UNIVERSITY OF MINES AND TECHNOLOGY, TARKWA

FIRST SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS, DEC 2014

COURSE NO : GM/GL/MN/MR/PE/ES/EL/MC/MA/CE 167
COURSE NAME: BASIC MECHANICS
CLASS : BSc I TIME: 3 HOURS

Name: __________________________________________ Index Number: _______________

INSTRUCTIONS
 Answer ALL questions
 In section A, do all your rough work in the answer booklet, circle the correct answer from the options
A to E.
 In section B, full credits will be given to clear and logical presentation of solution rather than mere
writing of final answers. Whenever necessary, draw free body diagrams, state the principle being
applied, and/or assumptions made.
 All diagrams are not drawn to scale. Use the given dimensions on each drawing for your calculations
whenever necessary.
 Neglect masses and frictional effects, if they are not given.
 Use a value of g=9.81 m/s2 for all acceleration due to gravity on earth.

USEFUL FORMULAE
Kinematics of particles
Rectilinear motion Rotational motion

Kinetics of particles & Rigid bodies

Conservation of linear momentum

SECTION A
1. Two forces having the same magnitude, parallel lines of action and opposite sense acting on a rigid
body are said to form _____________.
A. An equilibrium D. Momentum
B. Mechanics E. Reactions
C. A couple
2. According to Newton’s first law of motion, _____________ is any effect that may change the state of
rest or motion of a body.
A. Power B. Dynamics C. Force D. Motion E. Friction

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3. The ________________ states that the point of application a force on a rigid body may be placed
anywhere along its line of action without changing the conditions of equilibrium or motion of the
body.
A. Varignon’s principle D. Law of gravitation
B. Theory of relativity E. Principle of action and reaction
C. Principle of transmissibility
4. A system of forces in different planes with their lines of action passing through a common point
constitute
A. Coplanar concurrent force system D. Concurrent spatial force system
B. Parallel spatial force system E. Coplanar non-concurrent
C. Collinear force system
5. An astronaut weighs 720 N on earth at sea level. Determine his mass on moon. [Given that the moon
has a mass of 7.35 x 1022 kg and an average diameter of 3474.2 km]
A. 72.00 kg B. 73.39 kg C. 443.08 kg D. 440.34 kg E. 120 kg
6. From question 5, what will be the weight of the astronaut as he lands on the surface of moon?
A. 119.29 N B. 4320 N C. 120.07 N D. 1.63 N E. 720 N
7. The gravitational acceleration at sea level is 9.81 m/s2. At what altitude h, will a body weigh half of
its weight at sea level? [Radius of earth Re = 6371 km].
A. B. C. D. E.
8. From question 7, the acceleration due to gravity at altitude h will be
A. D.

B. E.

C.
9. The following are all vector quantities except
A. Velocity D. Force
B. Momentum E. Displacement
C. Mass
10. The ________________ states that the moment about a given point O of the resultant of several
concurrent forces is equal to the sum of the moments of the various forces about the same point O.
A. D’ Alemberts principle D. Moment theorem
B. Varignon’s theorem E. Parallelogram law
C. Pythagoras’ theorem

11. From the principle of energy conservation, it can be inferred that a body falling from rest under
gravity ________
A. Gains potential energy at the expense of kinetic energy
B. Loses all its energy as it falls
C. Gains kinetic energy at the expense of potential energy
D. Has a constant potential energy
E. Travels at a constant velocity
Use the preamble given below to answer questions 12 to 14

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Two forces P and Q are applied to an aircraft connection as shown in Fig Q12. The connection is in
equilibrium and that P = 300 N and Q = 390 N.

Figure Q12

12. The magnitude of is

A. 419.5 N D. 251.7 N
B. 781.6 N E. 390.0 N
C. 1302.7 N
13. The unit vector for the force exerted on the rod A is
A. D.
B. E.
C.
14. The rectangular components of in Newtons is
A. C.
B. D.
C.
15. From the theory of dry friction, it can be inferred that the force required to start the motion is
____________ that necessary to maintain the motion.
A. Greater than D. Less than or equal to
B. Less than E. half
C. Equal to
16. The maximum angle of inclination on a plane at which a body tends to slide down the plane due to its
own weight is termed as
A. Angle of friction D. Angle of descent
B. Coefficient of frictional angle E. Cone of friction
C. Angle of repose
17. A wooden block of mass 3kg resting on a horizontal plane is acted upon by a force Q inclined 30 o to
the horizontal with respect to the positive x-axis. What is the minimum value of Q required to start
sliding if μk=0.3 and μs=0.35.
A. 9.89N D. 5.15 N
B. 10.30N E. 29.43 N
C. 8.92 N
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18. From the problem in question 17, the normal reaction is
A. 29.43N D. 5.15 N
B. 24.49N E. 9.89 N
C. 8.92N
19. A block of mass 1.5 kg initially at rest on a horizontal plane, is subjected to a constant horizontal
force of 20N for 2 seconds. If the body travels a total distance of 250 m before coming to rest, what is
the coefficient of friction?
A. 0.286 D. 0.131
B. 0.120 E. 0.221
C. 0.324
20. From question 19, what is the distance travelled in the first 2 seconds before the force was removed
A. 68.1m D. 36.9m
B. 50.6m E. 24.1m
C. 44.2m
21. A body of unknown mass weighs 98.20 N at a location where the acceleration due to gravity is
9.79ms-2. What would its weight be when it is taken to a new location where acceleration due to
gravity is 9.84 ms-2?
A. 97.70 N D. 98.00 N
B. 99.60 N E. 98.70 N
C. 96.32 N
22. When a block of mass 100 kg is placed on a certain grounded spring it is found to produce a
compression of 100mm. What is the stiffness of the spring?
A. 981 N/m D. 200 N/m
B. 10000 N/m E. 9810 N/m
C. 100 N/m
23. What is the work done in Ques8 above?
A. 981.0 J D. 98.10 J
B. 49.05 J E. 4950 J
C. 490.5 J
24. A body of unknown mass m moving in a straight line with a velocity of 0.25 ms-1 is brought to rest
by a retarding force of 1.5 N. Determine the mass of the body
A. 4 kg D. 16 kg
B. 8 kg E. 24 kg
C. 12 kg
25. A body of mass 5kg is moving in a straight line at 2ms-1. It is required to bring the body to rest in 10
seconds by applying a constant retarding force. Determine the magnitude of the force
A. 2.5 N D. 4.0 N
B. 1.0 N E. 0.5 N
C. 3.2 N

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 SECTION B [35 marks]
Question B1
a. The frame shown supports part of the roof of a small building. Knowing that the tension in the cable
is 200 kN, determine the reactions at the fixed end E.
[10 marks]

Figure B1a

b. A pulley and two load are connected by inextensible cords as shown in figure B1b. Load A has a
constant acceleration of 60 cm/s2 and an initial velocity of 48 cm/s both directed downwards.
Determine
i. The number of revolutions executed by the pulley in 3s. [5 marks]
ii. The velocity and displacement of the load B. [5 marks]

Figure B1b

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Question B2

The hydraulic cylinder shown in figure B2a exerts a force of 3 kN directed to the right on point B and to the
left on point E. If the drum is required to rotate clockwise at a constant speed;
a. Copy and complete the free body diagram (figure B2b) by supplying the missing forces,
moments, labels and dimensions. [5 marks]
b. Determine the magnitude of the couple M required to rotate the drum clockwise at a constant
speed. [10 marks]

Figure B2a

Figure B2b

Examiners: A. Akuoko Kwarteng/ E. Ofori Ntow

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