1

HIGHBROW
Friday, August 18, 2023

Class Assignment (Motion in a circle)

1. The diagram shows a section of a certain track in a vertical plane.

The curved section, CDE, forms a circular arc of radius of curvature 0.75m and the point D is 0.25m
higher than B. A ball-bearing of mass 0.060 kg is released from A, which is 0.50m higher than B. Assume
that rotational and frictional effects can be ignored and that the ball-bearing remains in contact with the
track throughout the motion.

(a) Calculate the speed of the ball-bearing:

(i) at B (ii) at D.
(b) Draw a diagram showing the forces acting on the ball-bearing when it is at D and calculate the
reaction between the track and the ball-bearing at this point.

2. Use Newton’s laws of motion to explain why a body moving

with uniform speed in a circle must experience a force
towards the center of the circle
An aircraft of mass 1.0×104 kg is traveling at a constant speed
of 0.2 kms-1 in a horizontal circle of radius 1.5 km.

(a) What is the angular velocity of the air-craft?

(b) Show on the sketch the forces acting on the aircraft
in the vertical plane containing the aircraft and the
centre of the circle. Find the magnitude and direction of their resultant.
(c) Explain why a force is exerted on a passenger by the aircraft. In what direction does this force
act?

3. A simple pendulum, suspended from a fixed point, consists of a light cord of length 500 mm and a bob of
weight 2.0 N. The bob is made to move in a horizontal circular path.
If the maximum tension which the cord can withstand is 5.0 N show
whether or not it is possible for the radius of the path of the bob to
be 300 mm.
4. (a) Explain
(i) what is meant by a radian,
(ii) why one complete revolution is equivalent to an
angular displacement of 2π rad.
 2

(b) An elastic cord has an un-extended length of 13.0 cm. One end of the cord is attached to a fixed
point C. A small mass of weight 5.0 N is hung from the free end of the cord. The cord extends to a
length of 14.8 cm, as shown in Fig. 1.1.
The cord and mass are now made to rotate at constant angular speed ω in a vertical plane about
point C. When the cord is vertical and above C, its length is the un-extended length of 13.0 cm, as
shown in Fig. 1.2.

(i) Show that the angular speed ω of the cord and mass is 8.7 rad s–1.
(ii) The cord and mass rotate so that the cord is vertically below C, as shown in Fig. 1.3.
Calculate the length L of the cord, assuming it obeys Hooke’s law.

5 A large bowl is made from part of a hollow sphere. A small spherical

ball is placed inside the bowl and is given a horizontal speed. The ball
follows a horizontal circular path of constant radius, as shown in Fig.
2.1.
The forces acting on the ball are its weight W and the
normal reaction force R of the bowl on the ball, as shown in
Fig. 2.2.

The normal reaction force R is at an angle θ to the horizontal.

(a) (i) By resolving the reaction force R into two perpendicular

components, show that the resultant force F acting on the ball
is given by the expression W = F tan 
(ii) State the significance of the force F for the motion of the ball
in the bowl.
(b) The ball moves in a circular path of radius 14 cm. For this radius,
the angle θ is 28°.
Calculate the speed of the ball.
 3

6. On a fairground big dipper, a train free-wheels down a steep incline into a dip before rising out of the
dip. The track at the dip has a radius of curvature of 20m. Assuming the train is almost stationary at the
top of the incline before descending, and given that the train drops 20m, calculate

(a) the maximum speed the train could have at the dip,
(b) the centripetal accelaration of the train as passes through the dip,
(c) the apparent value of gravitational accelaration at the dip.

7. A horizontal flat plate is free to rotate about a vertical axis

through its centre, as shown in Fig. 1.2.
A small mass M is placed on the plate, a distance d from the axis
of rotation. The speed of rotation of the plate is gradually
increased from zero until the mass is seen to slide off the plate.

The maximum frictional force F between the plate and the mass
is given by the expression F = 0.72W, where W is the weight of
the mass M. The distance d is 35 cm.

(a) Determine the maximum number of revolutions of the plate per minute for the mass M to remain on
the plate. Explain your working.
The plate in (b) is covered, when stationary, with mud.

(b) Suggest and explain whether mud near the edge of the plate or near the centre will first leave the plate
as the angular speed of the plate is slowly increased.

Answers
1. 3.13 ms-1 , 2.21 ms-1 , 0.196N
2. 0.13 rads-1 , 2.6×105 N
3. Max radius= 460mm and Max Tension (with 300mm radius) = 2.5N
4. 8.7 rad s-1 , 17.2 cm
5. 1.6 ms-1
6. 20 ms-1 , 20 ms-1 , 3g
7. 43 revolutions per min