PCS125 - Tutorial Questions

Instruction (this document is subject to change. If you want to print it out,

only print out the portion you need at the moment):
Please find below the question and their corresponding chapter in the text-
book. Generally your tutorial will cover up to the lecture topics one day before
your tutorial session. For example, if you have a tutorial on Wednesday, then
the topics in your tutorial will be from the end of last tutorial up to Tuesday’s
lecture.
Q1-Q6 15.1 and 15.2
Q7 15. 3
Q8 15.5 and 15.6
Q9 15.7
Q10 15.5

1 PCS125 - Topics in week 1

Relevant sections of Serway/Jewett, 9th Ed: 15.1-15.2

Question 1: (15.1) In an engine, a piston oscillates with simple

harmonic motion so that its position

varies according to the expres-
sion: x(t) = 5.00 cm · cos 2t + π6 , where t is measured seconds.
a. Find the position, velocity and acceleration of the piston at t = 0.
b. Determine the amplitude and period of oscillatory motion.

Question 2: An object of mass 450 g is attached to a horizontal

spring of spring constant 12.6 N/m. The mass moves in simple har-
monic motion on a frictionless surface with an amplitude of 18 cm.
At t = 0 the speed of the mass is v = +30 cm/s (positive meaning
to the right), while the position of the mass at time t = 0 is positive.
a. Determine the angular frequency
b. Determine the phase constant. [Caution: whenever you take an
inverse trig function, there will be multiple solutions, even though
your calculator only gives you one solution].
c. What is its position and acceleration at t = 8.4 s ?

Question 3: An object of mass M is attached to a light spring

moves in simple harmonic motion with amplitude 12 cm on a light
spring. Its maximum acceleration is 108 cm/s2 . (If needed express
answers in terms of m.)

1
a. Find the period T of the object.
b. Find its frequency f .
c. Find the maximum speed vmax of the object.
d. Find the force constant k of the spring.

Question 4: A large block P attached to a light spring executes

horizontal, simple harmonic motion as it slides across a frictionless
surface with a frequency f = 1.20 Hz. Block B rests on it as shown
in the following figure, and the coefficient of static friction between
the two is µS = 0.655. What maximum amplitude of oscillation can
the system have if block B is not to slip?

Question 5: The position of a particle is given by the expression

x = 4.00 cos (3.00πt + π), where x is in meters and t is in seconds.
a. Determine the position of the particle at t = 0.250 s.
b. Determine the frequency, the period, amplitude and phase con-
stant
c. Determine expressions for the velocity and acceleration of the
particle as a function of time
d. Determine the 4 first instants at which the particle passes at
x = 1.84 m

2
2 PCS125 - Topics in Week 2
Relevant sections of Serway/Jewett, 9th Ed: 15.1-15.7

Question 6: An object of mass 0.3 kg is attached to a light

spring and moves in simple harmonic motion with amplitude 8 cm.
Its maximum acceleration is 108 cm/s2 .

a. Find the period T of the object.

b. Find its frequency f

c. Using a cosine function, write an equation for the position of

the mass as a function of time, assuming v(0) = +29.4 cm/s and
x(0) = 0 cm. Insert all numbers into your equation (except for t ),
and include units where appropriate.

d. Find the total energy E of the object-spring system.

Question 7: A spider of mass 0.5 g is hanging from a thread which

we treat as an ideal spring. The spider undergoes simple harmonic
oscillations with an amplitude of 1 mm and a period of 0.008 s. Let
us use the equation x(t) = A cos(ωt) to describe the spider.

a. What is the speed of the spider when its displacement is

0.5 mm above the center of the oscillation (halfway between the
center of the oscillation and the endpoint). [Hints: The spider does
NOT reach the halfway point at time t = T /8. There are multiple
ways to do the problem].

b. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the spider when

it is at this point?

Question 8: A simple pendulum has a mass of 0.250 kg and a

length of 1.50 m. It is displaced through an angle of 15.0◦ and then
released at time t = 0. Calculate the following. (Give your all
answers to the thousandths place.)

a. Write the equation for the angle θ(t) of this pendulum. Plug

3
in appropriate numbers and include units

b. What is the maximum angular speed of the pendulum?

c. What is the maximum linear speed of the mass?

d. What is the total energy of the pendulum bob when the

angular displacement is 13.0◦ ?

e. If 10 seconds after starting the motion, the amplitude is 10.0◦ ,

what is the damping parameter b ?

Question 9: A 1.60-kg object attached to a spring moves without

friction (b = 0) and is driven by an external force given by the
expression F = 4.10 sin(2πt), where F is in Newtons and t is in
seconds. The spring constant value is 19.0 N/m.

a. Find the natural angular frequency (the resonance frequency)

of the system.

b. Find the angular frequency of the driving force.

c. Find the amplitude of the motion.

Question 10: A light balloon filled with helium of density ρHe =

0.179 kg/m3 is tied to a light string of length L = 5.09 m. The string
is tied to the ground, forming an "inverted" simple pendulum. The
density of air is ρair = 1.18 kg/m3 . Balloons feel an upward force
called "buoyancy". The buoyant force is equal to the weight of the
air which would fit inside the balloon FB = mair-displaced g = ρair V g.

4
 a. Draw a free body diagram on the balloon when it is slightly
displaced from equilibrium as shown in figure b. [Remember the
Helium inside the balloon has mass! Neglect the mass of the balloon
material.]

b. Of the forces acting on your balloon, which cause a torque?

