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Question 6.17:

The bob A of a pendulum released from 30° to the vertical hits another bob B of the
same mass at rest on a table as shown in Fig. 6.15. How high does the bob A rise
after the collision? Neglect the size of the bobs and assume the collision to be
elastic.

Answer:

Bob A will not rise at all

In an elastic collision between two equal masses in which one is stationary, while the
other is moving with some velocity, the stationary mass acquires the same velocity,
while the moving mass immediately comes to rest after collision. In this case, a
complete transfer of momentum takes place from the moving mass to the stationary
mass.

Hence, bob A of mass m, after colliding with bob B of equal mass, will come to rest,
while bob B will move with the velocity of bob A at the instant of collision.
Question 6.18:

The bob of a pendulum is released from a horizontal position. If the length of the
pendulum is 1.5 m, what is the speed with which the bob arrives at the lowermost
point, given that it dissipated 5% of its initial energy against air resistance?
Answer:
Length of the pendulum, l = 1.5 m
Mass of the bob = m

Energy dissipated = 5%

According to the law of conservation of energy, the total energy of the system
remains constant.
At the horizontal position:
Potential energy of the bob, E P  = mgl
Kinetic energy of the bob, EK  = 0
Total energy = mgl  … (i)
At the lowermost point (mean position):
Potential energy of the bob, E P  = 0

Kinetic energy of the bob, 

Total energy   … (ii)

As the bob moves from the horizontal position to the lowermost point, 5% of its
energy gets dissipated.

The total energy at the lowermost point is equal to 95% of the total energy at the
horizontal point, i.e.,

Question 6.19:
A trolley of mass 300 kg carrying a sandbag of 25 kg is moving uniformly with a
speed of 27 km/h on a frictionless track. After a while, sand starts leaking out of a
hole on the floor of the trolley at the rate of 0.05 kg s –1 . What is the speed of the
trolley after the entire sand bag is empty?
Answer:

The sand bag is placed on a trolley that is moving with a uniform speed of 27 km/h.
The external forces acting on the system of the sandbag and the trolley is zero.
When the sand starts leaking from the bag, there will be no change in the velocity of
the trolley. This is because the leaking action does not produce any external force on
the system. This is in accordance with Newton’s first law of  motion. Hence, the speed
of the trolley will remain 27 km/h.
Question 6.20:
A body of mass 0.5 kg travels in a straight line with velocity

 where . What is the work done by the net force during its
displacement from x  = 0 to x  = 2 m?
Answer:
Mass of the body, m = 0.5 kg

Velocity of the body is governed by the equation, 

Initial velocity, u  (at  x  = 0) = 0

Final velocity v  (at  x  = 2 m) 
Work done, W = Change in kinetic energy

Question 6.21:
The blades of a windmill sweep out a circle of area A. (a) If the wind flows at a
velocity v  perpendicular to the circle, what is the mass of the air passing through it in
time t?(b) What is the kinetic energy of the air? (c) Assume that the windmill converts
25% of the wind’s energy into electrical energy, and that  A  = 30 m 2 , v  = 36 km/h and
the density of air is 1.2 kg m –3 . What is the electrical power produced?
Answer:
Area of the circle swept by the windmill = A
Velocity of the wind = v
Density of air = ρ
(a) Volume of the wind flowing through the windmill per sec = Av
Mass of the wind flowing through the windmill per sec = ρAv
Mass m, of the wind flowing through the windmill in time t = ρAvt

(b) Kinetic energy of air 

(c) Area of the circle swept by the windmill = A  = 30 m 2
Velocity of the wind = v = 36 km/h
Density of air, ρ = 1.2 kg m –3

Electric energy produced = 25% of the wind energy

Question 6.22:
A person trying to lose weight (dieter) lifts a 10 kg mass, one thousand times, to a
height of 0.5 m each time. Assume that the potential energy lost each time she
lowers the mass is dissipated. (a) How much work does she do against the
gravitational force? (b) Fat supplies 3.8 × 10 7  J of energy per kilogram which is
converted to mechanical energy with a 20% efficiency rate. How much fat will the
dieter use up?
Answer:
(a) Mass of the weight, m = 10 kg
Height to which the person lifts the weight, h = 0.5 m
Number of times the weight is lifted,  n = 1000

