Excersise: 7.

3
A 120-kg mail bag hangs by a vertical rope 3.5 m long. A postal worker then displaces the bag to a
position 2.0 m sideways from its original position, always keeping the rope taut.
(a) What horizontal force is necessary to hold the bag in the new position?
(b) As the bag is moved to this position, how much work is done
(i) by the rope and (ii) by the worker?

Solution:
Since the bag starts and ends at rest, we have
K2 − K1 = 0 and Wtot = 0.
2.0 m
sin φ =  0.571
3.5 m
φ  34.850

(a) Σ Fy = 0
T cosφ = mg (b) (i) The tension in the rope is radial and the
Σ Fx = 0 displacement is tangential so there is no component of
F = T sinφ . T in the direction of the displacement during the
Combining these equations we get motion and the tension in the rope does no work.
F = mg tanφ = (120 kg)(9.80 m/s2) (tan34.85°) (ii) Wtot = 0
= 820 N. So, Wworker = −Wgrav =Ugrav,2 −Ugrav,1
Wworke = mg( y2 − y1)
Wworke = (120 kg)(9.80 m/s2 )(0.6277 m) = 740 J.
 Excersise: 7.40
Two blocks with different masses are attached to either end of a light rope that passes over a light,
frictionless pulley suspended from the ceiling. The masses are released from rest, and the more
massive one starts to descend. After this block has descended 1.20 m, its speed is 3.00 m/s. If the total
mass of the two blocks is 15.0 kg, what is the mass of each block?

Solution:
Block A is the more massive one than B.
vA1 = vB1 = 0.
Let y = 0 for each block to be at the initial
height of that block,
so yA1 = yB1 = 0.
yA2 = - 1.20 m and
yB2 = + 1.20 m.
The tension force does positive work on the
mB bucket and an equal amount of negative work on Ugrav,1 = Ugrav,A1 + Ugrav,B1 = 0 + 0 = 0
the mA , so the net work done by the tension is zero. Ugrav,2 = Ugrav,A2 + Ugrav,B2 = mA g yA2 + mB g
Work is done on the system only by gravity, yB2 = 0
So Wother = 0 and U =Ugrav Ugrav,2 = mA (9.80 m/s2 )( - 1.2 m) + mB (9.80
vA2 = vB2 = v2 = 3.00 m/s. m/s2 ) ( 1.2 m)
Ugrav,2 = ( mB - mA)(9.80 m/s2 )(1.2 m) = 11.76
Given that, mA + mB = 15 kg
(mB - mA)
1 1 2
K 2 = (mA + mB )V22  (15 kg)  3.0 m/s   67.5 J
2 2
We know that,
K1 +U1 +Wother = K2 +U2
0 + 0 + 0 = 67.5 + 11.76 (mB - mA)
11.76 (mA - mB) = 67.5
mA - mB = 5.74
mA + mB = 15 kg

So, mA =10.37 kg and mB = 4.63 kg.

The final kinetic energy of the two blocks is 68 J. The potential energy of block A decreases by
122 J. The potential energy of block B increases by 54 J. The total decrease in potential energy
is 122 J − 54 J = 68 J, and this equals the increase in kinetic energy of the system.
 Excersise: 7.50
A 2.8-kg block slides over the smooth, icy hill shown in Fig. P7.50. The top of the hill is
horizontal and 70 m higher than its base. What minimum speed must the block have at the
base of the hill in order for it to pass over the pit at the far side of the hill?
Solution:
vB = speed at the bottom of the hill
vTop = speed at the top of the hill
Height of the hill = 70 m
For the projectile motion, take y + to be downward.
ax = 0, ay = g
v0x = vTop, vy = 0.
For the motion up the hill only gravity does work.
Take y = 0 at the base of the hill.
First get speed at the top of the hill for the block to clear the pit.
y = ½ gt2
y = ½ (9 8 m/s2 ) t2
t = 2.0 s
Then (vTop ) t = 40 m
The result does not depend on the mass of the block.
v Top = (40 m)/ 2.0 s = 20 m/s.
Energy conservation applied to the motion up the hill:
KBottom =UTop + KTop
1 1
mVB2 = m g y + mVTop 2

