Physics Problems 1

Fei Liu2

October 25, 2019

1
USPhO
2
njsci.org
ii
Dedicated to my family.
iv
Contents

1 Mechanics 3
1.1 A stick on a sticky table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 A stick on a smooth table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 Cutting the rope on a hanging stick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.4 Ant crawling on a rubber band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.4.1 Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.2 Solution 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.3 Solution 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4.4 Solution 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.4.5 Expanding Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.5 Spring with mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.6 Minimum speed required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

v
vi CONTENTS
CONTENTS 1

Structure of book
Each unit will focus on <SOMETHING>.

About the companion website

The website1 for this file contains:

• A link to (freely downlodable) latest version of this document.

• Link to download LaTeX source for this document.

• Miscellaneous material (e.g. suggested readings etc).

Acknowledgements
• A special word of thanks goes to Professor Don Knuth2 (for TEX) and
Leslie Lamport3 (for LATEX).

• I’ll also like to thank Gummi4 developers and LaTeXila5 development

team for their awesome LATEX editors.

• I’m deeply indebted my parents, colleagues and friends for their sup-
port and encouragement.

Amber Jain
http://amberj.devio.us/

1
https://github.com/amberj/latex-book-template
2
http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~uno/
3
http://www.lamport.org/
4
http://gummi.midnightcoding.org/
5
http://projects.gnome.org/latexila/
2 CONTENTS
1

Mechanics

“Where there is a will, there is a way.”

– 6 BC, Second Han Chronology

The following subjects are covered: kinematics, Newton’s laws of motion,

Circular motion, Universal Gravitation, Work and Energy, Impulse and Mo-
mentum, Rotational Dynamics, Oscillations, Fluids, and Mechanical Waves

1.1 A stick on a sticky table

A stick with mass m and length l is placed vertically on a frictional table
with static friction coefficient µs . The stick is given a slight push and starts
falling. Find the condition under which the stick will not slide.

Solution
The condition for the stick not to side is 1) the stick has to stay on the table
N ≥ 0 and 2) the table is sticky enough such that µs ≥ µs,min
After the stick has fallen an angle θ from the vertical direction, using
the pivot point O as axis of rotation, from conservation of energy:

2
mgl/2(1 − cos(θ)) = 1/2IO ωO
IO = 1/3ml2

mgl/2 (1 − cos(θ)) = 1/2 1/3 ml2 ωO

2

q
ωO = 3g/l(1 − cos(θ)
Solving this we can find the center of mass velocity vcm
q
vcm = ωO l/2 = 3/4gl(1 − cos(θ))

3
4 1. MECHANICS

From which we can calculate centripetal acceleration ac

2 2
ac = vcm /R = vcm /(l/2) = 3/2g(1 − cosθ)
Eular’s equation of motion at the moment using O as axis of rotation
gives us angular acceleration α:

mgl/2sin(θ) = IO α
which then can be used to calculate tangential acceleration at

at = αl/2
Solving this yields
at = 3/4gsinθ
Three forces act on the stick, mg, N , fs . Since we can easily compute
centripetal acceleration ac from vcm and tangential acceleration from α, we’ll
line up the coordinate with forces and thereby using newton’s 2nd law with
a horizontal and vertical coordinate system.
In the horizontal direction:
fs = at cosθ − ac sinθ
In the vertical direction:
mg − N = at sinθ + ac cosθ
After some lengthy algebra:

N = mg(9/4cos2 θ − 3/2cosθ + 1/4) = mg(3/2cosθ − 1/2)2

Since this guarantees N > 0, the stick will not rise off the table. Let’s
now examine µs

fs = 3/2 mgsinθ(3/2 cosθ − 1)

For the stick not to slide, the minimum µs has to satisfy the following
equation

fs = µs N
or
fs 3/2cosθ − 1
µs = = 3/2
N (3/2cosθ − 1/2)2
The maximum of this is the minimum required during the motion. The
3/2cosθ−1
function (3/2cosθ−1/2) 2 is plotted against θ and shown in figure 1.1.

It can be seen that the maximum µs happens at θ = 0. So as long as

µs ≥ 3/4, the stick will not slide. Algebraically this is easy to show by
taking a derivative of µs and setting dµ s
dθ = 0 to solve for the critical θ and
corresponding µs .
1.2. A STICK ON A SMOOTH TABLE 5

Figure 1.1: 2/3µs as a function of θ

1.2 A stick on a smooth table

A stick with mass m and length l is placed vertically on a frictionless table.
The stick is given a slight push and starts falling. Find the condition under
which the stick will not slide.

