Summer Work Week2 [23 marks]

Airboats are used for transport across a river. To move the boat forward, air is
propelled from the back of the boat by a fan blade.

An airboat has a fan blade of radius 1.8 m. This fan can propel air with a
maximum speed relative to the boat of 20 m s−1. The density of air is 1.2 kg m −3.

1a. Outline why a force acts on the airboat due to the fan blade. [3 marks]
 In a test the airboat is tied to the river bank with a rope normal to the bank. The
fan propels the air at its maximum speed. There is no wind.

1b. Show that a mass of about 240 kg of air moves through the fan every [2 marks]
second.

1c. Show that the tension in the rope is about 5 kN. [1 mark]
 The rope is untied and the airboat moves away from the bank. The variation with
time t of the speed v of the airboat is shown for the motion.

1d. Explain why the airboat has a maximum speed under these conditions. [2 marks]
1e. Estimate the distance the airboat travels to reach its maximum speed. [2 marks]

1f. Deduce the mass of the airboat. [3 marks]

 A company delivers packages to customers using a small unmanned aircraft.
Rotating horizontal blades exert a force on the surrounding air. The air above the
aircraft is initially stationary.

The air is propelled vertically downwards with speed v. The aircraft hovers
motionless above the ground. A package is suspended from the aircraft on a
string. The mass of the aircraft is 0. 95 kg and the combined mass of the package
and string is 0. 45 kg . The mass of air pushed downwards by the blades in one
second is 1. 7 kg .

2a. State the value of the resultant force on the aircraft when hovering. [1 mark]

2b. Outline, by reference to Newton’s third law, how the upward lift force on [2 marks]
the aircraft is achieved.
 2c. Determine v. State your answer to an appropriate number of significant [3 marks]
figures.

2d. Calculate the power transferred to the air by the aircraft. [2 marks]

2e. The package and string are now released and fall to the ground. The lift [2 marks]
force on the aircraft remains unchanged. Calculate the initial
acceleration of the aircraft.

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