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Topic 1.2: Practice Sheet — Kinematic Equations

Name: _______________________________ Date: _______________ Period: ______

Directions: For each problem, first list your known variables and identify the unknown before choosing an equation. Show all work. Circle or box your final answer.

Warm-Up Level (straightforward, one-step)

  1. An object starts from rest and accelerates at 5 m/s² for 3 seconds. Find its final velocity.
  2. An object starts at 2 m/s and accelerates at 4 m/s² for 3 seconds. Find the distance it travels.

Standard Level (multi-step, matches typical AP Classroom depth)

  1. An object speeds up from 10 m/s to 30 m/s over 4 seconds. Find (a) its acceleration and (b) the distance it traveled during this time.
  2. An object starts from rest and accelerates uniformly, covering 54 m in the process, ending with an acceleration of 3 m/s². Find (a) its final velocity and (b) the time it took.
  3. A ball is thrown with an initial velocity of 15 m/s and decelerates at 3 m/s² (no gravity yet — just a general deceleration). Find (a) how long it takes to come to a stop and (b) how far it travels before stopping.

AP-Level (multi-part: calculate + justify/represent/predict-a-change)

  1. A train starts from rest and accelerates uniformly at 1.5 m/s² for 20 seconds. a) Find the train's final velocity. b) Find the distance the train traveled. c) If the train instead accelerated for 40 seconds (double the time) at the same rate, justify why the distance traveled would be MORE than double your answer to (b) — not just double it. d) Predict what would happen to the distance traveled (in the original 20 seconds) if the acceleration were doubled instead of the time. Is this relationship different from part (c)? Explain.
  2. A classmate claims: "If two objects both start from rest at the same position and the same instant, and both undergo constant acceleration, the one with the greater acceleration will always have traveled farther after any given amount of time has passed." Evaluate this claim — is it true or false? Justify your answer using the equation Δx = ½at².

Keep this sheet — it's part of your semester study materials, same as your Concept Sheets.