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A 2014 course syllabus - Wpi

Physics 1111 - Term A 2014
Important Facts
Will these facts be on the exam? YES! Now will you read them? Your call. My grade.
This course is based on self-study, textbook reading, homework problems, lectures, conference section meetings, and
laboratories, all to prepare you for the examinations. I have two major objectives for the course:
First, Physics 1111 will help you learn college-level, calculus-based freshman mechanics. вЂќCollege-levelвЂќ means
вЂќyou have to solve symbolic (no numbers) problems that arenвЂ™t the same as the examples in the bookвЂќ. вЂќCalculusbasedвЂќ means вЂќyou need to use calculus to do exam and homework problems.вЂќ Note I said вЂ™help you learnвЂ™. Learning
is what you do.
Second, for some of you, this course is your wake up call: You are not in high school. You are going to need to
work hard. A lot of you are already awake. ThatвЂ™s great! Some of your classmates. . .
Work: The WPI Plan expects an average student to work 17 hours per week in each course, including class hours.
Some of you will need fewer than 17 hours per week per course; some of you will need more.
There is extremely good correlation between hours worked and п¬Ѓnal grade. Several years ago, I had your classmates
report the hours per week they were spending on the course, outside of class, and lined those numbers up with the
count of letter grades. The п¬Ѓndings were:
per week
в‰Ґ 13
B or C
An NR- corresponds to exam grades under 20%. An A corresponds to excellent work that far exceeds expectations,
an outcome that oft requires more than an average eп¬Ђort.
Every so often, one of my advisees does very poorly. When I ask leading questions, I usually get the same answer.
They had been working 6 hours a week on each course, or less. In some cases, much less. If you believe that two
hours a night of homework will cover all three courses, or if you believe that homework nights happen only п¬Ѓve
(or, Goddess forbid, four or three) days a week, your beliefs are dysfunctional. Fortunately, this dysfunction can be
Basic Information: The Lecturer is G. D. J. Phillies, Professor of Physics, and Interactive Media and Game
Design and Biochemistry Associated Faculties (Olin 130, X5334, WPI Email: phillies; phillies).
My door is always open. That means if you come by the building during the day, not while I am
having lunch or teaching class, I am often here and available to talk. I read EMail regularly. If I am (i)
on the phone or (ii) talking with someone already, please respect my hand waves (Come In!, Sit Down and Wait!, or
Wave-oп¬Ђ! if IвЂ™m going to be busy for a bit.) When I am speaking with you, I will give you my full attention; please
give other people the same courtesy. The students who have come by to ask questions about homework,... report
that I am actually extremely helpful and patient.
Textbook: The text is Frautschi, Olenick, Apostol, and Goodstein The Mechanical Universe, Advanced
Edition. The purpose of the book is to supply you with reading, example problems, and supplemental problems
you might choose to work. Problems from the book will not be graded. Frautschi Advanced Edition has appeared
in several printings. They are all good reading. The recommended additional reading is Kleppner and Kolenkow,
Mechanics. Kleppner and Kolenkow works better for some people than for others.
Grading: There will be three hour examinations, each worth 25% of the п¬Ѓnal grade. There will be 18 homework
sets (each worth six points) plus two bonus problems due near the end of the term (each worth six points), plus the
п¬Ѓnal lab exam (six points), for a total capped at 100 points, together worth 20% of the п¬Ѓnal grade. There will be
laboratory exercises worth a total of 5% of the п¬Ѓnal grade. There are two mandatory Inventory quizzes, given as the
п¬Ѓrst and last lab exercises. вЂќmandatoryвЂќ means вЂќTake it or NR the course.вЂќ The п¬Ѓrst exam will not contribute to
your п¬Ѓnal grade. The п¬Ѓnal inventory quiz will be counted as a homework set.
Your п¬Ѓnal letter grade will be based purely on your combined performance in these three components, with an
adjustment by as much as one letter grade for sharp improvement or deterioration in performance over the term.
You must each perform your own assigned experiments and associated lab reports, or you will automatically receive
an NR. You must take both Inventory quizzes in a timely way, or you will automatically receive an NR. In all cases,
I am open to legitimate excuses as to why required work was not performed.
Typically, the average п¬Ѓnal grade in my courses has been around a B-. Based on past records, many PH1111
students do better. However, if most of you deserve an A, I promise that most of you will get that A. If half of you
deserve an NR, then half of you will get that NR. In one term two of my conference sections collected on the two
halves of this promise.
Exams: I try to write exams so people can really do well relative to the numerical class average. I do this by
constructing exams to have an average in the range 45-65%, with a pass level around 50 or a bit lower. If you went
to a high school that always gave really simple-minded exams, with class averages of 90% for the college-bound,
you may п¬Ѓnd this change uncomfortable. I write the exams to distinguish between A, B, and C students, not to
distinguish between levels of failure. In practice, students who do marginally or barely fail their exams did poorly
on homework and labs, so their total grade is usually a clear fail.
Consider: If you really bomb on one exam, and the class average is always 90, you have no way to dig yourself
out of your hole. If the class average is always 60, and you do badly once, you can save your position by doing far
above class average on the next exam. People have done this.
Exams are given during lecture hours. There is no conflict examination. If you are hospitalized, or have
another good excuse for missing an exam, see me as soon as possible. For a legitimate excuse, IвЂ™ll be happy to make
Special Cases: There are an extremely wide variety of issues not related to physics that may create challenges.
Your relatives die. Your parents get married. Your children have emergency surgery. You spend a week in a hospital
ICU. You have short or long term medical issues. [I did not make any of these up.] Please come by and talk. I am
happy to make reasonable accommodations. I cannot make accommodations if I do not know that you need them.
The only way I can п¬Ѓnd out that there is an issue is that you tell me.
Homework: The syllabus (below) lists the homework problems for the course. There is a column of straightforward вЂќtryвЂќ problems, and a column of вЂќgradedвЂќ problems. Someone will grade one graded problem.
Homework will be collected in almost every lecture after the first. Homework placed in my mailbox or under the
door of my oп¬ѓce before the start of lecture will be treated as being on time. Late homework is assigned a grade
of 0. There are rare legitimate reasons for being late with homework. If you think you have a legitimate reason for
being late, speak up. IвЂ™m really pretty softhearted. Place your full name on every sheet of paper. Staple homework
pages together. If your homework pages get separated because they were not stapled, it is not my problem. In doing
homework: (0) Use lined paper. (1) Write in pencil on only one side of the page. (2) Present equations in a single
vertical column. (3) Present your calculations in a logical order. (3) If the equations are written in random order
like a section of spaghetti code, expect little credit. (4) If the п¬Ѓrst character in an equation is an equals sign, the
equation is wrong. (5) If the equation has more than one equals sign, the equation is wrong. (6) Write large enough
that your handwriting can be read. For example, derivatives should generally spread vertically over two lines of the
Solving symbolically is the correct, mature way to work problems. Some of you have not yet gained this vital
skill. If you havenвЂ™t learned symbolic reasoning yet, this course will work on correcting your mental defect. In each
problem set, we will grade one or more problems of my choice. If you didnвЂ™t do that problem, or your solution to
that problem was wrong, we glance at the rest of the set. (It would be nice to grade everything, but the grader
budget is limited.)
