Problem Set 1 - KINEMATICS
4/3/2024
Instructions
• USE 4 HOURS TO SOLVE THIS.
Problem 1
A particle of mass m moves under a force similar to that of an ideal spring, except that the
force repels the particle from the origin:
F = +mα2 x
In simple harmonic motion, the position of the particle as a function of time can be written
as:
x(t) = A cos(ωt) + B sin(ωt)
Likewise, in the present case we have:
x(t) = Af1 (t) + Bf2 (t)
for some appropriate functions f1 and f2 .
a) f1 (t) and f2 (t) can be chosen to have the form ert . What are the two appropriate
values of r?
b) Suppose that the particle begins at position x(0) = x0 and with velocity v(0) = 0.
What is x(t)?
c) A second, identical particle begins at position x(0) = 0 with velocity v(0) = v0 . The
second particle becomes closer and closer to the first particle as time goes on. What
is v0 ?
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Problem 2
A radar station detects a missile approaching from the east. At first contact, the range to
the missile is 12,000 ft at 40.0◦ above the horizon. The missile is tracked for another 123◦
in the east-west plane, the range at final contact being 25,800 ft; see figure below. Find the
displacement of the missile during the period of radar contact.
Figure 1: The setup
Problem 3
You have 5 different strings with weights tied at various points, all hanging from the ceiling
and reaching down to the floor. The strings are released at the top, allowing the weights to
fall. Which one will create a regular, uniform beating sound as the weights hit the floor?
Figure 2: Setup
Problem 4 - GRITTY Problem; will check knowledge
mixed with kinematics
Consider a hypothetical asteroid of mass ma and radius ra , which moves along an elliptical
orbit around the Sun (of mass Ms ) in the same direction as Earth. Let us assume that
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the Earth’s orbit is a circle of radius Re (neglecting thus its eccentricity) and that the two
orbits lay in the same plane. The asteroid’s shortest distance to the Sun (at its perihelion)
Rmin = 21 Re and the longest distance (at the aphelion) Rmax = 1.51Re ≈ 1.5Re . The orbital
velocity of the Earth v0 = 30 km/s. You can also use the following numerical values: the
radius of the Earth re = 6400 km, free fall acceleration at the Earth’s surface g = 9.81 m/s2 ,
angular diameter of the Sun as seen from the Earth α = 0.5◦ , duration of one year T0 = 365
days, the temperature of the Sun’s surface Ts = 6000 K, free fall acceleration at the Sun’s
surface gs = 275 m/s2 , Stefan Boltzmann constant σ = 5.6704 × 10−8 kg·s−3 ·K−4 , the speed
of light c = 3 × 108 m/s. The asteroid is of a spherical shape, its radius ra = 10 m and mass
ma = 1 × 107 kg; both the Sun and the asteroid can be considered as perfectly black bodies.
Part A. Collision with Earth
i.
Suppose that the asteroid will collide with the Earth and is already very close, at a distance
l ≪ Re from the Earth’s surface; what is the velocity of the asteroid with respect to the
Earth assuming that (a) l ≫ re ; (b) l ≪ re .
ii.
Impact parameter b is defined in the Earth’s reference frame as the distance between the
Earth and a line, tangent to the asteroid’s trajectory at a point which is far enough (at a
distance l, re ≪ l ≪ Re ). Determine the maximal value of the impact parameter bmax for
which the asteroid will still collide with the Earth.
iii.
According to calculations, the asteroid is going to hit the Earth centrally after N = 10 orbital
periods. In order to avert the collision, the period of the asteroid needs to be changed; by
how many seconds? (Assume simplifyingly that the intersection point of the two orbits
remains at rest.)
Part B. Changing the solar pull
Theoretically, it is possible to change the asteroid’s period by making use of the pressure of
the solar radiation. Let us study, how realistic is such a project. The Sun pulls the asteroid
with the gravitational force equal to F0 = GMRs2ma , where G is the gravitational constant and
R is the distance between the Sun and the asteroid at the given moment of time. Let us
denote GMs = γ0 , so that F = γ0Rm2 a .
i.
′ γ0 −γ1
Find the new apohelion distance Rmax of the asteroid; express it in terms of κ = γ0
.
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ii.
Find the change of the asteroid’s orbital period assuming that κ ≪ 1 (express it in terms of
κ).
iii.
Suppose that at its perihelion, the asteroid is coated with a perfectly retro-reflective paint
(which directs all the incident light directly back, towards the source). Such a painting will
result in a change of the effective pull of the asteroid towards the Sun; find the respective
value of κ (provide also a numerical estimate).
iv.
Estimate, is it realistic to avert the collision with this asteroid using the retroreflective paint.
