UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Advanced Mechanics I (Phys. 709) — Dr. Gavin S. Davies — Fall 2022

Homework Assignment 2

Due: Monday, September 12, 2022, by 10AM (start of class)

Here, FW = Fetter and Walecka, and GS = Goldstein. Reading GS §Ch. 1, §Ch. 2 will be helpful for
some of the problems. FW §Ch. 1-3 may be useful too. As with research, feel free to collaborate and get help
from each other! But the solutions you hand in must be your own work.

1. Particle on a Sphere, taken from Problem 7, p.42 of Poisson

A particle of mass m rests on top of a sphere of radius R. The particle is then displaced slightly so
that is starts to move down the sphere. (It is assumed that the particle slides down without rolling
and without friction). As it moves down the sphere, the particle makes and angle θ with the vertical
direction. At some point the particle loses contact with the surface of the sphere, and it proceeds to fall
freely. We are interested in the motion of the particle from the initial moment where it is at rest to the
final moment where it leaves the sphere.

(a) Derive an equation of motion for θ(t), and find an expression for N , the magnitude of the normal
force.
(b) At which angle θ does the particle leave the surface of the sphere?
(c) What is the speed of the particle when it leaves the surface of the sphere?

[Hint: You may find it useful to resolve the force and acceleration vectors into a basis that consists of r̂,
a unit vector that points in the direction normal to the sphere, and θ̂, a unit vector that points in the
direction of increasing θ.]

2. FW 1.2
A uniform spool of mass M and diameter d rests on end on a frictionless table. A massless string
wrapped around the spool is attached to a weight m which hangs over the edge of the table. If the
spool is released from rest when its center of mass is a distance l from the edge of the table, what is the
velocity of the weight m when the center of mass of the spool reaches the edge of the table?
3. GS 19
Obtain the Langrange equations of motion for a spherical pendulum, i.e. a mass point suspended by a
rigid weightless rod.