Solution
The condition for the stick to stay on the table is N ≥ 0.
The situation here is more complex than the previous problem. Since
the bottom point is sliding on the horizontal table. As there is no horizon-
tal friction, the horizontal center of mass has to stay motionless along the
vertical line.
After the stick has fallen an angle θ from the vertical direction, we use
the energy equation:

2 2
mgl/2(1 − cos(θ)) = 1/2mvcm + 1/2Icm ωcm
Icm = 1/12ml2
A critical understanding allows us to relate vcm and ωcm . (figure 1.2)
Note that here we cannot use rolling without slipping condition. Because
the stick is rigid, the velocity at the left end of the stick (the end on the
table) is horizontal

~vl = ~vl/cm + ~vcm = ~r × ω

~ cm + ~vcm
Translating this vector equation into a parallelogram yields the following
relationship:

vl = vcm ctgθ
rωcm = vcm cscθ
6 1. MECHANICS

Figure 1.2: relationship between ωcm , vcm , and vl .

The second equation leads to

ωcm = 2vcm cscθ/l

The same relationship can be obtained by requiring identical longitudinal
velocity along the rod.
vl sinθ = vcm cosθ
Substituing this back to the energy equation leads to a solution for

2 1 − cosθ
vcm = 2glsin2 θ
3 + sin2 θ

2 1 − cosθ
ωcm = 8g/l
3 + sin2 θ
From here, one can use Eular’s equation of motion for the angular ac-
celeration using CM as axis of rotation in the CM frame:

N l/2 = Icm αcm

Newton’s equation of motion in the vertical direction:

mg − N = macm
And finally

2
acm = dvcm /dt = d(l/2ωcm sinθ)/dt = l/2αcm sinθ+l/2ωcm cosθωcm = l/2(αcm sinθ+ωcm cosθ)

Combining all three equations to find N :

N lsinθ 8gcosθ(1 − cosθ)

mg − N = ml/2( + )
2Icm l(3 + sin2 θ)
1.3. CUTTING THE ROPE ON A HANGING STICK 7

1 − 4 cosθ(1−cosθ)
3+sin2 θ
N = mg
1 + 3sinθ
Plotting this in figure 1.3 shows that between 0 and π/2, the minimum
of N is greater than 0. Therefore the stick will not rise off the table by itself.

Figure 1.3: Normal force N as a function of θ

1.3 Cutting the rope on a hanging stick

The problem has a standard treatment that is to use the hanging point as
a pivot to set up torque equation
mgl/2 = 1/3ml2 α
Then finding CM acceleration
acm = αl/2
The question is that whether it’s okay to use the hanging point ~r0 as
axis of rotation which is possibly moving:
To use a moving axis of rotation attached to ~r0 , ~¨r0 needs to be carefully
evaluated. The hanging point at t=0 has a = 0. To show this, ax = acm =
vt2 /(l/2) = 0 or equivalently there is no horizontal force acting on the rod
at t=0, ay ≡ 0 because it’s being hang on a rope.
For the same argument, this problem can be extended such that the rod
is not horizontal. The same approach would work as long as the rod starts
from rest.

1.4 Ant crawling on a rubber band

Often you find little gems in Physics where a simple problem leads to prin-
ciple that could be applied to more interesting problems. Such is the case
of a crawling ant on a expanding rubber band.
8 1. MECHANICS

This class of problem transforms the parametric space of the relaxed

spring to the stretched spring.
A simple example is the classical problem ant walking on a rubber band
being stretched. End of rubber band stretched at velocity u, ant is crawlling
at velocity v (v < u). If at t = 0, ant is positioned at relaxed length of the
rubber band L0 , when can the ant reach the other end.