Problem 5
A puck slides onto an icy inclined plane with an inclination angle α. The angle between the
plane’s edge and the puck’s initial velocity v0 = 10 m/s is β = 60◦ . The trace left by the
puck on the plane is given in the figure (this is only a part of the trajectory). Find α under
the assumption that friction can be neglected and that transition onto the slope was smooth.
Figure 3: Plane and the graph
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Problem 6
A cannon is situated at the origin of the coordinate axes and can give an initial velocity v0
to a projectile. The shooting direction can be chosen at will. What is the region of space R
that the projectile can reach?
Problem 7 - DIY
Imagine your friend with you decides to go sliding down a hill.
The coefficient of friction µk = µs is small enough so that, if your friend gets the tiniest
push, he will begin sliding down the plane. Now suppose he gets a horizontal push, with
initial speed v0 . What is the child’s final speed?
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Solutions
Solutions1 - Newton’s second law gives:
d2 x
− α2 x = 0
dt2
As with the case of simple harmonic motion, we solve the differential equation using a trial
function, in this case x(t) = Aert . (This may look a bit ad hoc, but it’s actually quite
general; exponentials are essentially the general solution for any linear differential equation.)
Then:
d2
2
(Aert ) − α2 Aert = r2 Aert − α2 Aert = 0
dt
which implies that r = ±α.
Since the differential equation is linear in x, the general solution is a superposition of our
two solutions:
x(t) = Aeαt + Be−αt
which implies:
v(t) = αAeαt − αBe−αt
Inserting our initial values:
x(0) = A + B = x0 , v(0) = αA − αB = 0
A = B = x0
and therefore:
x0 αt
x(t) = (e + e−αt )
2
This time our initial values are:
x(0) = A + B = 0, v(0) = αA − αB = v0
with solution:
v0 v0
A= , B=−
2α 2α
Therefore:
v0 αt
x(t) = (e − e−αt )
2α
After a long time, the exponentially decaying term will become negligible. Thus, the second
particle will approach the first particle if the coefficient of the exponentially growing term
matches, so:
v0 = αx0
Solutions2 - Finding the displacement is just the law of cosines. We have:
∆x2 = 25, 8002 + 12, 0002 − 2 · 25, 800 · 12, 000 · cos 123◦ .
So we can calculate that ∆x ≈ 33900 ft. However, a quicker method would have been to
approximate it as horizontal.
Now to find the angle, we find the horizontal displacement and then use arccos to finish.
The horizontal displacement is given by 25800 cos 17◦ + 12000 cos 40◦ . So then we can find
cos θ ≈ 0.99987, so θ ≈ 0.288◦ .
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Solutions3 - Choice (D) has the beads spaced out quadratically (at ticks 0, 1, 4, 9,
etc.). Since we know ∆x is a parabolic function of t, this will create uniform time intervals.
Solutions4 -
i) The longer axis of the asteroid 2a = Rmax + Rmin = 2Re equals that of Earth, so
the full energies, when reduced to the unit mass, are equal. Immediately before the
collision, the Earth and the asteroid are at the same distance from the Sun, so the
gravitational potentials are equal, too. Hence, the speeds are also equal. The distance
between the Sun and the asteroid equals the longer semiaxis, hence it is situated at
the shorter semiaxis of the orbit. The velocity of the asteroid is perpendicular to
the shorter semiaxis, and the velocity of the Earth — to the radius vector drawn
from the Sun. So, the angle between those two vectors is the angle between the
radius vector and the shorter semiaxis, sin α = 21 RmaxR−R e
min
= 12 , hence α = 30◦ .
The relative velocity of the asteroid is the vector difference of the two vectors, so its
modulus equals to va = 2v0 sin 15◦ ≈ 15.5 km/s. When accelerated further by the
Earth’s gravity
p field, the respective gravitational energy will be added to the kinetic
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one, vb = va + 2gRe ≈ 19.1 km/s.
ii) At the limit case of impact, the trajectory of the asteroid is tangent to the surface
of the Earth. So, we can apply the conservation of angular momentum for the point
where the trajectory touches the Earth, vab = vb Re , hence b = Re vb /va = 7900 km.
iii) Suppose that the asteroid is delayed by τ ; at that moment when the asteroid is at
the Earth’s orbit, the Earth is at the distance l = v0 τ from the asteroid. The relative
velocity of the asteroid forms with this displacement vector an angle equal to 90◦ −15◦ =
75◦ , hence the impact parameter b = v0 τ sin 75◦ , from where τ = b/(v0 sin 75◦ ) ≈ 270
s. Since this time delay is accumulated over 10 periods, the delay need for a single
period is τ /10 = 27 s.
γ1 γ0 γ1
i) 2a′ = 2Re 4 γ0 − 3 ⇒ (1 − κ)Re = a′ (1 − 4κ), a′ = 1−κ Re ′
, Rmax =√ Re 1
3 1−4κ
.
ii) At the limit of small κ, we can simplify the previous result,
a′
≈ 1 + 3κ.
