Name:_________________________________________________________________________________ Homework: Problem Set #1 Due by 18:00, Thursday, 22 Sept.

2011
Each homework problem set makes up 4% of your final grade. In this set, there are 6 problems. Your grade will be based on your five best problems. In other words, the problem for which you score the worst will be automatically dropped. Partial credit may be awarded, so please carefully show and explain all your work on separate paper! Please note that points will be deducted for answers without units or with the wrong number of significant digits!

Introduction to Physics: the Mechanical Universe

Problem I (chapter G1):

One of the expressions below is equal to the volume of an ellipsoid, whose surface is given in Cartesian coordinates by the constraining equation: , where a, b, and c are the radii (units of length) of the ellipsoid. a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) 4 (a2b2/c + a2c2/b + b2c2/a) / 9 (a2b2c2) / 3 144abc 4 (a2b + b2c + c2a) / 9 4 (a2 + b2 + c2) 6abc 2 + (abc) 4 (abc) / 3 8 (a2b2) / (3 (a+b)) squared), if we take the side Q to be very small, this expression with Q in the denominator claims that area gets very big, which is just the opposite of what we would expect! This is the reduction to the absurd. If we can show that something is certainly not true in a simplified case, then it cannot be the right answer!

Problem II (chapter G1):

Assuming that potatoes contain 0.93 calories per gram, what is the percent uncertainty in the calories contained in a small ellipsoidal potato whose outer surface can be described in Cartesian coordinates by the constraining equation:

,
given that: a = b = c = 3.7 0.2 centimeters and that potatoes have a density of 1.1 grams per cubic centimeter. Also, are there more calories in such a potato than in a regular can of Coca-Cola? Finally, the ellipsoid above is actually a special case, and we know it by another name. What is an ellipsoid called when its three radii are all the same? You may look up and confirm the expression for the formula for the volume of an ellipsoid. Note that your book only shows how to find the appropriate number of significant figures for a problem like this. To find the percent uncertainty in an estimate, the possible minimum and maximum input values should be carried through in separate calculations, and these corresponding minimum and maximum estimates should then be compared with the initial estimate.

For each wrong answer, give a reason why it cannot be correct using dimensional analysis, order-of-magnitude estimation, or reductio ad absurdum. Use at least two of these methods in your answers. Some expressions can be proved wrong by using more than one of the methods. Explain your answers. NOTES: We covered dimensional analysis in class. The order-of-magnitude estimation involves making a very rough estimate of the answer, and checking whether a given expression is anywhere near to this rough estimate. For example, if we were to estimate the area of a circle of radius = R, we might first draw a square around this circle. The square would have sides of length = 2R, and we know that squares and rectangles have an area of their height times their width. Therefore, this square has an area of (4R2) units squared. The circle inside must certainly have an area which is a bit smaller than this, and therefore we can dismiss any expressions that are bigger, or any expressions that are many times smaller. The reductio ad absurdum method involves making simplifying assumptions and checking in these simpler cases whether the answer works. For instance, let us use this method to show that the area of a rectangle with sides of length P and Q could not be equal to P3/Q. Even though this expression has the correct units for an area (length

Calorie Estimate_________________________ Percent Uncertainty______________________ (Potato > Coca-Cola)?____________________ Special Ellipsoid Name___________________

Problem III (chapter G2):

Do number 97 in your book (repeated below), but without the aid of a computer or graphing calculator, and change the parameters to D = 18 meters, d = 30 meters, , and : A lifeguard standing at the side of a swimming pool spots a child in distress (see figure at right). The lifeguard runs with average speed along the pools edge for a distance x, then jumps into the pool and swims with average speed on a straight path to the child. (a) Show that the total time t it takes the lifeguard to get to the child is given by

Problem V (chapter G4):

You have a 1 kg metal ball attached to a piece of string. Using this simple pendulum, you aim to measure the takeoff speed of your small EasyJet airplane which youve booked for a weekend in Majorca. The takeoff (from standstill til liftoff) lasts 20 seconds, during which your pendulum makes a 20 angle with respect to the vertical, as judged from the flat Dutch horizon visible through the window. What is the takeoff speed? Knowing that your teacher made up the numbers above, is the takeoff speed reasonable? Reasonable can be defined as you like, though a small plane certainly flies faster than a car and slower than the speed of sound. What is the force of tension you would feel while holding the string? If you can read the angle to within 1 degree, what is the uncertainty in your measurement of acceleration?

(b) Assume and . Determine the optimal distance x the lifeguard should run before jumping into the pool (that is, find the value of x that minimizes the time t to get to the child).

Takeoff Speed_____________________ Reasonable?_______________________ Tensile force______________________ Uncertainty_______________________

Problem VI (chapter G5):

Assume that your ski jumping friend asks for you to push her out of her starting block. You are able to apply a force of 500 Newtons for 1 second. Your friends mass is 65 kg, the coefficient of kinetic friction of her skis on the snow is 0.05, and the angle of the downward slope is 30 from the horizontal. Assuming the forces of static and kinetic friction are the same, at what angle should you push your friend for maximum downhill velocity? What velocity will she have after your push? If your friends skis are initially frozen to the snow with a coefficient of static friction of 0.9, would your friend begin moving without your help? If not, is your push sufficient to get your friend moving?

Problem IV (chapter G3):

Say you wanted to toss a bottle of wine to your friend who lives across the street in an apartment that is two stories higher than your own. The street separates your buildings by a length of 7 meters, and each story is 3 meters high. Despite that this is a terrible and dangerous idea; at what velocity (dr/dt) should you throw the bottle in order that it passes through your friends window with minimal speed? Ignore the effects of air resistance and remember that velocity has both direction and magnitude.

Angle_________________________ Velocity_______________________ Overcoming static friction: without help?______________________ with push?________________________