Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power
Physics 1 · Unit 3 · Paper 1

Work, Energy, and Power unit test

A test on this unit alone, marked as a percentage and a letter grade — for the test your class is actually sitting, rather than for May. Answer everything, then submit once: seeing the answer to question 3 before attempting question 4 makes the final percentage meaningless.

Paper 1Paper 2Paper 3
Each paper is built from this unit’s 43 terms and is the same for everyone, so a teacher can assign “Unit 3, Paper 1” and every student sits the identical test. Multiple choice is marked objectively; the written sections you mark yourself against the model answer and rubric.
Suggested time 36 min 33 points0/17 attempted
1

Kinetic energy

2

Why friction has no potential energy

3

Conservative vs non-conservative forces

4

Work

5

When mechanical energy is not conserved

6

Power

7

When to use energy instead of forces

8

Why carrying a box horizontally does no work

9

Conservative vs nonconservative force

10

Zero-work forces

11

Conservation of mechanical energy

12

Why the system boundary decides your equation

Short answer 1. Define or explain: Work done by a spring

3 pts

Short answer 2. Define or explain: Work from a force-distance graph

3 pts

Short answer 3. Define or explain: Choosing the reference height

3 pts

Short answer 4. Define or explain: Work done by friction

3 pts

Free response

9 pts

A 0.40 kg block is pressed against a spring of stiffness k = 500 N/m, compressing it 0.20 m on a horizontal surface. The spring is released. The block leaves the spring at point A, slides across a rough horizontal patch of length 1.5 m (μk = 0.25) to point B, then travels up a smooth curved ramp. Use g = 10 m/s² and ignore air resistance.

Calculate the energy stored in the compressed spring and the speed of the block at point A.

Calculate the energy dissipated by friction between A and B.

Calculate the maximum vertical height the block reaches on the ramp.

The experiment is repeated with a 0.80 kg block and the same spring compression. State whether the maximum height increases, decreases, or stays the same, and justify with equations.

Explain why an energy bar chart drawn for A, for B, and for the highest point must have the same total height in every column.