General Physics I — 2026-exam Past Questions

University of Ilorin PHY101: 150 questions.

Topics: Relative Motion, Circular Motion, Centre of Mass, Equations of Motion, Kinematics, Conservation of Linear Momentum, Moments of Inertia, Rotational Motion, Vector Product, Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration, Vectors and Scalars, Torque, Conservation of Angular Momentum, Kinetic Energy and Work, Potential Energy, Angular Momentum, Newton's Laws of Motion, Conservative Forces, Units and Dimension, Conservation Principles in Physics, Inertial Frames, Momentum Conservation, Differentiation of Vectors, System of Particles, Space and Time, Newton's Law of Gravitation

  1. A car's suspension consists of springs with an overall effective spring constant of 120 kN/m. How much would you have to compress the springs to store the same amount of energy as in 1 gram of gasoline if the energy content of gasoline is 44 MJ/kg?
    1. 62 cm
    2. 86 cm
    3. 74 cm
    4. 91 cm
  2. An object rotates with angular momentum L. What will happen to its angular velocity if its moment of inertia is doubled?
    1. It is halved
    2. It is doubled
    3. It stays the same
    4. It is quadrupled
  3. A 3.00 kg particle has a velocity of (3.0i - 4.0j) m/s. Find the magnitude of its total momentum.
    1. -12.0 kg m/s
    2. 9.0 kg m/s
    3. 15.0 kg m/s
    4. 16.0 kg m/s
  4. An object A is moving with 5 m/s and object B is moving with 20 m/s in the same direction (positive x-axis). Find the velocity of B with respect to A.
    1. +15 m/s
    2. -25 m/s
    3. -15 m/s
    4. +25 m/s
  5. A man climbs a mountain with an amount of energy E. The energy he gains when descending the mountain is equal to:
    1. None of the above
    2. 1/2 E
    3. 2E
    4. E
  6. When a box is dragged on the floor, the work done on the box in the form of potential energy is:
    1. Zero
    2. Decrease
    3. Increase
    4. Constant
  7. A mass of 2 kg is at (4, 4) and a mass of 4 kg is at (x, y), and the center of mass of the two masses is at the origin. Find x and y.
    1. (-2, -2)
    2. (2, 2)
    3. (-4, 4)
    4. (4, 4)
  8. Two trains approach each other on the same track. Train A moves at 40 m/s east, and Train B moves at 30 m/s west. What is the velocity of A relative to B?
    1. 70 m/s west
    2. 10 m/s west
    3. 70 m/s east
    4. 10 m/s east
  9. If two vectors are given as D₁ = 3i - 2j + 4k and D₂ = -5i + 3j - k, find D₁ × 4D₂.
    1. -40i - 68j - 4k
    2. -40i + 68j + 4k
    3. 40i - 68j - 4k
    4. -40i - 68j + 4k
  10. Which of these is the dimension of density?
    1. ML⁻³
    2. M²L⁻²
    3. M²L⁻¹
    4. ML⁻¹
  11. In the absence of external forces, the total momentum of a system of interacting bodies remains:
    1. Zero
    2. Constant
    3. Variable
    4. Equal to the net force
  12. Two 2.0 kg bodies, A and B, collide. The velocities before the collision are vA = 20i + 30j m/s and vB = 25i - 10j m/s. After the collision, vA = 20i + 15j m/s. What is the final velocity of B?
    1. 25i + 5j m/s
    2. 30i - 5j m/s
    3. 25i - 15j m/s
    4. 20i + 10j m/s
  13. At what point does a projectile motion have its least velocity?
    1. Right at the point of launch
    2. At the point of touching the ground
    3. At the maximum height
    4. The velocity is the same throughout the motion
  14. Which of the following correctly describes the motion of a body when measured relative to itself?
    1. Constant
    2. Variable
    3. Zero
    4. Infinite
  15. If there is no external force on a system, the total kinetic energy will be:
    1. Constant
    2. Increasing
    3. Decreasing
    4. Zero
  16. A body of mass 16 kg moving with velocity 8 m/s collides inelastically with a body of mass 7 kg moving with velocity 4 m/s. Find their common velocity after collision.
