Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics

LAWS OF MOTION

1. (a) A rope of length L lies in a straight line on a frictionless table, except for a very small piece at one end
which hangs down through a hole in the table. This piece is released, and the rope slides down
through the hole. What is the speed of the rope at the instant it loses contact with the table?
(b) A rope of length L lies in a heap on a table, except for a very small piece at one end which hangs down
through a hole in the table. This piece is released, and the rope unravels and slides down through the
hole. What is the speed of the rope at the instant it loses contact with the table? (Assume that the rope
is greased, so that it has no friction with itself).
Solution:
(a) First Solution: Let  be the mass density of the rope. From conservation of energy, we know that the
rope’s final kinetic energy, which is , equals the loss in potential energy, which is
(because the center of mass falls a distance L/2). Therefore,

This is the same as the speed obtained by an object that falls a distance L/2.
Note that if the initial piece hanging down through the hole is arbitrarily short, then the rope will take
an arbitrarily long time to fall down. But the final speed will be always be (arbitrarily close to) .
(b) Let  be the mass density of the rope, and let x be the length that hangs down through the hole. The
gravitational force on this length, which is , is responsible for changing the momentum of the
rope, which is (because only the hanging part is moving). Therefore, F = dp/dt gives

Note that F = ma gives the wrong equation, because it neglects the fact that the moving mass m is
changing. It therefore misses the second term on the right-hand side of eq. In short, the momentum of
the rope increases because it is speeding up (which gives the term) and because additional mass is
continually being added to the moving part (which gives the term, as you can show).
To solve eq. for x(t), note that g is the only parameter in the equation.
Therefore, the solution for x(t) can involve only g’s and t’s. By dimensional analysis, x(t) must then be
of the form , where b is a numerical constant to be determined. Plugging this expression
for x(t) into eq. and dividing by g2t2 gives . Therefore, b = 1/6, and our solution may be
written as

This is the equation for something that accelerates downward with acceleration . The time the
rope takes to fall a distance L is then given by , which yields . The final speed
in thus

This is smaller than the result from part (a). We therefore see that although the total time for the
scenario in part (a) is very large, the final speed is in fact larger than that in the present scenario.
Remarks:
You can show that 1/3 of the available potential energy is lost to heat. This loss occurs during the abrupt
motions that suddenly bring the atoms from zero to non-zero speed when they join the moving part of the
rope. The use of conservation of energy, therefore, is not a valid way to solve this problem. You can show
that the speed in part (a)’s scenario is smaller than the speed in part (b)’s scenario for x less than 2L/3, but
larger for x greater than 2L/3.

Q. 1. A rope with mass M and length L is held in the position shown below, with one end attached to a
support. (Assume that only a negligible length of the rope starts out below the support.) The rope is
released. Find the force that the support applies to the rope, as a function of time.

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Solution:
At time t, the free end of the rope is moving at speed gt, and it has fallen a distance gt2=2. This distance
gets “doubled up” below the support. So at time t, a length gt2=4 is hanging at rest, and a length
is moving at speed gt. The momentum of the entire rope is therefore
, where is the mass density, and the minus sign signifies downward
motion.

The forces on the entire rope are Mg = ½Lg downward, and N (the force from the support) upward. F =
dp/dt applied to the entire rope therefore gives

1.62. A thin steel chain with very small links is hanging vertically and its bottom end is touching a table. The
mass of the chain is m and its length is l. At the instant t = 0, the chain is released. Considering the
chain to be homogenous in length, find:
(a) the instantaneous value F(t) of the force with which the chain acts on the table.
(b) the mean value of this force (F) during the time of falling.

Ans. (a) (here h is the height of the top end of the chain over the table at the
instant t). Consequently, F(t) equals the triple weight of the part of the chain lying on the table at the
instant t
(b) <F> = mg

P105. A heavy, flexible, inelastic chain of length L is placed almost symmetrically onto a light pulley which
can rotate about a fixed axle, as shown in the figure.

What will the speed of the chain be when it leaves the pulley?
Ans.

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1.70. A horizontal plane with the coefficient of friction k supports two bodies: a bar and an electric motor
with a battery on a block. A thread attached to the bar is would on the shaft of the electric motor. The
distance between the bar and the electric motion is equal to l. When the motor is switched on, the bar,
whose mass is twice as great as that of the other body, starts moving with a constant acceleration w.
How soon will the bodies collide?
Ans.

1.74. In the arrangement shown in figure the mass of the rod M exceeds the mass m of the ball. The ball has
an opening permitting it to slide along the thread with some friction. The mass of the pulley and the
friction in its axle negligible. At the initial moment the ball was located opposite the lower end of the
rod. When free, both bodies began moving with constant accelerations. Find the friction force between
the ball and the thread if t seconds after the beginning of motion the ball got opposite the upper end of
the rod. The rod length equals l.

Ans.

1. A force F pulls on mass m using a massless cable and pulley system.

a. Find the acceleration of the block if the surface is frictionless.
b. Find the acceleration of the block if the coefficient of kinetic friction is .
Assume the block moves up the ramp

ANS—a

1.75. In the arrangement shown in figure the mass of ball 1 is times as great as that of rod 2. The
length of the latter is l = 100 cm. The masses of the pulleys and the threads, as well as the friction, are
negligible. The ball is set on the same level as the lower end of the rod and then released. How soon
will the ball be opposite the upper end of the rod?

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics

Ans.

1.78. In the arrangement shown in figure the masses of the wedge M and the body m are known. The
appreciable friction exists only between the wedge and the body m, the friction coefficient being equal
to k. The masses of the pulley and the thread are negligible. Find the acceleration of the body m relative
to the horizontal surface on which the wedge slides.

