ÔN TẬP HSG VẬT LÝ TIẾNG ANH 2021

CHAPTER 3: CONSERVATION LAWS

1. KEY TERMS:
* Linear momentum: The linear momentum of a particle of mass m moving with a
velocity v is defined to be the product of the mass and velocity: p = mv
* Law of conservation of linear momentum: Whenever two or more particles in
an isolated system interact, the total momentum of the system remains constant.
+ Conservation of Momentum for a Two-Particle System: ptot = p1 + p2 = constant
+ Another type: p1i + p2i = p1f + p2f : “The total momentum of an isolated system at
all times equals its initial momentum”.
- Isolated system:
- Impulse: “The impulse of the force F acting on a particle equals the change in the
momentum of the particle caused by that force”: Impulse–momentum theorem
- Impulsive force:
- Elastic/ Inelastic collision:
* Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy: The total amount of mechanical
energy, in a closed system in the absence of dissipative forces (e.g. friction, air
resistance), remains constant.
Potential energy:
Kinetic energy:
Gravitational field:
Perfectly Inelastic Collisions:
Elastic Collisions: both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved
2. FILL IN THE BLANK:
1. Linear momentum is a ….. quantity because it equals the product of a ….. quantity
m and a ….. quantity v. Its direction is along v, and its SI unit is …...
2. We use the law of conservation of …… ……… to describe what happens when
two particles collide. We use the term ……… to represent the event of two particles’
coming together for a short time and thereby producing impulsive forces on each
other. These forces are assumed to be much …….. than any external forces present.
3. The total momentum of an ….. ….. just before a collision ….. the total momentum
of the system just after the collision.
4. An …… …… between two objects is one in which total kinetic energy (as well
as total momentum) is the same before and after the collision.
5. An ……. collision is one in which total kinetic energy is not the same before and
after the collision (even though momentum is constant). Inelastic collisions are of
two types. When the colliding objects stick together after the collision, the collision
is called …….. inelastic. When the colliding objects do not stick together, but some
…… energy is lost, as in the case of a rubber ball colliding with a hard surface, the
collision is called inelastic (with no modifying adverb).
6. …… is constant in all collisions, but kinetic energy is constant only in …..
collisions.
3. WORKED EXAMPLE
1. USING THE LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY
During a flood a tree trunk of mass 100kg falls down a waterfall. The waterfall
is 5 m high.

If air resistance is ignored, calculate:

• the potential energy of the tree trunk at the top of the waterfall.
• the kinetic energy of the tree trunk at the bottom of the waterfall.
• the magnitude of the velocity of the tree trunk at the bottom of the waterfall.
Solutoin:
Step 1: Analyse the question to determine what information is provided
• The mass of the tree trunk m=100 kg
• The height of the waterfall h =5 m
These are all in SI units so we do not have to convert.
Step 2: Analyse the question to determine what is being asked
• Potential energy at the top
• Kinetic energy at the bottom
• Velocity at the bottom
Step 3: Calculate the potential energy at the top of the waterfall.
EP = mgh = (100 kg) (9,8 m⋅s−2) (5 m) = 4 900 J
Step 4: Calculate the kinetic energy at the bottom of the waterfall.
The total mechanical energy must be conserved: EK1 + EP1 = EK2 + EP2.
Since the trunk's velocity is zero at the top of the waterfall, EK1 = 0.
At the bottom of the waterfall, h = 0 m, so EP2 = 0.
Therefore EP1 = EK2 or in words:
 The kinetic energy of the tree trunk at the bottom of the waterfall is equal to the
potential energy it had at the top of the waterfall. Therefore EK = 4 900 J
Step 5: Calculate the velocity at the bottom of the waterfall.
To calculate the velocity of the tree trunk we need to use the equation for kinetic
energy.
2. PENDULUM
A 2 kg metal ball is suspended from a rope as a
pendulum. If it is released from point A and swings
down to the point B (the bottom of its arc):
1. Show that the velocity of the ball is independent
of its mass.
2. Calculate the velocity of the ball at point B.