This year I am giving you in the homework a few old exam problems. I have one major reservation about this.
The exam problems are problems that you should be able to work after you have been doing homework and seeing
answers on the topic. You are now getting them before you have been doing homework and seeing answers on the
same topic. That means you will п¬Ѓnd them much harder than you would have found them on an exam.
Homework is collected in Lecture. Homework placed in my mailbox or under the door of my oп¬ѓce before the
start of lecture will be treated as being on time. Late homework is assigned a grade of 0. There are rare
legitimate reasons for being late. If you think you have a legitimate reason for being late, speak up. IвЂ™m really pretty
Put your name and conference section number on all homework. Homework solutions are always worked in a
single vertical column with calculations in logical order on one side of the page. You would do a rough draft
for an English paper. Rough drafts are just as good in Physics. Staple multi-page submissions. When your pages
get separated because you are not up to the staple concept, it is your problem.
The homework grading system is:
6 - The one graded problem is worked correctly: approach is correct, method is correct, and answer is correct.
4- Approach and method are correct, but there are minor numerical or algebraic errors. If you substitute numbers
for letters at the start of the calculation, rather than working the problem symbolically and plugging in numbers at
the end, and get the right answer, you will usually get a 4, because your method is wrong. If you get the wrong
answer, you get a 0. [In rare cases there will be a homework problem that is too tedious to solve symbolically, at least
if you make a bad choice of approach; there you may substitute numbers early. These will be identiп¬Ѓed in advance.]
2 - If you didnвЂ™t do the one problem, or your solution to that problem was wrong (but note below), we look at
the rest of the set. If you made a serious eп¬Ђort on the rest of the problem set, you get a 2; otherwise, you get a 0.
0 - If you substitute numbers for letters at the start of the calculation, which will rarely be possible, you get no
partial credit. If you get the wrong answer, you get a 0. If you do not turn in a problem set, your recorded grade
counts as a 0.
If you get the right answer with no work, or with a totally wrong method, you will get a zero. Some additional
points may be added or subtracted for special cases, e.g., in a large problem done mostly right, you might get a 5.
The maximum total homework grade including the points for the Inventory quiz is more than 100, but all total
homework grades above 100 are treated as a 100. Roughly speaking, you get to drop your four lowest homework
Laboratories: The lab meets every week. Laboratories are mandatory. If you do not do the lab work as
prescribed, including the lab reports, you will fail the course. Lab reports must have their text portions typed.
You are encouraged to use an equation editor or LaTeX to generate your lab reports including typed equations.
Photographs of hard pencil made with cell phones or legitimate scans are often impossible to read. Your objective
is to produce something that is readable. The laboratory data sheet if you prepare one is not a lab report.
The FacultyвЂ™s rules on academic honesty require instructors to tell students their personal attitude towards
academic honesty. Mine is straightforward. This is a university. Cheating is the moral equivalent of treason. Even
as a just society hangs its traitors, so also does a university expel cheaters and academic frauds from its midst. If
you are caught cheating in this course, I will be asked for a recommendation on outcomes. I always recommend the
maximum allowable punishment.
With respect to speciп¬Ѓc cases: During an examination, you may not consult a textbook, or written, electronic,
or other notes or other external memory aids. During an examination, you may not copy any part or aspect of an
answer of another student, nor may you share your answers with or provide information to another student. The
physical modality of answer transfer is not signiп¬Ѓcant. Violation of these examination rules is cheating. You may
perhaps be allowed to use a calculator.
In doing a laboratory, you must actually perform the experiments, and submit your own laboratory report based
on the data you (and your lab partner, if any) actually obtained. You may discuss data analysis with your lab partner
or other students, but you must submit your own report on your experiments. Lab partners submitting physical
duplicates (e.g., xeroxes, carbons, multiple printouts) of each otherвЂ™s lab reports will get a grade of 0 (zero) for the
You may discuss homework problems and their solutions with your fellow students.
General Philosophy
What is physics? Physics is the study of all natural phenomena. The objective of physics is to reduce all physical
behavior to a small number of principles and elementary objects. Physics explains all natural phenomena as matter
and motion, as particles, п¬Ѓelds, and forces. The original diп¬Ђerences between physics (and its sister sciences, and
engineering) and other erroneous natural philosophies arise from two understandings unique to Western science: (1)
The natural world is quantitatively described by calculus and analytic geometry; (2) When you can make accurate
predictions about the world, you can predict the accuracy of your predictions, too.
Physics is based on praxis, getting the right answers for the right reasons. A wrong method that happens to give
the right answer is wrong and not worth points.
Understanding: You understand physics if you can solve new problems that are not the same as the problems
that you have seen before. A person who tells you вЂ�I understand the material, but I canвЂ™t solve exam questionsвЂ™
does not understand two things. First, he does not understand the material. Second, he does not understand
Notes: There are essentially no people who can learn eп¬Ђectively by listening raptly to a lecturer. Most of us have
to take careful notes, and think about material, before we know and understand it. Certainly, I do!
You have short and long term memory. Tonight, your notes from this afternoon will be perfectly clear, because
they tap short term memory. Tomorrow your short term memory will fade. Those same notes will be incomprehensible. As an undergraduate, I learned to recopy my dayвЂ™s notes into permanent notebooks every day. As I did, I
inserted all the marginal remarks and explanations that I remembered, but that I had not had time to write down.
Your mileage may vary.
Memorization: Memorization is an extremely valuable tool for putting large bodies of fact into a useful order
in your mind. No matter what your major, material in core courses is material you need to know without looking
it up. Memorizing huge batches of randomly chosen formulae, without learning the meanings of the symbols or the
conditions under which the equations are valid, will do you absolutely no good.
If someone tells you вЂ�I donвЂ™t need to memorize things, because I can always look them upвЂ™, challenge them to
learn a topic from a text written in a foreign language that they do not speak or read. They may use a bilingual
dictionary. Korean is a п¬Ѓne choice of language; the Hangul script is by rational design highly logical and easy to
learn. I have read technical papers in foreign languages I never studied. I guarantee that learning while reading
an unfamiliar language is much easier than trying to be a competent professional when you canвЂ™t remember core
Once upon a time, there were people who believed that creative thinking was something separate from factual
learning, as though one could be creative without having material from which to create. Such people may well also
believe that you can make bricks without straw, mud, or forms. Also, at some less-fortunate academic institutions,
there are faculty who use their academic freedom to claim that вЂќhierarchical learningвЂќ (e.g., you need to learn
geometry before you can understand calculus) is obsolete. I will, of course, defend the academic freedom of the
faculty at these other institutions to express their totally imbecilic ideas. However, I here use my academic freedom
to say that their claims have substantial negative merit.
Homework: Homework is almost always the basis for learning physics. You should view homework as a self-test.
The right approach to homework is to read the chapter carefully, perhaps taking notes, work through the calculations
in your notes, and then do the homework without looking back into the chapter. The wrong approach to homework
is to read the homework problem, п¬Ѓnd the bookвЂ™s worked examples, and change the numbers. If you have to look up
procedures, you are not studying correctly. If you have learned the material, you do not need to look the material
up. On the exams, вЂ™look up proceduresвЂ™ is not an option.
