Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power
Physics C: Mech · 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.

Each paper is built from this unit’s 53 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 33 min 30 points0/17 attempted
1

Reading kinetic energy from a potential curve

2

Net work and the work–energy theorem

3

Power as the rate of doing work

4

When to use energy rather than forces

5

Work by gravity is path independent

6

Efficiency

7

Instantaneous power as force dotted with velocity

8

Nonconservative work

9

Stability from a potential curve

10

Gravitational potential energy near the surface

11

Deriving force from U(x)

12

Escape velocity

Short answer 1. Define or explain: Thermal energy from friction

3 pts

Short answer 2. Define or explain: Units of energy and power

3 pts

Short answer 3. Define or explain: Energy in a spring-mass system

3 pts

Short answer 4. Define or explain: Escape speed is mass independent

3 pts

Free response

6 pts

A block of mass m is released from rest at the top of a curved, frictionless ramp of height h. At the bottom, it enters a rough horizontal surface with a position-dependent coefficient of kinetic friction μ_k(x) = cx, where c is a positive constant and x is the distance along the rough surface.

Derive an expression for the speed of the block at the bottom of the ramp.

Set up, but do not evaluate, an integral expression to find the total distance D the block travels on the rough surface before coming to rest.

Determine D in terms of m, g, h, and c.