Memorandum

Tutorial Test 4A
1. Alex and John are loading identical cabinets onto a truck. Alex lifts his cabinet
straight up from the ground to the bed of the truck, whereas John slides his cabinet up
a rough ramp to the truck. Which statement is correct about the work done on the
cabinet– Earth system? (a) Alex and John do the same amount of work. (b) Alex does
more work than John. (c) John does more work than Alex. (d) None of those
statements is necessarily true because the force of friction is unknown. (e) None of
those statements is necessarily true because the angle of the incline is unknown.

Solution

Answer (c).

Assuming that the cabinet has negligible speed during the operation, all of the work
Alex does is used in increasing the gravitational potential energy of the cabinet-Earth
system. However, in addition to increasing the gravitational potential energy of the
cabinet-Earth system by the same amount as Alex did, John must do work
overcoming the friction between the cabinet and ramp. This means that the total work
done by John is greater than that done by Alex.

2. A 0.600-kg particle has a speed of 2.00 m/s at point A and kinetic energy of 7.50 J
at point B. What is (a) its kinetic energy at A, (b) its speed at B, and (c) the net work
done on the particle by external forces as it moves from A to B?

Solution

(a)

(b)

(c)
3. A block of mass 0.250 kg is placed on top of a light, vertical spring of force
constant 5 000 N/m and pushed downward so that the spring is compressed by 0.100
m. After the block is released from rest, it travels upward and then leaves the spring.
To what maximum height above the point of release does it rise?

Solution

From conservation of energy for the block-spring-Earth system,

Ugf = Usi

or

This gives a maximum height,

 Memorandum

Tutorial Test 4B
1. Mark and David are loading identical cement blocks onto David’s pickup truck.
Mark lifts his block straight up from the ground to the truck, whereas David slides his
block up a ramp containing frictionless rollers. Which statement is true about the
work done on the block–Earth system? (a) Mark does more work than David. (b)
Mark and David do the same amount of work. (c) David does more work than Mark.
(d) None of those statements is necessarily true because the angle of the incline is
unknown. (e) None of those statements is necessarily true because the mass of one
block is not given.

Solution

Answer (b).

Since the rollers on the ramp used by David were frictionless, he did not do any work
overcoming nonconservative forces as he slid the block up the ramp. Neglecting any
change in kinetic energy of the block (either because the speed was constant or was
essentially zero during the lifting process), the work done by either Mark or David
equals the increase in the gravitational potential energy of the block-Earth system as
the block is lifted from the ground to the truck bed. Because they lift identical blocks
through the same vertical distance, they do equal amounts of work.

2. A 400-N child is in a swing that is attached to a pair of ropes 2.00 m long. Find the
gravitational potential energy of the child–Earth system relative to the child’s lowest
position when (a) the ropes are horizontal, (b) the ropes make a 30.08 angle with the
vertical, and (c) the child is at the bottom of the circular arc.

Solution

(a) We take the zero configuration of system potential energy with the child at the
lowest point of the arc. When the swing is held
horizontal initially, the initial position is 2.00 m
above the zero level. Thus,
(b) From the sketch, we see that at an angle of 30.0° the child is at a vertical
height of (2.00 m) (1 – cos 30.0º) above the lowest point of the arc. Thus,

(c) The zero level has been selected at

the lowest point of the arc. Therefore, at this location.

3. A block of mass m = 2.00 kg
 is attached to a spring of force

constant k = 500 N/m 
as shown in the Figure. 
The block is
pulled to a position x i = 5.00 cm to the right
 of equilibrium and
released
 from rest. Find the speed
 the block has as it passes

through equilibrium if the horizontal surface is frictionless

Solution

The spring does positive work on the block:

Applying ∆K = Ws:

so
 Memorandum

Tutorial Test 4C
1. If the net work done by external forces on a particle is zero, which of the following
statements about the particle must be true? (a) Its velocity is zero. (b) Its velocity is
decreased. (c) Its velocity is unchanged. (d) Its speed is unchanged. (e) More
information is needed.