You will not always solve every problem immediately. If you canвЂ™t solve a problem, at some point go do something
else. Let your subconscious work. Return to the problem later. If you always run for help after 15 minutes, you will
not learn the perseverance or problem solving skills you will need when you are graduated.
Group discussion of homework is encouraged. That means that in this course group discussion of homework
problems is not cheating. [Other professors have diп¬Ђerent rules. Each time you take a course, learn the rules for that
Experimental data due to Kingsbury shows that the ideal group for group study contains exactly two people.
They each solve the same two problems. They take turns showing solutions. One talks; one knows no one else is
listening. Both therefore pay careful attention. What do you say? You explain each step, why you took it, and why
the step is correct. The other person interrupts you a lot, and forces you to defend your thinking. Group discussions
between people who each tried to solve the same problem can be very fruitful. Group discussions in which you listen
while someone else announces answers are like lying in bed watching an exercise video: It may be fun. ItвЂ™s not
Work: Many of you have parents who work two jobs, long hours, to put you here. I help make sure you live up
to your debt to them by working harder than they do.
Some of your classmates went to a high вЂќschoolвЂќ where people did one or two hours of homework. Per week. For
all four courses put together. There is a reason that I put вЂќschoolвЂќ in quotes. Think about it.
Reading and Homework Assignments
The dates are the dates in which material is covered in lecture. Each homework assignment is due at the start of
the next lecture, which will be 1-5 (often 2- 3) days later.
Chapters are chapters in Frautschi, e.g. 5.1-5.5 means read Chapter 5, section 1, through Chapter 5, section 5.
вЂќTry theseвЂќ are problems in Frautschi. These problems will not be collected or graded, but may help you learn by
working problems. The homework problems that you will work are the ones listed as вЂќGraded ProblemsвЂќ. Problems
identiп¬Ѓed with Arabic numbers are in the following pages. Problems with Roman numerals are from the old exams
on the last 3 pages, e.g. I-B is exam #1 the Bonus problem.
Use g = 10m/s2 in your solutions; more accurate values exist.
In homework and exam problems using NewtonвЂ™s Laws, if F = m ddt2r is being written, It must be
written using a second derivative to show the acceleration, and it must always be accompanied by a
correctly labeled force diagram. No derivative or force diagram, no credit!
This syllabus has footnotes, e.g. [1].
Vector Derivatives
NewtonвЂ™s Laws
Solving NewtonвЂ™s Laws
1, 5.1-5.5
5.6-5.8, 4, 6.4
4, 6.1-6.4, 8
5.11, 5.19, 5.21, 5.25, 5.27 [1]
3.2, 3.5, 3.14
5.30,5.32, 5.33
6.3, 6.4, 6.5
8.3, 8.5, 8.8
8.13, 8.15, 8.16
I-B, 2 [2]
4, 5, 6, 7
8, 9, 10, 10B
11, 12, 13, 14
15, 16, 17, 18, I-2
19, 20, 21, I-3
22, 23, 24
Due 9/17/14
15 Examination, Course to Date
Energy, power
Collisions, stability
Circular polar coordinates
11.1-11.4, 14.2
10.5, 11.6, 11.8
7.6, 17.1, 17.2
11.1, 11.3, 11.28
10.3, 10.4, 10.5b, 10.7
10.9, 10.17, 10.28
10.40, 11.14, 11.17
17.1, 17.3, 17.4, 17.5 [3]
25, 26, 27, 28, II-2
29, 30, 31, 32, II-B
33, 34, 35, II-3
36, 37, 38, 39, II-1
40, 41, 42
Due Oct. 1, 2014
29 Examination, Course to Date
Rotation, L
Rotational Energy
Rotation problems
13.1-13.4, 14.1-14.5 [4]
7.1-7.5, 10.4
6.5,6.6, 8.9
13.2, 13.3,13.4, 13.9,13.10
14.16, 14.17, 14.28
13.5, 14-17 [5]
14.11, 14.12
7.1, 7.3, 7.6, 10.23, 10.25
6.16, 6.17, 6.19
43 , 44, 45, 46
47, 48, 49, 50, III-1
51, 52, 53, 54
54.5, 55, 56, 57, III-B
58, 59, 60, III-2
61, 62, 63, III-3
Due Oct. 15, 2014
15 Examination, Entire Course
16 October 16, 2014. No classes. We canвЂ™t possibly grade the exams in a day or less, so we will not try to do so.
[1] Lots of components. For this sort of work Mathematica and Maple were invented.
[2] Problem 1 is a take home lab for those who want an experiment. Problem 3 is an exercise for people not clear
about signiп¬Ѓcant п¬Ѓgures. 1 and 3 will not be graded.
[3] Yes, these are mostly similar to what I did in class. (5) assumes that the motion is in the x-y plane, but
forgets to tell you that. Hint: There is a formula for the triple cross product.
[4] I will not use area or volume integrals except as results; you will not need to calculate any.
[5] Use the torque approach.
Homework Problems
1) In lab, you will be issued a long piece of string and several nuts. You will perform experiments to conп¬Ѓrm the
dimensional analysis in this problem. The period T is the time required for the pendulum to swing back and forth.
The period T might depend or the gravitational constant g (units meters/(second2 )), the length L of the string, and
the mass m of the nuts. Find the combination of g, l, and m that has dimensions (time)1 . (Hints: The constants
may be raised to non-integer powers, e.g., 1/3 or ПЂ.) The lab objective is to conп¬Ѓrm T = Kg a в„“b mc by measuring K,
a, b, and c.
Л† B = в€’2Л†i + 2Л†j + 3k,
Л† and C = +7Л†i в€’ 3Л†j. Compute (i) A + B, (ii) A в€’ B,
2) Consider the vectors A = 3Л†i + 4Л†j в€’ 2k,
(iii) A В· C, (iv) A Г— C, (v) | A |, (vi) | C |. (vii) from (iii), (v), and (vi), п¬Ѓnd the angle between A and C.
3) Try. Will not be the graded problem. Signiп¬Ѓcant Figures. In the following, the numbers are known to the
indicated accuracies. Do these by hand, using neat vertical columns. insert a вЂќ?вЂќ as the digit after the last digit for
each number, and remember that ? when added to, subtracted from, multiplied by, or divided by or into another
number is still вЂќ?вЂќ Report a correct, signiп¬Ѓcant number as your п¬Ѓnal answer. I know you can do these with a
calculator. ThatвЂ™s not the point of the problem. The objective is for you to see how signiп¬Ѓcant п¬Ѓgures materialize in
calculations. (a) 81.7-3.29 (b) 1.9+80.73+2.989. [Do this both by rounding at the end and also by rounding at the
beginning.] (c) 1.7 x 2.48.
4) The position of an object as a function of time is given by x = x0 exp(at3/2 ). Find the velocity and the
acceleration of the object. Discuss the behavior of the velocity and the acceleration as t в†’ 0+.