    1. 5.2 m/s
    2. 6.8 m/s
    3. 7.4 m/s
    4. 4.6 m/s
  17. Which of the following is not correct?
    1. k × j = -i
    2. i × j = k
    3. k × i = j
    4. j × i = k
  18. If A - B = 2C and A + B = 4C and C = 3i + 4j, what is the value of B?
    1. 3i - 4j
    2. i + 7j
    3. i - 7j
    4. 3i + 4j
  19. If the velocity of A is 8 m/s north and the velocity of B is 6 m/s south, what is the velocity of A relative to B?
    1. 14 m/s south
    2. 14 m/s north
    3. 2 m/s south
    4. 2 m/s north
  20. A constant force of 40 N is applied to a body with a moment of inertia of 30 kg m² and a radius of 20 cm for a duration of 4 seconds. Calculate the angular displacement in radians.
    1. 1.07 rad
    2. 2.13 rad
    3. 2.58 rad
    4. 2.19 rad
  21. Work done against a conservative force can be recovered as:
    1. Stored energy
    2. Kinetic energy
    3. Potential energy
    4. Mechanical energy
  22. Find the angle between the vector sum of A = 4i + 2j - k and B = -3i + 4j + 2k and the x-axis.
    1. 65.2°
    2. 80.7°
    3. 75.1°
    4. 90.0°
  23. A car of 1000 kg moving with an initial velocity of 20 m/s in the east direction collides with a truck of 8000 kg moving with a velocity of 15 m/s in the same direction. If the velocity of the car after the collision is 10 m/s, find the velocity of the truck after the collision.
    1. 14.25 m/s
    2. 18.50 m/s
    3. 16.25 m/s
    4. 15.75 m/s
  24. The acceleration of body A is 3 m/s² and the acceleration of body B is 1 m/s². Find the acceleration of body A relative to body B, assuming they are moving in the same direction.
    1. 4 m/s²
    2. 1 m/s²
    3. 2 m/s²
    4. 3 m/s²
  25. When the net torque is zero, which of the following is conserved?
    1. Linear momentum
    2. Initial momentum
    3. Angular momentum
    4. Final momentum
  26. What is the dimension of Force?
    1. ML²T⁻²
    2. ML⁻¹T⁻²
    3. ML⁻¹T²
    4. MLT⁻²
  27. Which of the following is not true?
    1. A × A = 0
    2. A × B = -B × A
    3. A · B = B · A
    4. A × B = B × A
  28. If the velocity of body A is 12 m/s and the velocity of body B is 5 m/s, find the velocity of A relative to B, assuming they are moving in the same direction.
