Aero 305: Final Exam

Name:

20 Apr 2021

Open books, open notes, open computers, but NO open friends!

For maximum credit, please:

• Show all work, crossing out false leads rather than erasing.

• Circle or box short answers.

• Use the included blank area. If you need additional space, staple work sheets with your name
on each page to the test. If you choose to use a blue book, note this on the test sheet.

• Use correct units in your answers. I take points off for wrong or missing units.

• Write out and sign the honor pledge.

You have until 08:30 on Tuesday, 27 Apr 2021

Table 1: Useful constants and parameters.

qe Electronic charge 1.6022 × 10−19 C
k Boltzmann constant 1.3807 × 10−23 J/K

1
1. [20 pts] MASA, the Michigan Aeronautical Science Association, exists to design, fabricate,
and test an increasingly-impressive series rockets. Two tests of their early hybrid rocket tests
showed that a malfunctioning rocket is indistinguishable from a bomb. Shell fragments from
a zero-altitude explosion travel a distance R that can be considered a function of the following
parameters:

• the characteristic size L of the fragment (SI units of m),

• the available energy of combustion E (SI units of J),
• the rocket casing density ρ (SI units of kg/m3 ),
• the local gravitational acceleration g (SI units of m/s2 ),
• the atmospheric kinematic viscosity ν (SI units of m2 /s), and
• the atmospheric sound speed a (SI units of m/s).

(a) [4 pts] How many dimensionless groups are necessary to describe this problem, and why?

(b) [8 pts] Using {E, g, ρ} as your K-set, use a standard Buckingham-Π dimensionless anal-
ysis to find the exponents for a safe-radius coefficient of the form

ΠR = RE α g β ργ

Show your work for full credit!

2
(c) [8 pts] Using the same K-set, use a standard Buckingham-Π dimensionless analysis to
find the exponents for a viscosity-scaling coefficient of the form

Πν = νE α g β ργ

Again, show your work for full credit.

3
2. [20 pts] An 8-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with a ±1-V input range is directly
connected to the 1-V peak-to-peak ramp signal from a function generator. The discrete
Fourier transform of this signal is given below:

(a) [4 pts] What is the minimum sampling frequency fs required to accurately provide the
spectrum given above? What is the name of the criterion this satisfies?

(b) [4 pts] On the plot below, fill in and label (with units) the time axis for this signal.

(c) [4 pts] We can estimate the noise floor to be approximately -42 dbV. Using the definition

V
dbV = 20 log10
V0
where V0 = 1 V, calculate the ADC resolution in dbV. Which is smaller, the noise floor
or the ADC resolution? (Note: -5 dB is smaller than -3 dB.)

4
(d) [4 pts] It has been suggested that this -42 dbV noise floor is the result of Johnson noise
in the signal generator. If the signal generator has an output impedance of 50 Ω and
operates at room temperature (298 K), calculate the ADC bandwidth required for this
to be true.

(e) [4 pts] The two plots below show spectra taken with the same signal shape as above, but
increasing signal frequency:

(a) f0 = 1100 Hz (b) f0 = 1250 Hz

Nothing else (sampling frequency, amplitude, or instrument setup) has changed, and the
extra peaks in plot (a) above are caused by aliasing. Explain why the extra peaks do
not appear in plot (b) above, and predict the next highest signal frequency f0 > 1250
Hz that will cause a similar lack of extra peaks.

5
3. [20 pts] During a recent lab exam, students determined the density ρ of a metal cylinder.
To find this, they used a laboratory scale to measure the mass m to within an experimental
uncertainty of ±4m. They then used a micrometer to measure the diameter d to ±4d,
confirming that measurement with a dial caliper. Finally, they used the dial caliper to measure
the length l to ±4l. The resulting density is given by the equation
4m
ρ= .
πd2 l
Assume that the errors are independent; i.e., they are not correlated, and do not necessarily
line up in either a worst-case or a best-case fashion.

(a) [4 pts] Using the variables above, write down an algebraic equation for the ratio of the
density uncertainty to the density, 4ρ/ρ.

(b) [8 pts] Given the following measurements and uncertainty estimates:

m = 59.812 g 4m = 0.010 g
d = 0.9823 in 4d = 0.0005 in
l = 1.784 in 4l = 0.005 in
What is the absolute density uncertainty 4ρ for these values?

(c) [4 pts] Imagine that we could decrease the uncertainty any one of these measurements by
a factor of ten. Which measurement do we most need to improve? Which measurement
do we least need to improve?

(d) [4 pts] What would be the new density uncertainty ∆ρ after a tenfold decrease in the
uncertainty of the measurement that most needs improvement?

6
4. [20 pts] Many years ago, Aero 305 used sheet metal samples for the lab exam. We have a
14-element vector of mass measurements m
~ for one of these samples:

{9.37, 9.3757, 9.3774, 9.3774, 9.3775, 9.3778, 9.3778, 9.3778, 9.3779, 9.378, 9.378, 9.378, 9.3791, 9.38} g

The sample mean for m

~ is 9.3773 g, and the sample standard deviation is 2.3 mg.