∴Work done against gravitational force:

(b) Energy equivalent of 1 kg of fat = 3.8 × 10 7  J

Efficiency rate = 20%

Mechanical energy supplied by the person’s body:

Equivalent mass of fat lost by the dieter:

Question 6.23:

A family uses 8 kW of power. (a) Direct solar energy is incident on the horizontal
surface at an average rate of 200 W per square meter. If 20% of this energy can be
converted to useful electrical energy, how large an area is needed to supply 8 kW?
(b) Compare this area to that of the roof of a typical house.
Answer:
Answer: (a) 200 m 2
(a) Power used by the family, P = 8 kW = 8 × 10 3  W

Solar energy received per square metre = 200 W

Efficiency of conversion from solar to electricity energy = 20 %

Area required to generate the desired electricity = A

As per the information given in the question, we have:

 (A × 200)

(b) The area of a solar plate required to generate 8 kW of electricity is almost

equivalent to the area of the roof of a building having dimensions  14 m × 14 m.
Question 6.24:
A bullet of mass 0.012 kg and horizontal speed 70 m s –1  strikes a block of wood of
mass 0.4 kg and instantly comes to rest with respect to the block. The block is
suspended from the ceiling by means of thin wires. Calculate the height to which the
block rises. Also, estimate the amount of heat produced in the block.
Answer:
Mass of the bullet, m = 0.012 kg
Initial speed of the bullet, u b  = 70 m/s
Mass of the wooden block, M = 0.4 kg
Initial speed of the wooden block, u B  = 0

Final speed of the system of the bullet and the block = ν

Applying the law of conservation of momentum:

For the system of the bullet and the wooden block:

Mass of the system, m‘ = 0.412 kg

Velocity of the system = 2.04 m/s

Height up to which the system rises = h

Applying the law of conservation of energy to this system:

Potential energy at the highest point = Kinetic energy at the lowest point
= 0.2123 m

The wooden block will rise to a height of 0.2123 m.

Heat produced = Kinetic energy of the bullet – Kinetic energy of the system

= 29.4 – 0.857 = 28.54 J

Question 6.25:
Two inclined frictionless tracks, one gradual and the other steep meet at A from
where two stones are allowed to slide down from rest, one on each track (Fig. 6.16).
Will the stones reach the bottom at the same time? Will they reach there with the
same speed? Explain. Given θ 1  = 30°, θ 2  = 60°, and h  = 10 m, what are the speeds
and times taken by the two stones?

Answer:

No; the stone moving down the steep plane will reach the bottom first

Yes; the stones will reach the bottom with the same speed

v B = v C = 14 m/s

t 1  = 2.86 s; t 2  = 1.65 s

The given situation can be shown as in the following figure:

Here, the initial height (AD) for both the stones is the same (h). Hence, both will have
the same potential energy at point A.

As per the law of conservation of energy, the kinetic energy of the stones at points B
and C will also be the same, i. e.,

v 1  = v 2  = v, say

Where,

m  = Mass of each stone

v = Speed of each stone at points B and C
Hence, both stones will reach the bottom with the same speed,  v.
For stone I:

Net force acting on this stone is given by:

For stone II:

Using the first equation of motion, the time of slide can be obtained as:
For stone I:

For stone II:

Hence, the stone moving down the steep plane will reach the bottom first.

The speed (v) of each stone at points B and C is given by the relation obtained from
the law of conservation of energy.

The times are given as:

Page No 138:

Question 6.26:
A 1 kg block situated on a rough incline is connected to a spring of spring constant
100 N m –1  as shown in Fig. 6.17. The block is released from rest with the spring in the
unstretched position. The block moves 10 cm down the incline before coming to rest.
Find the coefficient of friction between the block and the incline. Assume that the
spring has a negligible mass and the pulley is frictionless.

Answer:
Mass of the block, m = 1 kg
Spring constant, k = 100 N m –1
Displacement in the block, x = 10 cm = 0.1 m

The given situation can be shown as in the following figure.

