Final Examination

Term: Fall Year: 2011

Student Name:
Student Identification Number:
Division Number:
Instructor:

Course: ECE105
Course Title: Physics for Electrical Engineering
Date of Exam: Thurs, Dec 8, 2011
Exam Period Start time: 12:30pm End time: 3:00pm
Duration of Exam: 2.5h
Number of Exam Pages: 13 (includes cover page and equation sheet)
Exam Type:

Closed
Book

Special
Materials

Open
Book

Materials allowed are listed below:

Programmable calculator

Select this box if second side of paper is to be used for rough work calculations.

Instructions:
1. Mark your computer card in dark lead PENCIL only. Mark your ID number in the space provided.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you fill in the correct ovals for your ID number.
2. Questions in Part A are worth 1.5 marks each; questions in Part B are worth 4 marks each. These
are multiple choice questions: mark your answers on the computer card provided. There
is no penalty for selecting an incorrect answer. Ignore any round-off errors and pick the closest
answer.
3. Questions in Part C are worth 12 marks each. Answer only 5 of the 6 questions. If you
answer more than five, only the first five will be marked. Write full solutions directly in the
exam booklet, and put your final answer in the boxes provided. Use the back of the opposite page if
necessary; indicate clearly if you have done so. These will be hand-marked, with partial credit given
for correct procedure.
4. Check that this booklet has 21 questions and 13 pages including the equation sheet, which you may
tear off.
5. COMPUTER SHEETS WILL BE COLLECTED AFTER 2 HOURS

Marking scheme: For office use only - do not fill in.

C16
C17
C18
C19

C20

C21

Total

ECE105 Final Exam

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Concept Questions: Answer all 8 questions on the computer

card provided.

1. (1.5 marks) A force F > 0 is applied to block B, as shown, so that it is just on the verge of sliding
on block A. In what direction is block C accelerating, relative to the ground? There is no friction
between A and the ground, but there is friction between blocks A, B and C.

a) Down
b) Left
c) Up and Left
d) Down and Left
e) None of the above, impossible
to tell, or it is not accelerating.

2. (1.5 marks)A bead slides on a hemispherical bowl (radius R) as shown in the figure. The bead
starts from rest at a position that is R/5 below the top of the bowl. In terms of the angle measured
relative to horizontal, where will the normal force on the bead be equal to its weight?

a) = 45 degrees.
b) sin = 4/5
c) sin = 1/5
d) Some angle > 0 that is none
of the above.
e) Never
3. (1.5 marks) Which object has the most kinetic energy?

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4. (1.5 marks) Which uniform rod has the maximum angular acceleration? Ignore gravity. All rods
have the same length. The mass of the object is circled next to each diagram, and the pivot point is
marked with a P .

5. (1.5 marks) A cannonball is fired with speed v , at an angle relative to horizontal. Air resistance
is negligible. At a point after firing, but before it has reached its maximum height, which statement
is true?
a) The cannonball is in circular motion with radial acceleration ar = g.
b) The only acceleration is a = g, directed downard.
c) The acceleration is directed up and to the right.
d) There is no acceleration
e) None of the above are true.

6. (1.5 marks) The diagram below shows a wave traveling to the left. In what direction is the velocity
of a bug sitting on the rope at point P?
a) b) &
c)
d)
e)

7. (1.5 marks) Two speakers are facing the same direction, and separated by a distance x. Each
speaker emits a tone of frequency f and amplitude A. However, they are not necessarily emitted
with the same initial phase. Which of the following is true?
a) There is some value of x for which no sound will be audible for anyone standing directly in
front of the two speakers.
b) For any value of x there is always at least one position, in front of both speakers, where no
sound is audible.
c) There can never be any positions where no sound is audible, no matter what x is.
d) There may be one or more positions where no sound is audible, but only if the initial phase
difference between the two waves is zero.
e) None of the above are true.

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8. (1.5 marks) Which of the following is a correct statement about two gasses separated by a thin
membrane?
a) Heat will flow from the gas with the most energy, to the gas with less energy.
b) Heat will flow to the gas with more degrees of freedom.
c) Heat will flow to the gas with fewer particles.
d) Heat will flow to the gas with a lower average translational kinetic energy per particle.
e) No heat will flow between the gases.