Ans.
1. A triangular prism of mass M is placed one side on a frictionless horizontal plane as shown in Fig. 1.
The other two sides are inclined with respect to the plane at angles 1 and 2 respectively. Two blocks
of masses m1 and m2, connected by an inextensible thread, can slide without friction on the surface of
the prism. The mass of the pulley, which supports the thread, is negligible.
 Express the acceleration a of the blocks relative to the prism in terms of the acceleration a0 of the prism.
 Find the acceleration a0 of the prism in terms of quantities given and the acceleration g due to gravity.
 At what ratio m1/m2 the prism will be in equilibrium?

1. The blocks slide relative to the prism with accelerations a 1 and a2, which are parallel to its sides and
have the same magnitude a (see Fig. 1.1). The blocks move relative to the earth with accelerations:

(1.1) w1 = a1 + a0;
(1.2) w2 = a2 + a0.
Now we project w1 and w2 along the x- and y-axes:
(1.3) ;
(1.4) ;
(1.5) ;
(1.6) .

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The equations of motion for the blocks and for the prism have the following vector forms (see Fig. 1.2):
(1.7) ;
(1.8) ;
(1.9) .

The forces of tension T1 and T2 at the ends of the thread are of the same magnitude T since the masses
of the thread and that of the pulley are negligible. Note that in equation (1.9) we account for the net
force –(T1 + T2), which the bended thread exerts on the prism through the pulley. The equations of
motion result in a system of six scalar equations when projected along x and y:
(1.10) ;
(1.11) ;
(1.12) ;
(1.13) ;
(1.14) ;
(1.15) .
By adding up equations (1.10), (1.12), and (1.14) all forces internal to the system cancel each other. In
this way we obtain the required relation between accelerations a and a0:

(1.16) .

The straightforward elimination of the unknown forces gives the final answer for a0:

(1.17) .

It follows from equation (1.17) that the prism will be in equilibrium (a0 = 0) if:

(1.18) .

1. On the diagram, two blocks of equal mass are connected by an ideal string. The values of m, k1, and k2
are given (k1 > k2). Initially, both springs are relaxed. Then the left block is slowly pulled down a
distance x and released. Find the acceleration of each block immediately after the release. Find all
possible answers.

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics

Solution: Let T be the tension in the ideal string and a be the acceleration of the blocks at the instant of release.
For the block on the left, the upward acceleration may be found from

For the block on the right, the downward acceleration may be found from

Adding the equations gives the acceleration of the blocks as

However, subtracting the equations gives

But a negative T would indicate compression of the ideal string. So a = (k1 + k2)x/(2m) only if k1 < k2 +
2mg/x. If k1 > k2 + 2mg/x, T = 0 and the blocks accelerate independently:
and

2. Consider the infinite Atwood’s machine shown below. A string passes over each pulley, with one end
attached to a mass and the other end attached to another pulley. All the masses are equal to m, and all the
pulleys and strings are massless. The masses are held fixed and then simultaneously released. What is the
acceleration of the top mass?

(We’ll define this infinite system as follows. Consider it to be made of N pulleys, with a non-zero mass
replacing what would have been the (N + 1)st pulley. Then take the limit as .)

Solution:
First Solution: If the strength of gravity on the earth were multiplied by a factor , then the tension in all
of the strings in the Atwood’s machine would likewise be multiplied by . This is true because the only
way to produce a quantity with the units of tension (that is, force) is to multiply a mass by g. Conversely, if
we put the Atwood’s machine on another planet and discover that all of the tensions are multiplied by ,
then we know that the gravity there must be . Let the tension in the string above the first pulley be T.
Then the tension in the string above the second pulley is T/2 (because the pulley is massless). Let the
downward acceleration of the second pulley be a2. Then the second pulley effectively lives in a world
where gravity has strength g – a2.
Consider the subsystem of all the pulleys except the top one. This infinite subsystem is identical to the
original infinite system of all the pulleys. Therefore, by the arguments in the first paragraph above, we must
have
...(i)
which gives a2 = g/2. But a2 is also the acceleration of the top mass, so our answer is g/2.
Remarks: You can show that the relative acceleration of the second and third pulleys is g/4, and that of the
third and fourth is g/8, etc. The acceleration of a mass far down in the system therefore equals g(1/2 + 1/4 +
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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
1=8 + …..) = g, which makes intuitive sense. Note that T = 0 also makes eq. (i) true. But this corresponds to
putting a mass of zero at the end of a finite pulley system (see the following solution).

Second Solution:
Consider the following auxiliary problem. Problem: Two setups are shown below. The first contains a
hanging mass m. The second contains a pulley, over which two masses, m1 and m2, hang. Let both supports
have acceleration as downward. What should m be, in terms of m1 and m2, so that the tension in the top
string is the same in both cases?

Answer: In the first case, we have

….(ii)
In the second case, let a be the acceleration of m2 relative to the support (with downward taken to be
positive). Then we have

…(iii)

Note that if we define , then we may write the above three equations as
,

…(iv)

Eliminating a from the last two of these equations gives . Using this value of T in
the first equation then gives

…(v)

Note that the value of as is irrelevant. (We effectively have a fixed support in a world where the
acceleration from gravity is .) This auxiliary problem shows that the two-mass system in the second case
may be equivalently treated as a mass m, given by eq. (5), as far as the upper string is concerned.

