2026 F = ma Exam — Question 9 — Physics Guide

Home Practice Mock Tests Problems Profile About

0 Days 0 XP Sign in

Back to Problems

F = ma (First 10)

Momentum

FMA-2026-09 · 2026 F = ma (AAPT)

2026 F = ma Exam — Question 9

A vertical cylindrical pipe with a sealed bottom contains no air and is tall enough that its top is open to outer space (no atmosphere). A heavy plate is mounted at the bottom of the cylinder and vibrates vertically. A small ball inside the pipe undergoes elastic collisions with the plate. The plate vibrates in such a way that, during each collision, it is moving upward with a constant speed v equal to , where v is the orbital speed at zero altitude above the Earth. The plate moves downward 1000 sufficiently fast that the ball collides with the plate only while the plate is moving upward. The ball is initially dropped from rest from a height equal to the Earth’s radius above the plate. After how many collisions with the plate will the ball escape the Earth’s gravitational field? — Source: Question 9, 2026 F = ma Exam, © 2026 American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the U.S. Physics Team. Adapted by PhysicsTrainer: reformatted into a separate question and answer choices for online multiple-choice practice; any shared setup from nearby questions is repeated here. Not affiliated with or endorsed by AAPT or the U.S. Physics Team.

Physics Guide

Free AP Physics 1/C (Mech) and F=ma training. Built by students, for students.

Problem Bank About

F = ma problems are © the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the U.S. Physics Team, the original source, and are used with permission. Problems shown here are adaptations: they have been reformatted by Physics Guide into separate question and answer-choice pieces for online multiple-choice practice. Physics Guide is an independent student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, operated by, or supported by AAPT, F = ma, USAPhO, or the U.S. Physics Team.

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C (Mech) problems are adapted from OpenStax College Physics for AP® Courses 2e and University Physics Volume 1, © OpenStax (Rice University), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Problem text is reproduced exactly; correct answers come from the OpenStax answer keys. For written-answer problems, the incorrect answer choices were written by Physics Guide. Physics Guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenStax or the College Board.