Solution

Answer (d).

The work–energy theorem states that Thus, if Wnet = 0, then

which leads to the conclusion that the speed is unchanged

(v f = v i). The velocity of the particle involves both magnitude (speed) and direction.
The work–energy theorem shows that the magnitude or speed is unchanged when Wnet
= 0, but makes no statement about the direction of the velocity.

2. A 0.20-kg stone is held 1.3 m above the top edge of a water well and then dropped
into it. The well has a depth of 5.0 m. Relative to the configuration with the stone at
the top edge of the well, what is the gravitational potential energy of the stone–Earth
system (a) before the stone is released and (b) when it reaches the bottom of the well?
(c) What is the change in gravitational potential energy of the system from release to
reaching the bottom of the well?

Solution

Use U = mgy, where y is measured relative to a reference level. Here, we measure y to

be relative to the top edge of the well, where we take y = 0.

(a) y = 1.3 m: U = mgy = (0.20 kg)(9.80 m/s2 )(1.3 m) =

(b) y = –5.0 m: U = mgy = (0.20 kg)(9.80 m/s2 )(–5.0 m) =

(c)
3. Two objects are connected by a light string passing over a light,
frictionless pulley as shown in the figure. The object of mass m1 = 5.00 kg is
released from rest at a height h = 4.00 m above the table. Using the isolated
system model, (a) determine the speed of the object of mass m2 = 3.00 kg
just as the 5.00-kg object hits the table.

Solution

We assign height y = 0 to the table top. Using conservation of energy

for the system of the Earth and the two objects:

Choose the initial point before release and the final point, which we
code with the subscript fa, just before the larger object hits the floor.
No external forces do work on the system and no friction acts within
the system. Then total mechanical energy of the system remains
constant and the energy version of the isolated system model gives

(KA + KB + Ug )i = (KA + KB + Ug )fa

At the initial point, KAi and KBi are zero and we define the
gravitational potential energy of the system as zero. Thus the total initial energy is
zero, and we have

Here we have used the fact that because the cord does not
stretch, the two blocks have the same speed. The heavier mass moves down, losing
gravitational potential energy, as the lighter mass moves up, gaining gravitational
potential energy. Simplifying,
 Memorandum

Tutorial Test 4D
1. The figure shows a light extended spring
exerting a force, Fs, to the left on a block. Does
the block exert a force on the spring? Choose
every correct answer. (a) No, it doesn’t. (b) Yes,
it does, to the left. (c) Yes, it does, to the right.
(d) Yes, it does, and its magnitude is larger than
Fs. (e) Yes, it does, and its magnitude is equal to Fs.

Solution

Answers (c) and (e). The force of block on spring is equal in magnitude and opposite
to the force of spring on block.

2. A worker pushing a 35.0-kg wooden crate at a constant speed for 12.0 m along a
wood floor does 350 J of work by applying a constant horizontal force of magnitude F
on the crate. (a) Determine the value of F. (b) If the worker now applies a force
greater than F, describe the subsequent motion of the crate. (c) Describe what would
happen to the crate if the applied force is less than F.

Solution

(a) Since the applied force is horizontal, it is in the direction of the displacement,
giving  = 0º. The work done by this force is then

and

(b) If the applied force is greater than 29.2 N, the crate would accelerate in the

direction of the force, so its with time.

(c) If the applied force is less than 29.2 N, the

3. A sled of mass m is given a kick on a frozen pond. The kick imparts to the sled an
initial speed of 2.00 m/s. The coefficient of kinetic friction between sled and ice is
0.100. Use energy considerations to find the distance the sled moves before it stops.

Solution

We could solve this problem using Newton’s second law, but we will use the
nonisolated system energy model, here written as −f kd = Kf − Ki, where the kinetic
energy change of the sled after the kick results only from the friction between the sled
and ice. The weight and normal force both act at 90° to the motion, and therefore do
no work on the sled. The friction force is

f k = μk n = μkmg

Since the final kinetic energy is zero, we have

−f kd= −Ki

or

Thus,