Now let’s look at our infinite Atwood’s machine. Start at the bottom. (Assume that the system has N
pulleys, where .) Let the bottom mass be x. Then the auxiliary problem shows that the bottom two
masses, m and x, may be treated as an effective mass f(x), where

…(vi)
We may then treat the combination of the mass f(x) and the next m as an effective mass f(f(x)). These
iterations may be repeated, until we finally have a mass m and a mass hanging over the top
pulley. So we must determine the behavior of , as . This behavior is clear if we look at the
following plot of f(x).

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Note that x = 3m is a fixed point of f. That is, f(3m) = 3m. This plot shows that no matter what x we start
with, the iterations approach 3m (unless we start at x = 0, in which case we remain there). These
iterations are shown graphically by the directed lines in the plot. After reaching the value f(x) on the
curve, the line moves horizontally to the x value of f(x), and then vertically to the value f(f(x)) on the
curve, and so on. Therefore, since as , our infinite Atwood’s machine is equivalent
to (as far as the top mass is concerned) just two masses, m and 3m. You can then quickly show that that
the acceleration of the top mass is g/2. Note that as far as the support is concerned, the whole apparatus
is equivalent to a mass 3m. So 3mg is the upward force exerted by the support.

1. Two beads of mass m are positioned at the top of a frictionless hoop of mass M and radius R, which stands
vertically on the ground. The beads are given tiny kicks, and they slide down the hoop, one to the right and
one to the left, as shown. What is the smallest value of m/M for which the hoop will rise up off the ground
at some time during the motion?

Solution:
Let be the angle through which the bead has fallen, and let N be the normal force from the hoop on the
bead, with inward taken to be positive. Then the radial F = ma equation for the bead is
…(i)
The height the bead has fallen is , so conservation of energy gives
…(ii)
Therefore, the radial F = ma equation becomes

…(iii)
By Newton’s third law, this is the force on the bead from the hoop, with outward taken to be positive. Note
that this force is positive (that is, the bead pulls outward on the hoop) if . Since
there are two beads, the total upward force on the hoop from the beads is
…(iv)
The that yields the maximum value of this upward force is obtained by taking the derivative, which gives

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
…(v)
Therefore, the maximum value is achieved when in which case the upward force equals

…(vi)

The hoop will rise up off the ground if this maximum upward force is larger than the weight of the hoop.
That is, if
…(vii)
Remark:
Alternatively, we can solve for the minimum value of m/M by setting the upward force,
, equal to the weight of the hoop, Mg, and then using the quadratic formula to solve
for . A solution for exists only if the discriminant is positive, which is the case only if m/M >
3/2.

1.40. For the system at rest shown in figure, determine the accelerations of all the loads immediately after the
lower thread keeping the system in equilibrium has been cut. Assume that the threads are weightless
and inextensible, the springs are weightless, the mass of the pulley is negligibly small, and there is no
friction at the point of suspension.

Ans.

All other blocks have zero accelerations

2. A mass, which is free to move on a horizontal frictionless plane, is attached to one end of a massless
strong which wraps partially around a frictionless vertical pole of radius r, as shown on. You hold on to
the other end of the sting. At t = 0, the mass has speed v0 in the tangential direction along the dotted
circle of radius R shown.

Your task is to pull on the string so that the mass keeps moving along the dotted circle. You are
required to do this in such a way that the string remains in contact with the pole at all times.
What is the speed of the mass as a function of time? Explain what happens in this system as time goes
by. (Ignore any relativistic effects).
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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
Ans. Let F be the tension in the string. The angle (at the mass) between the string and the radius of the dotted
circle is . In terms of , the radial and tangential equations are

and .
Solving for F in the second equation and substituting into the first gives

Separating variables and integrating gives

Note that v becomes infinite when

In other words, you can keep the mass moving in the desired circle only up to time T. After that, it is
impossible. (Of course, it will become impossible, for all practical purposes, long before v becomes
infinite)
The total distance, , is infinite, because this integral (barely) diverges (like a log), as t
approaches T.

1.99. At the moment t = 0 a particle of mass m starts moving due to a force , where F0 and
are constants. How long will it be moving until it stops for the first time? What distance will it traverse
during that time? What is the maximum velocity of the particle over this distance?
Ans.

1.44. Two balls are placed as shown in on a weightless support formed by two smooth inclined planes each
of which forms an angle with the horizontal. The support can slide without friction along a horizontal
plane. The upper ball of the mass m1 is released.
Determine the condition under which the lower ball of mass m2 starts “climbing” up the support.

Ans.

1.34. A person carrying a spring balance and a stopwatch is in a closed carriage standing on a horizontal
segment of the railway. When the carriage starts moving, the person sitting with his face in the
direction of motion along the rails) and fixing a load of mass m to the spring balance watches the
direction of the deflection of the load and the readings of the balance, marking the instants of time
when the readings change with the help of the stopwatch.
When the carriage starts moving and the load is deflected during the first time interval t1 = 4s towards
the observer, the balance indicates a weight 1.25 mg. During the next time interval t2 = 3s, the load
hangs in the vertical position, and the balance indicates weight mg. Then the load is deflected to the
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left (across the carriage), and during an interval t3 = 25.12s, the balance again indicates a weight 1.25
mg. Finally, during the last time interval t4 = 4s, the load is deflected from the observer, the reading of
the balance remaining the same.
Determine the position of the carriage relative to its initial position and its velocity by this instant of
time, assuming that the observer suppresses by his hand the oscillations resulting from a change in the
direction of deflection and in the readings of the balance.

1 What constant horizontal force must be applied to M so that m 1 and m2 do not move relative to M? The
wheels are good enough to make this essentially frictionless. Neglect the mass of the pulley.