Use the attachment point of the string on the floor as the pivot.
P
c. Using Newton’s Second Law for rotation τ = Iα, the dif-
d2 θ
ferential equation dt2 = −[ Constant ]θ describes the motion of the
balloon. Treat the balloon as a point mass with moment of inertia
I = mHe L2 , and use the small angle approximation. Find the [Con-
stant] in terms of the density of helium, the density of air, g, and
L.

d. Determine the period of the motion of the balloon. (Hint:

Compare the equation you wrote in the previous part to the simple
pendulum.)

5
3 PCS125 - Topics in Week 3
Relevant sections of Serway/Jewett, 9th Ed: 16.1-16.3

Question 11: Radio waves and microwaves are still waves and
obey the same fundamental equations as the mechanical waves we
discussed in class. The Ryerson radio station "The Scope" broad-
casts at 1280AM, which is a frequency of 1280kHz = 1.2 × 106 Hz.
On the other hand, your cell phone operates using microwaves at a
frequency of 1900MHz = 1.9× 109 Hz. Both radio waves and the
microwaves travel at the speed of light 3 × 108 ms . Determine the
wavelength of each of these waves

Question 12: One end of the string shown in the figure is oscil-
lated up and down at a frequency of 6.00 Hz. The amplitude of the
motion is 15.0 cm, and the wave speed is 23 m/s. Furthermore, the
initial conditions are

such that at y = −15 cm at x = 0 and t = 0. Assume that the +x

axis points to the right.

a. Determine the angular frequency of the wave

b. Determine the wave number k for this wave

c. Write an equation for the wave y(x, t) using a sine function. Insert
all numbers which you know except for x, t and include units.

d. Calculate the maximum transverse speed of an element of the

string. Give your answer in m/s.

Question 13: The figure below shows two snapshots of a single

wave on a string. The wave is traveling to the right in the +x

6
direction. The solid line is a snapshot of the wave at time t =
0 s, while the dashed line is a snapshot of the wave at t = 0.2
s. Determine the following quantities. Explain in words how you
determined each one.

a. The amplitude of the wave

b. The wavelength

c. The speed of the wave

d. The angular frequency ω

Question 14: A sinusoidal seismic wave from an earthquake has a

velocity of 5.5 km
s
and a period of T = 0.5sec. Suppose one such wave
is traveling along the surface of the earth in the east direction. The
wave is moving past your location and shaking you (oscillating you)
east and west. At time t = 0, the wave has you at the westernmost
point of your shake (you are as far west as you will ever get).

a. Is this a transverse or longitudinal wave? Explain how you know.

7
b. What is the frequency of this wave?

c. How far is it from your position at time t = 0 to the next closest

place where the ground is at the westernmost point of its shake?
What do we call this physical quantity? (Don’t’ answer 0m...we
want the next closest place to you, not the place you are standing).

d. How long will it take until you are at the easternmost point of
your shake?

e. Someone is standing 1 km to your east (this distance was mea-

sured before the wave passed). How long will it be until that person
is at the easternmost point of their shake?

Question 15: A steel of length 50.0 m and a copper wire of length

30.0 m, both with 1.00 mm diameter are connected end-to-end, and
stretched to tension of 150 N. How long will it take a transverse
wave to travel the entire length of the wire? (Model the wires as
cylinders. The volume density of steel is = 8050 kg/m3 , and the
density of copper is 8960 mkg3 ).

Question 16: Tension is maintained in the string as shown in the

figure. The observed waves speed is v = 36 ms when the suspended
mass is 3.0 kg. If the horizontal portion of the string has mass
0.01 kg, how long is the the horizontal part of the string? (You may
neglect the mass of the string in the vertical part as it is much less
than the mass m ).

8
4 PCS125 - Topics in Week 4 - Mechanical Waves
Relevant sections of Serway/Jewett, 9th Ed: 16.1-16.3,17.1-17.3

Question 17: You and a friend are singing in a choir. You have a
deep voice and are singing a low note. Your friend is sitting next to
you has a high voice and is singing a high pitched note. The sound
you each create with your vocal cords travels through the air as a
wave.

a. Which wave (the one you create, or the one your friend creates)
travels faster, or do they travel at the same speed? Explain your
answer

b. Which wave has the longer wavelength, or do they have the same
wavelength? Explain your answer.

Question 18: A sinusoidal sound wave moves through a medium

and is described by the displacement wave function

9
     
15.9rad 870rad
s(x, t) = 2.14µm · cos x− t
m s
1µm = 10−6 m

a. Find the amplitude of this wave

b. Find the wavelength of this wave

c. Find the speed of this wave

d. Give one positive time at which an element of the medium with

average position x = 0.0504 m have its maximum displacement?

e. Determine the maximum speed of an element’s oscillatory motion

in units of m/s.

Question 19: The figure shows a snapshot graph of a D( cm)

wave traveling to the right along a string at 45 m/s.
a. At this instant, what is the velocity of point 1 on the string?
b. What is the velocity of point 2 on the string at the same instant?
c. What is the velocity of point 3 on the string at the same instant?

