Physics I - A.A. 2013 - 2014: 1 Dynamics - Exercises
Physics I - A.A. 2013 - 2014: 1 Dynamics - Exercises
2013 – 2014
Prof. Iazzi Felice – [email protected]
Exercise teachers
Balestra Francesca – [email protected]
Sharda Kanudha – [email protected]
April 2, 2014
1 DYNAMICS– EXERCISES
1.1 Dynamics
1. A block of mass M is connected to a rope hanging from a mass-less pulley. A
person of mass m<M, on the floor, starts climbing the other edge of the rope.
It is possible for the person, to raise the block?
In the case it is possible, find the block acceleration and the rope tension.
DATA: M=100 kg; m=60 kg.
1
2 DYNAMICS– SOLUTIONS
2.1 Dynamics
1. Solution
It is possible for the person of mass m to raise the block of mass M (m<M), if
he/she is able to climb on the rope with an acceleration high enough i.e, he/she
is able to give to the rope an acceleration high enough.
Let’s consider the figure 1:
y'
y
x'
O'
T T
O x
Figure 1.
Two reference frames are needed for answering to the questions of this prob-
lem.
The first reference system (x,y) has the x-axis along the lower edge of the block
when it is at rest at ground and y-axis vertical, perpendicular to x.
The second reference system (x’,y’) moves with the rope. It has the origin O’
fixed in a point of the rope and the axis x’,y’ parallel to x,y.
2
We know that the acceleration in the fixed reference frame can be calculated
from the acceleration in the moving reference system as:
ÿ = y¨0 + ÿO0
neglecting the terms involving the rotation of the moving reference frame.
But we know that y¨0 =a and ÿO0 =-Ÿ , therefore
ÿ = y¨0 + ÿO0 = a − Ÿ
Now it is necessary to consider the forces acting on the person and on the
block.
On the person:
mÿ = m(a − Ÿ ) = −mg + T
where T is the rope tension and mg = Fg is the modulus of the gravitational
force.
On the block:
M Ÿ = −M g + T
where, again, T is the rope tension and M g = Fg is the modulus of the gravi-
tational force.
ma − mŸ − M Ÿ = −mg + T + M g − T
that becomes
and
ma − (m + M )Ÿ = g(M − m) ⇒
ma − g(M − m) ma + g(m − M )
Ÿ = =
m+M m+M
If we want to raise the block, Ÿ ≥ 0 then:
ma + g(m − M )
Ÿ = ≥ 0 ⇒ ma + g(m − M ) ≥ 0 ⇒ ma ≥ g(M − m)
m+M
g(M − m)
⇒a≥ = 6.67 m/s2
m
The acceleration a must satisfy the expression above to allow the person to raise
the heavy block.
The tension of the rope can be obtain by summing the two equations of the
system above:
ma − mŸ + M Ÿ = −mg + T − M g + T
3
that becomes
ma − mŸ + M Ÿ = 2T − (m + M )g
and
ma + Ÿ (−m + M ) + (m + M )g
T =
2
CASE 1
It is possible to apply to the block, for a moment, an acceleration a > g(Mm−m)
and then continue with a constant acceleration a = g(Mm−m) .
In this case the acceleration of the block in the fixed reference frame will be
Ÿ > 0 for a while then it will become Ÿ = 0 and the block will continue to move
at a constant speed.
Then, in this case with a = g(Mm−m) we will have:
for the acceleration: Ÿ = 0
for the rope tension T:
ma + Ÿ (−m + M ) + (m + M )g ma + (m + M )g
T = = = 1000 N
2 2
bigger than in the simpler case in which the climbing speed is constant i.e. a=0.
CASE 2
We consider the case in which a > g(Mm−m) always. Let’s take a value for a
bigger than 6.67 m/s2 : for example a = 8 m/s2 .
In this case we have:
for the acceleration:
ma + g(m − M )
Ÿ = = 0.5 m/s2
m+M
for the rope tension T:
ma+g(m−M )
ma + Ÿ (−m + M ) + (m + M )g ma + m+M (−m + M ) + (m + M )g
T = =
2 2
that developing all the calculations becomes:
mM (a + 2g)
T = = 1050 N
m+M
4
2. Solution
m
x
l
O M
Figure 2.
The reference system (x,y) has the x-axis along the moving platform of the
truck and y-axis perpendicular to x.
Until the mass is at rest on the platform, the 2nd Newton law applied to the
mass, in components, can be written as:
(
mẍ = −mg sin(α) + Fs = 0
mÿ = N − mg cos(α) = 0
then (
mg sin(α) = Fs
N = mg cos(α)
For the definition of static friction, applied when there is no motion, we have:
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applied by the block on the truck.
This normal force, if not balanced along the horizontal axis by the friction of
the wheels on the ground, would make the truck move.
Now let’s consider the reference frame in figure 3.
The reference system (X,Y) has the X-axis along the street and the Y-axis
m
N
N
l
O X
Figure 3.
vertical, perpendicular to X.
In this reference frame the normal force applied by the block on the truck can
be decomposed along the X and Y axes:
(
Nx = N sin(α) = mg cos(α) ∗ sin(α)
Ny = −N cos(α) = −mg cos(α) ∗ cos(α) = −mgcos(α)2
The 2nd Newton law, on the truck, in components can be written as:
(
M Ẍ = Nx + Fs
M Ÿ = RT − M g + Ny
M Ÿ = RT − M g + Ny = 0 ⇒ RT = M g − Ny
RT = M g − Ny = M g + mgcos(α)2
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We want equilibrium also along the X-axis:
3. Solution
F
M
Figure 4.
