Solutions to Problem Set 3 (in Phys 241X)

John Hauptman
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA (Dated: 15 September 2010) The solutions to Phys 241X Problem Set 3 are shown here. Problems 2.14 and 2.18 are hard, but more involved and complicated than dicult.

I.

INTRODUCTION

and each has gravity down, so the two equations are [+T M g] = M aM and [+T mg] = mam .

The assigned problems will dene the content of the course, and these problems are always open for discussion with me or your recitation instructor. You are encouraged to talk and work with your fellow students on these problems. Probably one of the assigned problems will be graded in detail by your recitation instructor, while the remaining problems will just be noted. All problems will be taken from the text by Kleppner and Kolenkow. You will see other problems in recitation for group solution. Of course, be completely free to call or email me to talk about any of these problems, or other problems, at any time.

The string enforces a constraint that as M accelerates up, + m accelerates down, am = aM , then j, T M g = M aM and T mg = m(aM ),

and these can be solved to get T = 2( mM )g m + M) and aM = ( M m )g. M +m

II.

SOLUTIONS

Does this make sense? If the masses are equal, M = m, it should balance and aM = 0. OK. If m = 0, then M is in free-fall with a = g. OK. If M = 2m, then T = (2/3)M g and aM = g/3. OK. Prob 2.6 Simplify this problem to a drum of radius R and a mass M of cement at radius R. If the drum spins too fast, the cement will always stick to the wall of the drum, so what is the revolution frequency at which the mass M is just ready to release from the wall. There is one mass, one force (gravity), and one F=ma equation. You can solve for the motion of the mass M at all times (this is worked out in Example 2.6), then nd the point where the acceleration of the mass is zero. A little thinking suggests that the point where the mass will begin to fall is at the top of the drum, so lets write down F=ma at that point for vertical force and acceleration, noting that the acceleration moving on a circle is v 2 /R, [M g] = M ( v2 ) R

Prob 2.3 The horizontal force is F = F it pushes m1 i, to the right, the two masses are in contact, and m1 = 2 kg, m2 = 1, kg, and F = 3 N. Lets do it formally: two masses, so two F=ma equations. The contact force between the blocks acts like a compressed spring that is pushing back on the masses, so a contact force f acts i to the left on m1 , and the contact force +f acts to the i right on m2 . The contact forces are equal and opposite (3rd law). The two F=ma equations are [F f ] = m1 a1 and [+f ] = m2 a2 ,

the constraints are that a1 = a2 since the masses move together, both to the right. Call this common acceleration a. Then, solving for the contact force f , F m2 )= = 1N, f = F( m1 + m2 3 for the given input numbers. Does this make sense? Since the masses move together, we can consider one force, F, acting on one mass, (m1 + m2 ), and get a = F/(m1 + m2 ) = 3N/(1 + 2)kg = 1 m/s2 . The mass m2 must have the same acceleration, and its force is just f , so a2 = +f /m2 = 1N/1kg = 1 m/s2 . OK. Prob 2.5 This is Atwoods machine, with masses M and m on either side. The pulley is massless and frictionless, and the tension in the string is T . There are two masses, and one coordinate axis, so we will have two F=ma equations. There is no horizontal motion, and the vertical axis is + Each mass has the force of tension +T j j,

the M s cancel (doesnt matter what the mass is), so the condition on v is that g = v 2 /R. Converting to angular frequency ( in radians/sec), v = R, the frequency above which the cement sticks to the wall, even at the top, and g = (R)2 /R = 2 R. So the condition is < g/R. Units OK?