10
Question 20: A sinusoidal wave with wavelength 3 m and ampli-
tude 10µm = 10−5 m is traveling through space.

a. On the grid above, draw two full oscillations of this sine wave.
Assume the displacement y is equal to zero at x = 0. Then, below,
write an equation y(x) for this wave using a sine function. Insert all
known numbers, and include units.

b. On the same grid above, draw two full oscillations of the same
sine wave but shifted to the right with a phase shift of −π/2 radians.
Make this line dashed to distinguish it from the curve you drew in
(a). Below write an equation y(x) using a sine function for this
wave. Insert all known numbers, and include units.

c. If (a) is a snapshot of the wave at t = 0 s and (b) is a snapshot

at t = 2.5 ms = 0.0025 s, then what is the wave speed?

11
d. On the grid above, draw two oscillations of the same wave but
shifted to have displacement equal to −7.07µm at x = 0. Notice
there are two choices-choose the one with negative slope at x = 0 m.
write an equation y(x) using a sine function for this wave. Insert all
known numbers (except x ), and include units.

e. Find a positive time t when the wave will have the appearance
that you found in part (d). [Hint: compare the equation you wrote
in (d) with the general wave equation y(x, t) = A sin(kx − ωt)]

Question 21: Two small speakers emit sound waves of different

frequencies equally in all directions. Speaker A has an output of
2.00 mW, and speaker B has an output of 1.5 mW. Determine the
sound level (in decibels) at point C assuming:

a. Only speaker A is emits sound.

b. Only speaker B emits sound.

c. Both speakers emit sound. (The sources are not coherent; ignore
any interference).

12
Question 22: A block of mass M is attached to a rubber cord.
The block is initially supported so that the cord is not stretched.
The un-stretched length of the cord is L0 , and its mass is m << M .
The cord acts like a spring and the "spring constant" for the cord
is k. The block is released with zero initial velocity; it undergoes
oscillations with no damping. Express your answers to parts a) to
c) in terms of g, k, m, M . as necessary.

a. Determine the tension in the string when the block is at this

lowest point. [Hints: The point at which the block is released is the
highest point of the oscillation. If the amplitude of the oscillation
is A, at its lowest point the cord has been stretched by a distance
2 A].

b. What is the length of the cord in this "stretched" position?

c. Now suppose the block is held in in place at lowest position, find

the speed of a transverse wave in the cord.

d. Using the formulas you derived above, calculate now the quanti-
ties asked in parts a) to c) when the mass of the block is 2.00 − kg,
and the cord’s mass is 5.25 g, its un-stretched length is 0.500 m, and
its "spring constant" is 80 N/m.

13
5 PCS125 - Topics in Week 5 - Wave Interference
Relevant sections of Serway/Jewett, 9th Ed: 17.4, 18.1 - 18.3

Question 23: The figure below shows a single snapshot in time

of two traveling sinusoidal waves on the same string.
a. Neatly draw the resulting wave at this same instant which results
from the sum of these two waves. Draw directly on the paper. Be
as quantitative as possible.

b. Using your graph above: which of the following quantities can be

determined for the waves? If a quantity can be determined, give a
value and explain how you got it. If it cannot be determined, write
"Not enough information". In all cases, assume the standard form
of the wave equation

y(x, t) = A sin(kx − ωt + ϕ)
i. Amplitude of initial (solid + dashed) waves
ii. (Estimated) Amplitude of combined wave
iii. Period of initial (solid+dashed) waves
iv. Phase ϕ of initial (solid) wave
v. Phase ϕ of initial (dashed) wave

14
 vi. Phase ϕ of combined wave.
vii. Speed of the waves:

c. Using the formula for the addition of two sine waves, and given
your answers to (i) and (iv) and (v) above, what should be the
amplitude of the combined wave? Explain your reasoning.

d. Using the formula for the addition of two sine waves, and given
your answers to (i) and (iv) and (v) above, what should be the phase
of the combined wave? Explain your reasoning.

Question 24: Two speakers are broadcasting a pure tone of

850 Hz. The speakers a directed along a line and the sound waves
leave each speaker in phase (i.e. at the instant when the wave leav-
ing speaker 1 is at a maximum, the wave leaving speaker 2 is also
at a maximum). The speed of sound in air is 340 m/s. An observer
is standing 0.6 m in front of speaker 2.

a. How far apart should the speakers be in order for the observer to
hear the loudest note? Give the smallest such distance

b. How far apart should the speakers be in order for the observer
to hear the quietest note? Give the smallest such distance.

c. How (if at all) do your answers to part (a) and (b) change if the
observer is 0.4 m in front of speaker 2 , instead of 0.6 m ?

Question 25: In certain ranges of a piano keyboard, more than

15
one string is tuned to the same note to make the sound louder. For
example, the note at 110 Hz has two strings at this frequency. If one
of the strings slips from its normal tension of 600 N to 540 N, but
the other string remains unchanged, what beat frequency is heard
when the hammer strikes the two strings simultaneously? You may
assume that the strings have the same mass density, and that the
length of the string does not change. [Note: the musical note you
hear is the fundamental frequency n = 1.]

Question 26: Two train whistles are identical and sound a tone
of frequency 152 Hz. When one train is at rest in the station and
the other is moving nearby, a commuter standing on the station
platform hears beats with a frequency of 4.37 Hz when the whistles
operate together. You may take the speed of sound to be 343 m/s.

a. What are the two possible frequencies which the observer hears
from the moving train?

b. What are two possible speeds and directions that the moving
train can have?