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where R is the normal force applied on the wedge by the ground and N is the
normal force between the wedge and the mass m;
Since M ÿw = 0, due to the equilibrium of the wedge along y, R = M g+N cos(α).
The system becomes:
M ẍw = F − N sin(α)
mẍm = N sin(α)
mÿm = −mg + N cos(α)
y'
F
M
O'
x'
O x
Figure 5.
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the x’-axis is along the lower edge of the wedge, the y’-axis is perpendicular
to x’ and the origin O’ is coincident with the bottom extremity of the wedge.
In this reference system, the wedge is at rest and the mass m has a speed called
v’.
v’ can be decomposed along x’ and y’ axes:
(
vx0 = v 0 cos(α)
vy0 = −v 0 sin(α)
v0
from which vy0 = −tg(α) ⇒ vy0 = −tg(α) ∗ vx0 also written as: ẏm
0
= −tg(α)ẋ0m .
x
0 0
If we derive once, we get: ÿm = −tg(α)ẍm .
Moreover we know the equations that link the accelerations of the mass m
in the two reference systems (fixed and in motion):
(
ẍm = ẍ0m + ẍO0
0
ÿm = ÿm + ÿO0
where ÿO0 = 0 because the motion of the origin of the moving reference system
is 0 along y, and ẍO0 = ẍw because the moving reference system is put on the
wedge. Therefore (
ẍm = ẍ0m + ẍw
0
ÿm = ÿm
From the first equation of the system, ẍm = ẍ0m + ẍw , we obtain that
ẍ0m = ẍm − ẍw , then:
0
ÿm = −tg(α)ẍ0m = −tg(α)(ẍm − ẍw ) = tg(α)(ẍw − ẍm ).
We want that the mass m stays steady with respect to the wedge, then we
have to impose that the accelerations along x-axis of the mass and the wedge
are the same i.e. ẍw = ẍm .
0
In this way ÿm = ÿm = 0.
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and
ẍm = gtg(α)
From II), moreover, equation 1 of the system becomes:
mg
M ẍw = M ẍm = F − N sin(α) = F − sin(α) = F − mgtg(α)
cos(α)
The modulus of force F~ , to keep the mass m steady with respect to the
wedge, must be F=635 N.
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Exercise 4: Three masses mA= 10 kg, mB=15 kg, mC= 10 kg and ! = 30° are
connected through ideal ropes as shown in the figure. Pulleys are naturally supposed
to be ideal (massless and frictionless). We assume the friction with the horizontal and
inclined planes to be negligible. Calculate the tensions in the ropes and tell the
direction of the motion.
Solution 4:
Given
mA=10 kg
mB =15 kg
mC =10 kg
! = 30°
As for the direction of the motion, we can guess it by just looking at the figure. As a
matter of fact, A and C have the same mass, but the whole weight of A is applied to B
through the rope wound on the left-hand pulley. Instead, only one fraction of the
weight of C is applied to B (the component parallel to the inclined plane) because the
other part is supported by the plane itself.
Therefore A "wins" and:
A goes down,
B moves to the left and
C goes up the inclined plane.
The bodies to which we must apply the Newton's law are A, B and C.
Let's draw the free-body diagrams,
a) ! = !!
!! ! + !! = !! !
!! !! − !! ! = !! !!
!! ! − !! = !! !
! = !! !
+!! ! − !! ! + !! − !! !! = !! !!
Since the ropes are ideal (they cannot be extended) then the magnitude of the
acceleration of the three bodies is the same!!
To decompose, we apply the Newton's law along the x component and we can
multiply it by the unit vector !,
+!! ! ∙ ! − !! ! ∙ ! + ! ! ∙ ! − !! ! ! ∙ ! = !! !(! ∙ !)
+!! − !! = !! !
+!! ! ∙ ! − !! ! ∙ ! + ! ! ∙ ! − !! ! ! ∙ ! = !! !(! ∙ !)
+! − !! ! = 0
c) Let's choose the axis in the sense of motion so that the acceleration is "a" also here
! = !! !
!! + ! ! + !! ! = !! !
+!! ! + ! ! ! − !! ! sin ! ! − !! ! cos ! ! = !! !!
x axis
+!! − !! ! sin ! = !! !
y axis
+! ! − !! ! cos ! = 0
!! ! − !! = !! !
!! − !! = !! !
!! − !! ! sin ! = !! !
! = !! !
! ! = !! ! cos !
The last two equations come from the components of the forces that do not influence
the motion. Therefore they can be ignored from now on.
Hence we have three equations:
!! ! − !! = !! !
!! − !! = !! !
!! − !! ! !"# ! = !! !
These three equations have 3 unknown quantities: T1, T2 and a, the problem can be
solved as follows.
The text of the problem asks the values of T1 and T2. Let us then eliminate a, from
equation 1 we get,
!
! = ! − !!
!
!
!! = !! ! + !! = !! ! − !! + !!
!
! !
!! = !! ! + ! sin ! = !! ! − !! + !! ! sin ! = !! ! 1 + sin ! − ! ! !!
! !
and finally,
finally,
!! !!!! ! !"# !
!= !! !!! !!!
= 1.42 !/! !
NB:
• a > 0. This tells us that the motion really occurs in the direction we said before
(A goes down).
• Note that we could obtain the value of a in a much simpler way, taking into
account the entire system. As a matter of fact, mAg is the force that pulls the
system leftwards; !! ! sin ! is the force that pulls it rightwards, !! + !! +
!! is the total mass so that ! = !! + !! + !! ! ,
!! ! − !! ! sin ! = (!! + !! + !! )!