5) A local driver is proceeding along Salisbury Street in her BMW at an illegal speed of 50 m/s. To simplify the
problem, Salisbury Street is taken to run along the x axis, and the car is moving in the +x direction. At t = в€’8,
the vehicleвЂ™s radar, laser, and sonar detectors п¬Ѓre, instantly triggering the brakes. The car slows with constant
acceleration a. At t = в€’4, the carвЂ™s speed is 10 m/s, still in the +x direction. Between t = в€’8 and t = в€’4, the carвЂ™s
velocity in the x-direction may be written v = v0 + at. (i) Show that the acceleration of the car is a = в€’10 m/s2 ,
and (ii) compute v0 . FIGURE
6) OLD EXAM PROBLEM A distinguished WPI faculty member is loaded into a rocket ship. At t = 0, the
engines are ignited. At t = 5s, the ship leaves its п¬‚oating launch pad, located exactly at sea level. The vertical
acceleration during the climb is a constant. At t = 25s the ship attains an altitude of 3000m. What is the shipвЂ™s
acceleration? What is its vertical velocity at t = 25 s? Write the shipвЂ™s altitude as a function of time in the form
z = z0 + v0 t + 0.5az t2 .
7) A truck is approaching an intersection. The truckвЂ™s motion is п¬Ѓlmed and digitized. The supplied coordinates put
the center of the intersection at x = 15. x increases from left to right. At t = в€’20s, the truck appears on the п¬Ѓlm
at x = в€’75 m with a speed of 15 m/s to the right. The brakes are applied at this time. The magnitude of the
resulting acceleration is 2 m/s2 . (a) Give equations for x(t) and v(t) in the seconds after the brakes are applied,
using equations in the form
x(t) = x0 + v0 t + 0.5at2
v(t) = v0 + at.
(b) Prove your answers are correct by substituting t = в€’20 in these equations, and showing that you recover the
initial position and velocity correctly. (c) How fast is the truck going when it reaches the grade crossing? (d) At
what time does the truck stop?
Clue#1: Some years ago, almost a third of the class got this one wrong. ThatвЂ™s much better than the year before,
when over half the class was wrong.
Clue#2: Key question: what are the signs of the velocity and acceleration at t = в€’20? Some of you were taught
that all numbers are positive, a wrong fact that I will attempt to unteach.
Clue#3: You should always check your answers. You should automatically have done the t = в€’20 substitution,
without being told, to check your answer.
8) Some of my colleagues think that we should use substantially non-abstract problem questions, and that they are
appreciated by students. Accordingly, we will have an extended series of these, based on your being the physics
consultant for a motion picture director. He is a п¬Ѓrm believer in using stunts, explosives, car chases, and teary
romance scenes as a replacement for plot, characterization, dialogue, and cinematographic technique. On the other
hand, he pays well. Alas, he does not have a CGI budget, so all these stunts are done with real actors and functional
props, not green screen. The accuracy of your predicted results is signiп¬Ѓcant.
In the opening scene, the heroine is making her way into the villainвЂ™s base by sliding down the inside of a large
pipe. Unfortunately for the heroine, the pipe is a cleverly disguised air cannon. The villain п¬Ѓres the cannon, sending
the heroine out the end of the pipe at a speed of 14.1 m/s at an angle of 45 degrees above the horizontal. The end of
the pipe is located at the edge of a cliп¬Ђ 20 m above the ocean surface. 40 m out from the edge of the cliп¬Ђ, cutting the
water of the ocean in twain, is a steel net, beyond which is conп¬Ѓned the villainвЂ™s pet great white shark. Where does
the heroine land? Will the hero need to remind her that great white sharks are an endangered species? FIGURE
Л† At t = 0, the
9) But I *can* write abstract problems: A particle has an acceleration ddt2r = 3tЛ†i + 2Л†j + cos(4t)k.
particle has velocity v = 5i в€’ 7j + k. At t = 4, the particle is located at r = 3i в€’ 7j + 4k. For simplicity, do not
replace trig functions with their evaluated numerical values. (a) Write the position of the particle explicitly as a
function of time. The phrase explicitly means you solve for all constants that you can solve for. The phrase as a
function of time means that your answer is supposed to be a function of t.
Clue#1 Wake up! Is this a constant acceleration problem?
Aside#1 I just spent time explaining the phrase вЂќexplicitly, as a function ofвЂќ means. The phrase is commonly
used, and has the meaning explained here.
10) A school bus borrowed from its rightful owners by an unfortunately representative Massachusetts motorist is
taking the exit from Route 290. (Note that the FIGURE deп¬Ѓnes coordinates for you.) The exit is a circle with a radius
of 150 m. Because the State Police are in hot pursuit, the driver takes the exit at a constant speed of approximately
65 mph (27 m/s). At the point indicated in the sketch, п¬Ѓnd the busвЂ™s position, velocity, and acceleration. The angle
between the perpendicular to the Mass Pike and the radius vector from the center of the circle to the bus is 60
degrees. We are on п¬‚at ground. (Hint: Is velocity a scalar or a vector?) FIGURE
10B. The jerk J is the third derivative of position against time, i. e.,
d3 r
For an object performing uniform circular motion (an object moving in a circle at constant speed), so that its location
r = r cos(П‰t)Л†i + r sin(П‰t)Л†j,
compute J, and п¬Ѓnd the angles that J forms with r, v, and a.
11) A bow is used to п¬Ѓre an arrow into an arc in the air. Point a is after the archer has released the arrow, but before
the arrow has left the bow. Point b is after the arrow has left the bow. Point c is the highest point reached by the
arrow. Points d and e are on the way down. Write the free body diagram for the arrow at each point. What is the
acceleration of the arrow at point c? FIGURE
12) Problems 11 and 13 each involve two masses. The masses are the arrow and the earth, and the man and the boy,
respectively. For the п¬Ѓrst of the two masses in each problem, draw a correct force diagram. In complete sentences,
for each force identify the algebraic symbol for the force, the nature of the course, the body exerting the force, and
the body on which the force is exerted.
Clue#1. A table or a few words not grammatically linked are not complete sentences. If you are not a native
speaker in English (Bostonian counts as English) please advise and I will be supportive.
13) A man and a boy, masses M and m, respectively, both wearing ice skates, stand facing each other on wet, slick
ice. The man pushes on the boy with a force P of magnitude 300 Newtons. Draw the complete force diagrams for
the man and the boy. In complete sentences, specify the reaction forces corresponding to each force in your two
force diagrams. Is the magnitude of the force with which the boy pushes back on the man smaller, larger, or the
same as the force with which the man is pushing on the boy? In specifying a force, give the physical nature of the
force, the object on which it is acting, and the object supplying the force. FIGURE
14) A decorative sign is attached to the ceiling by two wires. The wires are tied to the sign at two diп¬Ђerent points,
and slant away from each other and up toward the ceiling. Draw the complete force diagram for the sign. In complete
sentences, specify the forces shown on your force diagram, and identify for each force its corresponding reaction force.
In specifying a force, give the physical nature of the force, the object on which it is acting, and the object supplying
the force. FIGURE
I [Total of 40 points]
In the elsewise undistinguished action п¬Ѓlm, the 70 kg heroine wearing 40 kg of body armor and other equipment
is lying without moving on a steep, extremely slippery roof, hanging on to a 5m rope as shown in the п¬Ѓgure. The
roof makes an angle of 55 degrees with respect to the horizontal. FIGURE
a) Give the force diagram for the heroine. Identify each force in a complete sentence.
b) In complete sentences, identify the reaction forces for each force shown in part a)
c) Starting with F = m ddt2r , write the equations of motion for the heroine.
d) What is the tension in the rope?
e) The heroine is wearing a rocket belt activated by a delay timer, which would allow her to п¬‚y to safety. For
technical reasons, the belt must be activated after she slides oп¬Ђ the edge of the roof. What is the shortest time after
she lets go of the rope that she can activate the rocket belt? Assume that she needs to slide down the roof through
a distance of 5 m and may then п¬Ѓre the belt.