Solution:
If this system is all moving together as if it were one solid body, the acceleration of it center of mass (or of
any of its pieces) obeys
If m2 is not to be dropping, the vertical component of the force on it must vanish. Let T be the tension in the
string, then . The only horizontal component of force on m 1 is from the string, and its
acceleration is the same as above, so .
Eliminate T from these two equations to give , and substitute ax into the equation for F.

The dimensions clearly check. If m 1 is small compared to the other masses, this becomes very large, and
that’s right. It will be difficult for m1 to hold back m2 from falling.

1 Three identical cylinders are arranged in a triangle as shown, with the bottom two lying on the ground.
The ground and the cylinders are frictionless. You apply a force (directed to the right) on the left
cylinder.

what are the minimum and maximum accelerations you may give to the system in order for all three
cylinders to remain in contact with each other.
Ans. Apart from gravity, the forces on the cylinders include the applied force of magnitude F, normal forces
between the bottom two cylinders and the ground with magnitudes N d and Ne, and three pairs of forces
with magnitudes Na, Nb and Nc between the cylinders (as shown on the diagram).
The low limit on the acceleration is given by the condition that the two bottom cylinders lose contact,
i.e. . Then, the horizontal component of the force on the right cylinder is

The vertical components of the forces on the top cylinder:

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And the left cylinder:

Eliminating and

And

When the acceleration is increased beyond a certain value, the top cylinder will lose contact with the
right cylinder. It corresponds to vanishing . In this case for the top cylinder the vertical components
of the forces

For horizontal components we get

And

1. An inclined plane of mass M makes an angle  with the horizontal. The plane is placed on a horizontal
frictionless surface. A small block of mass m is placed on the inclined plane. What horizontal force F
must be applied to the plane so that the force of friction between the block and the plane is zero?

Solutions: Let us assume that the block is moving to the right. Clearly, F = (M + m)a.
For force of friction to be zero, only the normal force can produce the acceleration of the small block.
Thus, from the free body diagram below , and Eliminating FN
between these two equations yields and F = (M + m)g tan .

Another possible solution:

If the force of friction is zero, the small block must be in free fall. Let the height of the plane be h and
the length of the base –b. Then the acceleration of the plane, a, must be such that

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1.25. A hinged construction consists of three rhombs with the ratio of sides 3 : 2 : 1. Vertex A 3 moves in the
horizontal direction at a velocity v.
Determine the velocities of vertices A1, A2 and B2 at the instant when the angles of the construction are
90°.

Ans.

1.20. A weightless inextensible rope rests on a stationary wedge forming an angle with the horizontal.
One end of the rope is fixed to the wall at point A. A small load is attached to the rope at point B. The
wedge starts moving to the right with a constant acceleration a.
Determine the acceleration a1 of the load when it is still on the wedge.

[NL]
Ans.

1.47. A weightless rod of length l with a small load of mass m at the end is hinged at point A and occupies a
strictly vertical position, touching a body of mass M. A light jerk sets the system in motion. For what
mass ratio M/m will the rod form an angle with the horizontal at the moment of the separation
from the body? What will be the velocity u of the body at this moment? Friction should be neglected.

Ans.

1.61. Two touching bars 1 and 2 are placed on an inclined plane forming an angle with the horizontal. The
masses of the bars are equal to m1 and m2, and the coefficients of friction between the inclined plane
and these bars are equal to k1 and k2 respectively, with k1 > k2. Find:
(a) the force of interaction of the bars in the process of motion
(b) the minimum value of the angle at the which the bars start sliding down.

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Ans. (a)

(b)

1.66. A small body a starts sliding down from the top of a wedge whose base is equal to l = 2.10 m. The
coefficient friction between the body and the wedge surface is k = 0.140. At what value of the angle
will the time of sliding be the least? What will it be equal to?

Ans.

1.69. A bar of mass m resting on a smooth horizontal plane starts moving due to the force F =mg/3 of
constant magnitude. In the process of its rectilinear motion the angle between the direction of this
force and the horizontal varies as , where a is a constant, and s is the distance traversed by the
bar from its initial position. Find the velocity of the bar as a function of the angle .
Ans.

1.90. A car moves with a constant tangential acceleration m/s2 along a horizontal surface
circumscribing a circle of radius R= 40 m. The coefficient of sliding friction between the wheels of the
car and the surface is k = 0.20. What distance will the car ride without sliding if at the initial moment of
time its velocity is equal to zero?
Ans.

1.93. A fixed pulley carries a weightless thread with masses m1 and m2 at its ends. There is friction between
the thread and the pulley. It is such that the thread starts slipping when the ratio m2/m1 = . Find
(a) the friction coefficient
(b) the acceleration of the masses when m2/m1 = .
Ans. (a) Let us examine a small element of the thread in contact with the pulley. Since the element is
weightless, dT = and . Hence dT/T=k . Integrating this equation, we
obtain

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(b)

1.31. A rope is passed round a stationary horizontal log fixed at a certain height above the ground. In order to
keep a load of mass m = 6 kg suspended on one end of the rope, the maximum force T 1 = 40 N should
be applied to the other end of the rope.
Determine the minimum force T2 which must be applied to the rope to lift the load.

Ans.

Q1. A small block of weight mg is initially at rest at the starting point s = 0 shown above. It slides down an
increasingly rough incline at an angle of to the horizontal. The coefficient of kinetic friction is

where is a constant and s is measured down along the incline from the starting point s = 0. The magnitude
of the work done by a non-constant force can be found from the area under a force versus displacement
graph.

a. Draw a diagram which shows all the forces acting on the block (free body diagram).
Clearly label each force. Write down the magnitude of each force in terms of only the quantities given
above.
b. Sketch a graph of the magnitude of the frictional force versus displacement.