    1. 17 m/s
    2. 7 m/s
    3. 12 m/s
    4. 5 m/s
  29. Given the vectors A = 3i + 3j - 2k, B = -i - 4j + 2k, and C = 2i + 2j + k, find A · (B × C).
    1. -12
    2. 15
    3. 18
    4. -21
  30. Using the vectors A = 3i + 3j - 2k, B = -i - 4j + 2k, and C = 2i + 2j + k, find (A + B) × C.
    1. 3i - 4j + 2k
    2. i + 2j - 4k
    3. -i - 2j + 6k
    4. 3i - 3j
  31. Velocity is?
    1. The same as speed
    2. Only the direction of travel
    3. The direction of travel and the distance traveled per unit time
    4. The distance traveled per unit time
  32. A perfect example of rectilinear motion is?
    1. The motion of a ball moving on a horizontal surface due to an applied force
    2. The motion of a simple pendulum
    3. The motion of the moving hand of a clock
    4. The motion of a stone thrown at a distant object
  33. If Arsenal FC goalkeeper Raya kicked a ball from his goal post with an initial velocity of 20 m/s at an angle of 45° to the horizontal, what is its horizontal range? (Take g = 10 m/s²)
    1. 80 m
    2. 30 m
    3. 40 m
    4. 20 m
  34. The angular momentum is said to be conserved when:
    1. The net force on the system is zero
    2. The object is at rest
    3. The object is rotating at a constant speed
    4. The net torque on the system is zero
  35. When a box is dragged on the floor, the work done on the body in the form of potential energy is:
    1. Increases
    2. Constant
    3. Zero
    4. Decreases
  36. A rod has a length L = 3 m and a linear mass density of λ = 2 + x. Determine its total mass.
    1. 21/4
    2. 18/4
    3. 25/3
    4. 21/2
  37. If car P moves at 20 m/s East and car Q moves at 15 m/s East, what is the velocity of Q relative to P?
    1. 5 m/s East
    2. 15 m/s East
    3. 5 m/s West
    4. 35 m/s East
  38. A wheel of mass 6 kg and radius of 40 cm is rotating at 300 rpm. Find its moment of inertia (treat the wheel as a uniform solid disc).
    1. 0.969 g m²
    2. 0.969 kg m²
    3. 96.4 kg m²
    4. 0.48 kg m²
  39. A 55 kg woman went from her office on the 33rd floor to the 59th floor and then to the ground floor. If each floor is 3.75 m, calculate the potential energy change from her initial floor to the 59th floor.
    1. 60 kJ
    2. 49.0 kJ
    3. 0 kJ
    4. 52.6 kJ
  40. A body of mass 16 kg moving with velocity 8 m/s collides inelastically with a body of mass 7 kg moving with velocity 4 m/s. Find the kinetic energy lost.
    1. 39.0 J
    2. 42.6 J
    3. 54.2 J
    4. 35.1 J
  41. Motion is always defined relative to?
    1. An absolute frame
    2. Another moving object
    3. A reference frame
    4. The center of the Earth
  42. If three forces 20 N, 40 N, and 60 N act on a body at angles 0°, 30°, and 60° respectively, find the resultant force.
    1. 64.64i + 71.96j
    2. 71.96i + 64.64j
    3. 71.96i + 84.64j
    4. 84.64i + 71.96j
  43. Which of these is correct for an inertial reference frame?
    1. Accelerating and Newton's laws do not hold
    2. Not accelerating and Newton's laws do not hold
    3. Accelerating and Newton's laws hold
    4. Not accelerating and Newton's laws hold
  44. Which of the following is not correct?
    1. k × j = -i
    2. i × j = k
    3. k × i = j
    4. j × i = k
  45. Which one of these correctly differentiates distance and displacement?
    1. Displacement is usually larger than distance
    2. Distance is a vector quantity and displacement is a scalar quantity
    3. Displacement can be positive, negative, or zero while distance can only be positive or zero
    4. Distance can be negative while displacement cannot
  46. The expression for the position of a particle is r = 3t²i + 4tj. What is the velocity at t = 2?
    1. 6i + 8j
    2. 10i + 7j
    3. 6i + 4j
    4. 12i + 4j
  47. If a particle has a velocity vector of (4i + 3j) m/s, what is the speed of the particle?
    1. 7 m/s
    2. 12 m/s
    3. 1 m/s
    4. 5 m/s
  48. At what angle between the position vector r and linear momentum P is the magnitude of Angular Momentum maximum?
    1. 0°
    2. 45°
    3. 180°
    4. 90°
  49. A body A is moving at 4 m/s in the East direction and another body B is moving at 10 m/s in the North direction. What is the velocity of A relative to B?