15B: Another free exam question:
II [30 points]
a) [5 points] In complete sentences or valid equations, state NewtonвЂ™s three laws of motion.
b) [5 points] List the properties that all action-reaction force pairs must have.
c) [10 points] A Trojan warrior from the Iliad has the fortune to have a chariot pulled by a talking horse. The
horse and warrior have both been gifted, slightly ahead of historical period, with a knowledge of NewtonвЂ™s Laws of
motion. The warrior demands that the horse accelerate the chariot into a charge, so that the warrior may ride into
battle. The horse patiently explains that it is unable to accelerate the chariot, because: вЂќthe force that the horse can
exert on the chariot and the force that the chariot exerts on the horse are an action-reaction pair. The two forces
in question are therefore equal in magnitude and opposite in sign, so they add to zero. The total force is therefore
zero, so there will be no acceleration.вЂќ
Is the horseвЂ™s claim right or wrong? For credit, explain why in a short paragraph.
d) [10 points] We now transport ourselves forwards to the twenty- second century, onto an manned space station in a
low orbit around the earth. The station is a cubical box whose base always faces the earth. An astronaut is п¬‚oating,
stationary with respect to the walls of the space station, in the middle of the space station, not in contact with any
object. Draw the free body diagram for the astronaut. Is the total force on the astronaut on the astronaut zero, or
not? Why? Is the astronaut accelerating or not? Why?
Extra Credit: Summarize my advice in the syllabus with respect to taking and keeping notes on the lectures.
16) An intrepid skateboarder takes a long straight slope that rises thirty degrees above the horizontal while standing
on a bathroom scale placed on top of the skateboard. [SAFETY WARNING: Do NOT try this yourself.] The
bathroom scale reports the normal force on the scale due to the person standing on it. The person has mass m.
What does the bathroom scale report for the personвЂ™s weight, which is equal to the normal force he puts on the scale.
17) Resting on a tabletop are a 2kg mass, a 1 kg mass in contact with the two kg mass, and a mechanical pusher
that pushes on the 2 kg mass. The pusher, 2kg mass, and 1 kg mass lie in a straight line. The pusher generates a
force of 5 N. Find the force diagrams for the two masses, the equations of motion (NewtonвЂ™s second law, with вЂќFвЂќ
replaced by the actual forces), the accelerations of the two masses, and the net force (total of all forces) on the 2 kg
mass. FIGURE
18) Two masses m1 and m2 lie on opposite slopes of a triangular wedge. The angles from the horizontal are Оё and П•
for m1 and m2 , respectively. The two masses are connected by a rope slung over a pulley at the apex of the wedge.
Find the acceleration of the two masses as they slide up or down the slope. What is the relationship between the
two masses if the acceleration is zero? FIGURE
19) We reach yet another scene in the motion picture. The heroine (70 kg) and her non-simulated body armor (40kg) have landed on the roof of the villainвЂ™s hideout. The villain immediately detonates one of his traps
(, п¬Ѓring the rocket motors under the roof (sketch). The roof (mass 400 kg) and its rider are
accelerated perpendicular to its п¬‚at surface. The roof has a static friction coeп¬ѓcient of 0.2. Find the thrust (the
force on the roof due to the rocket motors) required so that the heroine does not slide down the roof. FIGURE
21) Do 2-15a and 2-15b. Show that you have enough equations to solve for all unknowns. What are the unknowns?
Remark: the three interesting coordinates are the distances from the two pulleys to the three masses. Those distances
combine to give you the length of the rope, a constraint. The constraint is NOT вЂќall accelerations are equalвЂќ.
22) Another exam problem, slightly tweaked. II [20 points]
A gymnast of mass m is hanging vertically, bobbing up and down at the end of a long, non-linear spring in the
hold of a moving ocean liner. The mass of the spring is correctly approximated as zero. A non-linear spring is a spring
that does not obey HookeвЂ™s law; you cannot compute the force it provides from its extension and the spring constant
k, which incidentally I have not given you. The gymnastвЂ™s position is given by r = 9tЛ†i + [3 cos(3ПЂt) + 2 sin(5t)]k.
a) (10 points) Find the velocity and acceleration of the gymnast.
b) (10 points) Find the z-component of the force that the spring places on the roof of the hold.
23) A mass m lies on a ramp, angle from the horizontal Оё. It is attached on the upslope side to a spring of spring
constant k, which has been stretched by an amount X. The constant of kinetic friction of the slope is Вµk . The
coordinate x points up hill. What is the acceleration of the mass? FIGURE
24) We have a mass m1 lying п¬‚at on a table, and a mass m2 hanging from a pulley. They are connected by a rope
that goes from a fastener on the table to a pulley attached to mass m1 back to the second pulley, and then down
to the second mass. п¬Ѓnd the force diagrams and the constraint. Find the acceleration of the two masses and the
tension in the rope in general, and in the special case m1 = 20, m2 = 5 kg.
25) For the next scene in our interminable motion picture production eп¬Ђort, the heroine is put in the rear seat of a
Sukhoi-27, п¬‚own to an altitude of 10,000 m, and п¬‚own in a horizontal circle of radius 2000 m at a speed of 300m/s.
Assuming her body mass is 65 kg, п¬Ѓnd the force exerted on her by the seat of the aircraft. To simplify grading,
you may assume that the vector from her to the center of the circle, at the moment you are answering the question,
is in the в€’Л†j direction. [Aside: for a not-entirely-modest fee, you can go to Moscow and more-or-less duplicate her
experience. Safety hazard: If you do this by using your tuition money to pay for the п¬‚ight, your parents will kill
26) a) Four masses lie in a row along the x axis, their masses being 1, 2, 3, and 4 kg, in order of increasing x. The
п¬Ѓrst two masses are 0.5 m apart; the second and third masses are 0.5 m apart; the third and fourth masses are 0.8 m
apart. Where is the center of mass of the four masses? (b) Masses of mass 1, 2, 3, and 4kg are at (0,0,0), (0.5,0,0),
(0.5,0.8,0), and (0.3,0.8,-0.5)m, respectively. Where is the center of mass of the system?
27) It is an icy day in Worcester, and two automobiles slide into the Park Avenue/Salisbury street intersection at the
same time. Unfortunately, they are going in two more-or-less perpendicular directions and collide. The п¬Ѓrst vehicle
had a mass of 1500 kg, and velocity 3Л†i+ 1Л†j m/s, while the second vehicle had a mass of 2000 kg and a velocity 1Л†iв€’ 2Л†j
m/s. No one is injured; no substantial parts of either car are left behind as the two vehicles stick together and slide
out of the intersection. How fast are the two cars going? What is their п¬Ѓnal velocity?
