Name: ____________________________________________

Emory University
Department of Physics
Physics 141
Fall 2015

Dr. T. Bing
Mon. Dec. 14, 3:00pm (10:00 lecture)
Tues. Dec. 15, 11:30am (9:00 lecture)
Practice Final Exam

INSTRUCTIONS
Do not open this exam booklet until the proctor tells you to begin.
1. When told to begin, write your full name on every page. This is
important in case the pages become separated during grading.
2. Do your work for each problem on the page of that problem. If
you put some of your work on the back of the page, be sure to
check the box at the bottom of the pages front so I know to look
on the back.
3. On all the problems (except where explicitly noted otherwise)
your answers will be evaluated in part on how you got them.
LITTLE OR NO CREDIT MAY BE EARNED FOR ANSWERS
THAT DO NOT SHOW HOW YOU GOT THEM. Partial credit
will be given for correct steps shown (on the show-your-work
problems), even if the final answer is wrong. Incorrect steps that
coincidentally lead to the right answer will lose points.
4. Write clearly and logically so I can understand what you are
doing and give you as much partial credit as you deserve. I
obviously cant give you credit for what you are thinkingonly
for what you show on your paper.
5. Write your final answers in the labeled spaces provided, and
include the units.
6. This exam lasts 150 minutes (2.5 hours) and is closed
notes/book/etc. You may use a calculator.
7. The Emory Honor Code applies to your work on this
examination.
1.

2.

out of 10

3.

out of 10

4.

out of 10

5.

out of 10

Total:

out of 20

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page

out of 60

Name: ____________________________________________
Equation List
Not all these equations may be necessary, and you may need to remember and apply other
equations/math relations in addition to the ones here. Not all of these equations are always
true/applicable. You need to understand them well enough to know when they do/do not
apply.

y
t

v
t
v vf
v i
2
a

W F// x

KEt

1 2
mv
2

W net KE PE
PEgravity mgh

f k k N

f Av

W PV

, x t A cos t

v f , T , = ( )

s
circumference 2 R
R,

Q mcT

P Po gh Po 1.01x105 Pa W Q U
,

2 x a , T

Imp Ft p

rad

m
, water 1000 kg3
V
m

1
1
P1 gy1 v12 P2 gy2 v2 2
2
2

p mv

f s s N

F
A

1 2
kx
2

PEspring

Fspring kx

1
y f yi vi t at 2
2

v 2f vi2 2ay

F
a
m

i f
2

vt R

sound
vair
331

m
T
s 273K

v2

at R ac t
R
t
2
Gm1m2
11 Nm
G

6.67x10
Fg
kg 2
r2

energy
P
I
,
time
A

F r

, I point mass mR 2
I
1
KEr I 2 , L I
2

SAsphere 4 R 2

Io

10 log

I o 1.0 x1012

v vo
fo f s

v vs
fbeat f1 f 2

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page

W
Qh

Qh W Qc

eCarnot 1

W = mg
g = 9.8 m/s2

PV nRT

W
m2

Tc
Th

Name: ____________________________________________
1. [10 points] Show Your Work Problem: A small cube of plastic (its edge length is
3.4cm and its density is 625 kg/m3) is released from rest at the bottom of a 2.5m deep
swimming pool. Assume the water exerts a constant resistive drag force of .050N.
How long does it take the cube to reach the surface of the water?

Time taken to reach surface of water: ______________________

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page

Name: ____________________________________________
2. [10 points] Show Your Work Problem: Jane starts out on top of a cliff, hanging
on to a 5.0m vine that makes a 40 degree angle with the vertical. She steps off the
edge, swings down, picks up Tarzan, and they swing off together. If Jane and
Tarzan each have a mass of 50kg, find out how high they can swing up to together.

Max height reached: ____________________________

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page

Name: ____________________________________________
3. [10 points] Graphical: Suppose you stand on the edge of a cliff and throw a
baseball off of it. You initially throw the ball at 60 degrees up from the horizontal.
Ignore air resistance. No work needs to be shown for this problem.
Your job here is to draw graphs
for the x and y accelerations,
velocities, and positions. Your
graphs should go from the moment
of release to right before impact
with the ground. Use up and
rightward as positive and put
your origin up on top of the cliff, at
the point of release.

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page

Name: ____________________________________________
4. [10 points] Essay: A gas is contained in an airtight piston. The system moves
from point A to point B on the PV diagram below. Your job in this essay is to
explain how to apply the first law of thermodynamics, W Q U , to this process.
State whether each of the three terms is positive, negative, or zero and explain your
reasoning.

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page

Name: ____________________________________________
5. [20 points2 each] Conceptual Reasoning or Quick Calculation: These are
graded solely on your answerno work needs to be shown (but feel free to do
scratch work, of course).
i. For a simple pendulum (just a mass on a string), at what point in the cycle is the
tension in the string the greatest?
A. When the mass is at the bottom of the swing.
B. When the mass is at the maximum height of the swing.
C. Neither A nor B.
Answer:___________
ii. Two people stand on different cliffs. The one on the top cliff drops rock 1. The
one on the bottom cliff drops rock 2 at the exact time rock 1 passes him. Which
rock hits the ground first?
A. Rock 1 hits first.
B. Rock 2 hits first.
C. They hit at same time.

Answer:___________

iii. Two identical books are sitting on the floor. Suppose you reach down, pick up
book 1, and put it on a shelf. It takes half a second to do this. Then you reach
down, pick up book 2, and put it next to the first on the same shelfonly this time
you take a full second to do it. Which of the following are equal for the two
processes?
A. The power you exert.
B. The work you do.
C. Neither the power you exert nor the work you do.
D. Both the power you exert and the work you do.
Answer:___________

iv. Suppose two objects collide. If we say that the collision forces between those two
objects are large, does that necessarily imply that Momentum Conservation will not
apply to this collision?
A. Yes
B. No
Answer:__________

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page

Name: ____________________________________________
v. Suppose I have 1.5 moles of a gas in a piston. True or False: If you are shown
the systems location on a PV diagram, you are assured that the gass temperature is
uniquely specified.
A. True
B. False
Answer:__________

vi. For a simple harmonic oscillator, when is its velocity changing at the fastest
rate?
A. When its velocity is a maximum
B. When its farthest from its equilibrium position
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B
Answer:__________

vii. When a certain harp string operates in the standing wave mode shown below, it
produces a 480Hz note. What is this strings fundamental frequency?

Answer:_____________________
viii. How fast must a fire engine approach an observer standing by the side of the
road if the observer is to hear the siren at a 10% higher pitch? Take the speed of
sound in air to be 345m/s.

Answer:______________________

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page

Name: ____________________________________________

ix. You put 100 grams of material A in contact with 100 grams of material B.
Material A starts out at 400K, while Material B starts out at 200K. If material Bs
specific heat is twice as large as Material As, figure out what equilibrium
temperature they eventually come to (ignoring losses to the air, table, etc.)

Answer:____________________________

x. A certain lake is 15 meters deep. By how much would the gauge pressure at the
bottom change if atmospheric pressure suddenly went up by 15%?

Answer:____________________________

Check this box if youve put anything on the back of page