B Short Calculation Questions: Answer all 7 questions on

the computer card provided.
9. (4 marks) A 2kg mass A rests on top of a 5 kg mass B, and the coefficient of static friction between
the two masses is s = 0.3. A and B are moving at a speed v= 12 m/s on a horizontal frictionless
surface when the bottom mass strikes a spring of spring constant k. The other end of the spring is
attached to a 3 kg mass C sitting at rest, and free to move. Find the speed of block C when the
spring is at maximum compression; at this point, block A is just about to slide off block B.
a) 12 m/s
b) 0.0 m/s
c) 6.0 m/s
d) 8.4 m/s
e) None of the above, or impossible to tell.

10. (4 marks) A spring of unknown spring constant k is attached to a massless string as shown. The
other end of the string runs over a heavy pulley which is a disk of mass m and radius R, and dangles
vertically from the pulley. Another mass m is attached to the dangling string. When released from
rest (when the string is unstretched), the amplitude of the ensuing oscillations is 20 cm. Find the
period of small oscillations, if m = 2kg and R =10cm.

a) 1.1 s
b) 0.7 s
c) 0.6 s
d) 0.9 s
e) None of the above, or
impossible to tell

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11. (4 marks) Two loudspeakers are driven at the same frequency, and placed 1.1 m apart. An observer
stands 3 m left of one of the speakers which, in turn, is left of the second speaker. The frequency of
sound used is 680 Hz and the speed of sound is 340 m/s. The closer speaker is now turned on 0.6
ms after the far speaker. What must the phase difference between them be so that the interference
for any observer along the line connecting the two speakers is destructive? Assume the amplitude of
the two sound waves received is the same at the location of the observer.
a) 2.2 rad
b) 4.4 rad
c) 3.0 rad
d) 5.6 rad
e) None of the above

12. (4 marks) Two skaters, of mass mA = 60kg and mB = 90 kg, are skating toward each other at the
same speed v = 4 m/s. They collide, and during the 20ms collision skater A exerts an average force
of 3000N on skater B. What is the speed of skater A following the collision?
a) 3.0m/s
b) 5.0m/s
c) 3.33m/s
d) 4.67m/s
e) None of the above

13. (4 marks) A light (massless) bug is stuck to the end of a uniform rod (mass m and length L) that
pivots about one end. The rod is initially held at rest, in a horizontal position a distance L above
the floor. At the instant the rod is released, a kitten (mass 3kg) is released from rest at the same
height. At the instant they reach the ground, the velocity of the bug vb compares to the velocity of
the kitten vk as vb /vk =

a) 1.0
b) 6

c) 3
p
d) 3/2
e) Impossible to tell.

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14. (4 marks) In the diagram shown, block A has a mass mA = 1.5kg, and block B has a mass
mB = 0.5kg. The pulley has a mass m = 2kg and a radius r = 25cm. All surfaces are frictionless.
What is the tension in the string holding up block B?
a) 2.0N
b) 6.1N
c) 4.9N
d) 5.3 N
e) None of the above

15. (4 marks) Two monatomic gases are separated by a thin partition. Each gas has the same total
mass, but atoms in gas B are 4 times more massive than atoms in gas A. Initially gas A has
temperature T = 280K and gas B has TB = 50K. Find the equilibrium temperature.
a) 165 K
b) 96 K
c) 234 K
d) 146 K
e) None of the above

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Problems: Answer only 5 of the 6 questions!!

16. (12 marks) The object shown in the figure is made from
two cylinders, each of mass M = 0.33kg, length L =
80cm, and radius R = 10cm. They are connected by a
thin rod, which has the same mass and length as the two
cylinders. At each end of one of the cylinders is a solid
sphere, with mass m = 0.5kg and radius r = 20cm.
(a) (3 marks) Find the moment of inertia of the system about the axis that runs through the
centre of the cylinder with the two spheres attached.

I=

kg m2

(b) (2 marks) Find the centre of mass of the system, relative to an origin that is located on the
axis of rotation, in the centre of the lower cylinder.

xcm =

ycm =

(c) (3 marks) The object is held in such a way that the bar with the two spheres is at the bottom
and the other cylinder is at the top, with the object free to rotate about the axis through the
centre of the bottom cylinder. It is released from rest. Find the tangential acceleration of a
point at the centre of the thin rod, after the object has rotated by 30 degrees.

at =

m/s2

(d) (4 marks) Find the radial acceleration of a point at the centre of the thin rod, after the object
has rotated by 30 degrees.

ar =

m/s2

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17. (12 marks) A thin, uniform rod is pivoted at one end. The other end is hooked up to a vertical
spring hanging from the ceiling and let go when the bar is horizontal, and the spring is unstretched.
The bar has a mass M and length L = 1/3m. The tip of the bar is then seen to fall a total vertical
distance of 0.02 m, before bouncing back..
a) (2 marks)What is the ratio of spring constant to the mass of the bar?

k/M =

s2

b) (4 marks) Find the period of small oscillations.