28) In yet another scene from our movie, the villain, sitting at sea level in his volcanic island hideaway, п¬Ѓres a giant
cannon at the good guyвЂ™s ship. Unfortunately for the villain, he uses a cheap homebuilt atomic artillery shell of mass
M , rather than a quality sabotage-resistant artillery shell from Villain Supply, LLC(1). The heroine has sabotaged
the artillery shell, so that at the top of its trajectory there is an internal explosion. The top of the trajectory is a
distance L away from the villain. The explosion sends a section of the shell of mass M/4 horizontally backwards; it
п¬Ѓnally lands at the villainвЂ™s feet(2). The remainder of the shell, mass 3M/4, continues on its way until it hits the
ocean some distance from the villain. To add insult to injury, the heroine has sent a coded message to the Captain
of the VillainвЂ™s yacht, ordering him to move his ship to a new location, where his ship will be sunk by the remainder
of the shell. How far from the villain should the villainвЂ™s yacht be anchored, if the 3M/4 section of the shell is to
strike the yacht? Remark: Instead of calculating out every bit of the various trajectories, a less detailed approach
will get you to the right answer. FIGURE
(1) No, I did not make them up, but they are no longer on the net.
(2) This is the section with the atomic warhead, set to detonate when it returns to sea level.
29) A futuristic non-conventional baseball bat of length L has a mass per unit length ПЃ that depends on position as
ПЃ = О»0 (1 + x3 /L3 ). Here О»0 is a constant having units mass/length. Find the center of mass of the baseball bat.
Hint: You need to replace the summation in problem (26) with an integral.
30) Several students are moving from one apartment to another. As part of the process, they are helping a fellow
student push one of her 100 kg crates of books up a ramp from the sidewalk into a truck. The ramp is 2m long and
is inclined at an angle of 30o with respect to the horizontal. The coeп¬ѓcient of sliding friction Вµk of the crate is 0.5.
The pushers started the crate moving before they hit the ramp, so the speed v of the crate was constant during the
entire process. Find the work done on the crate during the move up the planks by (a) gravity, (b) friction, (c) the
normal force from the planks, (d) the people pushing the crate. The people are exerting a constant horizontal force
on the crate. For simplicity, take g = 10 in SI units. Demonstrate that the total work done by all forces sums to
zero to reasonable approximation.
31) In a small number of molecules, a central atom is held in place by a force that varies as the cube of its displacement,
i.e., F = x3Л†i. If the atom is moved to a distance x = A from the center, released, and allowed to move to a distance
x = B from the center, by how much does the kinetic energy of the atom change as it moves from A to B.
32) Due to an unfortunate accident involving the WPI neutrino accelerator, our class has accidentally been transported into a parallel universe. All of the laws of nature are exactly the same here and there, except that the force
of gravity of a point mass is now
GвЂІ M m Л†
Fвѓ— = в€’
Here Fвѓ— points straight down, kЛ† points straight up, GвЂІ is a local constant that replaces our gravitational constant G,
and M , m, and r have the same meanings as in Lecture. In the parallel universe, what is the work done on a object
by gravity in moving the object from altitude A to altitude B? If B > A, is the work done, on the object being
moved, positive or negative?
33) Work 4-1.
34) Work 4-2.
35) A distinguished Boston Real Estate magnate decides to prove that Boston can outdo Las Vegas by using the
wall of the Prudential Tower (height Z) to mount a roller coaster. The roller coaster vehicles are dropped from the
top of the tower, fall near vertically to the ground, perform a loop-the-loop, and enter the Tower Plaza at speed V .
What is V ? The vehicle then enters a water pool at point A, giving friction with an eп¬Ђective coeп¬ѓcient of kinetic
friction Вµk , and comes to a stop at point B. How far is it from A to B? FIGURE
36) It is a typical Worcester ice storm, and a truck (mass 20,000 kg, speed of 5m/s) is cautiously going North on
Park Avenue (North is the +y direction). At the same time, a sports car (mass 2000 kg) is being driven East (the
+x direction) on Salisbury street. To avoid driving in a dangerous ice storm any longer than necessary, the driver
is going as fast as possible, namely 70 m/s. Inevitably, there is a collision in the intersection, leaving the sports car
imbedded in the rear body of the truck. Calculate the velocity of the truck and car, which are moving together,
immediately after the collision. You may neglect any mass associated with parts, e.g. tires, that head oп¬Ђ in their
own directions rather than staying with the truck and car. If Salisbury pond is 100 m away along the direct path,
and friction is negligible, and the drop to the pond is negligible, how long will it take them to hit the water?
37) The jet engine of a very old single-engine jet aircraft has its thrust (the force applied to the airplane because the
engine is on) increase with time as f = f0 (1 в€’ exp(в€’О“t)), where t is the time since the moment when the engine was
started and the aircraft began its roll down the runway. Compute the power supplied to the aircraft by the engine
as the airplane accelerates. The mass of the aircraft is m. Hint: The power is a function of time.
38) Work 4-3. In treating a collision problem, you should always ask whether the collision is elastic or inelastic.
39) The electrostatic potential energy between two charges in a sodium chloride solution (at a very low approximation,
two protein molecules in dilute solution) may be written as a screened Coulomb potential
U (R) =
kq1 q2 exp(в€’ОєR)
where k is a remarkably complicated constant, q1 and q2 are the electrical charges on the two protein molecules, Оє
is a constant called the вЂќDebye (inverse) lengthвЂќ, and R is the distance between the two protein molecules. What is
the magnitude of the electrical force between the two molecules?
40) A pin is stuck into a rigid rod. The pin is not perpendicular to the rod. At a particular moment in time, the
Л† The pin lies in the x-z plane. The pin
rod lies along the line 2Л†i в€’ Л†j в€’ kЛ† and has angular velocity П‰
вѓ— = 3(2Л†i в€’ Л†j в€’ k).
Л† (a) What is the velocity of the head of the pin at the
intersects the rod at the origin, and has its head at r = 2Л†i + k.
moment of interest? (b) What is the angular rotation rate (a scalar) of the rod? FIGURE
41) It is time to boot up a low-power-consumption ecologically compliant waste-cereal recyling computer. Instead
of an electric motor the computer uses a cage of well-trained hamsters. The hamsters respondвЂ”eventuallyвЂ”to a
bell. The bell is sounded at t = 5. At t = 30 seconds, the hamsters get onto their rotating wheel and start running.
A train of gears connects the wheel to the computerвЂ™s drum memory. The drum, initially at rest, accelerates at 15
rad/sec2 up to a maximum of 90 radians/second. Assuming that the drum was originally at Оё = 20, calculate the
angular position and angular velocity of the drum at t = 35 seconds. For credit, do all calculations using my origin
for the time coordinates.
42) A beanstalk is a previously mythical spaceship launching system made possible by recently advances in materials
science. The launcher consists of an anchor at the equator, 40,000 or so miles of extremely strong cable going straight
up from the anchor, and a large asteroid at the other end of the cable. The asteroid is not in orbit; it is held in place
like a stone tied to the end of a string and whirled in circles around oneвЂ™s head. The launcher is a motor driven car
that ascends the cable to an altitude of ca. 23,000 miles, at which point anything released from the car will be in
orbit around the earth. Consider a car climbing the rope at constant speed vo . The earth has rotational angular
velocity П‰. Find, in circular polar coordinates centered on the center of the earth, with the z axis passing through
the south and north poles, the acceleration of the car.
