1206 - Concepts in

Physics
Friday, October 16th
 Notes
• Assignment #4 due Wednesday, October 21st in
class (no later than noon)
• There are still assignments #1 and #2 in my
office to be picked up ...
• If you would like to get a copy of the solutions
for assignment #1,#2,#3 (after Monday’s
tutorial), #4 (after class next Friday), you can
come by my office and make a copy - they are in
my handwriting
• I will offer an extra tutorial during reading week,
Monday October 26th at 10:30 am in F055
 Rules for midterm
• Calculators are allowed, but without programmable
options

• Provided formula sheet (on webpage) can be printed

out and used

• The only constant you have to know is the

acceleration due to gravity on earth (g = 9.80 m/s2).
Other’s will be provided.

• Time to complete exam is 90 min

• Graphs and sketches can be made in pencil, otherwise

pens should be used.

• In case of sickness a doctors note must be provided

 Basic math
• These are assumed to be known - some
where discussed in class - other’s are given
in your textbook
• Re-arranging equations
• Pythagorean theorem
• Area of basics geometric forms (square,
triangular, rectangular, trapeze, circle
• Vectors
• Trigonometry (sin, cos, tan)
 Format of midterm
• There will be a number of multiple choice
questions (or short questions) testing your
understanding of the concepts. These
should not take a lot of time (1-2 min each)
and don’t require complicated calculations.
• The rest will be very similar to the
assignments (especially #3 and #4)
• As in the assignment, you will find the
possible points for each single one given
What can you do to prepare?
• Look at the lecture notes (examples)
• Look at the corresponding chapters in the
textbook (1-10)
• Make sure you understand the assignments
• Do some of the problems in the textbook
(see selection on lecture note webpage)
• Talk to each other to see if you open
questions and the same understanding of
the concepts
• If you have questions come by my office or
email
 Sample of multiple choice
1.) Power is defined as
4.) The area of an triangle is given by
a) Time multiplied by work
a) half the base times the height
b) Time divided by work
b) two time the base times the height
c) Work divided by time
c) the base times the base
d) Work times Work
d) the height times the height
2.) Potential gravitational energy has a
2.) The unit for work is
dependence on the mass of an object that is
a) Watt
a) Quadratic
b) Joule
b) Linear
c) Newton
c) A sinus function
d) Workunit
d) no dependence
3.) When an object is in equilibrium the sum
3.) When an object moves with constant
of the externally applied forces is
velocity on the x axis its acceleration is
a) bigger than the internal forces
a) constantly changing
b) smaller then the internal forces
b) also constant
c) zero
c) twice a big as its velocity
d) not of interest
d) non existent
 Sample of multiple choice
1.) Power is defined as
4.) The area of an triangle is given by
a) Time multiplied by work
a) half the base times the height
b) Time divided by work
b) two time the base times the height
c) Work divided by time
c) the base times the base
d) Work times Work
d) the height times the height
2.) Potential gravitational energy has a
2.) The unit for work is
dependence on the mass of an object that is
a) Watt
a) Quadratic
b) Joule
b) Linear
c) Newton
c) A sinus function
d) Work unit
d) no dependence
3.) When an object is in equilibrium the sum
3.) When an object moves with constant
of the externally applied forces is
velocity on the x axis its acceleration is
a) bigger than the internal forces
a) constantly changing
b) smaller then the internal forces
b) also constant
c) zero
c) twice a big as its velocity
d) not of interest
d) non existent
 Sample of short questions
1.) What does Newton’s third law say?

2.) What is the difference between a scalar and a vector quantity?

3.) Show that the unit Newton is kg * m/s2!

4.) Draw the path of a stone that is thrown horizontally from a 25m high building.

5.) What is the displacement of a speedboat that accelerates for 3s with 2m/s2 ?
1.) What does Newton’s third law say?
Action = Reaction (Whenever a body exerts a force on a second body, the
second body exerts and oppositely directed force of equal magnitude on the first
body)

2.) What is the difference between a scalar and a vector quantity?

A scalar quantity has only a magnitude, while a vector quantity has both direction
magnitude.

3.) Show that the unit Newton is kg * m/s2!

