VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF APPLIED AND COMPUTER

SCIENCES

Assessment 2: LU 5-9
Physics II

SUBJECT : Physics II (APPHT2A)

DATE : 29 September 2017
TIME : 16H00-18H00
TOTAL MARKS : 110
FULL MARKS : 100

EXAMINER : Dr. M.D. Ngobeni

MODERATOR : Mr. F.P. Nemalili

 Calculators may be used.

 Read the exam rules and regulations.
 Number the answers correctly.
 The question paper consists of 7 typed pages including the front page, and the
information sheet.

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE BEFORE PERMISSION IS GRANTED

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QUESTION 1 [30]

Write the correct answer for each of the following in your answer book. (Example 1.1. A)
1.1. A ball is kicked upward and travels along a parabolic arc before it strikes the ground.
Which one of the following statements is necessarily true?
A. The acceleration of the ball decreases as the ball moves upward.
B. The velocity of the ball is zero m/s when the ball is at the highest point in the arc.
C. The acceleration of the ball is zero m/s2 when the ball is at the highest point in the arc.
D. The x-component of the velocity of the ball is the same throughout the ball’s flight.
E. The velocity of the ball is maximum when the ball is at the highest point in the arc.

1.2. A spring-loaded gun is aimed horizontally and is used to launch identical balls with
different initial speeds. The gun is at a fixed position above the floor. The balls are fired
one at a time. If the speed of the second ball fired is twice the speed of the first ball fired,
how is the horizontal range (denoted R in the figure) affected?

A. The range for both balls will be the same.

B. The range of the second ball will be half as much as that of the first ball.
C. The range of the second ball will be twice as large as that of the first ball.
D. The range of the second ball is about 1.4 times larger than that of the first ball.
E. The range of the second ball will be smaller than that of the first ball by a factor of 1.4.

1.3. A bicycle travels 141 m along a circular track of radius 15 m. What is the angular
displacement in radians of the bicycle from its starting position?
A. 1.0 rad.
B. 1.5 rad.
C. 3.0 rad.
D. 4.7 rad.
E. 9.4 rad.

1.4. Which statement concerning a wheel undergoing rolling motion is true?

A. The angular acceleration of the wheel must be zero m/s2.
B. There is no slipping at the point the wheel touches the surface on which it is rolling.
C. The tangential velocity is the same for all points on the rim of the wheel.
D. The linear velocity for all points on the rim of the wheel is non-zero.
E. The tangential velocity is the same for all points on the wheel.

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1.5. Two motorcycles are riding around a circular track at the same angular velocity.
Motorcycle 1 is at a radius of 15 m, and motorcycle 2 is at a radius of 18 m. What is the
ratio of their linear speeds, v2/v1?
A. 1
B. 1.2
C. 1.4
D. 0.71
E. 0.83

1.6. A 50 N.m torque acts on a wheel with a moment of inertia 150 kg.m2. If the wheel starts
from rest, how long will it take the wheel to make one revolution?
A. 0.33 s
B. 0.66 s
C. 2.4 s
D. 6.1 s
E. 10 s

1.7. What happens when a spinning ice skater draws in her outstretched arms?
A. Her angular momentum decreases.
B. Her angular momentum increases.
C. Her moment of inertia decreases causing her to speed up.
D. Her moment of inertia decreases causing her to slow down.
E. The torque that she exerts increases her moment of inertia.

1.8. Which one of the following statement is true concerning an object executing simple
harmonic motion?
A. The object’s velocity is never zero.
B. The object’s acceleration is never zero.
C. The object’s velocity and acceleration are simultaneously zero.
D. The object’s velocity is zero when its acceleration is a maximum.
E. The object’s maximum acceleration is equal to its maximum velocity.

1.9. In a certain clock, a pendulum of length L1 has a period T1 = 0.95 s. The length of the
pendulum is adjusted to a new value L2 such that T2 = 1.0 s. What is the ratio L2/L1?
A. 0.90
B. 0.95
C. 1.0
D. 1.1
E. 1.3

1.10. Complete the following sentence: Resonance occurs in harmonic motion when
A. the system is overdamped.
B. the system is critically damped.
C. the energy in the system is a minimum.
D. the driving frequency is the same as the natural frequency of the system.
E. the energy in the system is proportional to the square of the motion’s amplitude.