Substituting values (in English units!) suggested in the problem, g = 32 ft/s2 , and R = 2 ft, then (32ft/s )/(2ft) = 4 radians/sec, or (2 radians = one circle = one rotation), this is 0.636 rotations per second, or 38 rotations per minute.
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2 Prob 2.10 A satellite in geosynchronous (earth-sametime) orbit has a revolution frequency of one orbit per day. There is one force, one mass, and the acceleration is a = v 2 /r, where v is the orbital velocity and r is the orbital radius. M is the mass of Earth ( 6.0 1024 kg) and Earths radius is R = 6.4 106 m. The F=ma equations is v2 Mm G 2 = m( ). r r with the period constrained to be T = 2r/v = 1day ( 107 sec/year) / (365 days/year) 8.6 104 s. You can now directly calculate r as r = [GM (T /2)2 ]1/3 The problem suggests that the simplest way is to nd the answer in units of Earths radius, that is, use a scaled radius (call it , which will have no units) of = r/R. The F=ma equation and the period T are v2 GM = 2 R 2 R and T = 2R = 8.6 104 s. v and [TC + MC g] = MC aC , with the understanding from our convenient coordinate system that aC is positive for acceleration downwards. Overview: there are ve unknowns (aA , aB , aC , TAB and TC ), and ve equations (three F=ma and two constraints). This problem ought to be solvable. First, I eliminated TAB and TC , and after some algebra, got aA = 2MC g , MC + MC (MA /MB ) + 4MA Secondly, when MC moves down by 1 cm, that is, x = +1 cm, both masses MA , MB move by +1 cm, xA = +1 cm and xB = +1 cm (in the case of MA = MB , for example). We can write this as xC = (xA + xB )/2 = 1 cm, and the same has to be true of the derivative, xC = (xA + xB )/2 and the accelerations, x = (xA + x )/2 C B or aC = (aA + aB )/2.

This is another constraint that comes from the fact that these masses are connect by a contact force, the string. (I guessed at this by going to a special case.) The F=ma equations are +TAB = MA aA , +TAB = MB aB ,

After some manipulations, including isolating the term GM/R2 = g 10 m/s2 , I get g/R = ( so = [(g/R)(T /2)2 ]1/3 6.63 Earth radii. This scaling by R was not so clean, but at least it simplied the numerical computation. Prob 2.14 Using the gure in the text, label the accelerations of MA as aA , of MB as aB , and of MC as aC . There are two strings and therefore two tensions, label the tension between masses MA and MB with TAB and between the upper pulley and MC as TC . There are three masses and therefore three F=ma equations. In addition, there are two constraints arising from the two strings connecting the masses. I would like to dene an unconventional, but very convenient, coordinate system: the + axis points to the i right for MA and MB , turns the corner (following the string with tension TC ), and points down at MC . This problem is simple enough so we can get away without dening a separate axis, then specifying how yj movement relates to x-movement. That would be another constraint equation. First, the tension TAB around the upper pulley is the same on both sides of the pulley, and the only force on MA is +TAB the only force on MB is +TAB . At the pulley, both lines pull with tension TAB to the left, and this total tension of 2TAB is balanced by tension TC , so TC = 2TAB . 2 2 3 ) , T

aB = ( and aC = 2(

2MC g MA )[ ], MB MC + MC (MA /MB ) + 4MA

MA 2MC g )[ ] g. MC MC + MC (MA /MB ) + 4MA

This is a complicated answer, so lets check it in some simple cases. First we should check units (for algebraic mistakes). Check: when MA = 0, MC should drop in free fall, and MB should not move (like it is innite mass compared to MA ). Plugging in, we get aC = g, aB = 0, and aA = 2g (which is right). Check: when MA = MB = MC , this is like a mass of 3M and force of F = M g, so we expect a common acceleration of all masses to be a = M g/3M or a = g/3. OK. This was not a simple problem. Prob 2.18 With reference to the gure in the text, the painter exerts a force F in both lines, and both lines have tension F = T everywhere (because all the pulleys are frictionless and massless). Like a stretched string,

3 tension T pulls in from both ends. So, 2T pulls up on the painter, and 2T pulls up on the plank. There is a contact force between the painter and the plank, which we label as +f on the painter and f on the plank. The plank is being compressed, and springs back, making +f on the painter. The painter and plank move together with common acceleration a. We have two masses, M painter and m plank. Now we just have to write down the two F=ma equations, (painter) and (plank) Solving for a, I get a= 4T g. (M + m) [+2T f mg] = ma. [M g + f + 2T ] = M a Note that because of the pulleys, the tension is pulling both the painter and the plank up with total force 4T , and the painter and the plank (M + m) are a common mass, so the acceleration due to the force F is a = 4T /(M + m). In additon, there is gravity, g. The statement of the problem is a little unrealistic, since the painter provides a tension equal to his own weight, F = M g, on two lines, so the painter is lifting twice his own weight. Of course, this accelerates the whole thing. Check: If M = m and F = M g, then a = 4M g/(2M ) g = 2g g = g. Check: If the painter pulled with F = M g/2 and M = m, then we have a = 0, and nothing moves, he just supports himself and the plank against gravity.