APM1612/205/1/2018

Tutorial letter 205/1/2018

Mechanics 2
APM1612

Semester 1

Department of Mathematical Sciences

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains information about the May/June 2018
examination, solutions to a previous year’s examination paper
and Solutions to assignment 6, Sem 1.

BARCODE

university
Define tomorrow. of south africa
Dear Student,

This tutorial letter intends to help you prepare for the examination. It contains the following infor-
mation:

1. About the May/June 2018 examination.

2. Solutions to a previous year’s examination paper.
3. Solutions to Assignment 6.

1. ABOUT THE MAY/JUNE 2018 EXAMINATION

(i) You are allowed to use a calculator in the examination, but I don’t think you really need
one!
(ii) The examination is based on all parts of the study guide. In particular, make sure that you
know the following concepts, and are able to apply them to solve problems:
• Centre of mass; calculation of centre of mass for systems of particles, composed bodies,
laminas and rigid bodies.
• Vector products.
• Moment of a force about a point:

M =r ×F

• Moments of inertia; calculation of moments of inertia for various objects, about vari-
ous axes; parallel and perpendicular axis theorems; moments of inertia for compound
bodies.
• Equations of motion: For translation,
n
X
F i = M R̈
i=1

and of rotation about a fixed axis,

n
X
r i × F i = I θ̈k
i=1

• Kinetic and potential energy; calculation of potential energy due to gravity; principle
of conservation of energy.
• Kinetic energy of: rotation about a fixed axis,
1
2
K .E. = I θ̇
2
and general motion (rotation and translation),
1
2 1
2
K .E. = M Ṙ + IG θ̇
2 2

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 APM1612/205/1/2018

• Angular and linear momentum of particles and systems of particles.

You must be able to solve problems about bodies in motion, by using the equations of
motion and/or the energy method. This is the most important and most difficult part of
the course, and can only be mastered by practice. Work through the examples and exercises
in the study guide until you can apply the solution techniques with confidence.

(iii) Where needed, moments of inertia for the objects in the examination questions will be
given in the examination paper, in the form they are listed in the table on page 246 of the
study guide.

In some cases, you will be specifically asked to calculate a moment of inertia, about a given
axis for a certain object. In that case, you may utilize any of the moments of inertia given
in the examination paper if you think they may be of help; alternatively, you may have to
calculate the moment of inertia from first principles. It is not necessary to memorize any
of the moments of inertia given on page 246.

(iv) Apart from certain moments of inertia, no other equations of formulas will be given in the
examination paper.

HINTS:

• The examination is similar in style to the paper shown below.

• Read the question carefully before you rush in to solve equations – often I really only ask
you to write down the equations, and then it is a waste of time to start solving them unless
you are told to do so!
• Another reason to read the questions carefully is because in an examination, you usually get
no points if you answer the wrong question! For instance, every year I have to regretfully
withhold marks from students who mix up the formulas for calculating centres of mass for
laminas and for solids of revolution – please, don’t make me do it to you!
• Let me again take the opportunity to remind you about coordinate systems: If you are
told to find the centre of mass of an object (for instance), you must decide on a coordinate
system and you must tell it to me in your answer, either by drawing a sketch of it (with the
object also drawn in) or by describing it otherwise! Your answer makes no sense otherwise,
and you will lose points!
• It is always a good idea to draw a sketch; it makes it a lot easier for me to follow your
reasoning when I mark your work.

Please do contact me if you have any queries at all!

With my best wishes
Your lecturer,
Dr EF Doungmo Goufo

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 2. SOLUTIONS TO A PREVIOUS YEAR’S EXAMINATION PAPER

Your examination paper for this semester will be approximately similar to previous years’ ex-
amination papers. One such paper formed the basis for Assignment 6 for this semester. We will
give you detailed solutions to that question paper here. In the following, we give first all the
questions, and then the solutions to all the questions. My comments appear in square brackets,
in italics; they do not form a part of the solution. (Note that you can also access further exam
papers through myUnisa. I will not provide you solutions to those exam paper, but you are
welcome to contact me with any queries about them! In particular you are most welcome to
send your solutions to them for marking.)

THE QUESTIONS

1. (a) Prove by direct integration that the centre of mass of a uniform rectangle with length a
and width b lies at the midpoint of the rectangle.
(b) The object shown below is constructed of four uniform thin rods, each of length a and mass
M, joined together at right angles at their ends.