Newton is unit for force. Force is given as mass times acceleration. The unit for
mass is kg and the unit for acceleration is m/s2, therefore Newton is defined as
kg m/s2.

4.) Draw the path of a stone that is thrown horizontally from a 25m high building.

The path is described by a parabola

5.) What is the displacement d of a speedboat that accelerates for 3s with 2m/s2 ?
v [m/s]
6
4
d = 1/2 * 3s * 6m/s = 9 m
2
t [s]
1 2 3
 Note on units
• Units are very important - they have to be
correct and are a useful tool for checking
your calculation
• The unit calculations are part of problem
solving and you will loose points, if they are
missing
 Topics for midterm
• Kinematics (one and two dimensions)
• Dynamics (one and two dimensions)
• Energy, Work, Power, Momentum
• Conservation of energy and momentum

We will go through every one today and look at

some example problem step-by-step
 Kinematics
o Kinematics describes the motion of objects
o Important vector quantities are:
- displacement d
- velocity v
- acceleration a
o For constant acceleration we have a special set of
equation
o Motion in perpendicular directions can be calculated
independently
o circular motion can be described similar to linear
motion by replacing velocity v with angular velocity
ω, acceleration a by angular acceleration α and
displacement d by angular displacement Θ
o Projectile motion
o Freely falling bodies
How to tackle a kinematics problem
• Ask yourself a few questions
• Is there acceleration and is it constant?
• No acceleration means, you only have to
look at velocity, time and displacement
according to v = d/t
• For constant acceleration we had a special
set of equations (see next slide)
• Is the motion linear or circular?
• How many dimensions are involved?
 Reminder: for details see lecture Wednesday October 7th

Rotational Motion (α constant) Linear Motion (a constant)

ω = ω0 + αt v = v0 + at

Θ = 1/2 (ω0 + ω) t d = 1/2(v0 + v)t

Θ = ω0t + 1/2αt2 d = v0t + 1/2at2

ω2 = ω02 + 2αθ v2 = v02 + 2ad

 Example
A baseball player hits a home run, and the ball lands in the left field seats, 7.5 m above the point
at which it was hit. It lands with a velocity of 36 m/s at an angle of 28° below the horizontal.
Ignoring air resistance, find the initial velocity with which the ball leaves the bat.
This has two dimensions -
the ball changes height during the movement as well as “covers ground”
There is no rotation, therefore we have only translation (linear motion)
There is acceleration due to gravity, so we can use our special set of equations
Let’s define the vertical as y direction and the flight direction between the bat and the seats
(where the ball lands) as x direction. Let’s make a drawing:
+y v0y = ?
vx
+x 28°
y = 7.5m vy v = 36 m/s
Θ
v0x

To find the initial velocity, we must determine its magnitude v0y and direction θ. These
components are related to the horizontal and vertical components of the initial velocity:

v0 = sqrt [v0x2 + v0y2] and θ = tan-1 (v0y/v0x)

Since air resistance is being ignored the horizontal component of the velocity vx remains
constant. Thus v0x = vx = v cos28° = +32 m/s
The value for v0y can be obtained from: vy2 = v0y2 + 2ayy (see table)

v0y = sqrt[vy2 - 2ayy]

y = 7.5 m, ay = -9.80 m/s2, vy = -36 sin28° m/s

Using these numbers, we obtain: v0y = 21 m/s
We choose the positive sign because the initial velocity points upwards.

We can now determine the magnitude of the initial velocity by using our
results for the x and y components:

v0 = sqrt [v0x2 + v0y2] = 38 m/s

and the direction:

θ = tan-1 (v0y/v0x) = 33°

How to tackle a dynamics problem
• Dynamic problems involve forces!
• Draw a free body diagram
• Are all forces acting along one axis?
• If we need more than one dimension, what
are the components?
• Remember that an acceleration must be
caused by a force
• Can we make use of Newton’s law?
 Example
A truck is hauling a trailer along a level road. The mass of the truck is m1 = 8500 kg an that of
the trailer is m2 = 27000 kg. The two move along the x axis with an acceleration of
ax = 0.78 m/s2. Ignoring the retarding forces of friction and air resistance, determine
(a) the tension T in the horizontal drawbar between the trailer and the truck and
(b) the force D that propels the truck forward.
ax = 0.78 m/s2
Trailer Truck
+x +x
T T’ D
Only components along the x axis are sufficient to solve the problem. Newton’s second law
tells us that the sum of all forces in x direction is equals the mass times the acceleration in x
direction: ΣFx = m ax
The trailer: T = m2 ax = 27000 kg * 0.78 m/s2 = 21000 N (a)
The truck: D - T’ = m1 ax
According to Newtons third law T must be equal to T’ in magnitude.
D = m1 ax + T = (8500 kg)(0.78 m/s2) + 21000 N = 28000 N (b)
 Work, Energy, Power
Work, Energy and Power are scalar quantities. Let’s review the definitions:

Work done on an object by a constant force is W = (F cosΘ)s, where F is the magnitude of

the force, s the magnitude of the displacement and Θ the angle between the force and the
displacement. The unit of work is Nm = J (Joule)

Mechanical energy is the sum of potential energy (gravitational) and kinematic energy. Potential
energy (gravitational) PE is stored in an object just because of its location above the ground -
it is linear dependent of mass and height of the object and can be written as PE = mgh.
Kinematic energy KE is energy stored in an object due to its movement, it is linear dependent
on mass and quadratically dependent on the velocity of the object KE = 1/2mv2.

Work and Energy are related: The work done by the net external nonconservative forces is
given by the difference between total mechanical energy in the end and in the beginning:
W = Ef - E0 (Work-Energy-theorem)

Power is the average rate at which work is done, and it is obtained by dividing work by time.
Since work is given by force times distance, we can also find that power is force times velocity.
 Example
A 0.20 kg rocket in a fireworks display is launched from rest and follows an erratic flight path
to reach the point P. Point P is 29 m above the starting point. In the process, 425 J of work is
done on the rocket by the nonconservative force generated by the burning propellant.
Ignoring air resistance and the mass lost due to the burning propellant, find the speed vf of the
rocket at the point P.

The only nonconservative force acting on the rocket is the force generated by the burning
propellant, and the work done by this force is W = 425 J. We can use the work-energy
theorem to find the final speed.

W = Ef - E0 = (1/2mvf2 + mghf) - (1/2mv02 + mgh0)

The rocket starts from rest, therefore v0 = 0. It starts at h0 - we define that as our zero.
As a result we only have to take the final energy into account an can re-arrange for vf:

W = 1/2mvf2 + mghf --> vf2 = 2(W - mghf)/m

vf = sqrt {2(W - mghf)/m} = sqrt {2(425 J - 0.20kg * 9.80 m/s2 * 29m)/ 0.20 kg} = 61 m/s
 Conservation of energy and momentum
Example: A ballistic pendulum can be used to measure the speed of a projectile, such as a
bullet. The ballistic pendulum consists of a block of wood (mass m2 = 2.50 kg) suspended by a
wire of negligible mass. A bullet (mass m1 = 0.0100 kg) is fired with a speed v01. Just after the
bullet collides with it, the block (with the bullet in it) has a speed vf and then swings to a
maximum height of 0.650 m above the initial position. Find the speed v01 of the bullet,
assuming that air resistance is negligible.

m1 = 0.0100 kg
m2 = 2.50 kg
hf = 0.650 m
hf
m2 m1 + m2

v01 vf
There are two parts to this event. First we have a completely inelastic collision between the
bullet and the block. The second is the resulting motion of the block and bullet as they swing
upward. The total momentum is conserved during the collision. For the swinging upwards we
also can apply the principle of energy conservation.
Momentum conservation: (m1+ m2) vf = m1v01 --> v01 = (m1+ m2)/m1 * vf
Use energy conservation to determine vf : (m1+ m2)ghf = 1/2(m1+ m2)vf2
vf = sqrt(2ghf) Now insert this in equation above:
v01 = (m1+ m2)/m1 * sqrt(2ghf) = (0.0100 kg + 2.50 kg)/0.0100 kg * sqrt(2*9.80m/s2*0.650m)
= 896 m/s
Formula sheet
Not quite ready - it will be
posted on Monday