November 4, 2010

Physics 130 - a

Dr. Schmidt

Midterm II
Write you name on the cover of the blue book. Put all your answers in the blue book. Start a new page for
each problem. Partial credit will be given for incomplete answers. At the conclusion of the exam fold this
exam in half and place in your blue book and turn in your blue book.
1. (15 points) For each of the following answer True or False. If the statement is False rewrite the statement
to make it True.
a) A force must be conservative to be able to express the work done by the force as a potential energy.
True
b) Mechanical energy can be conserved when there are non-conservative forces present. True As long
as they do no work..
c) A force is conservative if it does no work on the system. False.
d) A system must be able to travel in a closed loop for mechanical energy to be conserved. False.
Whether it can in practice as long as in theory it could.
e) A spring may store potential energy when it is either compressed or expanded from its relaxed state.
True.
2. (10 points) A spring scale carried to the moon would be more accurate if calibrated in Newtons or
kilograms? Explain.
A spring scale measures force. The unit of force is Newtons. It would accurately measure force
anywhere. To get a spring scale to measure mass in kilograms one must recalibrate the scale for a
specific location, like on the surface of the earth where m = weight/g. Then it would be accurate in
measuring a mass only at that location.
3. (15 points) Assume the earth to be a smooth perfect sphere of uniform density rotating on an axis that
passes through the north and south poles (an ideal earth). Would an object on the surface of the earth
experience any difference in apparent weight, even in the slightest amount, from being at the equator to
being at one of the poles? Explain. Draw a diagram showing all appropriate vector forces. Be sure to
indicate whether a centripetal force is needed.
At the pole an object has a gravitational attraction and a normal force together
which add up to zero. On the equator the object has a gravitational attraction and a
normal force. However because of the rotation of the earth they must not add up to
zero but must have an unbalanced centripetal force. The normal force is less than
gravity and an object seems to weigh less at the equator than at the pole.
4. (15 points) The Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago has a diameter of 32 m. The cars that carry
passengers are bolted to the rim of the wheel. How fast a speed in revolutions per minute would the
wheel have to be spinning for a passenger in a car to experience an acceleration of 2 g's as the car passes
through the lowest point of travel around the wheel?
FN mg = FC = mv2/R
v = [R(FN mg )/m] = [R(2mg mg )/m] = [R(mg)/m] = [D/2g] = [(32 m/2)9.8 m/s2)]
v = 12.522 m/s = 12.522 m/s(60 s/min) = 751.32 m/min
= v/D =751.32 m/min /*32 m = 7.47 rev/min

5. (15 points) A65 kg child slides down a playground slide, which consists of a 3.5 m flat aluminum surface
inclined at an angle of 30o with respect to the horizontal. When the child reaches the bottom of the slide
she is moving at a speed of 2.1 m/s. What must the coefficient of kinetic friction be for the child on the
slide?
FN = mg cos = 65 kg (9.8 m/s2) cos 30o = 551.66 N
mgh = 1/2mv2 +Wf
Wf = Ff x = mgh - 1/2mv2
Ff = (mgx sin - 1/2mv2)/x = (65 kg (9.8 m/s2) 3.5 m sin 30o 1/2 65 kg (2.1 m/s)2)/3.5 m = 277.55
N
K = Ff /FN= 277.55 N/551.66 N = 0.503
6. (15 points) A 5.5 g cork is placed on a horizontal turntable at a point 20 cm from the axis of rotation. The
cork remains in place as the turntable is spun up. The coefficient of static friction for the cork on the
surface of the turntable is 0.35. At what rotational speed in rev/min will the cork fly off the turntable?
Ff = FC
S FN = mv2/R
S mg = mv2/R
S g = v2/R
v = S g R = 0.35(9.8 m/s2)0.20 m = 0.8282 m/s = 0.8282 m/s(60 s/min) = 49.70 m/min
= v/2R = 49.70 m/min/2(0.20 m) = 39.5 rev/min
7. (15 points) A climber notices that the rope she is hanging vertically from has begun to fray and will
shortly not be strong enough to support her full weight. She decides on a vertical emergency descent. At
what rate of acceleration down should she descend, while still holding onto the rope letting it slip through
her hands, to ensure that the tension in the rope does not exceed three fourths of her weight?
T mg = ma
a = (T mg)/m = (3/4mg mg)/m = -1/4 g = - 2.45 m/s2