Find the centre of mass of the object. [15]

2. (a) A cup is made of thin sheet metal, and consists of a disc of mass 2M and radius R, closing
off one end of a hollow cylinder with mass 6M and radius R.

i. Find the moment of inertia of the cup when it rotates about axis A.
ii. Find the moment of inertia of the cup when it rotates about axis B.
(b) Find the moment of inertia for the lamina bounded by the curve y = 3x + 1 and the x-axis
between x = 0 and x = 2, when it rotates about the x-axis. The lamina is made of uniform
material, and has the total mass M. [15]

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 APM1612/205/1/2018

3.
Two blocks (Block 1 and Block 2) are connected by a light string which runs over a disc D. The
disc is fixed in such a way that it rotates frictionlessly about an axis through its centre. Block
1 has mass M1 , Block 2 has mass M2 where M2 > M1 , and the disc has radius R and mass M.
The blocks are released from the positions shown. Let a1 be the upward acceleration of Block
1, let a2 be the downward acceleration of Block 2, let F1 be the tension on the string between
Block 1 and the disc, and let F2 be the tension on the string between Block 2 and the disc.

(a) When is it true that a1 = a2 ?

(b) When is it true that F1 = F2 ?

Justify your answers! [16]

4. A disc with radius R and mass M is placed upright on a rough slope which forms the angle α
with horizontal. A thin string is wound around the disc and pulled upwards parallel to the slope
with tension T , as shown below. The string does not slip on the disc, and the disc rolls without
slipping along the slope.

(a) Copy the sketch above. List, and draw in your sketch as vectors, all the forces acting on
the disc.
(b) Write down the equations of motion of the centre of mass of the disc. Use separate equations
for the components of motion parallel and perpendicular to the slope, respectively. (Do
not solve the equations!)
(c) Write down the equation of rotation of the disc, for rotation about its centre of mass. (Do
not solve the equations!)
(d) Explain how the motions in (b) and (c) are linked to each other. [22]

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 5. A pendulum consists of a rod AB of length 2a and mass M, rotating about a horizontal axis
through its one end B. Let θ denote the counterclockwise angle that the rod forms with the
vertical line drawn down from point B.
(a) Find the equation of rotation of the pendulum.
(b) What is the total mechanical energy of the pendulum, if the rod is initially held horizontal
and then released? Assume that the zero energy level of the gravitational energy goes
through point B. [16]

6. A light string is wound around a thin disc of mass m and radius a. The disc is initially kept
upright, and then released, while the free end of the string is pulled upwards with tension T .
(a) Find the angular acceleration of the disc, if the tension T is such that the linear acceleration
of the centre of the disc is zero.
(b) Find the linear acceleration of the centre of the disc, if the tension T is such that the
angular acceleration of the disc is zero.

MOMENTS OF INERTIA

Rod of length 2a and mass M, for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the rod, through its centre:
1
I = Ma2
3

Disc of radius r and mass M, about an axis perpendicular to the disc, through its centre:
1
I = Mr 2
2

Ring of radius r and mass M, about an axis perpendicular to the ring, through its centre:
I = Mr 2
SOLUTIONS:

1. (a) Assume that the coordinate system is chosen like this:

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 APM1612/205/1/2018

If we divide the rectangle into this strips parallel to Y –axis, as shown above, then a strip
situated at position x on the X –axis, with width dx, has mass

dm = aρdx,

where ρ denotes density. [This follows from the fact that the thin strip is approximately a

length a and width dx.] Also, the centre of mass of this thin strip is at the
rectangle with
a
point x, 2 . It follows that the centre of mass of the entire rectangle has centre of mass
(x, y) where
R Rb Rb 1 2
xdm 0
xaρdx ρa 0
xdx 2
b 1
x= R = Rb = Rb = = b,
dm aρdx ρa dx b 2
0 0

and R R b a

ydm aρdx 1
y= R = 0R b2 = a.
dm aρdx 2
0

(b) If the coordinate system is selected as shown below, then the four components of the object
(the four rods) have centres of mass at
 a   a   3a  
3a

0, , ,a , a and , 2a .
2 2 2 2

Then the centre of mass of the whole object is at (x, y) where

M · 0, a2 + M · a2 , a + M · a, 3a 3a





2
+M · 2
, 2a
(x, y) =
  4M
3 5
= a, a .
4 4

2. (a) (i)

IA = Idisc + Icylinder
1
= (2M) R 2 + (6M) R 2 = 7MR 2
2
(ii) By the parallel axis theorem,

IB = IA + (8M) R 2 = 15MR 2 .

