Due Friday, September 21st , 6pm PHYS 2210 (Fall 2018)

Homework Set # 4

Please do write legibly as much as you possibly can. The teaching staff will be grateful for a clear
presentation of your work! Also, show your work in detail, without skipping steps and always write the
formula down before you plug in numbers to calculate and answer. Always work out your solutions in
terms of variables, and plug in the numerical values (when given) only at the very end of your calculation.
Present clear sketches and graph properly labeled. Add any additional sketches in support of your
argument whenever applicable.

You must turn in your homework online on Canvas as a single pdf attachment. We encourage you
to work on a handwritten copy and then scan it to make a single pdf document (do not attach multiple
files) called YourLastnameHW#.pdf. You can either use a scanning machine (e.g. at the Marriott library)
or use one of the many “scanner” apps available on smartphones. We will NOT accept “photos” of
homework. It is your responsibility to guarantee your submitted pdf is legible and on a clear
white background. Illegible homework will earn zero credit.

Problem 1: Trajectory of rocket in space A rocket is moving sideways in deep space with its
engine off from A to B as shown in the figure below. It is not near any stars or planets or other outside
forces. Its engine is fired at point B and left on for 2s while the rocket travels from point B to some point
C.

Draw the shape of its path from B to C and then from point C, for a little longer after the engine is turned
off. Briefly explain why that is the correct path of the rocket (use both your knowledge of Newton’s laws
as well as kinematics).

Problem 2: Conveyor belt A box sits on a moving conveyor belt without slipping. The belt maintains
a constant speed to the right.
a) Explain in your own words how this comes about, starting from the moment when the box is placed
onto the conveyor belt.

b) At the moment, immediately after the box is placed on the belt, what are the forces acting on the
box? Is there a frictional force? If so in which direction does it point?
c) When the box is sitting on the moving belt without slipping, explain: what forces are acting on the
box? Is there a frictional force? If so in which direction does it point?
Problem 3: Piano and pulleys You want to lift a piano with the help of a pulley. There are two
pulley-systems: (a) and (b) as shown in the figure. The pulley-system (a) consists of a single pulley and
a single rope wrapped around it. The pulley-system (b) instead has two pulleys, pay attention to how
the rope is configured around the two of them. If you had to follow the rope from one end to the other
end: the rope is attached to the axle (center) of the top pulley, it goes down and wrap around the lower
pulley and then comes back up, wraps around the top pulley and then comes down and ends into your
hands. All pulleys are frictionless, all ropes are massless and inextensible.

a) Consider you are using the pulley-system (a) to hold a piano of mass m. What is the magnitude of
the force with which you need to pull the rope to hold the piano?

b) Consider you are using the pulley-system (b) to hold a piano of mass m. What is the magnitude of
the force with which you need to pull the rope to hold the piano?

Note: For both questions above give your answer in terms of the given quantities. Hint: Make sure you
use the 7-Step Recipe to Solve Problems with Forces (see last page of this file for a copy) and properly
use Newton’s Laws.

Problem 4: Inclined plane A box of mass m =10 kg starts from rest on an incline and slides down
to the bottom, a distance d =10 m away. The angle of the incline is 30◦ and there is no friction.

a) Use the 7-Step Recipe to Solve Problems with Forces (see last page of this file for a copy) to find
the: 1) the acceleration of the block down along the incline, 2) the normal force acting on the box.
Explicitly show in your solution each of the 7 Steps.
b) Using the acceleration that you found in the previous part, use the appropriate kinematics equations
and initial conditions, to find the time it takes to the box to get to the bottom of the incline.
Problem 5: Pulling at an angle For this problem as well, use the 7-Step Recipe to Solve Problems
with Forces (see last page of this file for a copy)

A block of mass M is pulled to the right with a force F acting at an angle θ with the horizontal, as shown
in the figure. As a consequence of the force applied, the block has an acceleration a to the right. There
is friction acting between the block and the ground.
a) What is the normal force N acting on the block? Find an expression in terms of the given quantities.
b) What is the coefficient of kinetic friction µk between the block and the ground? Find an expression
in terms of the given quantities.
c) What happens to your answers to a) and b) in the case of θ = 0? Do your answers make sense?

Problem 6: Two masses, two frictionless, inclined planes, and a pulley For this problem as
well, use the 7-Step Recipe to Solve Problems with Forces (see last page of this file for a copy)

A block of mass m1 , on a frictionless inclined plane making an angle θ1 with the horizontal is connected by
an inextensible cord over a small frictionless massless pulley to a second block of mass m2 on a frictionless
plane at an angle θ2 . (See figure above)
a) Sketch a force diagram for both masses. Indicate your coordinate system for each mass, i.e. what
is your positive x1 direction? What is your positive x2 direction? Remember that in cases, where
there’s motion along an inclined plane, it is often best (simplest) to pick a coordinate system with an
axis parallel to the inclined plane.
b) Write down the equations of motion (that means Newton’s 2nd Law for each mass, and for each
direction, Step 5. of the Recipe, you should have 4 equations in total, 2 per each block).
c) What are the constraints in this problem? (Step 6).
d) Calculate the acceleration of each block (from Step 7).
e) Do your answers to the previous part make sense if m1  m2 ? Explain.
f) Calculate the tension in the cord (from Step 7).
 7-Step Recipe to Solve Problems with Forces

1 Newton’s Laws of Motion

Forces cause motion as prescribed by Newton’s Laws.
1. If an object has zero total force on it, it moves with constant velocity.
2. F = ma where F = F1 + F2 + F3 + ... = Σi Fi is the total force on the object, equal to the vector
sum of the individual constituent forces Fi .

3. If body b exerts a force Fa on body a, then body a exerts a force Fb on body b, where Fa = −Fb .

2 How to apply Newton’s Laws

We will encounter a class of problems in which it is necessary to calculate, for example, the acceleration
of one or more objects, or the tension in a piece of string, etc. To solve this class of problems, it is
very helpful to follow a systematic procedure that invariably yields the correct answer. This procedure
involves the following steps:
1. Make a sketch of your system.
2. Mentally partition the system under study into parts, each one of which can be treated as a “point
mass”.
3. Draw a force diagram for each point mass, representing each mass as a point, and drawing a force
vector from the point, corresponding to each force acting on the mass. Only include forces acting
directly on the mass in question and include Newton’s third law forces properly.

4. Introduce a coordinate system for each point mass.

5. Using your force diagrams as a guide, write down the component force equations for each point
mass, e.g. for an object of mass m, subject to two forces F1 , F2 , .... we have

F1x + F2x + ... = max , (1)

F1y + F2y + ... = may , (2)

in the x and y directions, respectively.

6. Look for any “constraints” in your problem and write down equations that express the constraints.
Examples will show better what exactly is meant by a “constraint”. But, for example, if an object
is not moving, its acceleration is zero, so in this case the “constraint” is that a = 0. Another
example would be if two objects are tied together via an inextensible string under tension. In this
case, since the length of the string is fixed, the magnitude of the acceleration of the two objects
must be equal to each other; the constraint in this case is that a1 = a2 .
7. Solve the equations you’ve written down in 5. to solve the problem, being sure to give your answer
in terms of the “given” quantities, i.e. the quantities that are known, as far as the problem is
concerned.
If you follow this procedure, you are guaranteed to achieve the correct answer to Newton’s Law problems.
Therefore, you are urged to follow this procedure in all cases. We will now work a number of examples
via this procedure.