Analyse the question to determine what information

is provided
• The mass of the metal ball is m=2 kgm=2 kg
• The change in height going from point A to point B is h=0,5 mh=0,5 m
• The ball is released from point A so the velocity at
point, vA=0 m⋅s−1vA=0 m·s−1.
All quantities are in SI units.
Analyse the question to determine what is being asked
• Prove that the velocity is independent of mass.
• Find the velocity of the metal ball at point B.
Apply the Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy to the situation
Since there is no friction, mechanical energy is conserved. Therefore:
The mass of the ball m appears on both sides of the equation so it can be
eliminated so that the equation becomes:

This proves that the velocity of the ball is independent of its mass. It does not
matter what its mass is, it will always have the same velocity when it falls through
this height.
Calculate the velocity of the ball at point B
We can use the equation above, or do the calculation from “first principles”:

Alternatively you can do:

3. THE ROLLER COASTER
A roller coaster ride at an amusement park starts
from rest at a height of 50m above the ground and
rapidly drops down along its track. At some point, the
track does a full 360° loop which has a height of 20 m,
before finishing off at ground level. The roller coaster
train itself with a full load of people on it has a mass
of 850 kg.
Roller coaster
If the roller coaster and its track are frictionless,
calculate:
1. the velocity of the roller coaster when it reaches
the top of the loop
2. the velocity of the roller coaster at the bottom
of the loop (i.e. ground level)
Analyse the question to determine what information is provided
• The mass of the roller coaster is m=850 kg
• The initial height of the roller coaster at its starting position is h1=50 m
• The roller coaster starts from rest, so its initial velocity v1=0 m⋅s−1
• The height of the loop is h2=20 m
• The height at the bottom of the loop is at ground level, h3=0 m
We do not need to convert units as they are in the correct form already.
Analyse the question to determine what is being asked
• the velocity of the roller coaster at the top of the loop
• the velocity of the roller coaster at the bottom of the loop
Calculate the velocity at the top of the loop
From the conservation of mechanical energy, We know that at any two points
in the system, the total mechanical energy must be the same. Let's compare the
situation at the start of the roller coaster to the situation at the top of the loop:
 We can eliminate the mass, m, from the equation by dividing both sides by m.

Calculate the velocity at the bottom of the loop: Again we can use the
conservation of energy and the total mechanical energy at the bottom of the loop
should be the same as the total mechanical energy of the system at any other position.
Let's compare the situations at the start of the roller coaster's trip and the bottom of
the loop:

4. AN INCLINED PLANE
A mountain climber who is climbing a mountain in the Drakensberg during
winter, by mistake drops her water bottle which then slides 100m down the side of a
steep icy slope to a point which is 10 m lower than the
climber's position. The mass of the climber is 60kg and
her water bottle has a mass of 500g .
1. If the bottle starts from rest, how fast is it
travelling by the time it reaches the bottom of the slope?
(Neglect friction.)
2. What is the total change in the climber's
potential energy as she climbs down the mountain to fetch her fallen water bottle?
i.e. what is the difference between her potential energy at the top of the slope and
the bottom of the slope?

Analyse the question to determine what information is provided

• the distance travelled by the water bottle down the slope, d=100 m
• the difference in height between the starting position and the final position of
the water bottle is h=10 m
• the bottle starts sliding from rest, so its initial velocity is v1=9,8 m⋅s−1
• the mass of the climber is 60kg
• the mass of the water bottle is 500g. We need to convert this mass
into kg: 500 g=0,5 kg.
Analyse the question to determine what is being asked
• What is the velocity of the water bottle at the bottom of the slope?
• What is the difference between the climber's potential energy when she is at
the top of the slope compared to when she reaches the bottom?
Calculate the velocity of the water bottle when it reaches the bottom of the slope

Note: the distance that the bottle travelled (i.e. 100m) does not play any role in
calculating the energies. It is only the height difference that is important in
calculating potential energy.
Calculate the difference between the climber's potential energy at the top of the
slope and her potential energy at the bottom of the slope
At the top of the slope, her potential energy is:

At the bottom of the slope, her potential energy is:

Therefore the difference in her potential energy when moving from the top of
the slope to the bottom is:

4. EXCERCISES:

EX 1: A tennis ball, of mass 120kg , is dropped from a height of 5m . Ignore air

friction.
1. What is the potential energy of the ball when it has fallen 33 mm ?
2. What is the velocity of the ball when it hits the ground?
Ex 2: A ball rolls down a hill which has a vertical height of 1515 mm . Ignoring
friction, what would be the
1. gravitational potential energy of the ball when it is at the top of the hill?
2. velocity of the ball when it reaches the bottom of the hill?
Ex 3: A bullet, mass 50g , is shot vertically up in the air with a muzzle velocity
of 200m·s−1. Use the Principle of Conservation of Mechanical Energy to determine
the height that the bullet will reach. Ignore air friction.
Ex 4: A skier, mass 50kg, is at the top of a 6,4m ski slope.
1. Determine the maximum velocity that she can reach when she skis to the bottom
of the slope.
2. Do you think that she will reach this velocity? Why/Why not?
Ex 5: A pendulum bob of mass 1,5kg, swings from a height A to the bottom of its
arc at B. The velocity of the bob at B is 4m·s−1. Calculate the height A from which
the bob was released. Ignore the effects of air friction.
Ex 6: Prove that the velocity of an object, in free fall, in a closed system, is
independent of its mass.
Ex 7: Use the following picture of a cart of mass m moving on a roller coaster, as
well as the accompanying information, to answer the following question.
The section of track displayed is frictionless and composed entirely of semicircular
pieces of radius r. The letters A through E refer to specific locations along the track.