Question 27: In the arrangement shown below, an object is hung

from a string (with linear mass density 0.002 kg/m ) that passes over
a light, frictionless pulley. The string is connected to a vibrating
object which vibrates up and down with frequency f . The length
of the string between point P and the pulley is L = 1.5 m. When
the hanging mass of the object is either 16 kg, or 25 kg, standing
waves are observed. No standing waves are observed with any mass
between these values.

16
a. What is the frequency f ?

b. What is the largest hanging mass for which standing waves could
be observed?

Question 28: The wave function y(x, t) for a certain standing

wave on a string (fixed at both ends) is given by

     
rad rad
y(x, t) = (0.5 cm) sin 0.2 x cos 200 t
cm s

a. Find the speed and amplitude of the two traveling waves that
result in this standing wave.

b. Write the equations for the individual waves that interfere. Insert
all known numbers (except x and t ), and include units.

c. What is the distance between successive nodes on the string?

d. What is the shortest possible string length on which you could

observe this standing wave?

17
e. If the string is vibrating in its 4th harmonic (4 antinodes), what
is the length of the string?

f. Consider taking a snapshot of the string when it is completely

horizontal. At this instant, the string is flat so where is the energy
in the standing wave? (In other words, what kind of energy does
the string have at this instant?)

6 PCS125 - Topics in Week 6 - Wave Interference

Relevant sections of Serway, 9th Ed: 17.4, 18.1 − 18.5 and 18.7

Question 29: On a particular piano, the C string (which should

play a fundamental harmonic frequency of 523 Hz ) is out of tune. A
piano tuner plays the C note along with a reference tone at 523 Hz
and hears 2.00 beats/second.

a. What are the possible frequencies of the string?

b. When the tuner tightens the string slightly (but keeps the length
the same), she hears 3.00 beats/s. What is the frequency of the
string now?

c. By what percentage should the piano tuner now change the ten-
sion in the string (while keeping the mass and length the same) to
bring it into tune?

Question 30: Two harmonic waves are described by

y1 = (6.00 cm) sin (πrad) 8 cm−1 x + 2 s−1 t

 



y2 = (6.00 cm) sin (πrad) 8 cm−1 x + 2 s−1 t − 2.4

 



a. Write the resulting wave when these two waves interfere. Simplify
your result as much as possible, and insert all known numbers and

18
include units.

b. Is the resulting wave a traveling wave, or a standing wave? How

do you know?

c. What is the amplitude of the resulting wave?

d. What is the displacement (in cm ) of a particle in the medium
at x = 3 cm and t = 5sec ?

e. Determine the smallest positive value of x( in cm) for which y = 0

at t = 0.

Question 31: A tuning fork with a frequency of 512 Hz is placed

near the top of a tube filled with water as shown in the figure. A
valve is opened causing the water level to slowly decreases from an
initial value of L0 = 20.0 cm.

a. Determine the first two values of L which correspond to the reso-

nant modes (what are the first two values of L which lead to standing

19
waves)?

b. What is the wavelength of the standing waves which you found

in the previous part?
c. Draw pictures for each of the standing waves which you found in
the previous part. Your drawing should represent the displacement
of the air molecules (so the closed end should be a node).

Question 32: A flute is designed so that it produces a frequency

20
of 261.6 Hz, middle C, when all the holes are covered and the tem-
perature is 20.0◦ C. (Assume the speed of sound in air is 343 m/s at
20◦ C.)
a. Consider the flute as a pipe that is open at both ends. Find
the length of the flute, assuming middle C is the fundamental.
b. A second player, nearby in a colder room, also attempts to
play middle C on an identical flute. A beat frequency of 2.96 Hz is
heard when both flutes are playing. What is the temperature of the
second room?

Question 33: Two speakers are driven by the same oscillator of

frequency f = 100 Hz. They are located a distance d = 10 m from
each other on a vertical pole. A man walks straight toward the
lower speaker in a direction perpendicular to the pole as shown in
the figure below. The man’s ears are at the same level as the lower
speaker.
vs = 343 m/s

21
 a. Call r1 the distance from the man to the lower speaker and r2
the distance from the man to the upper speaker. Write an equation
for the pathlength difference ∆r = r2 −r1 in terms of variables given
in the problem.

b. Using your formula from the previous part, if L is very large,

is the pathlength difference large, or small? Explain.

c. Mathematically, what is the largest possible pathlength differ-

ence?

d. If the man starts very far away and walks toward lower
speaker, how many times will he hear a minimum in sound intensity?

22
You may find the results of the previous parts helpful.

e. How far is the man from the pole at the moments when he
hears a minimum in sound intensity?

Question 34: Consider the apparatus shown in figure (a) below,

where the hanging object has mass M and the string is vibrating
in its second harmonic. The vibrating blade at the left maintains a
constant frequency. The wind begins to blow to the right, applying
a constant horizontal force F⃗ on the hanging object. What is the
magnitude of the force the wind must apply to the hanging object
so that the string vibrates in its first harmonic as shown in figure
(b) below? (Use any variable or symbol given in the problem as well
ad g).

23
7 PCS125 - Topics in Week 8 - Newtonian Grav-
ity
Relevant sections of Serway, 9 th Ed: 1 - 13.3, 13.5 - 13.6, as well
as Example 13.5 on orbits.

