Excersise: 4.

30
A .22 rifle bullet, travelling at 350 m/s, strikes a large tree, which it penetrates to a
depth of 0.130 m. The mass of the bullet is 1.80 g. Assume a constant retarding force.
(a) How much time is required for the bullet to stop?
(b) What force, in Newton, does the tree exert on the bullet?
Solution:
(a) We have to use a constant acceleration equation to find the stopping time and acceleration.
Let x + be in the direction the bullet is travelling. F is the force the wood exerts on the bullet.
v0x = 350 m/s, vx = 0 and (x − x0) = 0.130 m.
 v + vx 
x - x0   0x  t
 2 
2  x - x0  2  0.13 m
t= = = 7.43 x 10- 4 s
v0x + vx 350 m/s
Σ F = max
(b) v -v 2 2
2 2
v =v +2ax  x- x0  ax  x ox => F = − max
x ox
2  x- x0 => F = - (1.80 x 10-3 kg) ( - 4.71 x
105 m/s2 ) = 848 N.
0 - (350 m/s) 2 The acceleration and net force are
 ax = = - 4.71 x 105 m/s 2
2  0.13 m  opposite to the direction of motion of the
bullet.
 Excersise: 4.33
A 4.80-kg bucket of water is accelerated upward by a cord of negligible mass whose breaking
strength is 75.0 N. If the bucket starts from rest, what is the minimum time required to raise
the bucket a vertical distance of 12.0 m without breaking the cord?
Solution:
The minimum time to raise the bucket will be when the tension in the cord is a maximum
since this will produce the greatest acceleration of the bucket.
Applying Newton’s second law to the bucket we get
Σ F = ma
T − mg = ma.
For the maximum acceleration, the tension is greatest, so

a =

T - mg 75 N -  4.80 kg  9.8 m/s
=
2

= 5.825 m/s 2
m 4.80 kg

Again, we have
1 A shorter time would require a
y - y0  v 0y t  a y t 2
2 greater acceleration and hence a
stronger pull, which would
2  y - y0  2 12 m  break the cord.
 t   2.03 s
ay 5.825 m/s 2
 Excersise: 4.40
An advertisement claims that a particular automobile can “stop on a dime.” What net force
would actually be necessary to stop a 850-kg automobile travelling initially at 45.0 km/h in
a distance equal to the diameter of a dime, which is 1.8 cm?
Solution:

Let +x be the direction of the initial motion of the auto.

v2x = vox
2
+ 2 a x  x - x0 
2
- v ox
 ax   vx  0 
2  x - x0 

Now, F = - m ax
2

 F
m v 2ox

850kg  12.5 m/s  = 3.7 x 106 N
2  x - x0  2  x - x0 

This is very large force. This is required to stop such a massive object in such a short
distance.
 Excersise: 4.47

A 6.50-kg instrument is hanging by a vertical wire inside a space ship that is blasting off
at the surface of the earth. This ship starts from rest and reaches an altitude of 276 m in
15.0 s with constant acceleration. (a) Draw a free-body diagram for the instrument during
this time. Indicate which force is greater. (b) Find the force that the wire exerts on the
instrument.
Solution:
The ship and instrument have the same acceleration.
Let, +y be upward.
The forces on the instrument are:
T = tension exerted by the wire in the upward
W = force of gravity in the downward.
So, W = mg = (6.50 kg)(9.80 m/s2 ) = 63.7 N
(a) The free-body diagram is sketched in shown in the figure.
The acceleration is upward, so T > W
(b) y − y0 = 276 m, t =15.0 s, v0y = 0. Σ Fy = may
=> T − w = ma
1 => T = w + ma
y - y0  v0 y t  a y t 2
2 => T = 63.7 N + (6.50 kg)(2.45 m/s2)
2  y - y0  2  276 m 
= 79.6 N.
2
ay   2
 2.45 m/s The net force in the direction of the
t2 15.0 s 
acceleration i.e in the direction of the tension
 Excersise: 4.57
Two boxes, A and B, are connected to each end of a light vertical rope, as shown in figure.
A constant upward force F = 80 N is applied to box A. Starting from rest; box B descends
12.0 m in 4.00 s. The tension in the rope connecting the two boxes is 36.0 N. (a) What is
the mass of box B? (b) What is the mass of box A?
Solution:
(a) The system is accelerating, so we apply Newton’s second law to each
box and can use the constant acceleration kinematics for formulas to find
the acceleration.
Let us apply Σ F = ma to each box.
y − y0 = 12 m, t =4.0 s, v0y = 0. (b) For box A, we have,
1 2
Σ Fy = may
y - y0  v0 x t  a y t => T + mg − F = may
2
2  y - y0  2 12 m 
=> mg − may = F - T
2
ay  2
 2
 1.5 m/s => m(g − ay) = F - T
t  4.0 s 
For box B, we have, m =
F-T
=
80 N - 36 N   5.30 kg
Σ Fy = may g - ay  
9.8 m/s 2 - 1.5 m/s 2
=> mg −T = may
T = mg – ma = m (g-ay) The boxes have the same acceleration
T 36 N but experience different forces
m = =  4. 34 kg
g - ay  9.8 m/s - 1.5 m/s 
2 2
because they have different masses.