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c. Find the area under the graph and use it to determine the magnitude of the work done by the frictional force
as a function of s.
d. How far down the plane does the block slide before coming to rest?

ANS d--

Q.1.
b)

A skier starts from rest at point A and slides down the hill, without turning or braking. The friction
coefficient is . When he stops at point B, his horizontal displacement is s. What is the height difference
h between points A and B?
(The velocity of the skier is small so that the additional pressure on the snow due to the curvature can be
neglected. Neglect also the friction of air and the dependence of  on the velocity of the skier.)

Solution:
b) For a sufficiently short horizontal displacement s the path can be considered straight. If the
corresponding length of the path element is L, the friction force is given by

and the work done by the friction force equals force times displacement:

Adding up, we find that along the whole path the total work done by friction forces is mg s . By
energy conservation this must equal the decrease mg h in potential energy of the skier. Hence

1. A board of mass m is placed on a frictionless inclined plane that makes

an angle  with the horizontal. A block of mass M is placed on the board
and is given a quick push up the board with initial velocity v. Find the
distance d covered by the block by the time its velocity drops to v/2. The
board does not move relative to the plane.

Solution: For m to remain stationary, the upward force of kinetic friction must equal the component of gravity
acting down the ramp.
The net force acting on M (down the ramp is positive) is therefore
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So,
Using and gives
Distance
An Alternative Solution:
It is possible to treat the block-board pair as a single object, eliminating the need to consider the friction
because it is an internal force. The center of mass of the block-board object starts with an initial
velocity of with an acceleration of – g sin( ).

The final velocity is half the original, or

Using the kinematics equation , one finds that

…(i)
If the center of mass moves a distance x, then the block moves a distance

Combining Eqs. (i) and (ii) yields the answer

2. An object of mass m rests on an inclined plane that makes angle 

with the horizontal floor. What is the minimum force F that must be
applied to the object in order to move it along the plane parallel to
the floor as shown? The coefficient of static friction between the
object and the plane is µs.

Solution: There are four forces acting on the object: a normal force N perpendicularly away from the incline,
gravity mg vertically downward, the applied force F in the direction of motion, and a static frictional
force f before the object begins to move. Since the object is about to slide along the plane, the frictional
force must be at its maximum value, f = µs N. The sum of the force components perpendicular to the
incline is zero, so,

On the other hand, the force components parallel to the surface of the incline are sketched in the
following free-body diagram.
Note th at the frictional force must make some angle  as drawn
because it initially balances the other two forces on this diagram,
…(ii)
for the minimum applied force to get the object to start sliding, and
…(iii)
Substitute Eq. (iii) into (ii) along with
to obtain

…(iv)

Also substitute Eq. (iii) into (i) and rearrange to find

...(v)

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
Now put Eq. (v) into (iv) to get
…(vi)
where we require , as otherwise the object will slip even in the absence of an applied force.
Note that if , as is usually the case, then the object will begin to accelerate after it starts moving.

1. A block is given a quick push along a horizontal table. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the
block and the table is µk. It is known that during the time interval t (immediately after the push) the
block covers a distance d. Find the distance that may be covered by the block during the subsequent
time interval t. Find all possible answers.

Solution: I see three possible answers to this problem. If the block stops at some point during the initial time
interval, t, then it will remain at rest during subsequent time intervals.
If the block stops during the second time interval t, we must find how far it will slide before coming to
rest. Once the push is completed, the only horizontal force acting on the block is that of friction f.
Since, and the resulting acceleration of the object is –µkg. Now,
using the definition of acceleration,
and a kinematics equation for displacement under constant acceleration,

where v0 represents the velocity of the object immediately following the push and vf
represents the velocity of the object after the time interval t. By algebraically combining these equations
and our acceleration from above,
All that remains is to determine the distance needed to stop given this initial velocity and the

acceleration from above v2 = v02 + 2ad appropriate. This results in

This case deals with continued motion after the second time interval, t. Let v0 represent the velocity
immediately after the push, v1 be the velocity after t, and v2 follow t. Then, using the same equations
used in the above,
and
By combining these equations,

1. A sled is given a quick push up the snowy slope. The sled slides up and then comes back down; the
whole trip takes time t. If the coefficient of sliding friction between the sled and the snow is  find the
time tu it took the sled to reach the top point of its trajectory. The slope makes the angle  with the
horizontal.

Solution:
Newton’s second law applied to the sled gives accelerations upwards (positive direction up) and
downwards (positive direction down) as follows:
and
If u and v are, respectively, the initial velocity when moving upwards and the final velocity when
moving downwards, then according to the (constant acceleration) kinematical formula involving
squares of velocities, . If tu and td are, respectively, the time it takes to move up and

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
the time it takes to move down, then according to the definition of acceleration and using the previous
equation,
Combining the latter equation with the first two, we get (noting that tan  >  since the sled comes
back):

4. A rope rests on two platforms which are both inclined at an angle (which you are free to pick), as shown.
The rope has uniform mass density, and its coefficient of friction with the platforms is 1. The system has
left-right symmetry. What is the largest possible fraction of the rope that does not touch the platforms?
What angle allows this maximum value?

