PHYSICS 9A MIDTERM 2 November 22 , 2011

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Problem 1 (two points).

Two balls start at the same time moving to the right with the same velocity. On their way one passes a circular well
while another one passes a circular bump of exactly the same radius. Which ball reaches the wall on the right side
first?

A. Top ball comes first

B. Bottom ball comes first
C. Both balls come together.
Solution

v v

v1>v

t1left t1right

t2left t2right
v v
v2<v

Consider times for the first ball to reach the bottom (t1left) and to climb back (t1right) and, similarly, for the second
ball to roll up (t2left) and to roll down (t2right).

We see that the first ball is climbing back faster than the second ball (t1right <t2left) is rolling up because the speed of
the first ball at the bottom is larger of its initial speed while for the second ball its speed at the bottom is equal to its
original speed. Also, we see that the time for the first ball to reach the bottom (t1left) is smaller than the time for the
second ball to roll down (t2right ), so we get t1left< t2right . This is because the first ball starts with original speed v
while the second ball lost some of its speed since it had to climb up. Therefore:

t1right <t2left
t1left< t2right

Summing up the two inequalities we obtain t1right + t1left <t2left+t2right which assumes that the first ball passes its hill
faster than the second ball passes its well, although at the end they will have the same speed. Hence the first ball
comes first! Answer A.
Problem 2 (two points). A plane is diving towards the ground and then climbs back upward. In both cases the lift
force L is perpendicular to the displacement s. The engines of the plane exert a trust T in the direction of the
displacement which has the same magnitude during the dive and the climb. Is more net work done during the dive
or climb?

A. Dive
B. Climb
C. Same

Solution. The work done during the dive is larger because the weight of the airplane does the positive work here,
and negative work during the climb. The lift force does no work in both cases while the trust does the same work.
Answer A.

Problem 3 (two points).

A car exits a freeway through a circular ramp of the radius 50 meters. If the coefficient of the static friction
between the car wheels and the road is 0.5, what should be the posted speed limit on the ramp, (that is the
maximum speed which will keep the car on the curve). Pick one from the following signs at hands:

A. 20 mph
B. 30 mph
C. 40 mph
D. 50 mph
E. 60 mph

(Don’t artificially lower the speed limit! 1 mile=1.609 km)

Solution.

While on the curve the car experiences a radial acceleration v2/R. The second Newton law along the radial
direction reads as Fs=mv2/R. The maximum static friction is µs *mg. Therefore mv2/R= µs *mg or v=(µs
gR)0.5=15.65 m/s=56.34 km/h=35.02 mph. So we need to post 30 mph (Answer B) because posting 40 mph will
already cause sliding while posting 20 mph is unnecessary lowering the speed limit.
Problem 4 (two points). A little stone which got stuck in a car’s tire spins around as the car moves. If mass of the
stone is m, radius of the tire is R, what is the work done by the gravitational force when the stone makes one
complete turn

A. W=2πR*mg
B. W=2R*mg
C. W=0
D. W=-2R*mg
E. W=-2πR*mg

Solution. Answer C. Since the gravitational force is conservative, its work on any closed path is equal to zero.

Problem 5. (three points)

A puck of mass m=1 kg slides in a circle of radius r=20.0 cm on a

frictionless table while attached to a hanging cylinder of mass M=4.5 kg by
a cord through a hole in the table. The cylinder is at rest.
1. Draw free body diagrams for the puck and the cylinder.

2. What is the tension in the rope that hangs the cylinder?

3. What speed of the puck is needed to keep the cylinder at rest?

Solution:

a. There are two forces acting on the cylinder: the gravity and the tension in the rope. Since the cylinder does not
move, both forces are equal by value and opposite by direction.

There are also gravity and normal force that act on the puck and since the puck does not move vertically, they
compensate each other. There is a horizontal tension in the rope that acts on the puck and causes its centripetal
acceleration directed towards the center of its circular path.

b. To keep the cylinder at rest T=Mg=4.5*9.8=44.1 N

c. When the puck slides in a circle, the only force acting on it in the horizontal direction is the tension in the rope.
Therefore T=ma=mv2/R. As a result, T=Mg=mv2/R, or v=sqrt(Mg*R/m)=sqrt(4.5*10*0.2/1)=3 m/s

Problem 6. When the three blocks are released from rest, they
accelerate with a magnitude of 1.6 m/s2.
Block 1 has mass M, block 2 has 2M, block 3 has 3M, where M=5 kg

a) Draw free body diagrams for blocks 1,2, and 3

b) What are the tensions in the ropes between block 1-2, and 2-3?

c) What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between block 2 and the table?

Solution:

a. For block 1, the free body diagram has the gravity pointing downward and the tension T12 pointing upward. The
block moves with acceleration upward.

For block 2, the free body diagram has the gravity pointing downward, the normal force poitning upward, the
tension T23 pointing right, the tension T12 pointing left and the frictional force pointing left. The block 2 moves to
the right.

For block 3, the free body diagram has the gravity pointing downward, and the tension T23 pointing upward. The
block 3 moves downward.

b. The second Newton law for each block is given by

3Mg-T23=3Ma,
T23-T12-Fk=2Ma,
T12-Mg=Ma,

We see that T12=Ma+Mg=(1.6+9.8)*5=57 N and T23=3Mg-3Ma=15*(9.8-1.6)=123 N

c. The kinetic frictional force is connected to the normal force of block 2 as follows

Fk=µ*2Mg=T23-T12-2Ma=123-57-10*1.6=50 N

µ=50/(2∗5∗9.8)=0.51

Problem 7 (three points) Two snowy peaks are 850 m and 750 m above the valley between them. A ski run
extends down from the top of the higher peak and then back up to the top of the lower one, with a total length of
3.2 km and an average slope of 30° (see the figure).
a) A skier starts from rest at the top of the higher peak. At what speed will he arrive at the top of the lower peak if
he coasts without using ski poles? Ignore friction.

b) Approximately what coefficient of kinetic friction between snow and skis would make him stop just at the top of
the lower peak?

c) Is total mechanical energy conserved in case a and b?

Solution

(c) The total mechanical energy is conserved in case a and is not conserved in case b due to friction.
Problem 8 (3 points) A 2 kg block is pushed against a spring with negligible mass and force constant k = 400 N/m
compressing it 0.22m. When the block is released, it moves along the frictionless, horizontal surface and then up a
frictionless incline with slope 30 degrees.

a) What is the speed of the block as it slides along the horizontal surface after having left the spring?
b) How far does the block travel up the incline before starting to slide back down?
c) What is the work done by the gravitational force on the block during the slide until it stops? Is it positive or
negative?

Solution.

a) The energy conservation is given by kx2/2=mv2/2. Therefore, v=x(k/m)1/2=0.22*14.14=3.11 m/s

b) The energy conservation is given by kx2/2=mgh. Therefore the height h=kx2/(2mg)=0.5 m and the distance
travelled along the incline l=h/sin30=1 m.

c) The work done by the gravity is only non zero at the portion of the path on the incline. W=-mg*sin30*l=-9.8 N