Physics 218: Exam 3

Class of 5:30pm
April 12th, 2012.

Rules of the exam:

1. You have the full class period to complete the exam.
2. Formulae will be displayed in the big screen. You may NOT use any other
formula sheet.
3. When calculating numerical values, be sure to keep track of units.
4. You may use this exam or come up front for scratch paper.
5. Be sure to put a box around your final answers and clearly indicate your work
to your grader.
6. Clearly erase any unwanted marks. No credit will be given if we cant figure
out which answer you are choosing, or which answer you want us to consider.
7. Partial credit can be given only if your work is clearly explained and labeled.
8. All work must be shown to get credit for the answer marked. If the answer
marked does not obviously follow from the shown work, even if the answer is
correct, you will not get credit for the answer.

Sign below to indicate your understanding of the above rules.

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Student ID :
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Question

Points

Roll of paper

20

Pulley and Disk

30

Faster than Gravity, Revised

30

Gears

40

Total:

120

Score

Part 1: Roll of paper

(20 points)
A 16 kg roll of paper with radius R = 18 cm rests against the wall and is held
in place by a bracket attached to a rod through the center of the roll as depicted
in the figure below. The other end of the bracket is hinged to the wall, such
that the bracket makes and angle of 30 with the wall. The moment of inertia of
the paper about the axis is I = 0.52 kg m2 and the coefficient of kinetic friction
between the wall and the roll is k = 0.25. A constant vertical force of 20 N is
applied to the end and the paper unrolls. All answers must be a number
with proper units.

(a) (0 points) Are you going to try to guess

the answers ? or are you going to go
through the usual steps that are necessary
to solve ANY problem ?

30

I will be following the usual steps,

including the drawing of coordinate
system,
and then
P~
P the application of
F = m~a and
z = Iz
F = 20 N

(b) (12 points) Find the magnitude of the force that the rod exerts on the
paper as it unrolls.

N1

x :
y :

30

N2 N1 sin(30) = 0 N2 = N1 sin(30)
N1 cos(30) fk F mg = 0

Now using fk = k N2 fk = k N1 sin(30)

N2
fk

N1 cos(30) k N1 sin(30) = F + mg = 0
N1 =

mg
F = 20 N

F + mg
= 238N
cos(30) k sin(30)

(c) (8 points) Find the magnitude of the angular acceleration of the roll.

fk R F R = I
fk F
(40 20) 2
=R
= 0.18
s
I
0.52
= 3.5 s2
z :

Page 2

Part 2: Pulley and Disk

(30 points)
A wire is attached to the ceiling and going through a massless pulley and is
winded into a disk of mass M and radius R. From the axis of the pulley hangs
a weight of mass m. The picture below depicts the situation, where initially the
whole system is at rest.
(a) (6 points) If the weight falls down a distance Y what is the length of wire that
is un-winded from the disk ? Use that information to derive a relationship between
the vertical acceleration of the weight and
the angular acceleration of the disk. Put
a coordinate system and check the
signs.

If the weight moves a distance Y

then the length of wire unwinded from
the disk is simply 2Y . Therefore using a coordinate system depicted above
and taking derivatives we get:

z
m

1
2y = z R ay = z R
2

(b) (8 points) Draw a coordinate system and the free body diagrams of the disk
and the pulley with all relevant forces.
T

N
y

mg

R
T

Mg

Page 3

(c) (16 points) Find the linear acceleration of the mass m and the tension T
on the wire.

y :N T M g = 0 N = T + M g
y :2T mg = may
2ay
where the last step used = 2ay /R
R
m
y :2T mg = may T = (ay + g) replacing in the eq above
2
m
2ay
z : (ay + g)R = Idisk
= M Ray
2
R
m

mgR
m
ay R
+M =
ay =
g
2
2
m + 2M
z :T R = Idisk = Idisk

T =

m
mM
m
g(1
) T =g
2
m + 2M
m + 2M

Page 4

Part 3: Faster than Gravity, Revised

(30 points)
A homogenous rod of mass M and length L is supported from the edge. Using a
massless steel wire a counterweight of mass m is added to rod a distance d to the
left of the supported edge as shown in the picture below. You should consider
the counterweight as a point-like particle.
L

{ {

(a) (5 points) Draw all the forces applied to the system of rod + weight.
N

mg

Mg

(b) (10 points) Find the angular acceleration of the rod around the supported
edge at the moment it is released. In addition find the minimum radius on
the rod at which the linear acceleration will be larger than gravity.

z :mgd M g

md M L2
L
= Isystem = g

2
Isystem

md M L2
M L2 + md2
3

=g1

md M L2
Find min. r such that r > g r 1
>1
M L2 + md2
3
r>

1
M L2
3

+ md2
md M L2

Page 5

(c) (5 points) Is the mechanical energy of the system conserved as it falls down?
Explain why or why not.
Yes, because the work of the non-conservative forces is zero.

