TEST

COURSE : PHYSICS I/ FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS:

MECHANICS AND HEAT
COURSE CODE : PHY430/433
TEST : 6 FEBRUARY 2021
TIME : 2 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS

1. This question paper consists of four (4) questions.

2. Answer ALL questions and email the scanned copy of your answer to your respective lecturer at
the end of the 2 hours.

3. There is a List of Formula and a List of Constants attached at the end of the test questions.

4. Answer ALL questions in English.

QUESTION 1

a) Human fingernails grow at an average rate of 3.47 mm per month. Calculate their
growth rate in nanometer per day.
(3 marks)

b) Determine the resultant of the following 3 displacement vectors:

⃗A = 30 m 20° North of East, ⃗B = 40 m 20° East of North,
⃗ = 15 m 60° West of South.
C
(6 marks)

c) The driver of a truck slams on the brake when he sees a big rock blocking the road.
The truck slows down uniformly with an acceleration of −5.0 m/s2 for 4.0 s, making
a straight skid marks 60 m long, all the way to the rock. Determine the speed the
truck strikes the rock.
(5 marks)

d) A projectile is fired with an initial velocity 𝑣0 at an angle 𝜃 as shown in Figure 1.

i) Determine the time to reach the maximum height, the maximum height
(𝑦 − 𝑦0 )𝑚𝑎𝑥 and the range (𝑅) in terms of 𝑣0 , 𝜃 and acceleration due to
gravity 𝑔.

ii) Calculate the value of projection angle 𝜃 when the horizontal range (𝑅) is three
times its maximum height.

𝑣0 (𝑦 − 𝑦0 )𝑚𝑎𝑥

𝑅
Figure 1

(11 marks)

2
QUESTION 2

a) Figure 2 shows a block of mass mA on a smooth horizontal surface, connected by a

thin string that passes over a pulley to a second block mB, which hangs vertically.
i) Draw a free-body diagram for each block.
ii) Determine the acceleration of the system and the tension in the string in
terms of mA, mB and the acceleration due to gravity g.

Ignore friction and the masses of the pulley and the string.

Figure 2
(6 marks)

b) Figure 3 shows a conical pendulum with a bob of mass m = 60.0 kg on a string of

length L = 5.00 m that makes an angle 5.00 with the vertical. Determine
i) the tension in the string,
ii) the vertical and horizontal component of the force exerted by the string on the
bob and
iii) the radial acceleration of the bob.

Figure 3
(6 marks)

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c) A 0.500-kg particle has a speed of 4.00 m/s at point 1 and kinetic energy of 8.00 J
at point 2. Determine
i) its kinetic energy at point 1,
ii) its speed at point 2, and
iii) the net work done on the particle by external forces as it moves from point 1
to 2.
(6 marks)

d) A 0.200 kg ball is dropped from a building 15.0 m above the ground. Determine
i) the speed the ball would hit the ground if air resistance is ignored and
ii) the average force of air resistance if the ball actually hits the ground with a
speed of 10.0 m/s.
(7 marks)

QUESTION 3

a) An object of mass 5.00 kg, moving with an initial velocity 10.0 m/s to the east collides
with and stick to an object of mass 2.00 kg with an initial velocity 15.0 m/s to the
north. Determine the final velocity of the composite object after the collision.
(8 marks)

b) The tyres of a truck make 65 revolutions as the truck reduces its speed uniformly
from 20 m/s to 10 m/s. The tyres have a radius of 0.40 m. Determine the angular
acceleration of the tyres.
(7 marks)

c) A beam of mass 30.0 kg is supported by a cable and attached to a wall as shown in

Figure 4. Determine
i) the tension FT in the cable and
ii) the magnitude and direction of force FW exerted by the wall on the beam.