Question 35: Two spheres of mass 5.0 kg each are located at

points A and B in the xy plane as shown. Point A is at the origin
(0 m, 0 m), the +x axis points to the right, and the +y axis points
up. Assume the spheres are located in distant space, far from the
influence of other stars or

24
planets.

a. What is the magnitude and direction of the net gravitational

field at the point C with (x, y) coordinates (0.2 m, 0.0 m) ?

b. What is the magnitude and direction of the gravitational field

at the point D with (x, y) coordinates (0.0 m, 0.3 m) ?

c. A third mass of M = 5.0 kg is placed at point C. What will

be the net force on this mass due to the other two masses?

d. Now, the third mass of M = 5.0 kg is moved to point D, what

would be the magnitude and direction of the net force on the third
mass now?

e. How would your answer to parts (c) and (d) change if the third
mass was M = 10 kg ? [You should be able to determine this result
with very little calculation].

Question 36: The Earth has mass ME = 5.97 × 1024 kg, and the
moon has mass Mmoon = 7.35 × 1022 kg. The distance between the
Earth and the Moon is d = 3.84 × 108 m. In this problem, ignore
any motion of the moon around the Earth. You work for a company

25
which wants to place a satellite of mass m = 10, 000 kg at a point
between the Earth and the moon so that it feels no net force.

a. How far away from the center of the Earth must you place the
satellite so that it feels no net force?

b. How, if at all, would your answer to (a) change if the satellite

has mass m = 17, 000 kg ? Explain your reasoning.

Question 37: The Earth has mass ME = 5.97 × 1024 kg and

radius RE = 6.371 × 106 m. Use this data to answer the following
questions:

a. At what height above the Earth’s surface would you experience

a gravitational field |⃗g | = 5.0 sm2 ?

b. How high (above sea level) would you need to go in order to

notice a drop is the value of |⃗g | of 1% ? Assume that sea level is
exactly at Earth’s surface.

Question 38: Captain Kirk has crash landed on an unknown

planet (planet X ). With nothing to do while waiting for rescue, he
decides to think about physics and to learn about the planet he’s on.
He takes out a simple pendulum (a mass on a string), and notices
that for small oscillations, the period is T = 2.0 seconds. Back
on Earth’, this same pendulum had a period of 1.5 seconds. Kirks’
ship computer says that the radius of planet X is 3 times larger than
Earth’s radius. Determine the mass of planet X.

Question 39: Ignoring air resistance, if you threw a ball fast

enough, you could get it to orbit the Earth.

a. With your feet planted on the ground, how fast would you
need to throw a ball (horizontally) so that it entered into a circular

26
orbit? Hint: use Newton’s 2nd Law for the orbiting ball.

b. If you stayed in place for long enough, the ball would circle
the Earth, come back and hit you in the back of the head. How long
do you have to move out of the way?

c. Which is larger, the speed you found in part (a), or the "es-
cape" speed from Earth?

d. Repeat part (b) assuming you were standing on the surface of

the moon instead of the Earth. (If you derived an algebraic formula,
you should be able to simply plug in different numbers here).

Question 40: A system consists of four particles, each of mass

6.00 g located at the corners of a square with sides of L = 16.0 cm.

a. What is the total potential energy of the system?

b. How much work is required to move one particle from its

current position to a point very far away from the other masses?

c. How much work is required to remove two adjacent particles to

points very far away from the remaining masses (these two particles
are moved to points very far from each other as well).

8 PCS125 - Topics in Week 8 - Newtonian Grav-

ity
Relevant sections of Serway, 9 th Ed: 13.1 - 13.3, 13.5 - 13.6, as well
as Example 13.5 on orbits.
Throughout this tutorial, you can use the following astrophysical
data: MEarth = 5.97 × 1024 kg RE = 6.371 × 106 m (Earth radius)
Msun = 2 × 1030 kg Rsun = 6.95 × 105 m (Sun radius)

27
 Mmoon = 7.35 × 1022 kg RMoon = 1.74 × 106 m (Moon Radius)
dmoon = 3.84 × 108 m (Earth-moon distance)
dsun = 1.5 × 1011 m (Earth-Sun distance)

Question 41: On Earth, you can jump straight up 25 cm (the

maximum distance of your center of mass above its starting point is
25 cm ). Imagine a planet which has twice the diameter of Earth,
but is otherwise identical to Earth (its composition and density is
the same as Earth’s. If you lived on this planet, determine how high
you could jump. [Extra challenge: can you answer this question
without using the numerical value of the Earth’s mass or radius?]

Question 42: Two point-like objects of equal mass M are sepa-

rated by a distance 2a as shown in the figure.

a. What is the magnitude of the gravitational field at the mid-

point of the line that joins both masses (r = 0) ?

28
 b. Derive a formula for the magnitude of the gravitational field
at point P a distance r from the midpoint between the masses. Your
formula may contain any variables stated in the problem as well as
known constants.

c. Suppose the point P is very far away from the two masses,
so a ≪ r, which means that a can be neglected in comparison to r.
Simplify your formula as much as you can in this limit. Does the
result make sense? Explain why or why not.

Question 43: Consider the same setup as in the previous problem,

but now suppose M = 5000 kg, a = 20 m, and d = 30 m. A third
mass m3 = 2000 kg is placed at the point P . Assume the 5000 kg
masses are held in place by some other force and cannot move.

a. What is the potential energy of mass 3 when it is at point P ?

b. If mass 3 were released from this position, what would be its

trajectory? (Initially what would happen to the mass?)

c. What speed would m3 have at the instant when it is midway

between the masses?

d. After it has reached the midpoint between the 5000 kg masses,

what would happen next to m3 ? Describe its motion as best as you
can.

