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Chemistry 1S - Prof Paul May: A Is A Constant. An Accurate Plot On Graph-Paper Is Not Required. (5 Marks)

The document contains a calculus question from a January 2011 exam for Chemistry 1S taught by Prof Paul May. It asks students to: (1) Describe functions u(x)=cos(ax) and v(x)=exp(-bx); (2) Differentiate the function y(x)=cos(ax)exp(-bx); (3) Find the stationary points of y(x); and (4) Sketch y(x) for positive x, labeling important parts of the curve.

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55 views3 pages

Chemistry 1S - Prof Paul May: A Is A Constant. An Accurate Plot On Graph-Paper Is Not Required. (5 Marks)

The document contains a calculus question from a January 2011 exam for Chemistry 1S taught by Prof Paul May. It asks students to: (1) Describe functions u(x)=cos(ax) and v(x)=exp(-bx); (2) Differentiate the function y(x)=cos(ax)exp(-bx); (3) Find the stationary points of y(x); and (4) Sketch y(x) for positive x, labeling important parts of the curve.

Uploaded by

masyuki1979
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chemistry 1S - Prof Paul May

Calculus Question for January Exam 2011 1. Answer all parts (a) to (e) (a) Describe and sketch the main features of the function u(x) = cos(ax) where a is a constant. An accurate plot on graph-paper is not required. (5 marks) (b) Describe and sketch the main features of the function v(x) = exp(bx) where b is a constant. An accurate plot on graph-paper is not required. (5 marks) The function below, which is a product of the two functions in (a) and (b), is often used to represent damped simple-harmonic-motion: y(x) = cos(ax) exp( bx) (c) Differentiate y(x) with respect to x. (6 marks) (d) Find a general expression involving a and b for the stationary points of y(x). (6 marks) (e) Sketch y(x) in your answerbooks for positive values of x, labelling the important parts of the curve. An accurate plot on graph-paper is not required. (8 marks)

Answers
(a) u = cos(ax) is a cosine function, i.e. a function which repeats itself with a period of 2/a. It cycles between a maximum amplitude of +1 at x=0 and x = 2/a, and a minimum amplitude of -1 at x=/a. The function u = 0 at /2a and 3/2a.

(b) v = exp( -bx) is an exponential decay function, with decay constant = b. It has a maximum value of 1 at x=0, and then drops away exponentially with increasing x at a rate determined by the magnitude of b. The function only reaches 0 at x=.

(c) Product Rule:

= cos(ax)( -bexp(-bx)) + (exp( -bx)( -asin(ax)) = exp( -bx) { -bcos(ax) asin(ax) }

[4 marks]

[2 marks for simplifying it]

(d) Turning points occur when

= 0, i.e. when

exp( -bx) { -bcos(ax) asin(ax) } = 0 This can occur if either exp( -bx) = 0, i.e. when x = (not a very useful solution) or if -bcos(ax) asin(ax) = 0, asin(ax) = bcos(ax) tan(ax) = -b / a i.e. for x values where x = (1/a) tan-1( -b/a) (e) y(x) will be a combination of both a cosine function and an exponential decay. The cosine function will be cyclic, as before, however instead of it oscillating between +1 and -1, the multiplying exponential function decreases these values at each cycle. Thus the curve is a decaying cosine function, with the period of oscillation given, as before by 2/a, and the decay constant being b.

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