DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, MADRAS

PH1010 Physics I TUTORIAL 1 Nov 2022

1. The laws of reflection and refraction can be written using vectors.

Consider a ray of light that is partially reflected and partially refracted
at a planar surface with unit normal vector n̂, separating vacuum from a
medium of refractive index µ. Let â, b̂ and ĉ be the unit vectors along the
incident, reflected and refracted rays, respectively. Show that

b̂ = â − 2 (n̂ · â) n̂ . (1)

Write a similar expression as the one above for ĉ in terms of â and n̂

assuming that the ray is incident from the vacuum.

2. A conservative force?: A particle of unit mass moves in the xy-plane

under the action of a force given by F⃗ (x, y) = −K (x î − y ĵ) , where K is
a positive constant, and î and ĵ are the unit vectors along the coordinate
axes.
(a) Calculate the work done in moving
the particle from A to B along the y
paths C1 , C2 and C3 respectively, in
the figure alongside.
(b) Show that F⃗ is conservative, i.e. (0,1) B
F⃗ can be expressed in the form C1
F⃗ (x, y) = −∇⃗ ϕ (x, y) . Find ϕ (x, y)
and sketch the equipotentials. Is ϕ C2
unique? A x
(c) Sketch the lines of force of F⃗ and show O (1,0)
that they are tangents along curves
xy = c0 , with c0 arbitrary constants.
(Draw the lines of force on the same C3
figure in which you have drawn the
equipotentials.)

3. A rolling ball: We consider a ball rolling on the following frictionless

surfaces:

(a) Rolling on a wine glass placed on a planar table and under the influence
of gravity

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 (b) The surface (x + 2y)(x + 2z) = c0 , with c0 a constant, and in absence
of gravity
(c) The surface xyz = c0 , with c0 a constant, and in absence of gravity

The ball is constrained to move on these surfaces by a suitable confining

force.
Are there conserved quantities which are linear in the momentum and/or
linear in the coordinates? (Examples of such conserved quantities are the
component of the momentum along a fixed direction and the angular mo-
mentum along a fixed direction.) Does the conservation of these quantities
follow from symmetries? If so, then explicitly write the corresponding sym-
metry transformation in each case.

4. What are conserved? Consider motion of a charged particle with charge

q and mass m under a potential and magnetic field which are given by
K 2 ⃗ = B0 n̂,
V (⃗x) = (x + y 2 + z 2 ), B (2)
2
respectively, with n̂ being a fixed unit vector, and K and B0 constants.
Find all independently conserved quantities which could be a scalar (like
the energy) or a vector (like the momentum).

5. Systems of particles:

(a) Consider three particles with masses m1 , m2 and m3 , respectively,

mutually interacting with the potential

V (⃗r1 , ⃗r2 , ⃗r3 ) = A⃗r0 · (⃗r1 × ⃗r3 − ⃗r1 × ⃗r2 − ⃗r2 × ⃗r3 ) . (3)
where A has suitable dimensions and ⃗r0 is the position of a distin-
guished point in space, while ⃗r1 , ⃗r2 and ⃗r3 denote the positions of the
three particles, respectively. Show that the total momentum of the
three particles is conserved. Does this follow from a symmetry?
(b) Consider also two particles with masses m1 and m2 , respectively, mu-
tually interacting with the following potential:
A B
V (⃗r1 , ⃗r2 ) = 2
+ , (4)
(x1 − x2 ) y1 z2 − y2 z1

where ⃗r1 = x1 î + y1 ĵ + z1 k̂, ⃗r2 = x2 î + y2 ĵ + z2 k̂, with î, ĵ and k̂

being the unit vectors along x , y and z axes, respectively. Which
components of the total momentum and total angular momenta are
conserved? Do these also follow from symmetries?

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6. Electrons with anomalous velocity: Electrons in certain materials ac-
quire an anomalous velocity. The motion of these electrons follow the equa-
tions:

⃗r˙ = ∇p⃗ ϵ(⃗p, ⃗r) − g p⃗˙ × Ω,

⃗
p⃗˙ = −∇⃗r ϵ(⃗p, ⃗r) + e ⃗r˙ × B,
⃗ (5)

where ϵ(⃗p, ⃗r) can be

p2
ϵ(⃗p, ⃗r) =+ V (⃗r), (6)
2m
with p = |⃗p|, but can also assume different forms (with m being a function
of ⃗r instead of a constant as for instance). Also

∂ ∂ ∂
∇p⃗ = î + ĵ + k̂,
∂px ∂py ∂pz
∂ ∂ ∂
∇⃗r = î + ĵ + k̂, (7)
∂x ∂y ∂z

with î, ĵ and k̂ being the unit vectors along the three coordinate axes. Note
that when Ω ⃗ = 0, the motion of the electron reduces to that obtained under
the influence of a magnetic field and a potential. The magnetic field B ⃗ is a
function of ⃗r, and Ω,⃗ which is called the Berry curvature is a function of p⃗.
Show that even in the presence of an arbitrary Ω(⃗ ⃗ p), the energy ϵ(⃗r, p⃗) is
conserved. Your proof should not assume any specific form of ϵ(⃗r, p⃗), i.e.
you should not assume (6).

7. Fun with a force field: A particle with unit mass is moving on the
following trajectory on the yz-plane:

t2 + t20 2tt0
y(t) = R , z(t) = R , (8)
t2 − t20 t2− t20

where the parameter t corresponds to the time and t0 is a fixed moment of

time. Also t > t0 , and R is a constant.
Does the trajectory correspond to moving on a simple path? What kind of
path it is?
Show that the above trajectory can result from the following force field
2
√ !
R y 3 6(R + R R 2 + z2)
F⃗ = −1 4+ ĵ
2t20 R z2
√
R z6 y + R (2y − R)
+ 2 √
3 k̂ (9)
t0 R2 + R R2 + z 2 (y − R)3/2

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Calculations are not very lengthy if done smartly.
Is this force field conservative?
Compute the work done by the force between t = 2t0 and t = 4t0 . (Again
computations not very lengthy if done smartly.) Verify the work-energy
theorem.