Question 44: Ganymede is the largest of Jupiter’s moons. Ganymede

has mass 1.495 × 1023 kg, and its radius is 2.64 × 106 m. Jupiter
has mass 1.90× 1027 kg and the centre-to-centre distance between
Jupiter and Ganymede is 1.071× 109 m. Consider a rocket on the
surface of Ganymede at the point farthest from the planet

29
 Jupiter (see figure). Determine the escape speed for the rocket
from the JupiterGanymede system. Ignore the effect of the sun and
other planets/moons in the solar system, and also ignore the motion
of Jupiter and Ganymede.

Question 45: Three satellites orbit a Earth as shown in the

figure. S1 and S2 have an orbital radius of 2RE , while S3 has an
orbital radius of 3RE . Satellites S1 and S3 have equal masses, while
satellite S2 is twice as massive as the others. Satellite S1 orbits with
a period of 238.6 minutes and the force on S1 is 10, 000 N. What
is the period of S2 and S3 ? Give your answer in minutes. Extra
Challenge: can you solve this problem without finding the mass of
the satellite and without using the mass of the Earth?

30
Question 46: A binary pulsar is a system of two neutron stars of
equal mass (each about 1.4 times the mass of the sun and a radius of
10 km ). A particular binary pulsar has two neutron stars orbiting
around their center of mass, and separated by a (center-to-center)
distance of d = 7.0 × 108 m. Assume the orbit is circular.

a. Calculate the orbital speed of the stars in

31
metres/second

b. Calculate the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration of one

of the stars in units of m/s2
78800 m 2


v2 s
ac = = = 17.7 m/s
r (0.5 × 7 × 108 m)

c. If you were able to stand on the surface of a neutron star,

what would be the acceleration due to gravity? (Give your answer
in "Earth g’s", where 1 Earth g = 9.8 m/s2 .)
3
GM −11 m 1.4 × 2 × 1030 kg
g = 2 =6.67 × 10 ×
Rstar kg · s2 (10000 m)2
1012 m
= 1.87 × = 1.91 × 1011 g′ s!!
s2

Question 47: Two 100 kg lead spheres are suspended from 100 m
long massless cables. The tops of the cables have been carefully
anchored so that the spheres are hanging exactly 1 m apart. What

32
angle (measured from vertical) do the cables make due to the grav-
itational attraction between the spheres?

9 PCS125 - Topics in Week 10 - Electric Field

and Force
Relevant sections of Serway, 9 th Ed: 23.1 - 23.4, 23.6 - 23.7

Question 48: Warmup - Two protons (charge +e = 1.6 × 10−19 C,

mass mp = 1.67× 10−27 kg ) are held inside a helium nucleus at a
distance of roughly 10−15 m apart.

a. What is the magnitude of the electric force on each proton?

b. Given that this is a large repulsive force, how is it possible

that the Helium nucleus is held together?

c. How much larger is the electric force between the protons than
the gravitational force between the protons? Give your answer as a
multiplicative factor, like "4 times larger".

Question 49: Suppose that at a certain place in space (point P

), there is an electron which is sitting in an electric field of 100 N/C
directed downward.

a. What will be the magnitude and direction of the acceleration

of the electron if it is released from this point? (Ignore gravity, since
the gravitational force is much weaker than the electric force).

b. Suppose the field at point P is generated by a positive charge

with Q = 1µC. Where exactly must that charge be located? Be as
quantitative as possible.

33
 c. Suppose instead that the field at point P is generated by a
negative charge with Q = −2µC. Where exactly must that charge
be located? Be as quantitative as possible. [Can you answer this
part without doing much work?]

Question 50: Suppose we have three charges of magnitude Q =

+2µC at three corners of a square. The sides of the square (denoted
by a ) are 20 cm long. All charges are held in place ("nailed down")
and cannot move.

a. What is the magnitude and direction of the electric field at

the empty corner?

b. Suppose a charge of magnitude q = −3µC is placed in the

empty corner. What will be the net force (magnitude and direc-
tion) felt by this charge? [Hint: if you find yourself doing a lot of
calculations similar to part (a), there is a faster way].

Question 51: Protons are projected with an initial speed of

34
9.55 km/s into a region where there exists a uniform electric field
of magnitude 720 N/C pointing in the −y direction. The protons
are to hit a target that lies at the distance of 1.27 mm from the
point where the protons cross the plane and enter the electric field.
You can ignore the gravitational force in this problem as it is much
smaller than the electric force.

a. Find the two projection angles θ which will result in the proton
hitting the target. [You may need to review some PCS211 kinemat-
ics physics. The identity sin(2θ) = 2 sin(θ) cos(θ) may be useful.

b. In each case, how long does it take for the proton to hit the
target? (Take time t = 0 to be when the proton crosses the plane
for the first time).

Question 52: Two identical blocks resting on a frictionless hori-

zontal surface are connected by a light spring having a spring con-

35
stant k and an unstretched length Li as shown in the figure. A
charge Q is slowly placed on each block, causing the spring to stretch
to a (new) equilibrium length L.

a. Determine a formula for the charge Q in terms of variables

given in the problem.

b. Assume now k = 100 N/m, Li = 0.4 m, and L = 0.5 m.

Determine the value of Q.