    1. 14.0 m/s
    2. 6.0 m/s
    3. 11.6 m/s
    4. 10.8 m/s
  50. What is the value of the relative velocity of an object when measured with respect to itself?
    1. Infinite
    2. Constant
    3. Zero
    4. Unity
  51. If D₁ = 3i - 2j + 4k and D₂ = -5i + 3j - k, find D₁ · 4D₂.
    1. -80
    2. -25
    3. -100
    4. 100
  52. What is the condition for a reference frame to be inertial?
    1. It must not be accelerating, and Newton's laws must hold true.
    2. It must not be accelerating, and Newton's laws must not hold true.
    3. It must be accelerating, and Newton's laws must hold true.
    4. It must be accelerating, and Newton's laws must not hold true.
  53. A body of mass 16 kg moving with velocity 8 m/s collides inelastically with a body of mass 7 kg moving with velocity 4 m/s. Find their common velocity after collision.
    1. 5.2 m/s
    2. 6.8 m/s
    3. 7.4 m/s
    4. 4.6 m/s
  54. Which is not a mathematical statement of Newton's laws of motion?
    1. F = ma
    2. mg = N
    3. F = mg
    4. If net force is zero, acceleration is zero
  55. When the kinetic energy of a body is equal to the potential energy, it represents:
    1. Balance of energy
    2. Conservation of energy
    3. Equilibrium point
    4. Mechanical energy conservation
  56. Which of the following lists all seven fundamental (base) quantities?
    1. Length, Area, Current, Time, Temp, Charge
    2. Length, Velocity, Current, Time, Temp, Charge
    3. Mass, Length, Time, Amount of substance, Luminous Intensity
    4. Mass, Length, Time, Current, Temp, Amount of substance, Luminous Intensity
  57. A body is projected horizontally from a cliff 80 m high with a speed of 10 m/s. What time does it take to reach the ground? (Take g = 9.8 m/s²)
    1. 2.02 s
    2. 3.14 s
    3. 5.25 s
    4. 4.04 s
  58. Which of the following is true about linear momentum?
    1. If the elastic collision is head-on, both of them move together after collision along a parallel line of axis
    2. If it is an inelastic collision, both bodies move together after collision along the same parallel line of axis
    3. If it is not head-on and it is an inelastic collision, both will move in separate directions
    4. If it is elastic and head-on, both will move in different directions along the same line of axis
  59. A constant force of 40 N is applied tangentially to the rim of a wheel with a radius of 20 m. If its moment of inertia is 30 kg m², find the work done on the rim and the kinetic energy after 4 s.
    1. W = 19 J, K.E = 19 J
    2. W = 20 J, K.E = 18 J
    3. W = 15200 J, K.E = 12400 J
    4. W = 170666.7 J, K.E = 170666.7 J
  60. At what angle is the horizontal distance (range) for a projectile maximum?
    1. 45°
    2. 90°
    3. 0°
    4. 180°
  61. A vector A = (3i - 2j + 4k) and D = (-5i + 3j - 4k). Find A · 4D.
    1. -180
    2. -140
    3. -120
    4. -148
  62. If the initial vertical speed of a projectile is 20 m/s, how long does it take to reach the maximum height? (Take g = 9.8 m/s²)
    1. 2.04 s
    2. 4.08 s
    3. 1.02 s
    4. 3.06 s
  63. At what angle between the position vector and linear momentum is the magnitude of angular momentum maximum?
    1. 0°
    2. 90°
    3. 180°
    4. 45°
  64. Given vectors A = 3i + 3j - 2k, B = -1i - 4j + 2k, and C = 2i + 2j + k, find (A + B) × C.
    1. 3i - 4j + 2k
    2. i + 2j - 4k
    3. -i - 2j + 6k
    4. 3i - 3j + 0k
  65. A rigid body is a system where the distance between particles remains unchanged regardless of:
    1. Position of particles
    2. External forces applied
    3. Internal forces
    4. Force on particles
  66. A bat hits a ball with a force of 1000 N, changing its momentum in the opposite direction. According to Newton's Third Law, what is the magnitude of the force the ball exerted on the bat?
    1. 1000 N
    2. 2000 N
    3. 8000 N
    4. 4000 N
  67. Car A is moving at 10 m/s North while vehicle B is moving at 10 m/s East. Find the magnitude of the relative velocity of A with respect to B.
