10th International Physics Olympiad

1977, Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia

Problem 1. The compression ratio of a four-stroke internal combustion

engine is ε = 9.5. The engine draws in air and gaseous fuel at a temperature
27 o C at a pressure 1 atm = 100 kPa. Compression follows an adiabatic
process from point 1 to point 2, see Fig. 1. The pressure in the cylinder
is doubled during the mixture ignition (2–3). The hot exhaust gas expands
adiabatically to the volume V2 pushing the piston downwards (3–4). Then
the exhaust valve opens and the pressure gets back to the initial value of
1 atm. All processes in the cylinder are supposed to be ideal. The Poisson
constant (i.e. the ratio of specific heats Cp /CV ) for the mixture and exhaust
gas is κ = 1.40. (The compression ratio is the ratio of the volume of the
cylinder when the piston is at the bottom to the volume when the piston is
at the top.)

3
p
3

p
2 2
4
p4

p0 = p1 1
0
V1 V2 V

Figure 1:

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 a) Which processes run between the points 0–1, 2–3, 4–1, 1–0?
b) Determine the pressure and the temperature in the states 1, 2, 3 and 4.
c) Find the thermal efficiency of the cycle.
d) Discuss obtained results. Are they realistic?
Solution: a) The description of the processes between particular points is the
following:
0–1 : intake stroke isobaric and isothermal process
1–2 : compression of the mixture adiabatic process
2–3 : mixture ignition isochoric process
3–4 : expansion of the exhaust gas adiabatic process
4–1 : exhaust isochoric process
1–0 : exhaust isobaric process

Let us denote the initial volume of the cylinder before induction at the
point 0 by V1 , after induction at the point 1 by V2 and the temperatures
at the particular points by T0 , T1 , T2 , T3 and T4 .
b) The equations for particular processes are as follows.
0–1 : The fuel-air mixture is drawn into the cylinder at the temperature
of T0 = T1 = 300 K and a pressure of p0 = p1 = 0.10 MPa.
1–2 : Since the compression is very fast, one can suppose the process to be
adiabatic. Hence:
p1 V2 p2 V1
p1 V2κ = p2 V1κ and = .
T1 T2
From the first equation one obtains
µ ¶κ
V2
p2 = p1 = p1 εκ
V1
and by the dividing of both equations we arrive after a straightforward
calculation at
µ ¶κ−1
κ−1 κ−1 V2
T1 V2 = T2 V1 , T2 = T1 = T1 εκ−1 .
V1
For given values κ = 1.40, ε = 9.5, p1 = 0.10 MPa, T1 = 300 K we have
p2 = 2.34 MPa and T2 = 738 K (t2 = 465 o C).

2
2–3 : Because the process is isochoric and p3 = 2p2 holds true, we can write
p3 T3 p3
= , which implies T3 = T2 = 2T2 .
p2 T2 p2
Numerically, p3 = 4.68 MPa, T3 = 1476 K (t3 = 1203 o C).

3–4 : The expansion is adiabatic, therefore

p3 V1 p4 V2
p3 V1κ = p4 V2κ , = .
T3 T4
The first equation gives
µ ¶κ
V1
p4 = p3 = 2p2 ε−κ = 2p1
V2
and by dividing we get

T3 V1κ−1 = T4 V2κ−1 .

Consequently,
T4 = T3 ε1−κ = 2T2 ε1−κ = 2T1 .
Numerical results: p4 = 0.20 MPa, T3 = 600 K (t3 = 327 o C).

4–1 : The process is isochoric. Denoting the temperature by T10 we can write
p4 T4
= 0,
p1 T1
which yields
p1 T4
T10 = T4 = = T1 .
p4 2
We have thus obtained the correct result T10 = T1 . Numerically, p1 =
0.10 MPa, T10 = 300 K.
c) Thermal efficiency of the engine is defined as the proportion of the
heat supplied that is converted to net work. The exhaust gas does work on
the piston during the expansion 3–4, on the other hand, the work is done
on the mixture during the compression 1–2. No work is done by/on the gas
during the processes 2–3 and 4–1. The heat is supplied to the gas during the
process 2–3.

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 The net work done by 1 mol of the gas is
R R R
W = (T1 − T2 ) + (T3 − T4 ) = (T1 − T2 + T3 − T4 )
κ−1 κ−1 κ−1
and the heat supplied to the gas is

Q23 = CV (T3 − T2 ) .

Hence, we have for thermal efficiency

W R T1 − T2 + T3 − T4
η= = .
Q23 (κ − 1)CV T3 − T2

Since
R Cp − CV κ−1
= = = 1,
(κ − 1)CV (κ − 1)CV κ−1
we obtain
T4 − T1 T1
η =1− =1− = 1 − ε1−κ .
T3 − T2 T2
Numerically, η = 1 − 300/738 = 1 − 0.407, η = 59, 3% .
d) Actually, the real pV -diagram of the cycle is smooth, without the sharp
angles. Since the gas is not ideal, the real efficiency would be lower than the
calculated one.