Question 53: Two small spheres of the same mass m = 1.0 g are
suspended from strings of length l that are connected at a common
point (both strings have equal length. Sphere #1 has charge Q and
sphere #2 has charge 2Q. The strings make angles θ1 and θ2 from the
vertical (corresponding to spheres 1 and 2 respectively). The angle
θ1 = 30◦ . The spheres are resting at a (centre-to-centre) distance of
30 cm from each other.

a. What is θ2 ? Justify your answer.

36
 b. What is the charge Q ?

10 PCS125 - Topics in Week 11: Electric Field,

Force, Flux, and Gauss’ Law
Relevant sections of Serway, 9 th Ed: 23.1 - 23.4, 23.6 - 23.7, 24.1 -
24.4

Question 54: A charged cork object of mass 1.00 g is suspended

on a light string in the presence of a uniform electric field as shown.
The object is in equilibrium as shown where θ = 37◦ , and the electric
⃗ = (3.00ı̂ + 5.00ȷ̂) × 105 N/C. Determine:
field is given by E

a. The charge on the object

b. The tension in the string.

37
Question 55: Consider two electric charges Q1 = +1µC and Q2 =
+4µC placed a distance a = 12 cm apart on the x-axis. Charge Q1
is placed at x = 0 cm. Assume these charges are fixed in place by
some other force and cannot move.

a. A third charge is placed somewhere along the x axis. At what

position x should a third charge be placed so that the net force on
this third charge is zero? [Hint: consider the electric field].

b. Suppose we change the sign of the charge of Q1 so that Q1 =

−1µC. Where should the third charge be placed now so that it feels
no net force?

Question 56: a. What’s magnitude of the electric flux through

a hoop of radius 0.8 m held such that the plane of the hoop is
horizontal (parallel to the Earth’s surface)?

b. What’s the electric flux through the same hoop if it is held

such that the plane of the hoop is vertical (perpendicular to the
Earth’s surface).

c. Assuming the charge creating the field is uniformly distributed

along the surface of the Earth, how much net charge is contained

38
in a 1 m2 patch of ground? Be sure to indicate if the net charge is
positive or negative.

Question 57: Three point charges are located on a circular arc

as shown.
a. What is the magnitude and direction of the electric field at
point P, which is the center of the arc?

b. Find the magnitude and direction of the electric force that

would be exerted on a −5nC point charge placed at P.

Question 58: Two very large metal plates are oriented horizon-
tally, 1.00 cm apart with one above the other. One of the plates
has total charge +Q, and the other total charge −Q so that the net
electric field in between the plates is

39
2.00 × 103 N/C, pointing downward. A particle of mass 2 × 10−16 kg
and charge 10−6 C is emitted from the bottom plate with an initial
speed of 106 m/s at an angle of 37◦ above the horizontal. Ignore any
gravitational force on the particle, since it is much smaller than the
electric force on the particle.

a. Describe the trajectory of the particle (what type of path will

it follow?)

b. Which plate does the particle hit?

c. Where does the particle hit the plate? Give your answer as a
horizontal distance from the point at which it was emitted.

Question 59: Assume the magnitude of the electric field on each

face of the cube of side length L = 0.5 m is uniform, and the direc-
tions of the fields on each face are as indicated in the figure.

40
 a. What is the net electric flux through the cube?

b. What is the net charge (in Coulombs) inside the cube?

c. Could the net charge inside the cube be a single point charge?
Explain why or why not.

11 PCS125 - Topics in Week 12: Gauss’ Law,

Electric Potential Energy, Electric Potential
Relevant sections of Serway, 9th Ed: 24.1 - 24.4, 25.1 - 25.4

Question 60: Some more practice with Gauss’ Law a. A 48.5 cm

diameter circular loop is rotated in a uniform electric field until the
position of maximum electric flux is found. The flux in this position

41
is found to be 5.93 × 105 N · m2 /C. What is the magnitude of the
electric field?

b. The following charges are located inside a cylinder of radius

10 cm, and height 30 cm : 6.60µC, −9.00µC, 27.0µC and −88.0µC.
i. What is the net electric flux through the cylinder?

ii. Which is larger: the number of electric field lines exiting the
cylinder or the number of electric field lines entering the cylinder?
(Or are these two quantities the same?)

Question 61: Three spheres with charges q1 = +5µC, q2 =

+5µC, q3 = −5µC are located at points in the xy plane as shown.
The spheres all have mass 4.0g. Ignore any other forces acting on
each sphere except for the electric forces caused by the other spheres.

a. What is the electric potential energy of the system of three

charged spheres when in the positions shown?

42
 b. How much energy would be required to remove sphere 3 from
its position at x = 0, y = 0.3 m to a point infinitely far away from
the other two?

c. Imagine sphere 3 is placed at a position of x = 0.20 m, y =

0.30 m and released from rest. What speed would it have when it
passes the point of coordinates x = 0.20 m, y = 0 m ?

d. Would the sphere (from the previous part) stop? If so, where?

Question 62: An electric dipole (of one charge +Q and one charge
−Q) is shown in the figure. The solid lines are electric field lines,
while the dashed lines are equipotential lines. (The electric potential
on each of the dashed lines is labeled). Assume the charges are fixed
in place.

a. A charge of magnitude −2nC is initially held at position B.

How much work (in Joules) is necessary to bring the charge from
point B to point D? [The charge is at rest in both locations].

43
 b. Draw a vector denoting the direction of the electric force felt
by the charge (of magnitude −2nC ) if it is placed at each of the
positions A, B, C, D. Draw directly on the figure at points A, B, C,
D respectively.

c. The point labeled P lies on the 30 V equipotential line, and is

40 cm from the positive charge and 60 cm from the negative charge.
What is Q?

