 J (b) 3.56 x 104 kg.m/s
14. m(5iˆ  5 ˆj)
15. 64 kN
16. (a& b) 2.4 Ns (c) 2 kN (d) 62.2 J
17. (a) 2.02 N.s to the left (b) 194 N to the right
18. 0.48 gm, 7218 N
2 m1 2h /g
19. t
m2  m1
20. u/3
21. 3000 N
22. 7.8 Kg
23. p  m 2 gh (  1) / (  1)
 
24.   p cos   M 2 gl sin  / Mg sin 
25. 100 gm
mM 2m mM 2m
26. (a) 0, vo , vo (b) vo , 0, vo
m M m M m M mM
27. 2m1/(m1 + m2)
28. (a) m1/m2 = 1/3 (b) m1/m2 = 1 + 2cos
29. 2mv (u + v)
30. en2gh, e2n h
31. 1  e 2  h / 1  e 2 
32. mv/V, V/v
33. 4 m/s
34. 1/3
35. 2J/P – 1
36. iˆ  2 ˆj
37. vo e 2 cos 2   sin 2  , tan 1 (tan  / e)
1
 u 2 sin 2 
38. e    1
 ag 
39. 2iˆ  2 ˆj, 3iˆ  ˆj , J = 3m
eM m
40. tan 2  
M m
41. v '  v (2   2 ) / (6   2 ) respectively at smaller , equal or greater than 2.
42. 2/3 m/s,1/3 m/s
43. vA = 0.721vo, vB = 0.693vo