Л† (Yes, the angular velocity is parallel to
rod lies along the line в€’Л†i в€’ Л†j в€’ kЛ† and has angular velocity П‰ = в€’2(Л†i + Л†j + k).
the rod, which is rotating around its long axis). The pin intersects the rod at the origin, and at time 0 has its head
at r = 3Л†i + Л†j. (a) What is the angular rotation rate (a scalar) of the rod? [Hint: Not 2]. (b) What is the velocity of
the head of the pin? [Hint: The pin goes from the origin to the location of the head of the pin.]
44) A pie plate is mounted through its center to the end of a drill bit, perpendicular to the end of the bit. The drill
points along the z axis, and rotates at -100 rpm. (a) What is the rotation vector of the drill? (b) The frisbee is
0.25 m in diameter. The coordinate origin is placed where the frisbee is joined to the drill. Consider a point on the
perimeter of the frisbee in the Л†j direction relative to the origin. What is its coordinate vector? (c) A nut of mass
3 В· 10в€’2 kg is mounted at the perimeter point in question. What is its velocity? What is its angular momentum?
(d) We now move the origin, so that the origin is at the base of the drill, and the frisbee is joined to the drill at a
Л† relative to the origin. What is the location vector of the nut? What are the nutвЂ™s velocity and angular
location +0.3k
momentum? (e) Use (c) and (d) to answer: Are the momentum and angular momentum vectors always parallel?
Are the rotation and angular momentum vectors always parallel? Is the angular momentum vector independent of
the location of the origin?
Л† . The drill rotates at
45) The drill is rotated through 45 degrees, so it points in the same direction as the vector Л†jв€’ k
+ 30 rad/s. This time the frisbee is not mounted perpendicular to the drill. At the moment in question, a point on
Л† from the end of the drill. The frisbee has a radius of 0.125m.
the perimeter of the frisbee is in the direction в€’Л†iв€’Л†j+ k
What is the velocity of the point on the perimeter? What is the angular momentum of a 2 g mass at that point?
[Hint: If you construct any vectors, check that they actually have the magnitudes that you meant them to have. For
example, if you meant to construct
a vector of magnitude 2, and your vector is 2(Л†i + Л†j), you have a problem, because
your vector has magnitude 2 2.]
46) OLD EXAM QUESTION A truck proceeds due east (the +x direction) on Salisbury street. The truck has a mass
of 22,000 kg, and is moving at 15 m/s. The truckвЂ™s center of mass stays in the center of the lane. Three students are
standing 4m south of the center of the lane (here north is the +y direction). They compare notes as to the truckвЂ™s
angular momentum with respect to them. The п¬Ѓrst notes that the truck is moving in a straight line, so the truckвЂ™s
angular momentum is zero. The second announces that the angular momentum of the truck is 1.32 В· 106 kg m2 /s.
The third correctly calculates the trucksвЂ™ angular momentum. Does she agree with either of the other two students?
What angular momentum does she calculate for the truck?
47) In yet another motion picture scene, the villain Commander Goldbug and his evil henchmen are winching a 56
Mg missile from the deck of a barge onto their secret island base. At the 10m height shown in the picture, Goldbug
is shown the error of his ways (solid gold is not a good structural material) when the winch shaft breaks. The
missile falls from rest toward the water. As it falls, the rope moves without slipping around the winch drum and over
the pulley wheel, whose moments of inertia are 15,000 kg m2 and 800 kg m2 , and whose radii are 5 and 1 meters,
respectively. How fast is the missile going when it hits the water? FIGURE
48) A rod pivoted at one end around a horizontal axis has length L. Denoting the pivot point by r = 0, the п¬Ѓlament
is massless out to r = в„“. Between r = в„“ and r = L, the density of the rod increases quadratically as distance from
the origin, i.e., ПЃ = ПЃo r2 . Find the rodвЂ™s (a) kinetic energy, (b) angular momentum, and (c) gravitational potential
49) A cube, a sphere, and a cylinder are sent down a slope starting at the same point. The cube slides without
friction. The sphere and cylinder roll without slipping. Which reaches the bottom п¬Ѓrst? How does this answer
depend on the masses of the three objects? The moments of inertia of a sphere and a cylinder each having mass M
and radius R are 25 M R2 and 12 M R2 , respectively.
50) TRADITIONAL PROBLEM. WILL NOT BE GRADED. An Atwood machine consists of two masses M1 and
M2 connected by a rope that passes over a pulley. The pulley has moment of inertia I and radius R. Initially the
two masses are each held at a height H oп¬Ђ the п¬‚oor and are stationary. M1 > M2 ; when the masses are released,
M1 falls п¬‚oorward. How fast is M1 going just before it hits the п¬‚oor? FIGURE
51) BONUS PROBLEM: WORTH ONE HOMEWORK EXERCISE. Some years ago, a slight variation of this was
an exam problem. Class performance left room for improvement. [Total of 40 points, as indicated.] In yet another
scene of the п¬Ѓlm that was a stock of old exam questions, the heroine is dropped from a helicopter onto the back
of a dirigible. The studio did not have a dirigible handy. The dirigible mockup is a long plastic cylinder mounted
between two towers. The cylinder rotates around its own center of mass; its vertical motion can be neglected. After
a short period of time, the dirigible rotates so that the heroine is at the bottom of the dirigible. What is the angular
velocity of the heroine as she passes the bottom? Put the origin of eh coordinate system on the central axis of the
dirigible. Do not try to simplify your п¬Ѓnal expression.
The heroine has a mass m and is traveling at speed V when she impacts the dirigible. The dirigible has mass
M , radius R, and moment of inertia M R2 . Until the heroine lands on it, the dirigible is stationary. The heroine
lands a distance l to the left of the center of the dirigible. (Hints! This is not a collision problem. A near-inп¬Ѓnite
force holds the center axis of the dirigible in place, so that the dirigible rotates freely, but its center axis does not
move. The linear momentum of heroine + dirigible is therefore not conserved. However, the bearings are frictionless,
so the only external torque on the actress+dirigible system is exerted by gravity. No one is making you answer the
questions in the order that I am asking them!) FIGURE
(a) (2 points) What is the kinetic energy of the heroine just before she hits the dirigible?
(b) (3 points) What is the linear momentum of the heroine just before she hits the dirigible?
(c) (3 points) What is the potential energy of the heroine just before she hits the dirigible? Take the center of
the dirigible to have height 0.
(d) (3 points) What is the angular momentum of the heroine just before she hits the dirigible?
The heroine hangs on to the dirigible when she hits. The dirigible starts to rotate around its own central axis,
which is п¬Ѓrmly mounted and does not move, while she hangs on.
(e) (4 points) What is the kinetic energy of the heroine just after she hits the dirigible?
(f) (4 points) What is the linear momentum of the heroine just after she hits the dirigible?
(g) (2 points) What is the potential energy of the heroine just after she hits the dirigible? Take the center of the
dirigible to have height 0.
(h) (4 points) What is the angular momentum of the heroine just after she hits the dirigible?
(i) (3 points) Draw a force diagram for the heroine just after she lands on the dirigible.
(j) (12 points) The dirigible rotates freely. WHat is its angular velocity after the heroine lands on it?
