PHYS 101 Final Exam Solution 2021-22-1

1. A block of mass 𝑚 and a wedge of mass 𝑀 in the shape of a quarter cylinder are free to move on a frictionless
horizontal surface. The block moving with speed 𝑣0 collides with the stationary wedge and smoothly starts to climb up
its cylindrical frictionless surface.
(a) (7 Pts.) To what maximum height will the block reach?
(b) (7 Pts.) It is observed that the velocity of the block after it slides back to
the horizontal surface is − 𝑣0 ⁄2. Calculate the ratio 𝑚⁄𝑀.
𝑅
(c) (6 Pts.) What is the speed of the wedge after the block slides back down? ሬԦ
𝐠
𝑚 𝐯ሬԦ0
𝑀
Solution:
(a) When the block reaches its maximum height ℎmax it will be momentarily at rest relative to the wedge, and hence,
velocities of both the block and the wedge with respect to the horizontal surface will be the same 𝑉𝑐 . Conservation of
momentum implies

𝑚𝑣0
𝑚𝑣0 = (𝑚 + 𝑀)𝑉𝑐 → 𝑉𝑐 = .
𝑚+𝑀

Since there is no friction between surfaces, total mechanical energy is also conserved. This means

1 1 1 𝑚2 𝑣02 𝑣02 𝑀
𝑚𝑣02 = (𝑚 + 𝑀)𝑉𝑐2 + 𝑚𝑔ℎmax → 𝑚𝑣02 = + 𝑚𝑔ℎmax → ℎmax = ( ).
2 2 2 2(𝑚 + 𝑀) 2𝑔 𝑚 + 𝑀

(b) Since there is no energy loss, this is an elastic collision. Momentum conservation means

1 3𝑚𝑣0
𝑚𝑣0 = − 𝑚𝑣0 + 𝑀𝑉 → 𝑉 = ,
2 2𝑀

while energy conservation means

1 2
1 𝑣0 2 1 2
3 2
9 𝑚2 𝑣02 𝑚 1
𝑚𝑣0 = 𝑚 ( ) + 𝑀𝑉 → 𝑚𝑣0 = → = .
2 2 2 2 4 4 𝑀 𝑀 3

(c)
3𝑚𝑣0 𝑣0
𝑉= = .
2𝑀 2
2. A uniform solid cylinder with mass M and radius 2R rests on a horizontal table top. A string is attached by a yoke to
a frictionless axle through the center of the cylinder so that the cylinder can rotate about the axle. The string runs over
a disk-shaped pulley with mass M and radius R that is mounted on a frictionless axle through its center. A block of
mass M is suspended from the free end of the string. The string
doesn’t slip over the pulley surface, and the cylinder rolls without
slipping on the table top. (For a cylinder of mass 𝑀 and radius 𝑟
moment of inertia about the symmetry axis is 𝐼 = (𝑀𝑟 2 )⁄2.)

(a) (5 Pts.) Draw a free body diagram for all components of the
system.
(b) (5 Pts.) Find the magnitude of the acceleration of the block after
the system is released from rest.
(c) (5 Pts.) Find the tensions in the string.
(d) (5 Pts.) What will be the angular speed of the cylinder when the block falls a vertical distance ℎ?

Solution: (a)

ሬԦ1
𝒏 ሬԦ2
−𝑻
ሬԦ𝟐
𝒏
ሬ𝑵
ሬԦ
ሬ𝑻Ԧ1 ሬԦ1
−𝑻

ሬԦ
𝒇

ሬԦ
𝑀𝐠
ሬሬԦ
𝑀𝒈
ሬ𝑻Ԧ2 ሬሬԦ
𝑀𝒈

(b) (c) Let 𝑎 be the acceleration of the center of the rolling cylinder. Since the cylinder rolls without slipping, we have
𝑎 = 2𝑅𝛼1 , where 𝛼1 is the angular acceleration of the cylinder. Rolling withour slipping also means the downward
acceleration of the block is also equal to 𝑎. If we let 𝛼2 denote the angular acceleration of the pulley, and write
Newton’s second law for each free body diagram, we have

1 𝑎 1 𝑎
𝑇1 − 𝑓 = 𝑀𝑎 , 𝑓(2𝑅) = 𝑀(2𝑅)2 ( ) , 𝑅𝑇2 − 𝑅𝑇1 = 𝑀𝑅 2 ( ) , 𝑀𝑔 − 𝑇2 = 𝑀𝑎 .
2 2𝑅 2 𝑅
We have omitted non-contributing equations 𝒏ሬԦ1 + 𝑀𝐠 ሬԦ = 0 (meaning that the cylinder’s center has no vertical
ሬԦ + 𝑀𝐠
ሬԦ2 + 𝑁
acceleration) and 𝒏 ሬԦ = 0 (meaning theat the center of the pulley is fixed). Solving equations
1 1
𝑇1 − 𝑓 = 𝑀𝑎 , 𝑓 = 𝑀𝑎 , 𝑇2 − 𝑇1 = 𝑀𝑎 , 𝑀𝑔 − 𝑇2 = 𝑀𝑎 ,
2 2
we find
1 1 2
𝑎 = g, 𝑇1 = 𝑀g , 𝑇2 = 𝑀g .
3 2 3