(a) [4 pts] What is the median value and interquartile range (IQR) of this set of observations?
Note that m
~ is already sorted, smallest-to-largest.

(b) [4 pts] Sketch a leaf-and-stem plot for m.

~ Use a bin size of 1 mg; i.e., one stem for each
milligram of the data range.

(c) [4 pts] Which data points would be plotted as outliers in a box-and-whisker plot? Are
they mild outliers, or extreme outliers?

(d) [4 pts] Which data points would we reject if we use Chauvenet’s criterion? Note that
dmax /σ = 2.10 for n = 14.

(e) [4 pts] Use Student’s t-distribution to calculate the 95 percent confidence level for a data
set that excludes the data points rejected by Chauvenet’s criterion.

7
1

741
ational Amplifier
al Description The LM741C is identical to the LM741/LM741A except that
the LM741C has their performance guaranteed over a 0˚C to
1 series are general purpose operational amplifi- +70˚C temperature range, instead of !55˚C to +125˚C.
feature improved performance over industry stan-

cal Application
the LM709. They are direct, plug-in replacements

eral Description
C, LM201, MC1439 and 748 in most applications.

ional Semiconductor Corporation

iers offer many features which make their applica-

M741H is available per JM38510/10101

Metal Can Package
foolproof: overload protection on the input and

V2
V3
August 2000

V1
LM741AH/883 or LM741CH

-15 V
latch-up when the common mode range is ex-

GND
+15 V
as well as freedom from oscillations.
erational Amplifier

Operational Amplifier
V

See NS Package Number H08C

709C, LM201, MC1439 and 748 in most
well as freedom from oscillations.

DS009341
DS009341-2

rder Number LM741H, LM741H/883 (Note 1),

ction Diagrams
Dual-In-Line or S.O. Package
R1

R2
no latch-up when the common mode range is ex-
arly foolproof: overload protection on the input and
V2applications.
ch feature improved performance over 1industry stan-
ke the LM709. They are direct, plug-in replacements
741 series are general purpose operational amplifi-

plifiers offer many features which make their applica-

1 Metal Can Package
ational Amplifier
V3

al Description The LM741C is identical to the LM741/LM741A except that

the LM741C has their performance guaranteed over a 0˚C to

Offset Nulling Circuit

1 series are general purpose operational amplifi- +70˚C temperature range, instead of !55˚C to +125˚C.

DS009341-7
Hook up the circuit given above
-

feature improved performance over industry stan-

the LM709. They are direct, plug-in replacements
5. [20 pts] An active circuit is shown below:

C, LM201, MC1439 and 748 in most applications.

R3

+70˚C temperature

8
Order Number
iers offer many features which make their applica- DS009341-3

foolproof: overload protection on the input and

DS009341-2 Order Number LM741J, LM741J/883, LM741CN
range,

latch-up when the common mode range is ex-

41H is available per JM38510/10101 See NS Package Number J08A, M08A or N08E

LM741 Operational Amplifier

well as freedom from oscillations.

on the LM741J,
r Number LM741H, LM741H/883 (Note 1),

V4
LM741AH/883 or LM741CH
Ceramic Flatpak
the LM741C has their performance

ction Package Number H08C

See NSDiagrams
Dual-In-Line or S.O. Package

Ceramic Flatpak
Metal Can Package wiring diagram
+

LM741J/883,

Order Number LM741W/883

Dual-In-Line or S.O. Package

See NS Package Number W10A

below:
R4

DS009341-6
See NS Package Number J08A, M08A or N08E
LM741CN
V4 instead of !55˚C- to +125˚C.

DS009341-3

Order Number LM741W/883

DS009341-6
See NS Package Number W10A
August 2000

The LM741C is identical to the LM741/LM741A except that

C guaranteed over a 0˚C to

www.national.com
l Application
V5

DS009341-3
LM741 Operational Amplifier
nection Diagramsabove, and a pair of LM741 operational amplifiers mounted on a breadboard:

DS009341-2 Order Number LM741J, LM741J/883, LM741CN

Offset Nulling Circuit
41H is available per JM38510/10101 See NS Package Number J08A, M08A or N08E
r Number LM741H, LM741H/883 (Note 1),
LM741AH/883 or LM741CH
Ceramic Flatpak
(a) [10 pts] Given a ±15 V bipolar power supply, a set of resistors and capacitors as labeled

See NS Package Number H08C

V5

DS009341-7

DS009341-6

Order Number LM741W/883

(b) [3 pts] Find an expression for V3 . You may assume that the LM741 open-loop gain is
arbitrarily high.

(c) [3 pts] Find an expression for V4 .

(d) [4 pts] Assume the two input voltages can be described by

V1 (t) = A1 sin ω1 t
V2 (t) = A2 sin ω2 t

where A1 and A2 have units of volts. Find an expression for V5 in terms of A1 , A2 , ω1 ,

and ω2 .