52) BONUS PROBLEM: WORTH ONE HOMEWORK EXERCISE. This problem is short, but quite diп¬ѓcult if you
do not see how to do it. A pencil of length L and mass M is resting sharpened point down on a totally frictionless
surface. The air current set up by a passing butterп¬‚y disturbs its equilibrium and the pencil falls over. What is the
speed of the pencilвЂ™s center of mass just before the pencil falls п¬‚at into the table? FIGURE
53) OLD EXAM PROBLEM In yet another scene from the ongoing adventure movie, the heroine is hanging from
the end of the worldвЂ™s longest п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ, which is attached near the top of the worldвЂ™s tallest building. The п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ
is a steel girder having length L and mass M ; the end attached to the building is hinged so that it is free to rotate.
The п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ is initially at angle Оё. The other end of the п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ is held in place by a long wire. The good news in
the п¬Ѓlm is that the heroine, mass m, has just disassembled the villainвЂ™s world-ending doomsday device, saving the
world. The less good news is that the villain has cut the wire and the worldвЂ™s longest п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ is about to swing
downward. FIGURE
The п¬Ѓgure shows the п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ, heroine, and angle Оё marking the position of the п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ. Recalling that the
moment of inertia of a uniform rod pivoted around one end is 13 M L2 , п¬Ѓnd
A) (5 points) The kinetic energy of the п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ and heroine as they swing downward, in terms of their angular
velocity dОё/dt.
B) (5 points) The potential energy of the п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ and heroine as they swing downward.
C) (5 points) The torque on the п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ and heroine, relative to the location of the hinge.
D) (5 points) The angular acceleration of the п¬‚agstaп¬Ђ and heroine as they swing downward. Does the angular
acceleration depend on the time since the wire was cut?
E) (15 points) The heroine hangs on to the pole, so that she applies a force в€’P on the pole, and it applies a force
P on her. Find the force P on the heroine as a function of the angle Оё from the vertical.
54) A uniform rod having mass M and length L is pivoted at the top. A pellet of mass m moving horizontally with
speed v hits the rod and sticks. The rod is initially stationary and hanging vertically, What speed v is required to
the red to reach a maximum rise that is its horizontal position. FIGURE
as ПЃ = О»0 (1 + x3 /L3 )/ Here О»0 is a constant having units mass/length. The bat hangs downward from its x = 0 end,
making an angle Оё with respect to the downward vertical. Find by integration (a) the moment of inertia and (b) the
gravitational torque on the bat. (c) Find the angular acceleration of the bat. (d) What is the angular acceleration
in the small-angle limit?
55) This is another old exam problem. An otherwise rational Faculty member travels to a well-known foreign country
where for a moderate sum of money you actually can go for a ride in the NavigatorвЂ™s seat of a very-high-performance
п¬Ѓghter aircraft. Have paid for the п¬‚ight she and her pilot take the aircraft to an altitude of 10,000m, at which point
the aircraft does a nose-up and п¬‚ies in a a series of vertical circles with a radius of R m. The aircraft has a high
thrust-to-weight ratio; it maintains a constant speed V during the circle. FIGURE
Referring to the sketch, for points a), b), and c) draw the force diagram for the Faculty member, who is in contact
with the aircraft via a high-backed chair. At each point, compute the normal force, a vector, on the pilot.
Aside: This is a slight variation on an old exam question. Some people made erroneous assumptions as to the
direction of the normal force on the pilot due to the chair, leading them to the interesting conclusion that the force
вѓ— is a vector.
of gravity had been turned oп¬Ђ. Remember, N
56) A space station consists of two heavy objects, M1 located at (0, 0, 0) and M2 located at (L, 0, 0). The two objects
are linked by a very light boom of length L. A rocket motor applies a force of magnitude a in the в€’Л†j direction to
Ms2 . What is the torque applied to the space station by the rocket, if the torque is calculated relative to the location
(a) M2 ?
(b) M1 ?
(c) The space stationвЂ™s center of mass?
57). A cylindrical shell of mass M , length L, and radius R is set into rotation around an axis running the length of
the cylinder. Its angular rotation rate is П‰ = A cos(Bt2 ). Calculate the torque on the cylinder as a function of time.
58) A uniform sphere of mass M is located at the origin. (a) Aligned along the x axis, with its center at a distance
d + L/2 from the origin, is a uniform rod having mass m and length L. The rod does not intersect the sphere. What
is the gravitational potential energy of the rod? (b) The rod is now rotated around its middle until it is parallel with
the y-axis. Reduce to quadratures (that is, п¬Ѓnd a one-dimensional integral for) the gravitational potential energy of
the rod. CLUE: approximating the rod as a point mass located at its center of mass is WRONG. FIGURE FOR b.
59) This is a variation on an exam problem from a previous year. It was easy for people who (1) remembered that force
is a vector and not a scalar, and (2) did not blandly assume values for angles rather than calculating them. Recalling
that the gravitational constant G is 6.67 В· 10в€’11 in SI units, calculate the gravitational force that I (M = 90kg) exert
on a 75 kg student in the lecture hall. I am (x, y, z) = (2, в€’1, 1)m; the student is at (x, y, z) = (8, в€’4, в€’3)m. вЂ�Zero
for all practical purposesвЂ™ is worth zero points as an answer.
60) We have three stars in an equilateral triangle. The base of the triangle is parallel to the x-axis; the stars are 20
million kilometers apart. Their masses are as indicated on the diagram. Recalling that G is 6.67 В· 10в€’11 N m2 kgв€’2 ,
п¬Ѓnd the force on the 1.5 В· 1031 kilogram star due to its two neighbors.
61) OLD EXAM PROBLEM The owners of a local store set a display pole at the front doorway of their establishment.
The pole is a rod having constant cross-section mounted at an angle Оё to the horizontal. The pole has a length L
and mass M ; fastened at its outer end is a steel ball having mass m. The pole is supported by a horizontal guy wire
attached to its outer end, and by a fastener at its lower end. The guy wire has a tension T ; the horizontal fastener
applies a force H having components Hx and Hy (either or both of these may be zero) to the pole. FIGURE Find
A) (5 points) The force and torque diagrams for the pole.
B) (10 points) The tension T .
C) (10 points) The horizontal force Hx .
D) (10 points) The vertical force Hy .
62) It is wintertime in New Hampshire, and we contemplate a (somewhat simpliп¬Ѓed) A-frame house under a snow
load. Fortunately, the snow has come down as a single п¬‚ake of mass M that rests precisely at the peak of the house.
Also, the contractor skipped installing a foundation, so the nearly massless (relative to the snowп¬‚ake) roof is resting
on the frozen, icy, nearly frictionless ground. The peak of the roof is height L oп¬Ђ the ground; the angle between the
two sides of the roof is Оё. At a height L/2 oп¬Ђ the ground, a horizontal steel rope connects the two sides of the roof.
The tension T in the rope keeps the two halves of the roof from sliding apart at their base and collapsing. What is
63) It is the end of the semester at a neighboring school, and the residents of a dormitory are attempting to roll a
barrel of nonalcoholic root beer up the stairs to their rooms to make root beer ice cream п¬‚oats. The barrel has radius
R, and is pressed against a tread of height h by a force horizontal F applied at the top of the barrel. The corner of
the stair tread has a substantial coeп¬ѓcient of static friction with respect to root beer barrels, so the barrel does not
slide across the tread; instead, it applies forces Sx and Sy on the barrel. If the students push just hard enough that
the normal force of the lower tread on the barrel is zero, what are Sx and Sy ? FIGURE
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