Homework CM-17-01

HOMEWORK 1.

1. A mass m s!ides without friction on a plane tilted at an angle in a vertical uniform

gravitational field g. The plane itself is on rollers and is free to move horizontally, also without
friction; it has mass M . Find the acceleration A of the plane and the acceleration a of the mass
m.
2. A parallelepiped (a six-faced solid with opposite faces parallel) has one corner at the origin
O and the three edges that emanate from O are defined by the vectors a , b, c. Show that the
volume of the parallelepiped is |a (b c)|.
3. Two masses, m1 = 2kg, m2 = 4kg, are connected by a massless rope, without sliding, to
a massless pulley Find the acceleration of the mass m2 if the system moves under the influence
of gravitation.
4. Rockets are propelled by the momentum reaction of the exhaust gases expelled from the
tail. Since these gases arise from the reaction of the fuels carried in the rocket, the mass of the
rocket is not constant but decreases as the fuel is expended. Show that the equation of motion
for a rocket propelled vertically upward in a uniform gravitational field, neglecting atmospheric
friction, is
dv dm
m = v 0 mg
dt dt
where m is the mass of the rocket and v 0 is the velocity of the escaping gases relative to the
rocket. Integrate this equation of motion to obtain v as a function of m, assuming a constant
time rate of loss of mass. Show, for a rocket starting initially from rest, with v 0 = 2.1 m/sec and
a mass loss per second = 1/60 of the initial mass, that in order to reach an escape velocity of
11.2 km/sec the ratio of the weight of the fuel to the weight of the empty rocket must be almost
300.
5. The Earth and the Moon form a two-body system interacting through their mutual
gravitational attraction. In addition, each body is attracted by the gravitational field of the
Sun, which can be seen as an external force. Take the Sun as the origin and write down the
equations of motion for the center of mass X and the relative position x of the Earth-Moon
system. Expand the resulting expressions in powers of x/X, the ratio of the magnitudes. Show
that to lowest order in x/X the center of mass and relative position are uncoupled, but that in
higher orders they are coupled because the Suns gravitational force is not constant.
6. For a particle of mass m in a double-hump potential V = V0 (1 2x2 + x4 ) , find the
stationary points, and discuss separately the cases where the energy is greater than, equal to, or
less than V0 . What are the frequencies for small amplitude oscillation about the points of stable
equilibrium? Sketch the contours of constant energy in a velocity phase space plot (x, x) using
dimensionless units (m = V0 = 1). Characterize the motion.

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 7. Consider a particle of mass m moving vertically under the influence of gravity (assumed
uniform). In addition, the particle is subjected to the resistance of air, described by a friction
force quadratic in the velocity of magnitude mk v 2 . Find the velocity of the particle and obtain
an expression for large times.
8. A student kicks a frictionless puck with initial speed v0 so that it slides straight up a plane
that is inclined at an angle above the horizontal. (a) Write down Newtons second law for the
puck and solve to give its position as a function of time. (b) How long will the puck take to
return to its starting point?
9. A cannon shoots a ball at an angle above the horizontal ground. (a) Neglecting air
resistance, use Newtons second law to find the balls position as a function of time. (Use axes
with x measured horizontally and y vertically.) (b) Let r(t) denote the balls distance from the
cannon. What is the largest possible value of if r(t) is to increase throughout the balls flight?