A scalar quantity has magnitude alone (mass, temperature, speed); a vector has both magnitude and direction (displacement, velocity, force). Two vectors combine by the triangle law: drawn head to tail, the resultant runs from the free tail to the free head. Equivalently, by the parallelogram law, if and are drawn from a common point
Motion in a Plane
Class 117 previous-year questions from this chapter every option and the correct answer, free · where the marks are
1. Vectors: addition, resolution, products
Exam focus: The resultant of two vectors is maximum (A+B) when they're parallel and minimum (|A−B|) when antiparallel — it's never zero unless the two magnitudes are equal, a quick check for ruling out impossible resultants.
Vectors: Addition, Resolution, Dot and Cross Product
PW NEET
Full-topic one-shot covering vector addition, resolution, and both dot and cross products.
2. Projectile motion
Exam focus: Complementary projection angles (θ and 90°−θ) give the same range but different times of flight and maximum heights — same range never means everything else about the trajectory matches too.
Projectile Motion — One Shot
Physics Wallah - Alakh Pandey
Comprehensive one-shot on projectile motion with all standard cases and PYQs.
PhysicsNEET 2023show ▾A bullet is fired from a gun at a speed of in a direction above the horizontal. The maximum height attained by the bullet is (, ):
- A.2800 m
- B.2000 m
- C.1000 m✓
- D.3000 m
The worked solution is part of a paid pack.
PhysicsNEET 2022show ▾A ball is projected with a velocity of at an angle of with the vertical direction. Its speed at the highest point of its trajectory will be:
PhysicsNEET 2021show ▾A car starts from rest and accelerates at . At s, a ball is dropped out of a window by a person sitting in the car. What are the velocity and acceleration of the ball at s? (Take )
- A.20 m/s,
- B.20 m/s, 0
- C. m/s, 0
- D. m/s, ✓
The worked solution is part of a paid pack.
PhysicsNEET 2021show ▾A particle moving in a circle of radius with a uniform speed takes a time to complete one revolution. If this particle were projected with the same speed at an angle to the horizontal, the maximum height attained by it equals . The angle of projection is then given by:
3. Uniform circular motion and relative velocity
Exam focus: Uniform circular motion has constant speed but never constant velocity — the centripetal acceleration v²/r is always nonzero and points toward the centre, which is exactly why the motion counts as accelerated.
Motion in a Plane and Circular Motion — One Shot
Competition Wallah
Combined one-shot covering circular motion kinematics and motion in a plane (which includes relative velocity in 2D); also includes vector/projectile content covered elsewhere on this site.
PhysicsNEET 2024show ▾A particle moving with uniform speed in a circular path maintains:
- A.Constant acceleration
- B.Constant velocity but varying acceleration
- C.Varying velocity and varying acceleration✓
- D.Constant velocity
Solution
In uniform circular motion the speed is constant but the direction of velocity keeps changing, so velocity varies; the centripetal acceleration has constant magnitude but continuously changing direction, so acceleration varies too.
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Save for spaced revision (free account)PhysicsNEET 2019show ▾Two particles A and B are moving in uniform circular motion in concentric circles of radii and with speeds and , respectively. Their time period of rotation is the same. The ratio of the angular speed of A to that of B will be:
PhysicsNEET 2019show ▾The speed of a swimmer in still water is 20 m/s. The speed of river water is 10 m/s and is flowing due east. If he is standing on the south bank and wishes to cross the river along the shortest path, the angle at which he should make his strokes with respect to north is given by:
- A. west of north✓
- B.
- C. west of north
- D. west of north
The worked solution is part of a paid pack.