    1. 20.0 m/s
    2. 0.0 m/s
    3. 10.0 m/s
    4. 14.1 m/s
  68. Two bodies A and B move in the same direction with velocities 5 m/s and 20 m/s respectively. Calculate the velocity of A with respect to B.
    1. -15 m/s
    2. 15 m/s
    3. 25 m/s
    4. 20 m/s
  69. When the net torque acting on a system is equal to zero, which type of momentum is conserved?
    1. Linear
    2. Initial
    3. Final
    4. Angular
  70. The direction of the net force acting on a body is always the same as the direction of its:
    1. Acceleration
    2. Velocity
    3. Deceleration
    4. Displacement
  71. Calculate the center of mass from the origin for a system consisting of a 3 kg load at the origin (0 cm), a 4 kg load at 4 cm, and another 4 kg load at 8 cm along a straight line.
    1. 4.00 cm
    2. 5.33 cm
    3. 6.00 cm
    4. 4.36 cm
  72. At what launch angle with the ground does a projectile have the greatest horizontal distance?
    1. 0°
    2. 30°
    3. 60°
    4. 45°
  73. An object rotates with angular momentum L. What will happen to its angular velocity if its moment of inertia I is doubled?
    1. It is doubled
    2. It is quadrupled
    3. It stays the same
    4. It is halved
  74. A grinding stone in the form of a solid cylinder has a radius of 0.5 m and mass 20 kg. The moment of inertia about the central axis is 2.5 kg m². What is the magnitude of the torque that will bring it to rest if its angular velocity is 300 rev/min in 10 s?
    1. 9.86 Nm
    2. 7.86 Nm
    3. 8.86 Nm
    4. 7.85 Nm
  75. A belt passes over a wheel of radius 25 cm. If a point on the belt has a speed of 5 m/s, how fast is the wheel turning in radians per second?
    1. 20 m/s
    2. 2 m/s
    3. 2 rad/s
    4. 20 rad/s
  76. A wheel of 40 cm radius rotates on a stationary axle. It is uniformly speeded up from rest to a speed of 900 rpm in 20 s. Find the tangential acceleration of a point on its rim.
    1. 4.7 m/s²
    2. 3.2 m/s²
    3. 2.1 m/s²
    4. 1.88 m/s²
  77. If a goalkeeper kicked the ball with an initial velocity of 20 m/s at an angle of 45° to the horizontal, what is the time of flight? (Take g = 10 m/s²)
    1. 4.6 s
    2. 1.4 s
    3. 4.2 s
    4. 2.83 s
  78. A compact disc accelerates from rest to an angular speed of 400 rpm in 2.50 s. Calculate the angular acceleration.
    1. 15.2 rad/s²
    2. 10.5 rad/s²
    3. 12.4 rad/s²
    4. 16.76 rad/s²
  79. Which law of motion explains a support platform that collapses due to a heavy load?
    1. Newton's first law
    2. Newton's second law
    3. Gravitational law
    4. Newton's third law
  80. For a conservative force acting on a body under free fall, the potential energy is:
    1. Constant
    2. Increasing
    3. Zero
    4. Decreasing
  81. The angular momentum is said to be conserved when?
    1. The net force on the system is zero
    2. The object is at rest
    3. The object is rotating at a constant speed
    4. The net torque on the system is zero
  82. When a box is dragged along a horizontal floor, the work done on the body in the form of potential energy is?
    1. Increasing
    2. Decreasing
    3. Positive
    4. Zero
  83. Car P moves at 20 m/s East and car Q moves at 15 m/s East. What is the velocity of Q relative to P?
    1. 5 m/s East
    2. 15 m/s West
    3. 35 m/s East
    4. 5 m/s West
  84. In an ideal system, the restoring force of an object stretching over a distance e is?
    1. F = ke
    2. F = -ke²
    3. F = ke²
    4. F = -ke
  85. Two masses, m and M, are placed at the ends of a rod, where m < M. The center of mass of the system is:
    1. Located exactly in the center
    2. Closer to mass m
    3. At the position of mass M
    4. Closer to mass M
  86. A wheel decelerates uniformly from 900 rpm to 300 rpm after completing 50 revolutions. Calculate the angular acceleration of the wheel in rad/s².
