A ladder leans against a smooth wall, with its base on rough ground. In Position A, the ladder makes an angle of $$75^\circ$$ with the ground. In Position B, the base is moved further out so the angle is $$60^\circ$$. The ladder remains stationary in both positions. How does the static friction force at the base in Position B compare to Position A?

It is greater, to balance the increased torque from gravity

It is greater, to balance the increased normal force from the ground

It is smaller, because the ladder is closer to being horizontal

It is smaller, because the normal force from the wall decreases

AP Physics 1 Unit 5 Practice Test

Pick a unit and take a timed, AP^®-style test built only from that unit's questions — with AI feedback on every free-response answer.

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Torque and Rotational Dynamics

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Two ways to practice unit 5

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The exam experience, sized to one unit — timed like the real thing

20 Multiple Choice Questions

40 min

1 FRQ – FRQ 1 – Mathematical Routines

24 min

1 FRQ – FRQ 2 – Translation Between Representations

24 min

Sections run back-to-back with the same directions, timers, and scoring as the real exam

Total: 1 hr 28 min

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Pick your own mix of question types

multiple choice questions

free response questions (choose as many as you want)

FRQ 1 – Mathematical Routines · 24 minFRQ 2 – Translation Between Representations · 24 minFRQ 3 – Experimental Design · 24 minFRQ 4 – Qualitative/Quantitative Translation · 24 min

Total: 40 min

How scoring works: multiple choice is scored instantly, free-response answers get point-by-point AI feedback, and your result is a percentage for this unit — not a projected AP^® score.

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AP Physics 1 Unit 5 practice questions

Try 10 multiple-choice questions from Unit 5 here. Pick an answer to see why it's right or wrong, then take the timed test above for a full AP-style set.

