PHY 111 Semester: Spring, 2023

Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

PHY111 - Principles of Physics I
Assignment 1
Total marks: 25

Instructions:

1. Please write your name, ID and section on your script.

2. This assignment comprises of 3 questions. The points of each question is mentioned in the
particular question.

3. Please read the questions very carefully.

Question 1

The figure shows a 2D coordinate system S (red) and another coordinate system S ′ (blue). S ′ is
rotated by an angle of α, as shown in the figure. A point P has a coordinate (x, y) in S and (x′ , y ′ )
in S ′ . where î & ĵ are unit vector along x and y axes and î & ĵ are unit vector along x′ and y ′ axes

respectively.

(a) Show that, 2

′
î = cos αî + sin αĵ
′
ĵ = − sin αî + cos αĵ

(b) Prove that,

iˆ′ · jˆ′ = δij , using the results from (a), where δij is the Kronecker Delta function. 3

(c) Show that, 5

x′ = x cosα + y sinα
y ′ = - x sinα + y cosα.
Question 2

As a ship is approaching the dock at 45 cm/s, an important piece of landing equipment needs to be
thrown to it before it can dock. This equipment is thrown at 15 ms−1 at 60o above the horizontal
from the top of a tower at the edge of the water, 8.75 m above the ship’s deck (as shown in the
figure). Air resistance can be neglected.

(a) Calculate the maximum height of the piece from the ground. 2

(b) Find the time it will take for the piece to land on the ship’s deck. 3
direction.

(c) For this equipment to land at the front of the ship, at what distance D from the dock should
the ship be when the equipment is thrown? 4

Question 3

A particle was at rest at some position −4m î + 3m ĵ in some particular 2D coordinate system,
where î and ĵ are the unit vectors along the coordinate axes x and y. The particle is under some
time dependent acceleration given by a(t)⃗ = 3t2 î - 4e−0.1t ĵ ms−2 .

(a) Find an expression for the velocity of the particle as a function of time t. 3

(b) Find the average velocity between t = 2 seconds and t = 6 seconds. 3