If r = 12 meters, and if the cart’s velocity at point A is 3 meters per second,

what is the cart’s velocity at point D? Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a
meter per second. (Ans: 15,6 m/s)
Ex 8: Consider the
falling and rolling
motion of the ball in
the following two
resistance-free
situations. In one
situation, the ball
falls off the top of the
platform to the floor.
In the other situation, the ball rolls from the top of the platform along the staircase-
like pathway to the floor. For each situation, indicate what types of forces are
doing work upon the ball. Indicate whether the energy of the ball is conserved and
explain why. Finally, fill in the blanks for the 2-kg ball.
Ex 9: If frictional forces and air resistance were acting upon the falling ball in #1
would the kinetic energy of the ball just prior to striking the ground be more, less,
or equal to the value predicted in #1?
(The kinetic energy would be ………………..in a situation that involves friction.
Friction would do ………… work and thus remove mechanical energy from the
falling ball.)
Ex 10: Some driver's license exams have the following question.
A car moving 50 km/hr skids 15 meters with locked brakes. How far will the car
skid with locked brakes if it is moving at 150 km/hr? (Ans: 135 m)
Ex 11: Use the law of
conservation of energy
(assume no friction) to fill
in the blanks at the various
marked positions for a
1000-kg roller coaster car.

Ex 12: Determine
American ski jumper Lee
Ben Fardest's (a mass of
approximately 50 kg)
speed at locations B, C, D
and E.

(Ans: B: v = 28.3 m/s; C:

v = 37.4 m/s; D: same as
postition B :v = 28.3 m/s; E: v = 44.7 m/s)

Ex 13: A 0.14 kg baseball moves horizontally with a speed of 35 m/s towards the
bat. After striking the bat the ball moves vertically upward with half its initial speed.
Find the direction and magnitude of the impulse delivered to the ball by the bat.
Ex 14: A 10 kg block is sliding with a velocity of 5.0 m/s to the right on a frictionless
surface when it explodes into two pieces. After the explosion, piece A, with a mass
of 7.0 kg, is traveling 2 m/s to the left as shown in the figure below. Find the velocity
of piece B assuming that no mass is lost in the explosion.

Ex 15: A 150g projectile is fired with a velocity of +715 m/s at a 2.00 kg wooden
block that rests on a frictionless table. The velocity of the block, immediately after
the projectile passes through it, is +40.0 m/s. Find the velocity with which the
projectile exits from the block.

Ex 16: A small, 100.0 g cart is moving at 1.20 m/s on an air track when it collides
with a larger, 1.00 kg cart at rest. After the collision, the small cart recoils at 0.850
m/s. What is the speed of the large cart after the collision?

Ex 17: A 71 kg baseball player jumps straight up to catch a line drive. If the 140 g
ball is moving horizontally at 28 m/s, and the catch is made when the ballplayer is
at the highest point of his leap, what is his speed immediately after stopping the ball?

Ex 18: A completely inelastic collision occurs between two balls of wet putty that
move directly toward each other along a vertical axis. Just before the collision, one
ball, of mass 3.0 kg, is moving upward at 20 m/s and the other ball, of mass 2.0 kg,
is moving downward at 12 m/s. How high do the combined two balls of putty rise
above the collision point?
Ex 19: 10 g bullet moving horizontally at 375 m/s penetrates a 3 kg wood block
resting on a frictionless horizontal surface. If the bullet slows down to 300 m/s after
emerging from the block, what is the speed of the block immediately after the bullet
emerges.

Ex 20: Two balls with masses of 3.0 kg and 6.0 kg travel toward each other at speeds
of 12 m/s and 4.0 m/s, respectively. If the balls have a head-on inelastic collision
and the 3.0 kg ball recoils with a speed of 8.0 m/s, how much kinetic energy is lost
in the collision?

Ex 21: An object with velocity 1.4 m/s and mass 0.3 kg collides with an object whose
velocity is -2.5 m/s i and whose mass is 0.15 kg. The motion takes place in 1-
dimension. What are the final velocities of the objects if the collision is elastic? What
is the total kinetic energy in the collision?

Ex 22: A 300 g cart moves on an air track at 1.2 m/s. It collides with and sticks to
another cart of mass 500 kg, which was moving in the opposite direction at 0.8 m/s
before collision. What is the velocity of the combined cart after collision?