Question 1
A force $F$ is applied to one end of a rod of length $L$ at an angle $\theta$ relative to the rod. The rod is pivoted at the other end. Which expression gives the magnitude of the torque exerted on the rod about the pivot?
$FL\sin\theta$
$FL\cos\theta$
$\frac{F\sin\theta}{L}$
$\frac{F\cos\theta}{L}$
Show answer
Answer: (A)
Torque is defined as the cross product $\tau = rF\sin\theta$ . Here $r=L$ , so the magnitude is $FL\sin\theta$ , representing the perpendicular component of force.
Question 2
A ladder leans against a smooth wall, with its base on rough ground. In Position A, the ladder makes an angle of $75^\circ$ with the ground. In Position B, the base is moved further out so the angle is $60^\circ$ . The ladder remains stationary in both positions. How does the static friction force at the base in Position B compare to Position A?
It is greater, to balance the increased torque from gravity
It is greater, to balance the increased normal force from the ground
It is smaller, because the ladder is closer to being horizontal
It is smaller, because the normal force from the wall decreases
Show answer
Answer: (A)
Analyzing torque equilibrium shows that as the angle decreases, the lever arm for gravity increases, requiring a larger normal force from the wall to prevent rotation. Static friction at the base must balance this increased wall force.
Question 3
A flywheel initially rotating at $12.0 \text{ rad/s}$ slows down with a constant angular acceleration of $-2.0 \text{ rad/s}^2$ . What is the total angular displacement of the flywheel from the moment it begins to slow down until it comes to a complete stop?
$6.0 \text{ rad}$
$36 \text{ rad}$
$72 \text{ rad}$
$144 \text{ rad}$
Show answer
Answer: (B)
Using $\omega^2 = \omega_0^2 + 2\alpha\Delta\theta$ , substitute values: $0 = (12)^2 + 2(-2)\Delta\theta$ . Solving gives $144 = 4\Delta\theta$ , so $\Delta\theta = 36 \text{ rad}$ .
Question 4
A car with tires of radius $0.25 \text{ m}$ accelerates from rest with a constant linear acceleration of $2.0 \text{ m/s}^2$ . Assuming the tires roll without slipping, what is their angular velocity after $4.0 \text{ s}$ ?
$2.0 \text{ rad/s}$
$8.0 \text{ rad/s}$
$16 \text{ rad/s}$
$32 \text{ rad/s}$
Show answer
Answer: (D)
First, find linear velocity: $v = at = 2(4) = 8 \text{ m/s}$ . Then convert to angular velocity using $v = r\omega$ : $\omega = 8 / 0.25 = 32 \text{ rad/s}$ .
Question 5
A fan blade accelerates from rest with a constant angular acceleration of $\pi \text{ rad/s}^2$ . How many revolutions does the blade complete in the first $4.0 \text{ s}$ of motion?
$2.0 \text{ revolutions}$
$4.0 \text{ revolutions}$
$8.0 \text{ revolutions}$
$16 \text{ revolutions}$
Show answer
Answer: (B)
Calculate displacement in radians: $\Delta\theta = \frac{1}{2}\alpha t^2 = 0.5(\pi)(16) = 8\pi \text{ rad}$ . Convert to revolutions: $8\pi / 2\pi = 4.0 \text{ revolutions}$ .
Question 6
A disk rotating at $4.0 \text{ rad/s}$ accelerates constantly to $12 \text{ rad/s}$ while rotating through an angular displacement of $32 \text{ rad}$ . What is the angular acceleration of the disk?
$1.0 \text{ rad/s}^2$
$2.0 \text{ rad/s}^2$
$4.0 \text{ rad/s}^2$
$8.0 \text{ rad/s}^2$
Show answer
Answer: (B)
Use $\omega^2 = \omega_0^2 + 2\alpha\Delta\theta$ : $144 = 16 + 2\alpha(32)$ . Simplify to $128 = 64\alpha$ , so $\alpha = 2.0 \text{ rad/s}^2$ .
Question 7
A string is wrapped around a pulley of radius $0.20 \text{ m}$ . A block attached to the string falls from rest, causing the pulley to rotate. If the block falls $5.0 \text{ m}$ in $2.0 \text{ s}$ , what is the average angular acceleration of the pulley?
$2.5 \text{ rad/s}^2$
$6.25 \text{ rad/s}^2$
$12.5 \text{ rad/s}^2$
$25 \text{ rad/s}^2$
Show answer
Answer: (C)
First find linear acceleration: $y = \frac{1}{2}at^2 \rightarrow 5 = 0.5a(4) \rightarrow a = 2.5 \text{ m/s}^2$ . Then convert: $\alpha = a/r = 2.5/0.2 = 12.5 \text{ rad/s}^2$ .
Question 8
A rotor starts from rest and accelerates at $3.0 \text{ rad/s}^2$ for $4.0 \text{ s}$ , then continues at constant angular velocity for another $4.0 \text{ s}$ . What is the total angular displacement?
$48 \text{ rad}$
$72 \text{ rad}$
$96 \text{ rad}$
$144 \text{ rad}$
Show answer
Answer: (B)
Phase 1: $\theta_1 = 0.5(3)(4^2) = 24 \text{ rad}$ . Final speed $\omega = 3(4) = 12 \text{ rad/s}$ . Phase 2: $\theta_2 = 12(4) = 48 \text{ rad}$ . Total = $24 + 48 = 72 \text{ rad}$ .
Question 9
A wheel is initially rotating counterclockwise at $8.0 \text{ rad/s}$ . It is subjected to a constant clockwise angular acceleration of $2.0 \text{ rad/s}^2$ . What is the angular displacement of the wheel after $5.0 \text{ s}$ ?
$15 \text{ rad}$
$25 \text{ rad}$
$40 \text{ rad}$
$65 \text{ rad}$
Show answer
Answer: (A)
Define CCW as positive. $\theta = \omega_0 t + \frac{1}{2}\alpha t^2$ . Substitute: $8(5) + 0.5(-2)(25) = 40 - 25 = 15 \text{ rad}$ .
Question 10
An object's angular velocity as a function of time is given by $\omega(t) = 4.0 + 2.0t$ , where $\omega$ is in rad/s and $t$ is in seconds. What is the angular displacement of the object from $t=0$ to $t=3.0 \text{ s}$ ?
$10 \text{ rad}$
$15 \text{ rad}$
$21 \text{ rad}$
$30 \text{ rad}$
Show answer
Answer: (C)
Displacement is the area under the $\omega-t$ graph (trapezoid). $\omega_0=4$ , $\omega_3=10$ . Area = $\frac{4+10}{2} \times 3 = 7 \times 3 = 21 \text{ rad}$ .

What's on the AP Physics 1 Unit 5 practice test

The standard version takes about 88 minutes and follows the timing and directions of the AP exam, sized to one unit:

20 Multiple Choice Questions (40 minutes)
1 FRQ – FRQ 1 – Mathematical Routines (24 minutes)
1 FRQ – FRQ 2 – Translation Between Representations (24 minutes)

Questions are drawn from 1322 multiple-choice questions and 27 FRQs written for Unit 5, Torque and Rotational Dynamics.

Practice AP Physics 1 Unit 5 FRQs

Answer the unit's free-response questions one at a time and get a score on every part.

FRQ 1 – Mathematical Routines (3 questions)
FRQ 2 – Translation Between Representations (4 questions)
FRQ 3 – Experimental Design (6 questions)
FRQ 4 – Qualitative/Quantitative Translation (14 questions)

AP Physics 1 Unit 5 Practice Test

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AP Physics 1 Unit 5 practice questions

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