Problem 2. Dipping the frame in a soap solution, the soap forms a rectangle
film of length b and height h. White light falls on the film at an angle α
(measured with respect to the normal direction). The reflected light displays
a green color of wavelength λ0 .

a) Find out if it is possible to determine the mass of the soap film using
the laboratory scales which has calibration accuracy of 0.1 mg.

b) What color does the thinnest possible soap film display being seen from
the perpendicular direction? Derive the related equations.

Constants and given data: relative refractive index n = 1.33, the wavelength
of the reflected green light λ0 = 500 nm, α = 30o , b = 0.020 m, h = 0.030 m,
density % = 1000 kg m−3 .

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Solution: The thin layer reflects the monochromatic light of the wavelength λ
in the best way, if the following equation holds true
λ
2nd cos β = (2k + 1) , k = 0, 1, 2, . . . , (1)
2
where k denotes an integer and β is the angle of refraction satisfying
sin α
= n.
sin β
Hence, q
1p 2
cos β = 1 − sin2 β = n − sin2 α .
n
Substituting to (1) we obtain
p λ
2d n2 − sin2 α = (2k + 1) . (2)
2
If the white light falls on a layer, the colors of wavelengths obeying (2) are
reinforced in the reflected light. If the wavelength of the reflected light is λ0 ,
the thickness of the layer satisfies for the kth order interference
(2k + 1)λ0
dk = p = (2k + 1)d0 .
4 n2 − sin2 α
For given values and k = 0 we obtain d0 = 1.01 · 10−7 m.
a) The mass of the soap film is mk = %k b h dk . Substituting the given
values, we get m0 = 6.06 · 10−2 mg, m1 = 18.2 · 10−2 mg, m2 = 30.3 · 10−8 mg,
etc. The mass of the thinnest film thus cannot be determined by given
laboratory scales.
b) If the light falls at the angle of 30o then the film seen from the per-
pendicular direction cannot be colored. It would appear dark.

Problem 3. An electron gun T emits electrons accelerated by a potential

difference U in a vacuum in the direction of the line a as shown in Fig. 2. The
target M is placed at a distance d from the electron gun in such a way that
the line segment connecting the points T and M and the line a subtend the
angle α as shown in Fig. 2. Find the magnetic induction B of the uniform
magnetic field

5
 T a
electron gun
a

Figure 2:

a) perpendicular to the plane determined by the line a and the point M

b) parallel to the segment T M

in order that the electrons hit the target M . Find first the general solution
and then substitute the following values: U = 1000 V, e = 1.60 · 10−19 C,
me = 9.11 · 10−31 kg, α = 60o , d = 5.0 cm, B < 0.030 T.

Solution: a) If a uniform magnetic field is perpendicular to the initial direc-

tion of motion of an electron beam, the electrons will be deflected by a force
that is always perpendicular to their velocity and to the magnetic field. Con-
sequently, the beam will be deflected into a circular trajectory. The origin of
the centripetal force is the Lorentz force, so

me v 2
Bev = . (3)
r
Geometrical considerations yield that the radius of the trajectory obeys
(cf. Fig. 3).
d
r= . (4)
2 sin α

6
 T a
electron gun
a

d/2
r

a
S
M

Figure 3:

The velocity of electrons can be determined from the relation between the
kinetic energy of an electron and the work done on this electron by the electric
field of the voltage U inside the gun,
1
me v 2 = eU . (5)
2
Using (3), (4) and (5) one obtains
r r
2eU 2 sin α 2U me sin α
B = me =2 .
me ed e d

Substituting the given values we have B = 3.70 · 10−3 T.

b) If a uniform magnetic field is neither perpendicular nor parallel to the
initial direction of motion of an electron beam, the electrons will be deflected
into a helical trajectory. Namely, the motion of electrons will be composed
of an uniform motion on a circle in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic
field and of an uniform rectilinear motion in the direction of the magnetic
field. The component ~v1 of the initial velocity ~v , which is perpendicular
to the magnetic field (see Fig. 4), will manifest itself at the Lorentz force
and during the motion will rotate uniformly around the line parallel to the
magnetic field. The component ~v2 parallel to the magnetic field will remain

7
 v1
T
v a
electron gun
a
v2

Figure 4:

constant during the motion, it will be the velocity of the uniform rectilinear
motion. Magnitudes of the components of the velocity can be expressed as

v1 = v sin α v2 = v cos α .

Denoting by N the number of screws of the helix we can write for the time
of motion of the electron
d d 2πrN 2πrN
t= = = = .
v2 v cos α v1 v sin α
Hence we can calculate the radius of the circular trajectory
d sin α
r= .
2πN cos α
However, the Lorentz force must be equated to the centripetal force

me v 2 sin2 α me v 2 sin2 α
Bev sin α = = d sin α
. (6)
r 2πN cos α

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Consequently,

me v 2 sin2 α 2πN cos α 2πN me v cos α

B= = .
d sin α ev sin α de
The magnitude of velocity v again satisfies (5), so
r
2U e
v= .
me
Substituting into (6) one obtains
r
2πN cos α 2U me
B= .
d e
Numerically we get B = N · 6.70 · 10−3 T . If B < 0.030 T should hold true,
we have four possibilities (N ≤ 4). Namely,

B1 = 6.70 · 10−3 T,
B2 = 13.4 · 10−3 T,
B3 = 20.1 · 10−3 T,
B4 = 26.8 · 10−3 T.