Solution:
Let the total mass of the rope be m, and let a fraction f of it hang in the air. Consider the right half of this
section. Its weight, (f/2)mg, must be balanced by the vertical component, T sin , of the tension at the point
where it joins the part of the rope touching the right platform. The tension at this point therefore equals T =
(f/2)mg= sin .
Now consider the part of the rope touching the right platform. This part has mass (1–f) m/2. The normal
force from the platform is N = (1– f)(mg/2)cos , so the maximal friction force equals (1–f)(mg/2) cos ,
because . This fiction force must balance the sum of the gravitational force component along the
plane, which is (1–f)(mg/2) sin , plus the tension at the lower end, which is the (f–2)mg/ sin we found
above. Therefore,
…(i)

which gives
, where …(ii)
This expression for f is a monotonically increasing function of F( ), as you can check. The maximal f is
therefore obtained when F( ) is as large as possible.
Using the double-angle formulas, we can rewrite F( ) as
…(iii)
The derivative of this is , which equals zero when tan . Therefore,
…(iv)
Eq. (3) then yields , and so eq. (2) gives

…(v)

1.42. A block can slide along an inclined plane in various directions. If it receives a certain initial velocity v
directed downwards along the inclined plane, its motion will be uniformly decelerated, and it comes to
rest after traversing a distance . If the velocity of the same magnitude is imparted to it in the upward
direction, it comes to rest after traversing a distance . At the bottom of the inclined plane, a perfectly
smooth horizontal guide is fixed.
Determine the distance l traversed by the block over the inclined plane along the guide if the initial
velocity of the same magnitude is imparted to it in the horizontal direction?

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics

Ans.

1.43. A block is pushed upwards along the roof forming an angle with the horizontal. The time of the
ascent of the block to the upper point was found to be half the time of its descent to the initial point.
Determine the coefficient of friction between the block and the roof.

Ans.

2.42. A shock wave is the region of an elevated pressure propagating in the positive direction of the x-axis at
a height velocity v. At the moment of arrival of the wave, the pressure abruptly increases. This
dependence is plotted in figure.
Determine the velocity u acquired by a wedge immediately after the shock from passes through it. The
pass of the wedge is m, and its size is shown in figure. Friction should be neglected, and the velocity
acquired by the wedge should be assumed to be much lower than the velocity of the wave (u << v).

Ans.

3. A chain of uniform mass density per unit length hangs between two given points on two walls. Find the
shape of the chain. (Aside from an arbitrary additive constant, the function describing the shape should
contain one unknown constant.)
Solution:
We’ll present four solutions. The first one involves balancing forces. The other three involve various
variations on a variational argument.
First solution:
Let the chain be described by the function y(x), and let the tension be described by the function T(x).
Consider a small piece of the chain, with endpoints at x and x + dx, as shown.

Let the tension at x pull downward at an angle with respect to the horizontal, and let the tension at x + dx
pull upward at an angle with respect to the horizontal. Balancing the horizontal and vertical forces on
the small piece of chain gives
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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
,

…(i)

where is the mass per unit length. The second term on the right is the weight of the small piece, because
, which is essentially the same) is its length. We must now somehow solve these
two differential equations for the two unknown functions, y(x) and T(x). There are various ways to do this.
Here is one method, broken down into three steps.
First step: Squaring and adding eqs. (i) gives
…(ii)
Writing , and using , we can simplify eq. (2) to (neglecting
second-order terms in dx)
…(iii)
Therefore,
…(iv)
where c1 is a constant of integration
Second step: Let’s see what we can extract from the first equation in eqs. (1).
Using

, and …(v)

and expanding things to first order in dx, the first of eqs. (1) becomes

…(vi)

All of the functions here are evaluated at x, which we won’t bother writing. Expanding the first square root
gives (to first order in dx)

…(vii)

To first order in dx this yields

…(viii)

Integrating both sides gives

…(ix)
where c2 is a constant of integration. Exponentating then gives
…(x)

where .
Third step: We will now combine eq. (x) with eq. (iv) to solve for y(x). Eliminating T gives
. We can rewrite this is the somewhat nicer form,
…(xi)
where , and . At this point we can cleverly guess (motivated by the fact that
that the solution for y is given by

…(xii)
Or, we can separate variables to obtain

…(xiii)

and then use the fact that the integral of is , to obtain the same result.

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
The shape of the chain is therefore a hyperbolic cosine function. The constant h isn’t too important, because
it simply depends on where we pick the y = 0 height. Furthermore, we can eliminate the need for the
constant a if we pick x = 0 to be where the lowest point of the chain is (or where it would be, in the case
where the slope is always non zero). In this case, using eq. (xii), we see that implies a = 0, as
desired. We then have (ignoring the constant h) the nice simple result,
…(xiv)
We’ll show how to determine at the end of the solutions.
Second solution: We can also solve this problem by using a variational argument. The chain will want to
minimize its potential energy, so we want to find the function y(x) that minimizes the integral,
…(xv)
subject to the constraint that the length of the chain is some given length . That is,
…(xvi)
Without this constraint, we could find y(x) by simply using the Euler-Lagrange equation on the
“Lagrangian” given in eq. (xv). But with the constraint, we must use the method of Lagrange
multipliers. This works for functional in the same way it works for functions. Basically, for any small
variation in y(x) near the minimum, we want the change in U to be proportional to the change in . This
means that there exists a linear combination of U and ` that doesn’t change, to first order in any small
variation in y(x). In other words, the Lagrangian.
…(xvii)
satisfies the Euler-Lagrange equation, for some value of h. Therefore,

…(xviii)

We must now perform some straightforward (although tedious) differentiations. Using the product rule on
the left-hand side, and making copious use of the chain rule, we obtain

…(xix)

Multiplying through by and simplifying gives

…(xx)
Having produced the Euler-Lagrange differential equation, we must now integrate it. If we multiply through
by and rearrange, we obtain

…(xxi)

Taking the dx integral of both sides gives , where c4 is a constant of

integration. Exponentiation then gives (with )
…(xxii)
in agreement with eq. (11).
Third solution: Let’s use a variational argument again, but now with y as the independent variable. That is,
let the chain be described by the function x(y). Then the potential energy is
…(xxiii)
The constraint is
…(xxiv)
Using the method of Lagrange multipliers as in the second solution above, the Lagrangian we want to
consider is
…(xxv)
Our Euler-Lagrange equation is then
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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics

…(xxvi)

The zero on the right-hand side makes things nice and easy, because it means that the quantity in
parentheses is a constant. Calling this constant (to end up with the notation in the second solution), we
have . Therefore,

…(xxvii)

which is equivalent to eq. (13).