(d) (10 points) Using conservation of energy find the angular velocity of the
rod +weight system when the system has rotated down an angle of .
Because mechanical energy is conserved we know Eini = Ef in .
Eini = 0
L
1
sin() + Isystem f2
2
2
g sin() (2md M L)
f2 =
1
M L2 + md2
3

Ef in = mgd sin() M g

Page 6

Part 4: Gears

(40 points)
An isolated system of a bar and two disks is floating in the middle of space. A
massless bar has two axes holding two disks in place as shown in the figure below.
The two disks have masses m1 and 3m1 and radius R1 and 12 R1 respectively. The
two disks are in contact such that they rotate without slipping with respect to
each other much like gears in a watch. The velocity of the disk m1 is known to
be 1 . All answers must be expressed in terms of m1 , R1 , and 1 .
1

m1
y

3m1
x

Bar

z
R1

R1
2

(a) (5 points) Find the angular velocity of the second gear, 2 .

Because the disks rotate without slipping the distance that ones moves
at the interface between the two disks must be the same
1 R1 = 2 R2 2 =

1 R1
R2

2 = 2 1

(b) (10 points) Find the angular momentum of the whole system.

~ = (I1 1 + I2 2 )
L
z
1
1
Lz = m1 R12 1 + m2 R22 2
2
2


1
1
R12
1 3
2
2
Lz = m1 R1 1 3m1 21 = m1 R1 1

2
2
4
2 4
1
Lz = m1 R12 1
4

Page 7

(c) (5 points) Find the position of the center of mass with respect to the axis
of the disk m1 .

rCM

P
mi ri
m2 (R1 + R2 )
= P
=
mi
m1 + m2

rCM

3m1 ( 32 R1 )
9
=
= R1
4m1
8

(d) (10 points) A breaking mechanism in the bar applies friction in the axes
such that two disks stop rotating with respect to the axes in the bar and
the system becomes a solid rigid system. Find the moment of Inertia of the
system with respect to the center of mass.

Isys = I2 + I2
1
1
2
= ( m1 R12 + m1 rcm
) + ( m2 R22 + m2 (R1 + R2 rcm )2 )
2
2


81
3
3 9
1
+
+ ( m1 R12 + 3m1 ( )2 R12 )
= m1 R12
2 64
8
2 8
113
51
=
m1 R12 + m1 R12
64
64
41
Isys = m1 R12
16

(e) (10 points) As in the previous question the bar and the disks are stuck in
a single solid system. Find the final angular velocity of the whole system.
The breaking mechanism is internal to the system and therefore the
torques of external forces is zero which mean that the angular momentum must be conserved.
1
Lz,ini = Lz,f in = m1 R12 1 = Isys f inal
4
m1 R12 1
f inal =
4Isys
f inal =

4
1
41

Page 8

Translational

Rotational
always true:

h~v i =
h~ai =

~
r2 ~
r1
t2 t1
~v2 ~v1
t2 t1

~r(t) = ~r +
~v (t) = ~v +

~v =
~a =
Rt

d~
r
dt
2
d~v
= ddt2~r
dt

~v (t) dt

hi =
hi =

2 1
t2 t1
2 1
t2 t1

(t) = +

R0t
~a(t) dt
0

(t) = +

=
=

Rt
R0t
0

d
dt
d
dt

~ (t) dt

~ (t) dt

constant (linear/angular) acceleration only:

~r(t) = ~r + ~v t + 12 ~at2
~v (t) = ~v + ~at
vf2 = v2 + 2a(r r )

(t) = + t + 21 t2
(t) = + t
f2 = 2 + 2( )

~r(t) = ~r + 21 (~vi + ~vf )t

(t) = + 21 (i + f )t

Newtons Laws:
F~ = m~a
w
~ = mgj
|f~s | s |~n|

F~B on A = F~A on
F~spring = k~r
|f~k | = k |~n|

Work and Momentum:

Z
W = F~ d~r and if F~ is constant W = F~ ~r
Z
W = ~ d and if ~ is constant W = ~
P =

P~cm

= F~ ~v

= ~
~
P
P
P
mi~ri
mi~vi
mi~ai
= P
, ~vcm = P
, ~acm = P
mi
mi
mi
X
R
=
mi~vi = M~vcm , J~ = F~ dt = ~p

P =
~rcm

dW
dt
dW
dt

2
Ktrans = 12 M vcm
, Krot = 12 I 2
X
X
~
d~pcm
dL
F~ = M~acm =
,
~ = I~
=
dt
dt
ext
ext

~ = ~r F~ and |~ | = F r
~ = I~ = ~r P~
L
Circular motion:
s = R vtan = R
arad =

v2
R

atan = R
T =

2R
v

= ddt2