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QUESTION 2 [80]

2.1. Define, state or explain each of the following:

(a) Centripetal acceleration. [2]
(b) Angular velocity. [2]
(c) Torque. [2]
(d) Principle of conservation of angular momentum. [2]
(e) Newton’s second law for rotational motion about a fixed axis. [2]
(f) Hooke’s law for stress and strain. [2]
(g) Damped harmonic motion. [2]

2.2. A rock is kicked horizontally at a speed of 10 m/s from the edge of a cliff. The rock strikes
the ground 55 m from the foot of the cliff of height H as shown in the figure. Neglect air
resistance.
10 m/s

55 m
(a) How long is the rock in the air? [3]
(b) What is the approximate value of H, the height of the cliff? [3]
(c) What is the speed of the rock as it hits the ground? [3]

2.3. A 6.1 kg object on the end of a massless connecting rod moves in uniform circular motion
in a vertical circle with radius 1.2 m as shown in the figure. The period of revolution is
0.80 s. Calculate the tension in the connecting rod at the position shown below. [5]

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2.4. A racetrack surface has the shape of an inverted cone on which cars race in horizontal
circles? For a constant speed of 29 m/s, to what distance d in the figure should a driver take
his car if he wishes to stay on a circular path without friction? [8]

2.5. A flywheel having constant angular acceleration requires 4 s to rotate through 258
revolutions. The angular velocity at the end of this time is 17.2 rev/s. Calculate the initial
angular velocity. [4]

2.6. A bicycle wheel of radius 0.70 m is rolling without slipping on a horizontal surface with an
angular speed of 2.0 rev/s when the cyclist begins to uniformly apply the brakes. The
bicycle stops in 5.0 s. How far did the bicycle travel horizontally during the 5.0 s of
braking? [4]

2.7. The beam in the figure below has a length of 2 m. If the tension in the string is T = 470 N,
calculate the weight of the beam. [6]

2.8. A disk has moment of inertia I = 0.015 kg.m2 and is turning with 3 rev/s. A rock falls onto
the disk a distance 20 cm from the axis of rotation. What mass of the rock will slow the
disk to 2 rev/s? [5]

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2.9. A 1.0 kg solid sphere (I = mr2) rolls along a horizontal surface with speed of 6.0 m/s.
What is the total kinetic energy of the sphere? [4]

2.10. The acceleration of a block attached to a spring is given by: a(t) = -0.302 cos(2.41t)
(a) What is the frequency of the block’s motion? [2]
(b) What is the amplitude of the block’s motion? [2]
(c) What is the expression for the displacement of the block as a function of time? [2]

2.11. A 0.20 kg block is attached to the spring and placed on a horizontal, frictionless surface as
shown in the figure. The spring has a spring constant of k = 545 N/m. The block is then
pulled so that the spring stretches to x = 4.50 cm and is then released from rest.

(a) Determine the final translational speed of the block when the final displacement of the
spring is 2.25 cm. [5]
(b) What is the total mechanical energy of the system at any instant? [3]

2.12. An 8.0 kg stone at the end of a steel wire (Y = 2.0×1011) is being whirled in a horizontal
circle at a constant tangential speed of 12 m/s. The wire is 4.0 m long and has a radius of
1.0 × 10-3 m.
(a) Determine the strain in the wire. [5]
(b) What is the change in length of the wire? [2]

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EXAMINATION FORMULAE SHEET AND CONSTANTS

Acceleration due to gravity g = 9.8 m.s-2

Density of water water = 1 000 kg.m-3
Boltzmann’s constant k = 1.38 × 10-23 J.K-1
Universal gas constant R = 8.314 J.K-1.mol-1
Permeability of free space 0 = 4 × 10-7 T.m-1.A-1

L
F Y A 
1
w  w0 t
L0 2
a   Aw 2 cos wt x  A cos wt

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 VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Memorandum Assessment 2: LU 5-9

Physics II
SUBJECT : Physics II (APPHT2A)
DATE : 29 September 2017
TIME : 2 HOURS
TOTAL MARKS : 110
FULL MARKS : 100

Question 1 [30]

1.1 D 1.2 C 1.3 E 1.4 B 1.5 B 1.6 D 1.7 C 1.8 D 1.9 D 1.10 D

Question 2 [80]

2.1.

(a) ac = v2/r, where v is the tangential speed, r the radius [2]

(b) Angular velocity is the change in angular displacement over time (ω=θ/t) [2]

(c) τ
= F×l, where F is the force, l is the lever arm [2]

(d) The total angular momentum of a system remains constant (conserved) if the net
average external torque acting on the system is zero. [2]

(e) The angular acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the net torque applied
to it and inversely proportional to the moment of inertia. τ =Iα [2]

(f) Stress is directly proportional to strain. [2]

(g) Is the motion in which the amplitude of oscillation decreases as time passes. [2]

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2.2. (a) [3] 2.7.
= [6]

(b) [3]
2.8. [5]

[3]
2.9.
[4]

2.3. [5] 2.10.(a) [2]

(b) [2]
(c) [2]

2.11.(a)

[5]
2.4. [8]

Hence
(b) [3]

2.5. 2.12. (a)

w f  wi
 t
2
[5]
108  wi
1621  4  wi  702.5rad
2 (b)
[4] [2]
wi  12.57 rad / s
w 
2.6. d  s  r   i t  r
2 
12.57 
d    5 0.7  22.0m [4]
 2 

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Physics II MEMORANDUM Re-assessment - June 2009

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