(d) If we denote the time of fall by 𝑡𝑓 , we have ℎ = 𝑎𝑡𝑓2 ⁄2 → 𝑡𝑓 = √2ℎ⁄𝑎. Therefore

𝑎 ℎg
𝜔𝑓 = 𝛼1 𝑡𝑓 = 𝑡𝑓 → 𝜔𝑓 = √ 2 .
2𝑅 6𝑅
3. A bird (mass 𝑚) is flying horizontally with speed 𝑣0 suddenly
flies into a stationary vertical bar of length 𝐿, hitting it at a distance
𝐿/3
𝐿/3 below the top. The bar is uniform, has mass 𝑀, and is hinged 𝐯ሬԦ0
(no friction) at its base. The collision stuns the bird so that it just
drops vertically to the ground afterward. (Moment of inertia of a 𝑚
uniform bar about its center of mass is 𝐼CM = 𝑀𝐿2 ⁄12.)
𝐿
𝑀
(a) (4 Pts.) Which physical quantities are conserved in this collision?
(b) (8 Pts.) What is the angular velocity of the bar
just after it is hit by the bird?
(c) (8 Pts.) What is the angular velocity of the bar
just as it hits the ground?

Solution: (a) Angular momentum with respect to the hinge is conserved in the collison.

Moment of inertia of the bar about the hinge is found by using the parallel axis theorem.

𝐿 2 1 1 1
𝐼𝐻 = 𝐼CM + 𝑀 ( ) = 𝑀𝐿2 + 𝑀𝐿2 → 𝐼𝐻 = 𝑀𝐿2 .
2 12 4 3

(b) Conservation of angular momentum with respect to the hinge means that we have

𝐿 2 1 2𝑚𝑣0
𝑚𝑣0 (𝐿 − ) = 𝐼ℎ 𝜔top → 𝑚𝑣0 𝐿 = 𝑀𝐿2 𝜔top → 𝜔top = .
3 3 3 𝑀𝐿

(c) After the collision, the total mechanical energy of the falling bar is conserved. This means

1 2
𝐿 1 2 2
3g
𝐼ℎ 𝜔𝑡𝑜𝑝 + 𝑀g ( ) = 𝐼ℎ 𝜔𝑏𝑜𝑡 → 𝜔𝑏𝑜𝑡 = √𝜔𝑡𝑜𝑝 + .
2 2 2 𝐿

Using the result of part (a), we have

2𝑚𝑣0 2 3g
𝜔𝑏𝑜𝑡 = √( ) + .
𝑀𝐿 𝐿
4. The next space telescope, called the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is now in space, trying to get to a special
orbit. Because JSWT needs to be extremely cold it is put in an orbit around the Sun, in a way that it always remains in
the shadow of the Earth. Assume that the Earth is making a circular trajectory around the Sun with radius 𝑅. JWST
will also follow a circular trajectory around the Sun, with the same period of rotation as Earth, but it will be at a larger
radius 𝑅 + 𝑥 . The combined gravitational pull of the Sun and the Earth will keep JWST in this orbit. Mass of the Sun
is 𝑀𝑆 , mass of the Earth is 𝑀𝐸 , and their ratio is 𝑀𝐸 ⁄𝑀𝑆 = 3 × 10−6. The mass of JWST is 𝑚, which is negligibly
small compared to that of the Earth.
(a) (3 Pts.) Express the magnitude of the gravitational
force on the JWST in terms of 𝑀𝑆 , 𝑀𝐸 , 𝑚, 𝑅, 𝑥 and
Newton’s constant 𝐺.
(b) (3 Pts.) Express the acceleration of JWST in terms
of the same quantities. 𝑀𝐸
𝑀𝑆
𝑥
(c) (10 Pts.) Find the numerical value of . (Hint: 𝑅
𝑅 𝑥
you can assume that this quantity is very small and
𝑥 𝑛 𝑥
approximate (1 + ) ≃ 1 + 𝑛 )
𝑅 𝑅

(d) (4 Pts.) What is the gravitational potential energy

Solution: (a) The combined gravitational force of the earth and the sun acting on JWST is
𝑀𝑆 𝑚 𝑀𝐸 𝑚
𝐹=𝐺 + 𝐺 .
(𝑅 + 𝑥)2 𝑥2

