Week Two Physics Assignment

This homework covers material to be found in Chapters 3 through 5 of your textbook.

Instructions: Please answer each of the following questions. You must show all work using
correct formulas and units. You will not receive any points for a question if the answer is
listed without the supporting work and verbal explanation. Round your answers to one to
two decimal places ONLY, if applicable.

1. Suppose that the temperature drops by 3oC overnight. How much of a change is that in
Kelvin? Now, let’s say that the high temperature during the day was 17 oC. What was the
low temperature? What are the high and low temperatures in Kelvin? (10 points)
Change∈Temperature , ∆ T =3℃=273.15+ 3=276.15 K

High Temperature∈Kelvin=17 ℃=273.15+ 17=290.15 K

Low Temperature=17 ℃−3 ℃=20℃

Low Temperature∈Kelvin=273.15+20=293.15 K

2. Explain, in your own words, how volume flow rate remains constant for an
incompressible fluid. (10 points)
For an incompressible fluid, the volume flow rate remains constant because the density m/V
does not change. The volume for incompressible fluid must remain constant regardless of the
changes in its pressure and height.
3. An ideal gas is kept in a rigid container of constant volume. The pressure inside the
container is 1 atm with an initial temperature of 330 K. If the pressure is increased to 4
atm, what is the new temperature inside the container? (10 points)
P1 = 1 atm

P2 = 4 atm

T1 = 300 K

P 1 P2
=
T1 T 2
 P 2 T 1 4 atm ×300 K
T 2= =
P1 1 atm

New Temperature ,T 2=1200 K

4. What is the buoyant force acting on a 7 kg weight suspended under water if it displaces
0.000125 m3? (10 points)
F b=−ρ∗g∗V

F b=−1000∗9.8∗0.000125

F b=1.225 N

5. Suppose your friend wants to build a Carnot engine that is 100% efficient. What
temperature would they need for their cold reservoir? Explain to your friend why this is
not a possibility. (10 points)
To build a 100% efficient Carnot engine would require a cold reservoir temperature of 0 K,
which is the absolute zero and also impossible both theoretically and practically.
A possibility to achieve this would go against the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which
forbids the construction of an engine with a single heat source. The Carnot engine operates
between a sources at higher temperature and sinks at low temperatures.

6. Two cars are driving at each other in a straight line. Car 1 has a mass of 650 kg and
drives at 20 m/s. Car 2 has a mass of 1900 kg. How fast must Car 2 be driving to make
the net momentum between the two cars equal to zero? (10 points)
m1 v 1+ m2 v 2=0

( 650∗20 ) + ( 1900∗v 2 ) =0

1900 v 2=−( 650∗20 )=−13000

−13000
v 2= =−6.8421
1900

m
v 2=6.84
s
 7. A 1400 kg car going 15 m/s hits a wall and eventually comes to a stop. If it takes the car
5.6 seconds to stop, what was the force of the wall on the car? (10 points)
1 2
Fd= m v
2
d=15∗5.6=84 m¿
1400∗15∗15
F=
2∗84
F=1875 N

8. Suppose you are designing a traditional wooden roller coaster. Which is better: having
the biggest hill at the beginning of the ride or at the end? Explain your answer in terms
of energy (not thrills). (10 points)
Because of friction between the coaster cars and the track (not to mention air resistance as
the cars move forward at great speed), the amount of mechanical energy available decreases
throughout the ride, and that is why the first hill of a roller coaster must always be the tallest.

9. Suppose you heat equal amounts of water and iron to a maximum 80°C. Which material
will reach the max temperature faster and why? (10 points)
Iron will reach the max temperature faster.
This is because Iron has a lower specific heat, meaning it takes fewer joules of energy to raise
or lower the temperature or 1 gram of it by 1 degree Celsius or by 1 Kelvin.

10. Suppose you do 100 pushups in 5 minutes. Your friend (who has the same body mass as
you) does the same number of pushups in 3 minutes. Who did more work? Who
generated more power? Explain your answers. (10 points)
Both of us have done the same work. But I generated more power.
The work done to overcome gravity is the same me my friend because we have the same
mass. However, we have done the same amount of work at different time durations, which
makes the power generated more in the less time taken. At 3minutes, I generated more
power than my friend who took 5 minutes for the same amount of work. P=W/t