I think it probably could be called basic physics - Hooke's law, Newton's first law and gravity - or at least fundamental physics. The leap comes when you combine very simple concepts in a particular situation. This kind of 'what would happen if...' question is often used during admission interviews to universities where you are expected to be able to think on your feet - they present you with a question to which you are extremely unlikely to know the answer, then observe you as you use fundamental principles to arrive at an acceptable answer. So... using that evidence one might say that it should come before Physics 101.