    1. -1.24 rad/s²
    2. -6.28 rad/s²
    3. -3.14 rad/s²
    4. -4π rad/s²
  87. If the total external force acting on a system is zero, the center of mass will?
    1. Not accelerate
    2. Move with changing velocity
    3. Have constant acceleration
    4. Have a variable acceleration
  88. The gravitational force over a short vertical distance very close to the surface of the earth is considered to be?
    1. Increasing
    2. Decreasing
    3. Negative
    4. Constant
  89. Two bodies A and B of equal masses (3 kg each) move with initial velocities uA = 10i + 20j and uB = -6i + 2j. After collision, the final velocity of B is vB = -5i + 10j. Find the final velocity of A.
    1. 10i + 15j
    2. 5i + 8j
    3. 6i - 4j
    4. 9i + 12j
  90. A 16 kg mass moving at 8 m/s collides inelastically with a 7 kg mass moving at 4 m/s. If the bodies move together after collision, find the kinetic energy lost.
    1. 39.0 J
    2. 19.9 J
    3. 42.5 J
    4. 35.1 J
  91. Given the vectors A = 4.0i - 1.5j, B = -1.2i + 3.0j, and C = -2.8j, find the resultant vector A - B + C.
    1. 5.2i + 7.3j
    2. 3.5i + 4.0j
    3. 4.5i - 3.0j
    4. 5.2i - 7.3j
  92. Find the radius of gyration of a solid sphere of mass 5 kg and radius 7 cm.
    1. 4.4 nm
    2. 4.4 dm
    3. 4.4 mm
    4. 4.4 cm
  93. A rotating object increases its linear velocity from 30 m/s to 50 m/s in 4.0 s. If the radius of the path is 300 m, find the radial acceleration when the velocity is 40 m/s.
    1. 5.33 m/s²
    2. 6.33 m/s²
    3. 7.33 m/s²
    4. 5.00 m/s²
  94. Two 3 kg masses collide. The initial velocity of A is 10i + 20j and B is -6i + 2j. If the final velocity of A is -4i + 16j, find the magnitude of the final velocity of B.
    1. 12.4 m/s
    2. 15.0 m/s
    3. 10.0 m/s
    4. 10.8 m/s
  95. A rotating arm changes its angular velocity from 900 rpm to 300 rpm. If it makes 50 revolutions during this change, calculate the time taken to complete this deceleration.
    1. 55 s
    2. 50 s
    3. 5.0 s
    4. 10 s
  96. The position of point A is 4 m and point B is 7 m along a straight line. Find the position of B relative to A.
    1. -4 m
    2. -3 m
    3. 4 m
    4. 3 m
  97. Given vectors A = 4i + 2j - k and B = 3i - 4j - 2k, find the sum A + B.
    1. 7i + 2j + 3k
    2. 7i - 2j - 3k
    3. 7i + 6j + 3k
    4. 7i - 6j - 3k
  98. The angular acceleration of a rotating plane is 4.8 rad/s². The angular speed at t = 0 is 2.2 rad/s. Find the angular speed at t = 2 s.
    1. 10.6 rad/s
    2. 11.8 rad/s
    3. 9.6 rad/s
    4. 12.4 rad/s
  99. Calculate the rotational kinetic energy of a sphere of mass 200 g with a radius of gyration of 0.46 m and an angular velocity of 400 rpm.
    1. 34.5 J
    2. 28.2 J
    3. 42.1 J
    4. 37.1 J
  100. A constant force of 40 N is applied tangentially to a wheel of radius 20 cm. The system has a moment of inertia of 30 kg m². Find the angular speed after 4 s starting from rest.
    1. 2.44 rad/s
    2. 1.50 rad/s
    3. 0.82 rad/s
    4. 1.07 rad/s

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