PHYS 4330 Theoretical Mechanics

Homework # 1
Review Newtonian Mechanics
Submission deadline: 8 September 2017 at 4pm
Submission location: Homework drop box in Huntington Library JROWL 1C28.

1. Consider a projectile fired from the origin of a coordinate system with initial velocity v0 and in
a direction making an angle with the horizontal.

(a) Calculate the angular momentum L r x p of the projectile with respect to the origin of the
coordinate system.

(b) Calculate the torque due to gravity N r x Fg acting on the projectile with respect to the
origin of the coordinate system.
(c) Demonstrate that the torque is equal to the time rate of change of the angular momentum.
10 points
2.

10 Points
3. In Figure 3, a spring with k=170N/m is at the top of a frictionless incline of angle =37.0.
The lower end of the incline is distance D=1.00m from the end of the spring, which is at its
relaxed length L. A m=2.00 kg canister is pushed against the spring until the spring is compressed
by x=0.200 m and released from rest.
(a) What is the speed v of the canister at the instant the spring returns to its relaxed length (which
is when the canister loses contact with the spring)?
(b) What is the speed v of the canister when it reaches the lower end of the incline?
10 points

Figure 3.

10 points