Question 63: A uniform electric field of magnitude 325 V/m is

directed in the negative y direction as shown in the figure. The
coordinates of point A are (−0.2 m, −0.3 m), and those of point B
are (0.4 m, 0.5 m).
What is the potential difference ∆V = VB − VA ? Make sure to
explicitly state whether the potential should be positive or negative.
[Hint: if necessary, you can use the dashed line path, but the results
should be the same no matter how you get from A to B.].

44
Question 64: An electron is traveling to the right and has kinetic
energy 5eV (1eV = 1.602x 10-19 J). It then enters a region between
two oppositely charged metal plates 1.0cm apart. The electric field
inside the plates is uniform.(Assume the plate has a tiny hole in it
which allows the electron to enter. The hole is so tiny that it does
not affect the field between the plates.) The electron momentarily
comes to a stop exactly mid-way between the plates.

45
 a. If the right plate is 0 V, what is the potential of the left plate?
[Hint: Careful! The electron stops halfway between the plates,
so the potential difference the electron experiences is NOT the po-
tential difference between the plates.]

b. What is the magnitude and direction of the electric field be-

tween the plates? Give your answer for the magnitude in standard
SI units of V/m or (equivalently) N/C.

c. How fast was the electron going when it had traveled 0.25 cm
from when it first entered the plates?

d. Now, instead of an electron, a singly ionized Chlorine ion

Cl− with 5eV of kinetic energy is shot in between the same plates in
the same way. The Chlorine ion has a charge −e, and a mass which
is about 65000 times larger than the electron. Where will this ion
(momentarily) stop?

Question 65: Relating Potential To Field

46
 a. True or false: If the electric field in some region of space is
uniform (and non-zero) the electric potential in that region of space
is also constant. If true, explain why. If false, give a counterexample.

b. The figure shows several equipotential lines, each labeled by

its potential in volts. The distance between the lines on the square
grid is 1.00 cm.

i. Is the magnitude of the electric field stronger at A or at B ?

Explain.

ii. Estimate the magnitude and direction of the electric field at

point B.

47
12 PCS125 - Topics in Week 13: Circuits, Ohm’s
Law, Power, Magnetic Force
Relevant sections of Serway, 9th Ed:
27.1-27.2, 27.6, 28.1-28.2, 29.1-29.3

Question 66: The circuit shown consists of three identical light

bulbs with a resistance R = 16Ω connected to a 12 V battery.
a. What is the current passing through bulb 1?

b. What is the voltage drop (potential difference) between points

A and B?

c. How much power is delivered to bulb 2?

d. Suppose now that bulb 3 burns out, while the other two bulbs
remain unchanged. (When a bulb burns out, its filament breaks).
Does bulb 1 get brighter, dimmer, or go out completely due to this
change? Explain your reasoning.

Question 67: Right hand rule practice

48
 a. A wire is carrying a current flowing into the page. The wire
is located at the point denoted by ⊗. What is the direction of the
magnetic field at the point P? Draw a vector directly on the paper.

b. The figure shows the force acting on an electron and its veloc-
ity vector. Does the magnetic field have a component pointing into
the page or out of the page?

Question 68: Some practice with magnetic forces a. A proton

moving at speed 3.9×106 m/s through a magnetic field of magnitude
1.66 T experiences a magnetic force of magnitude 8.00 × 10−13 N.
What are the possible angles (between 0 and 180◦ between the pro-
ton’s velocity and the magnetic field?
b. A particle of charge 0.0067C moves with velocity

⃗v = (3200ı̂ − 1400ȷ̂)m/s
through a magnetic field given by B⃗ = (1.3ı̂ + 3.4ȷ̂ − 1.8k̂)T.
i. What is the magnetic force experienced by the particle at this
instant? Express your answer as a vector in Cartesian form.

ii. Determine the magnitude of the force you found in the previ-
ous part.

49
Question 69: An electron is traveling horizontally and enters a
region of space between two very large uniformly charged plates.
This region has a constant magnetic field of magnitude 0.1 T di-
rected into the page as shown. The potential difference between the
plates is 500 V, with the top plate at the higher voltage, and the dis-
tance between the plates is 2 cm. You may neglect any gravitational
forces.

a. What is the magnitude of the electric field between the plates?

b. If the electron’s speed is 150, 000 m/s when it enters this

region, what is the magnitude and direction of the net force on the
electron when it first enters?

c. There is one particular speed for which the electron will pass
through the plates undeflected. What is that speed?

Question 70: The boundary shown in the figure is that of a

uniform magnetic field in the +z direction (out of the page). An
electron (m = 9.11 × 10−31 kg) enters the region at the origin with
a velocity in the +x direction. 640ns later (1 ns = 10−9 s), the elec-
tron exits the region at point A. What is the magnitude of the
magnetic field?

50
Question 71: A singly charged ion (charge +e) of mass m1 enters
into a mass spectrometer. The ion is accelerated from rest through
a potential difference ∆V . It is then deflected by a uniform mag-
netic field (perpendicular to the ion’s velocity) into a semicircle of
radius R1 . Next, a triply charged ion (charge +3e ) of mass m2 is
accelerated through the same potential difference and deflected into
m2
a semicircle of radius 3R1 . What is the ratio of the masses m 1
?

51
52