(b) Angular speed 𝜔 of the earth in its orbit around the sun is found as
𝑀𝑆 𝑀𝐸 𝑀𝑆
𝑀𝐸 𝑅𝜔2 = 𝐺 → 𝜔2 = 𝐺 .
𝑅2 𝑅3
If JWST is to remain in the shadow of the Earth, it must have the same angular speed. Therefore its centripetal
accelertion must be
𝑀𝑆
𝑎 = (𝑅 + 𝑥)𝜔2 = 𝐺 (𝑅 + 𝑥) .
𝑅3

(c) Using 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎, we find

𝑀𝑆 𝑚 𝑀𝐸 𝑚 𝑀𝑆 𝑥 −2 𝑀𝐸 𝑅 2 𝑥
𝐺 2
+ 𝐺 2
= 𝑚𝐺 3
(𝑅 + 𝑥) → (1 + ) + ( ) 2 = (1 + ) .
(𝑅 + 𝑥) 𝑥 𝑅 𝑅 𝑀𝑆 𝑥 𝑅
Using the approximation, we get

𝑥 𝑀𝐸 𝑅 2 𝑥 𝑥 1 𝑀𝐸 1⁄3 𝑥
1−2 +( ) 2 =1+ → =( ) → = 10−2 = 0.01 .
𝑅 𝑀𝑆 𝑥 𝑅 𝑅 3 𝑀𝑆 𝑅

(d)
𝑀𝑆 𝑚 𝑀𝐸 𝑚
𝑈 = −𝐺 −𝐺 .
𝑅+𝑥 𝑥
5. Two cylinders of identical mass 𝑀 and radii 𝑅1 and 𝑅2 are pinned through their centers and can rotate around their
centers without friction. The cylinders are in contact, and because there is friction between them, they can only roll
without slipping with respect to each other. A spring with spring constant 𝑘 is affixed to the rim of the first cylinder as
shown in the figure. The other end of the spring is fixed.
(Moment of inertia of a cylinder around its symmetry axis is
1
𝐼0 = 2 𝑀𝑅 2 .)
𝑘
(a) (5 Pts.) If the first cylinder (one with radius 𝑅1 ) has 𝑅1 𝑅2
angular speed 𝜔1 what would be the angular speed 𝜔2 of the
second cylinder?
𝑀
(b) (15 Pts.) Find the period of small oscillations of the 𝑀
system.
Solution:
(a) The cylinders roll without slipping on each other, and the point of contact is common to both cylinders. This means
that the velocity of a point on the rim of one cylinder must be equal to the speed of a point on the rim on the rim of the
other. That is
𝑅
𝑅1 𝜔1 = 𝑅2 𝜔2 → 𝜔2 = 𝑅1 𝜔1 . ሬԦ𝑠
2 𝑭 ሬԦ
𝒇
The two angular velocities are opposite in direction.

𝑅1 𝑅2
(b) Free body diagrams for the cylinders: 𝜃
𝑅1
The magnitude of the spring force is
ሬԦ
−𝒇
𝐹𝑠 = 𝑘𝑅1 𝜃 .
Writing the rotational form of Newton’s second law for the first cylinder, we have
𝐼1 𝛼1 = 𝑅1 𝐹𝑠 − 𝑅1 𝑓 → 𝐼1 𝛼1 = 𝑅1 (𝑘𝑅1 𝜃) − 𝑅1 𝑓 .
Writing the rotational form of Newton’s second law for the second cylinder, we have
𝐼2
𝐼2 𝛼2 = −𝑅2 𝑓 → 𝑓=− 𝛼 .
𝑅2 2
Since we have 𝛼2 = − 𝑅1 𝛼1⁄𝑅2 , Newton’s second law for the first cylinder is written as

𝑅12 𝑅12
𝐼1 𝛼1 = 𝑘𝑅12 𝜃 − 2 𝐼2 𝛼1 → (𝐼1 + 2 𝐼2 ) 𝛼1 = 𝑘𝑅12 𝜃 .
𝑅2 𝑅2
𝑑2𝜃
Since the net torque on the first cylinder is in the decreasing 𝜃 direction, we have 𝛼1 = − 𝑑𝑡 2 . So

𝑅12 𝑑2 𝜃 𝑘𝑅12
(𝐼1 + 𝐼2 ) + 𝑘𝑅12 𝜃 = 0 → 𝜔= .
𝑅22 𝑑𝑡 2 √ 𝑅12
𝐼1 + 2 𝐼2
𝑅2
Using 𝐼1 = 𝑀𝑅12 ⁄2 and 𝐼2 = 𝑀𝑅22 ⁄2, we find
𝑘
𝜔=√ .
𝑀