2 2
2 2
v B = VTop + 2 g y =  3.0 m/s  + 2 ( 9.8 m/s 2 )(70 m) = 42 m/s
Excersise: 7.79
A hydroelectric dam holds back a lake of surface area 3.0 x 106 m2 that has vertical sides below
the water level. The water level in the lake is 150 m above the base of the dam. When the water
passes through turbines at the base of the dam, its mechanical energy is converted to electrical
energy with 90% efficiency.
(a) If gravitational potential energy is taken to be zero at the base of the dam, how much energy is
stored in the top of the water in the lake? The density of water is 1000 kg/m3.
(b) What volume of water must pass through the dam to produce 1000 kilowatt-hours of electrical
energy? What distance does the level of water in the lake fall when this much water passes
through the dam?
Solution:
U = mgy.
Change in level of the lake is:
h =150 m for all the water that passes through the dam.
A Δh =Vwater
m = ρV and V = A Δh is the volume of water in a height Δh of
water in the lake. V 2.7 x 103 m3
Δh = = 6 2
= 9.0 x 10-4 m
(a) Stored energy = m g y = (ρ V )g y = ρ A(1m)g y. A 3.0 x 10 m
Stored energy = (1000 kg/m3)(3.0x106 m2 )(1 m)(9.8 m/s2
)(150 m) = 4.4x 1012 J. Δh is much less than 150 m, so using
(b) 90% of the stored energy is converted to electrical energy, h =150 m for all the water that passed
So, (0.90)(m g y) = 1000 kWh. through the dam was a very good
(0.90) ρV g y =1000 kWh approximation.

1000kWh 1000 x 1000W  3600 s  3 3

V= = = 2.7 x 10 m
0.9 (1000 kg/m3 ) (150 m) (9.8 m/s 2 ) 0.9 (1000 kg/m3 ) (150 m) (9.8 m/s2 )
Excersise: 7.82
A small rock with mass 0.12 kg is fastened to a massless string with length 0.80 m to form a pendulum.
The pendulum is swinging so as to make a maximum angle of 45° with the vertical. Air resistance is
negligible.
(a) What is the speed of the rock when the string passes through the vertical position?
(b) What is the tension in the string when it makes an angle of 45° with the vertical?
(c) What is the tension in the string as it passes through the vertical?
Solution:
Here only gravity does work.
Let y = 0 at the bottom of the arc. Let point 1 be when the string makes a 45° angle with the vertical and
point 2 be where the string is vertical. The rock moves in an arc of a circle, so it has radial acceleration arad
= v2/r
(a) At the top of the swing, when the kinetic energy is zero, the potential energy (with respect to the
bottom of the circular arc) is
P.E = mgl(1− cos θ ), where l is the length of the string and θ is the angle the string makes with the
vertical. At the bottom of the swing, this potential energy has become kinetic energy. So,
mgl(1− cosθ ) = ½ mv2,

V= 2 g l ( 1-cosθ) = 2(9.8 m/s 2 )(0.8 m)(1- cos 450 )  2.1 m/s

(b) At 45° from the vertical, the speed is zero, and there is no radial acceleration; the tension is equal to
the radial component of the weight,
mg cosθ = (0.12 kg)(9.80 m/s2 ) cos 45° = 0.83 N.
c) At the bottom of the circle, the tension is the sum of the weight and the mass times the radial
acceleration,

m v 22
mg + = mg[ 1  2(1-cos 450 )] = 1.9 N
l
When the string passes through the vertical, the tension is greater than the weight because the
acceleration is upward.
Excersise: 7.86
A particle moves along the x-axis while acted on by a single conservative force parallel to the x-axis.
The force corresponds to the potential-energy function graphed in Fig. P7.86. The particle is released
from rest at point A.
(a) What is the direction of the force on the particle when it is at point A?
(b) At point B?
(c) At what value of x is the kinetic energy of the particle a maximum?
(d) What is the force on the particle when it is at point C?
(e) What is the largest value of x reached by the particle during its motion?
(f ) What value or values of x correspond to points of stable equilibrium?
(g) Of unstable equilibrium?

Solution:
The equilibrium is stable where U(x) is a local minimum and the
equilibrium is unstable where U(x) is a local maximum.
dU/dx is the slope of the graph of U versus x.
K = E −U, so K is a maximum when U is a minimum.
The maximum x is where E =U.

(a) The slope of the U vs. x curve is negative at point A, so Fx is positive

(b) The slope of the curve at point B is positive, so the force is negative.
(c) The kinetic energy is a maximum when the potential energy is a minimum, and that figures to be
at around 0.75 m.
(d) The curve at point C looks pretty close to flat, so the force is zero.
(e) The object had zero kinetic energy at point A, and in order to reach a point with more potential
energy than U(A), the kinetic energy would need to be negative. Kinetic energy is never negative,
so the object can never be at any point where the potential energy is larger than U(A). On the
graph, that looks to be at about 2.2 m.
(f) The point of minimum potential (found in part (c)) is a stable point, as is the relative
minimum near 1.9 m.
(g) The only potential maximum, and hence the only point of unstable equilibrium, is at
point C.
If E is less than U at point C, the particle is trapped in one or the other of the potential "wells" and
cannot move from one allowed region of x to the other.