Fourth solution: Note that our “Lagrangian” in the second solution above, which is given in eq. (17) as
…(xxviii)
is independent of x. Therefore, in analogy with conservation of energy (which arises from a Lagrangian that
is independent of t), the quantity

…(xxix)

is independent of x. Call it . Then we have reproduced eq. (11). Remark: The constant can be
determined from the locations of the endpoints and the length of the chain. The position of the chain may be
described by giving (1) the horizontal distance, d, between the two endpoints, (2) the vertical distance, ,
between the two endpoints, and (3) the length, `, of the chain, as shown.

Note that it is not obvious what the horizontal distances between the ends and the minimum point (which
we have chosen as the x = 0 point) are. If , then these distances are simply d=2. But otherwise, they
are not so clear.
If we let the left endpoint be located at , then the right endpoint is located at . We now
have two unknowns, x0 and . Our two conditions are
…(xxx)
along with the condition that the length equals , which takes the form (using eq. (14))

…(xxxi)

Writing out eqs. (30) and (31) explicitly, using eq. (14), we have
and …(xxxii)
If we take the difference of the squares of these two equations, and use the hyperbolic identities
and we obtain
(xxxiii)
We can now numerically solve this equation for . Using a “half-angle” formula, you can show that eq.
(33) may also be written as
(xxxiv)
We can check some limits here. If and (that is, the chain forms a horizontal straight line), then
eq. (34) becomes . The solution to this is , which does indeed correspond to a
horizontal straight line, because for small , eq. (14) behaves like (up to an additive constant),
which varies slowly with x for small . Another limit is where is much larger than both d and . In this

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
case, eq. (34) becomes . The solution to this is a very large , which corresponds to a
“droopy” chain, because eq. (14) varies rapidly with x for large .

1.73. A block is connected to an identical block through a weightless pulley by a weightless inextensible
thread of length 2l. The left block rests on a table at a distance l from its edge, while the right block is
kept at the same level so that the thread is unscratched and does not sag, and then released.
What will happen first: will the left block reach the edge of the table (and touch the pulley) or the right
block hit the table?

Ans.
1.74. Two loads of the same mass are tied to the ends of a weightless inextensible thread passed through a
weightless pulley. Initially, the system is at rest, and the loads are at the same level. Then the right load
abruptly acquires a horizontal velocity v in the plane of the figure. Which load will be lower in a time?

1. A particle moves along the positive axis Ox (one-dimensional situation) under a force that’s projection
on Ox is as represented in the figure below (as function of ). At the origin of axis is
placed a perfectly reflecting wall.
A friction force of constant modulus acts anywhere the particle is situated.
The particle starts from the point having the kinetic energy .
a. Find the length of the path of the particle before it comes to a final stop
b. Sketch the potential energy of the particle in the force field .
c. Draw qualitatively the dependence of the particle speed as function of his coordinate .

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics

2. A rigid cylindrical rod of radius R is held horizontal above the ground. With a string of
negligible mass and length L ( ), a pendulum bob of mass m is suspended from point A
at the top of the rod as shown in Figure 1a. The bob is raised until it is level with A and then
released from rest when the string is taut. Neglect any stretching of the string. Assume the
pendulum bob may be treated as a mass point and swings only in a plane perpendicular to the
axis of the rod. Accordingly, the pendulum bob is also referred to as the particle. The
acceleration of gravity is .

Let O be the origin of the coordinate system. When the particle is at point P, the string is
tangential to the cylindrical surface at Q. The length of the line segment QP is called s. The
unit tangent vector and the unit radial vector at Q are given by and , respectively. The
angular displacement  of the radius OQ, as measured counterclockwise from the vertical x-
axis along OA, is taken to be positive.
When , the length s is equal to L and the gravitational potential energy U of the particle is
zero. As the particle moves, the instantaneous time rates of change of  and s are given by
and , respectively.
Unless otherwise stated, all the speeds and velocities are relative to the fixed point O.
Part A
In Part A, the string is taut as the particle moves. In terms of the quantities introduced above
(i.e., s,    R, L, g, and ), find:
a) The relation between and
b) The velocity of the moving point Q relative to O.
c) The particle’s velocity relative to the moving point Q when it is at P.
d) The particle’s velocity relative to O when it is at P
e) The -component of the particle’s acceleration relative to O when it is at P.
f) The particle’s gravitational potential energy U when it is at P
g) The speed vm of the particle at the lowest point of its trajectory.
Part B
In Part B, the ratio L to R has the following value:

h) What is the speed of the particle when the string segment from Q to P is both straight
and shortest in length? (in terms of g and R)
i) What is the speed of the particle at its highest point H when it has swung to the other
side of the rod? (in terms of g and R
Part C
In Part C, instead of being suspended from A, the pendulum bob of mass m is connected by a
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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
string over the top of the rod to a heavier weight of mass M, as shown in Figure 1b. The weight
can also be treated as a particle.