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 (b) Assume that the lamina is divided into thin strips, as shown below.

Each strip is then approximately a thin rod; the strip at position x of the X –axis has length
(3x + 1) and mass dm = ρ (3x + 1) dx where ρ is density. It follows that the moment of
inertia of this strip when it rotates about the X –axis is
 2
4 (3x + 1) 1
dI = (dm) · = ρ (3x + 1)3 dx.
3 2 3

The moment of inertia for the whole object is, therefore

Z 2
ρ 2
Z Z
1 3
I = dI = ρ (3x + 1) dx = (3x + 1)3 dx
0 3 3 0
200
= ρ· .
3
We wish to express I in terms of mass M rather than density ρ; to do this, we note that
the total area of the lamina is
Z 2
area = (3x + 1) dx + 8.
0

So since
M
M = ρ · area ∴ ρ= ,
area
M
we have ρ = 8
when we substitute this into the value of I, we get

25
I= M.
3

3. (a) a1 = a2 holds always. This can be seen from the fact that whenever Block 1 goes up by a
distance x, Block 2 must go down by the same distance x (we are assuming here that the
string does not stretch).
(b) F1 = F2 holds if I = 0 for the disc – for instance if M = 0 or R = 0.
Another case where F1 = F2 is if the string passes frictionlessly over the disc.

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 APM1612/205/1/2018

4. (a) The forces acting on the disc are:

Tension T ; Normal force N; gravity Mg, friction f .

(b) Parallel to the slope:

T + f − Mg sin α = M ẍ,
where ẍ is the acceleration, taken to be positive up the slope.
Perpendicular to the slope:
N − Mg cos α = M ÿ,
where ÿ is the acceleration, taken to be positive upwards (or, we can directly conclude that
ÿ = 0.)
(c) Equation of rotation: If θ̈ is measured counterclockwise, then we will get
 
1 2
Rf − RT = MR θ̈
2

[Note that you are free to choose the way you measure the accelerations ẍ, ÿ and θ̈, but
you must select the signs in (b), (c) and (d) accordingly!]
(d) Rolling condition specifies that
ẍ = −R θ̈.

5. (a)
The rod rotates about point B, and by the parallel axis theorem, the moment of inertia for
this rotation is
4
IB = Ma2 .
3

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 The equation of rotation becomes (after some trigonometry),
IB θ̈ = −aMg sin θ

4 2
∴ Ma θ̈ = −aMg sin θ.
3
(b) In the initial positions,
KEin. = 0 (since the rod is held at rest),
PEin. = 0 (if we take zero energy level to go through B).

Therefore the initial total mechanical energy of the pendulum is

Etotal(initial) = KEin. + PEin. = 0 + 0 = 0,

and, since the energy conservation principle applies here, the total mechanical energy will
always be equal to zero.

6.
The equations of motion and rotation are:
T − mg = mÿtag1 (1)
 
1 2
aT = ma θ̈tag2 (2)
2

if θ is counterclockwise angular acceleration, and ÿ upwards vertical acceleration.

(a) If ÿ = 0 then by (1), T = mg. When we substitute this into (2), we get
aT xmg 2g
θ̈ = 1

= 1
= .
2
ma2 2
ma2 a

(b) If θ̈ = 0 then by (2), we must have T = 0 (the disc is falling freely). Then (1) gives
−mg = mÿ
∴ ÿ = −g.

[Note that aθ̈ = ±ÿ does not hold here!]

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 APM1612/205/1/2018

3. SOLUTIONS TO ASSIGNMENT 6, UNIQUE NUMBER: 854643

The correct solutions to the multiple choice questions are given below. Please see Section 2 above for
the correct solutions to the examination questions that some of these questions are based on!
Important: Please do go through your answers to these questions. If you got the answer
wrong, make sure you understand why!

1. The correct answer is 1.

2. The correct answer is 2.

3. The correct answer is 4.

4. The correct answer is 4.

5. The correct answer is 2.

6. The correct answer is 4.

7. The correct answer is 3.

8. The correct answer is 3.

9. The correct answer is 2.

10. The correct answer is 1.

11. The correct answer is 2.

12. The correct answer is 1.

13. The correct answer is 3.

14. The correct answer is 3.

15. The correct answer is 3.

16. The correct answer is 2.

17. The correct answer is 4.

18. The correct answer is 3.

19. The correct answer is 4.

20. The correct answer is 3.

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