T =

c) (2 marks) What is the new moment of inertia of the whole system, I, relative to the moment
of inertia of the rod alone (I ), relative to the same pivot?

I/I =
d) (1 mark) A sphere of radius L/5 and mass 2M is now attached to the centre of the bar such
that the centres of the two objects coincide. What is the new period?

T =

e) (3 marks) If the sphere was added when the tip of the bar was 0.02L above equilibrium, without
changing the speed of the bar, find the new amplitude of oscillation at the tip of the rod.

A=

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18. (12 marks) A car is traveling around a corner that is banked at = 35 degrees. The corner has a
radius of curvature of R = 50m.
a) (3 marks) Ignoring any friction between the wheels and the road, find the maximum speed the
car can have without slipping.

v=

m/s

b) (4 marks) Now consider a surface with friction, such that the coefficient of static friction is
s = 0.6. Find both the minimum and the maximum possible speed of the car.

vmin =

m/s

vmax =

m/s

c) (3 marks) A cat is sleeping on the roof of the car. As the car achieves its maximum possible
speed (from part b, above), the cat is just about to start sliding on the roof. Find the coefficient
of friction between the cat and the roof.

s =
d) (2 marks) Professor Balogh uses all the money he makes teaching ECE105 to purchase a
sports car that is aerodynamically shaped so that, when he is driving quickly, the airflow over
the car presses the car down, perpendicular to the surface (this is known as downforce). The
additional downforce is 20 per cent of the normal force on the car. What is the new maximum
speed (including friction with s = 0.6, and neglecting the cat)?

vmax =

m/s

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19. (12 marks) A block of mass m1 = 2kg

is at the top of a frictionless ramp, held
against a spring (k1 = 300N/m) that is
compressed by 30cm. The ramp is curved,
with a radius of curvature R = 1m. The
spring is released, pushing on the block;
the block is not attached to the spring, so
eventually it moves clear. It slides down
the frictionless ramp and then along a
rough section (total length L = 4m) which
has k = 0.3.
a) (3 marks) Find the normal force acting on the block, when it is halfway down the hill.

N=

v=

m/s

b) (2 mark) Find the speed of the block at bottom of the ramp

c) (3 marks) After traveling 1.5m along the flat, rough portion of the track, the block hits a
second mass, m2 = 0.5kg, and sticks to it. Find their velocity after the collision.

v=

m/s

d) (4 marks) At the end of the L = 4m flat section is a horizontal spring, of k2 = 550N/m and
unstretched length l = 40cm. Find the maximum horizontal distance the block travels, relative
to its starting position at the top of the ramp, before coming momentarily to rest.

s =

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20. (12 marks) An organ pipe (open at both ends) of length L = 50cm sounds a note at the third
harmonic. The speed of sound is cs = 340m/s.
a) (3 marks) Sketch the standing wave as a displacement wave. Label your axes and be quantitative (i.e. include numbers on your axes where possible).

b) (2 marks) Same as a), but now sketch the standing wave as a pressure wave.

c) (2 marks) What are the frequency and wavelength of the wave?

f=

Hz

d) (2 marks) You observe a single gas particle located 0.125m from one end of the pipe on average.
You notice that it moves a maximum distance of 3.0cm, in a direction that is parallel to the
pipe. What are its maximum speed and acceleration?

vmax =

m/s

amax =

m/s2

e) (3 marks) Write the equation that describes the displacement wave traveling to the left, as a
function of position and time. Use numbers for all other variables in the equation, based on the
information in the problem.

ECE105 Final Exam

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y=

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21. (12 marks) You have two insulated containers of the same volume. One is filled with atomic Ar gas
at T = 1000K. The other container is filled with an unknown gas, at T = 3000K. The mass of both
gases are identical, but the pressure of the unknown gas is 60 times greater than that of the Argon.
The atomic mass of Argon is 40u.
a) (2 marks) What is the mass of the particles in the unknown gas, in atomic mass units?

m=

a) (2 marks) You find that it takes 46.67 times more energy to increase the temperature of your
unknown gas by 1 degree Celsius, than to do the same for the Ar gas. How many degrees of
freedom does the unidentified gas have?

Ndof =
b) (3 marks) What modes of energy do these degrees of freedom most likely correspond to?

c) (2 marks)What is the rms velocity of the particles in the unknown gas?

vrms =

m/s

d) (3 marks) The two gases are now placed in thermal contact, via a thin membrane. What is
the final temperature of the Ar gas, after it has come to equilibrium?

T =