Figure 4
(10 marks)
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QUESTION 4

a) A wooden block of volume 6.00  10−4 m3 floats in water and a small concrete of
mass m is placed on top of the block. When m = 0.450 kg, the system is in
equilibrium and the top of the wooden block is at the level of the water. Determine
the density of the wooden block.
(7 marks)

b) A 0.500-kg object connected to a spring with a force constant 30.0 N/m oscillates
with an amplitude 3.50 cm on a frictionless, horizontal surface. Determine
i) the total energy of the system and
ii) the speed of the object when its position is 1.50 cm.
(5 marks)

c) An ice cube at −10.0C is taken from the freezer and placed in a 100-g aluminium
calorimeter filled with 300 g of water at room temperature 25.0C. The final condition
is observed to be all water at 15.0C. Determine the mass of the ice cube.
(7 marks)

d) An ideal gas in a container is compressed adiabatically to half its volume. In doing

so 1900 J of work is done on the gas. Determine
i) the amount of heat flows into or out of the gas,
ii) the change in internal energy of the gas, and
iii) whether the temperature of the gas increase or decrease.
(6 marks)

END OF TEST QUESTIONS

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 LIST OF FORMULA
M
𝑣 = 𝑣𝑜 + 𝑎𝑡 𝑣 = 𝜔𝑟 u 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
k 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 =
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎
1
𝑥 − 𝑥𝑜 = 𝑣𝑜 𝑡 + 2𝑎𝑡 2 𝑣 2 a 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠
𝑎= 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑔′ 𝑠 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 =
𝑟 s 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛
𝑣 2 = 𝑣𝑜2 + 2𝑎(𝑥 − 𝑥𝑜 ) 𝑎 = 𝜔2 𝑟 u 𝐹
r 𝑃=
𝐴
𝑣 + 𝑣𝑜 𝜔 = 𝜔𝑜 +a𝛼𝑡 𝐹𝑏 = 𝑊𝑑𝑓
𝑣̅ = 1
2 t
𝜃 − 𝜃𝑜 = 𝜔𝑜 𝑡 + 𝛼𝑡 2
2
𝜔2 = 𝜔02 + 2𝛼(𝜃 − 𝜃0 )
𝑚𝑣 2 𝜏=𝑟 × 𝐹 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 = 𝐴𝑣
𝐹=
𝑟

𝑓 = 𝜇𝑁 𝜏 = 𝐼𝛼 1 2
𝑃+ 𝜌𝑣 + 𝜌𝑔ℎ
2
= 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡
𝑎 𝑄 = 𝑚𝑐∆𝜃
𝑊 =𝐹∙𝑑 𝛼=
𝑟
1
𝐾 = 2𝑚𝑣 2 1 2 𝑄 = 𝑚𝐿
𝐾= 𝐼𝜔
2
𝑈 = 𝑚𝑔ℎ 𝐿 = 𝐼𝜔 𝑊
𝑃=
𝑡
1 1
𝑈 = 2𝑘𝑥 2 ∆𝐸𝑖𝑛𝑡 = 𝑄 − 𝑊
𝐼𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑 𝑐𝑦𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 = 𝑀𝑅 2
2
𝐸 =𝐾+𝑈 2 𝑊 = 𝑃∆𝑉
𝐼𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑 𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 = 𝑀𝑅 2
5
𝑝 = 𝑚𝑣 ∆𝐿 = 𝛼𝐿𝑜 Δ𝑇
𝐿
𝑇 = 2𝜋√
𝑔
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑚1 𝑚2
(∑ 𝐹 ) Δ𝑡 = Δ𝑝 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = 𝐹=𝐺
𝑂𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑟2

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 LIST OF CONSTANTS

Acceleration due to gravity of the earth, g 9.80 m/s2

Young’s modulus for steel 200  109 N/m2
Specific heat of water 4,186 J/kg.K
Specific heat of ice 2,090 J/kg.K
Specific heat of steam 2,010 J/kg.K
Specific heat of aluminium 900 J/kg.K
Latent heat of fusion of water 3.33  105 J/kg
Latent heat of vaporization of water 2.26  106 J/kg
Density of water 1,000 kg/m3
Pressure of 1 atm 1.01  105 Pa