sph1101 2014-5sup

SECTION A (40 MARKS)
Question 1
(a) (i) State Newton’s three laws of motion. [4]

(ii) Demonstrate the fact that Newton’s first law of motion is a consequence of
the second law. [1]
(b) A uniform rod AB of length 2 m and mass 2 kg rests horizontally on a smooth

support at A and B. A load of mass 1 kg is attached to the road at a distance
0.4 m from A. Find the forces exerted on the rod by the support. [5]
(c) State Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion. Accompanying each law, state
the underlay physical reason leading to the existence of the law in question. [5]
(d) Demonstrate that if a “stationary” parcel bomb where to explode and fragment
into two pieces on a frictionless floor, the resulting debri would fly off in opposite
directions. [5]
(e) When an elastic string of natural length l = 2.00 m is fixed at one end and
hangs vertically supporting a particle of mass m = 4.00 kg at the other end, it
stretches to a length L = 2.80 m. A horizontal force F = 28.00 N is then applied
gradually to the mass until it is once again in equilibrium. For the string in its
final position, calculate:
(i) The length of the string. [3]

(ii) The angle of inclination to the vertical of the string. [2]
(f) (i) Write down the basic equation for Simple Harmonic Motion. Explain all the
symbols. [1]
(ii) Show that the period, T , of a simple pendulum of length l is given by:
s
l
T = 2π .
g
[4]
(g) By use of Galilean transformations, prove that acceleration is a Galilean invari-

ant. [5]
(h) (i) State the two Postulates of Special Relativity. [2]

(ii) In relativity, what do you understand by the term “proper time interval ”
and “proper length”? [3]
1
SECTION B (60 MARKS)
Question 2
Three astronauts (A1 , A2 and A3 ), propelled by jet-backpacks, push and guide an

asteroid of mass m toward a processing dock. The direction of the forces they apply
all lie in the same plane and these forces are F1 , F2 and F3 respectively. Relative to
the point of application and the direction of the applied force, the angle between A1
and A3 is θ and that between A1 and A2 is φ such that θ > φ.
(a) Draw a free body diagram of the above described scenario. [4]
(b) Taking the positive direction of the force F2 as your x-axis, find in unit vector notion,
the acceleration of the asteroid. [6]
(c) What is the magnitude of the resulting acceleration? [2]
(d) To attain static equilibrium, in terms of F1 , F2 and F3 , what is the angle φ supposed
to be? [8]
Question 3
A particle P of mass mp is projected from a point O with an initial velocity of Vp at

an angle θ to the horizontal. At the same instant, a second particle Q of mass mq
is projected in the opposite direction with an initial velocity Vq at an angle α to the
horizontal from a point level with O and a distance l from O. Given that the two
particles P and Q collide in mid-air, then, answer the questions that follow:
(a) In terms of l, θ, α, Vp and Vq find the time, t, when the collision occurs. [10]
(b) Find the distance, h, above the ground when the two particles collide. [2]
(c) If the particles coalese on collision, find the initial velocity of the coalescent. [8]
Question 4
(a) Write down Bernoulli’s equation for a non-viscous fluid in a steady state flow.
Define clearly all the terms that you have used. [3]
(b) An important application of the Bernoulli’s equation is in aviation. With the aid
of a well labelled cross-sectional diagram of an aeroplane’s wing, use Bernoulli’s
equation to demonstrate how flight by aeroplanes is achieved. [6]
(c) State Archimedes’s principle. [2]
3
A block of wood which has a volume of 1500 cm floats on water. Given that
the density of this wood block is 690 kgm−3 , and that of water is 1000 kgm−3 ,
and that the density of lead is 1.14 × 103 kgm−3 , answer the flowing questions:
2
(i) What fraction of the wood is above the surface of the water? [2]
(ii) What mass of lead must be placed on top of the block so that the wood, but not
the lead, is submerged? [3]
(iii) What mass of the lead should be attached to the bottom of the wood so that
the wood is just submerged? [4]
Question 5
Given that in polar coordinates (r, ϕ), the acceleration a of a particle, is given by
a = (r̈ − r ϕ̇2 )r̂ + (ṙ ϕ̇ − r ϕ̈)ϕ̂, where the symbols have their usual meanings, answer
the following questions:
(a) For a central force field, demonstrate that the specific orbital angular momentum,
J = r 2 ϕ̇, is a conserved quantity. [5]
(b) By use of the substitution u = 1/r and the result in (a) above, show that the equation
of the orbit for a test particle of mass m in central force field, F (r), is given by:
d2 u F (u)/m
2
+u = − 2 2 .
dϕ u J
[10]
(c) What kind of an orbit will result in an inverse square and inverse cube force field?
Use the result in (b) to arrive at your answer. [5]
Question 6
(a) Give a brief exposition of the famous 1887 Michelson-Morley Experiment. In

your exposition, explain why this experiment is considered to be very important
in the formulation of Einstein’s 1905 Special Theory of Relativity. [8]
(b) Using the standard Lorentz transformation equation for time, namely:
v∆x

∆t′ = Γ ∆t + ,
c2
demonstrate your understanding of the term “simultaneity is relative”. [5]
(c) In relativity, when two clocks are to be compared, why it necessary that they
are compared at the same position in space? [3]
(d) Using the x and t-Lorentz transformation equations, demonstrate the invariance
of the speed of light. [4]
THE END.
(: GOOD LUCK :)

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SECTION A (40 MARKS)

(a) (i) State Newton’s three laws of motion. [4]

(b) A uniform rod AB of length 2 m and mass 2 kg rests horizontally on a smooth

(i) The length of the string. [3]

(g) By use of Galilean transformations, prove that acceleration is a Galilean invari-

(h) (i) State the two Postulates of Special Relativity. [2]

Three astronauts (A1 , A2 and A3 ), propelled by jet-backpacks, push and guide an

(c) What is the magnitude of the resulting acceleration? [2]

A particle P of mass mp is projected from a point O with an initial velocity of Vp at

(a) Give a brief exposition of the famous 1887 Michelson-Morley Experiment. In

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