At equilibrium:

Normal reaction, R = mg cos 37°

Frictional force, f  R = mg sin 37°
Where, μ is the coefficient of friction
Net force acting on the block = mg sin 37° – f
= mgsin 37° – μmgcos 37°
= mg(sin 37° – μcos 37°)

At equilibrium, the work done by the block is equal to the potential energy of the
spring, i.e.,
Question 6.27:
A bolt of mass 0.3 kg falls from the ceiling of an elevator moving down with an
uniform speed of 7 m s –1 . It hits the floor of the elevator (length of the elevator = 3 m)
and does not rebound. What is the heat produced by the impact? Would your answer
be different if the elevator were stationary?
Answer:
Mass of the bolt, m = 0.3 kg

Speed of the elevator = 7 m/s

Height, h = 3 m

Since the relative velocity of the bolt with respect to the lift is zero, at the time of
impact, potential energy gets converted into heat energy.

Heat produced = Loss of potential energy

= mgh  = 0.3 × 9.8 × 3

= 8.82 J

The heat produced will remain the same even if the lift is stationary. This is because
of the fact that the relative velocity of the bolt with respect to the lift will remain zero.
Question 6.28:
A trolley of mass 200 kg moves with a uniform speed of 36 km/h on a frictionless
track. A child of mass 20 kg runs on the trolley from one end to the other (10 m away)
with a speed of 4 m s –1  relative to the trolley in a direction opposite to the its motion,
and jumps out of the trolley. What is the final speed of the trolley? How much has the
trolley moved from the time the child begins to run?
Answer:
Mass of the trolley, M = 200 kg
Speed of the trolley, v = 36 km/h = 10 m/s
Mass of the boy, m = 20 kg

Initial momentum of the system of the boy and the trolley

= (M + m)v

= (200 + 20) × 10

= 2200 kg m/s

Let v‘ be the final velocity of the trolley with respect to the ground.

Final velocity of the boy with respect to the ground 

Final momentum 

= 200v‘ + 20v‘ – 80
= 220v‘ – 80

As per the law of conservation of momentum:

Initial momentum = Final momentum

2200 = 220v‘ – 80

Length of the trolley, l = 10 m

Speed of the boy, v” = 4 m/s

Time taken by the boy to run, 

∴Distance moved by the trolley = v” × t  = 10.36 × 2.5 = 25.9 m

Question 6.29:
Which of the following potential energy curves in Fig. 6.18 cannot possibly describe
the elastic collision of two billiard balls? Here r  is the distance between centres of the
balls.
Answer:

(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), and (vi)

The potential energy of a system of two masses is inversely proportional to the

separation between them. In the given case, the potential energy of the system of the
two balls will decrease as they come closer to each other. It will become zero (i.e.,
V(r) = 0) when the two balls touch each other, i.e., at r = 2R, where R is the radius of
each billiard ball. The potential energy curves given in figures (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), and
(vi) do not satisfy these two conditions. Hence, they do not describe the elastic
collisions between them.
Question 6.30:
Consider the decay of a free neutron at rest: n  → p+ e –
Show that the two-body decay of this type must necessarily give an electron of fixed
energy and, therefore, cannot account for the observed continuous energy
distribution in the β-decay of a neutron or a nucleus (Fig. 6.19).

[Note: The simple result of this exercise was one among the several arguments
advanced by W. Pauli to predict the existence of a third particle in the decay products
of β-decay. This particle is known as neutrino. We now know that it is a particle of
intrinsic spin ½ (like e – , p  or n), but is neutral, and either massless or having an
extremely small mass (compared to the mass of electron) and which interacts very
weakly with matter. The correct decay process of neutron is:  n  → p + e – + ν]
Answer:

The decay process of free neutron at rest is given as:

From Einstein’s mass-energy relation, we have the energy of electron as Δ mc 2

Where,

Δm = Mass defect = Mass of neutron – (Mass of proton + Mass of electron)

c = Speed of light

Δm and c are constants. Hence, the given two-body decay is unable to explain the
continuous energy distribution in the β-decay of a neutron or a nucleus. The
presence of neutrino νon the LHS of the decay correctly explains the continuous
energy distribution.