Initially, the bob is held stationary at the same level as A so that, with the weight hanging
below O, the string is taut with a horizontal section of length L. The bob is then released from
rest and the weight starts falling. Assume that the bob remains in a vertical plane and can
swing past the falling weight without any interruption.
The kinetic friction between the string and the rod surface is negligible. But the static friction
is assumed to be large enough so that the weight will remain stationary once it has come to a
stop (i.e. zero velocity).
j) Assume that the weight indeed comes to a stop after falling a distance D and that (L-D) >>
R. If the particle can then swing around the rod to  = 2 while both segments of the
string free from the rod remain straight, the ratio  = D /L must not be smaller than a
critical value  c. Neglecting terms of the order R /L or higher, obtain an estimate on  c in
terms of M /m
sol 2. Part A
a) Since the length of the string is constant, its rate of change must be zero. Hence
we have
(A1)*
b) Relative to O, Q moves on a circle of radius R with angular velocity , so
(A2)*
c) Refer to Fig. A1. Relative to Q, the displacement of P in a time interval t is
. It follows
(A3)*

d) The velocity of the particle relative to O is the sum of the two relative velocities given in
Eqs. (A2) and (A3) so that
(A4)*
e) Refer to Fig. A2. The ( )-component of the velocity change is given by
. Therefore, the -component of the acceleration is given
by . Since the speed v of the particle is according to Eq. (A4), we see that the
-component of the particle’s acceleration at P is given by

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
(A5)*

Note that, from Fig. A2, the radial component of the acceleration may also be obtained as
.
f) Refer to Fig. A3. The gravitational potential energy of the particle is given by . It
may be expressed in terms of s and  as
(A6)*

g) At the lowest point of its trajectory, the particle’s gravitational potential energy U must
assume its minimum value Um. If the particle’s mechanical energy E were equal to Um, its
kinetic energy would be zero. The particle would then remain stationary and be in the static
equilibrium state shown in Fig. A4. Thus, the potential energy reaches its minimum value
when  =  /2 or s = L−  R /2.

From Fig. A4 or Eq. (A6), the minimum potential energy is then

. (A7)
Initially, the total mechanical energy E is 0. Since E is conserved, the speed vm of the
particle at the lowest point of its trajectory must satisfy
. (A8)
From Eqs. (A7) and (A8), we obtain
. (A9)*
Part B
h) From Eq. (A6), the total mechanical energy of the particle may be written as
(B1)

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
From Eq. (A4), the speed v is equal to . Therefore, Eq. (B1) implies
(B2)
Let T be the tension in the string. Then, as Fig. B1 shows, the -component of the net force
on the particle is –T + mg sin . From Eq. (A5), the tangential acceleration of the particle
is . Thus, by Newton’s second law, we have
(B3)

According to the last two equations, the tension may be expressed as

(B4)

The functions and are plotted in Fig B2.

From Eq. (B4) and Fig. B2, we obtain the result shown in Table B1. The angle at which .y2 = y1
is called ( ) and is given by
(B5)
or, equivalently, by
(B6)
Since the ratio L/R is known to be given by
(B7)
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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics
one can readily see from the last two equations that .

Table B1 shows that the tension T must be positive (or the string must be taut and straight) in
the angular range 0<  <  s. Once  reaches  s, the tension T becomes zero and the part of the
string not in contact with the rod will not be straight afterwards. The shortest possible value smin
for the length s of the line segment QP therefore occurs at and is given by
(B8)
When , we have T = 0 and Eqs. (B2) and (B3) then leads to . Hence the
speed v s is

(B9)*

i) When , the particle moves like a projectile under gravity. As shown in Fig. B3, it is
projected with an initial speed v s from the position in a direction making an
angle with the y-axis.
The speed of the particle at the highest point of its parabolic trajectory is equal to the y-
component of its initial velocity when projected. Thus,
(B10)*
The horizontal distance H traveled by the particle from point P to the point of maximum
height is
(B11)

The coordinates of the particle when are given by

(B12)

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics

(B13)
Evidently, we have . Therefore the particle can indeed reach its maximum height
without striking the surface of the rod.
Part C
j) Assume the weight is initially lower than O by h as shown in Fig. C1.

When the weight has fallen a distance D and stopped, the law of conservation of total
mechanical energy as applied to the particle-weight pair as a system leads to
(C1)
where E is the total mechanical energy of the particle when the weight has stopped. It follows
(C2)
Let  be the total length of the string. Then, its value at  = 0 must be the same as at any other
angular displacement . Thus we must have
(C3)
Noting that D =  L and introducing ℓ = L−D, we may write
(C4)
From the last two equations, we obtain
(C5)
After the weight has stopped, the total mechanical energy of the particle must be conserved.
According to Eq. (C2), we now have, instead of Eq. (B1), the following equation:
(C6)
The square of the particle’s speed is accordingly given by
. (C7)
Since Eq. (B3) stills applies, the tension T of the string is given by
(C8)
From the last two equations, it follows

(C9)

where Eq. (C5) has been used to obtain the last equality.
We now introduce the function
(C10)
From the fact ℓ = (L−D) >> R, we may write

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 Aptitude Test-Problems in Physics

(C11)
where we have introduced

, (C12)

From Eq. (C11), the minimum value of f() is seen to be given by

(C13)
Since the tension T remains nonnegative as the particle swings around the rod, we have from
Eq. (C9) the inequality
(C14)
or
(C15)
From Eq. (C4), Eq. (C15) may be written as
(C16)
Neglecting terms of the order (R/L) or higher, the last inequality leads to

(C17)

The critical value for the ratio D/L is therefore

(C18)*

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