1.4.1 Preparation
To make visualization easier, imagine rubber band is stretched to the right
at u, ant crawling to the left at v, define to the right as positive.
There are 3 main time dependent variables in this problem, the position
of the a rubber band point fixed on the relaxed rubber band, let’s call this
l; the position of this fixed point on the stretching rubber band is y(t); the
position of ant in the lab reference frame, let’s call this x(t); the position
of the ant mapped onto the relaxed rubber band l(t); Then the following
relationships exist:

l
y(t) = (L0 + ut)
L0
dy ul u yL0 uy
= = =
dt L0 L0 L0 + ut L0 + ut
L0 + ut
x(t) = l(t)
L0
dx dl(t) L0 + ut l(t)
= + u
dt dt L0 L0
dl(t)
where dxdt is the speed of ant in the lab reference frame and dt is the
speed of the ant along the relaxed rubber band.

1.4.2 Solution 1
Formal approach using relative motion, vant/ground = vant/band +vband/ground =
v + Lul0 when ant is at position x(t) on the stretched rubber band.

ux
dx = (v + )dt
L0 + ut
This is a heterogeneous first order linear differential equation with stan-
dard procedure for solution. First the homogeneous equation is solved then
the heterogeneous part of the equation is considered. First the equation can
be rewritten to show clearly the homogeneous and heterogeneous constructs:

dx u
− x = −v
dt L0 + ut
1.4. ANT CRAWLING ON A RUBBER BAND 9

The homogeneous part is

dx u
− x=0
dt L0 + ut

which has a trivial solution x(t) = Cexp(ln(L0 + ut)) = C(L0 + ut)

(Some ODE handbook has the following solution:
R v
−( L )dt+C
µ=e 0 +ut = Ce−ln(L0 +ut) = C(L0 + ut)−1

)
Next to find the heterogeneous part of the solution, we divide the initial
ODE by the solution from homogeneous equation x = C(L0 + ut):
After some algebra, the equation reduces to

d(x(L0 + ut))
= v(L0 + ut)−1
dt

The special solution is

v
xspecial = (L0 + ut)ln(L0 + ut)
u

Therefore the general solution for the initial heterogeneous equation is

v
x(t) = C(L0 + ut) + (L0 + ut)ln(L0 + ut)
u

To solve for the constant C, we can use initial condition

x(t = 0) = L0

v
x(t = 0) = L0 = CL0 + L0 lnL0
u
v
C = (1 − )lnL0
u
The solution for the arrival time T is obtained by solving

x(t = T ) = 0

,
L0 − u
T = (e v − 1)
u
(Note that our vector convention means v < 0)
10 1. MECHANICS

1.4.3 Solution 2
Another solution can be found by solvig the ODE directly by starting from
the initial ODE and simply do a substitution,
ux
x0 = v +
L0 + ut
x
Let Y = L0 +ut , then

x0 xu
Y0 = −
L0 + ut (L0 + ut)2
Use the initial ODE,
v ux ux v
Y0 = + 2
− 2
=
L0 + ut (L0 + ut) (L0 + ut) L0 + ut
Therefore, the solution to Y must be
v
Y = ln(L0 + ut) + C
u
Since Y (t = 0) = 1 (the ant is at the end point), C = 1 − uv ln(L0 ), therefore,
v L0 + ut
Y = ln( )+1
u L0
Substitute back to x(t),
x(t) = Y (L0 + ut)
Again let x(t = T ) = 0,
L0 − u
T = (e v − 1)
u

1.4.4 Solution 3
A clever way to set up the differential equation is to examine how the ant
moves in the parametric space of the relaxed rubber band, at time t, a point
at l(t) on relaxed rubber band is at l(t)
L0 (L0 + ut), the ant moving relative to
the stretching rubber band at speed
dx dl(t) L0 + ut l(t)
x0 = = + u
dt dt L0 L0
Earlier we also derived,
ux
x0 = v +
L0 + ut
It’s obvious:
L0 + ut
l0 =v
L0
1.5. SPRING WITH MASS 11

dl vL0
=
dt L0 + ut
Z 0 Z T
vL0 dt
dl =
L0 0 L0 + ut
Again,
L0 − u
T = (e v − 1)
u

1.4.5 Expanding Universe

1.5 Spring with mass

In 2019 International Physics Olympiad, this very same concept is applied
to a spring with mass. When hanging a spring with mass, the top will be
more stretched than the bottom.

1.6 Minimum speed required

Suppose a light rod with two point masses attached at end points is laid
upon a horizontal frictionless table. If we give one point mass an initial
velocity, conceivably the system can fly up into the air and completely leave
the table. Given the length of the rod l, point mass m, what’s the minimum
speed required for the