Re
a′ 3/2
T
q γ0 ∆T 3 a′ −a
From Kepler’s third law, T0
= a γ1
, from where T0
≈ 2 a+κ/2
= 5κ. So,
∆T = 5T0 κ.
iii) For photons, the energy-to-mass ratio is c. Therefore, at the Sun’s surface, the
momentum carried by photons per unit time across a surface area S is given by
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dp
dt
= SσTc
s
. As the result of the coating, the photons are reflected back by the
asteroid, instead of being absorbed. So, before coating, each photon gave to the
asteroid a momentum equal to its own; now it will double. Hence, the change in
2 4
the force due to photons is given by ∆F = πracσTs (assuming that the asteroid is
at the Sun’s surface). Both the pressure of photons and gravity force are inversely
proportional to the
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i) distance from the Sun, so the force due to photons can be, indeed, considered
as a correction to the gravity constant. κ is the relative change of that
constant and can be calculated for the Sun’s surface as
∆F πr2 σT 4
κ= = a s ≈ 2.8 × 10−8
gSma cgSma
.
ii) We need to have ∆T = 27 s, hence κ = 51 ∆T T0
≈ 1.7 × 10−7 . This exceeds by
an order of magnitude the effect provided by the coating. κ provided by the
coating is inversely proportional to the diameter of the asteroid; the required
κ is inversely proportional to N . So, it would be possible to avert collision
for ra = 2 m, or for ra = 10 m with N = 60. In the first case, the asteroid
may not be large enough to warrant attention; in the second case, 60 years is
too long time. So, the answer is “no”.
Solution5 - When on the plane, the puck experiences no change in its x-velocity, which
is v0 cos β = 5 m/s. However, it experiences an acceleration parallel to the plane with
magnitude a = g sin α.
We note from the graph given that the puck drops 2.5 m below the apex of its trajectory
while undergoing a horizontal displacement of x = 5 m. The time it takes to complete its
trajectory is
x
t= = 1 s.
v0 cos β
Therefore, we have that
gt2 sin α = 2.5.
Solving for sin α:
5
sin α = .
gt2
Thus,
α ≈ 30◦ .
Solution6 - We split up v0 into its vertical and horizontal components. From here we
can see that each parameter x, y, and z as a function of t is:
1
z = v0 t sin α − gt2 (2.1)
2
x = v0 cos αt (2.2)
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x
t= (2.3)
v0 cos α
From here, we substitute equation (2.3) into equation (2.1) to yield:
2
x 1 x
z = v0 sin α − g
v0 cos α 2 v0 cos α
Simplifying with trigonometry yields:
gx2
z = x tan α −
2v02 sec2 α
gx2
z = x tan α − (tan2 α + 1)
2v02
gx2 2 gx2
0= tan α − x tan α +
2v02 2v02
Here, we find a quadratic. For the region of space R to exist, the discriminant of this
quadratic must be greater than zero. This tells us:
2
gx2
2 gx
x −4 z+ 2 ≥0
2v02 2v0
gx2 g 2 x4
x2 − 2 z + ≥0
v02 v04
gx2 2 g2 4
2 z ≤ x − x
v02 v04
Simplifying this final expression gives us the answer. The region of space R is:
v02 gx2
z≤ − 2
2g 2v0
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Problem Set 2 - KINEMATICS
4/3/2024
Instructions
• USE 4 HOURS TO SOLVE THIS.
Problem 1
Two cars are driving after one another with speed v = 50 km/h. The first car brakes
maximally, seeing that the first car brakes the car in the back also brakes maximally. The
brakes of the first car are put to use at the exact same time when the brake lights turn on.
It takes the rear car t = 1.5 s to apply the brakes from the moment when the front car’s
brake lights turn on. Coefficient of friction is µ = 1 and gravitational acceleration g = 9.8
m/s2 .
a) How big should the distance be between the two cars be while driving so that when
braking there would be no collision?
b) If the distance between the cars is l = 5 m before the braking then how big is the
speed difference between the cars at the moment of the collision?
Problem 2
For a car’s tires to wear as little as possible, the car should be built so that the front wheels
would turn by a different angle on a curve. Find the best angle of rotation β for the right
front wheel on a right curve if the angle for the left front wheel is α. The distance between
the wheels longitudinally is a and laterally is b (see figure).
1
Problem 3
Consider two identical rings made of wire with a radius R. The planes of the rings are
parallel and the rings are touching each other at points A and B. The central angle for the
arc AB is observable at a moment of time α. The lower ring is still, the upper is rotating
with an angular velocity ω around the axis that intersects with the point A and that is
perpendicular to the planes of the rings. Find the speed of the point B at the given moment
of time.
Problem 4
An ultrasonic anemometer measures wind speed by determining the time it takes for an
audio signal to reach the sensors from an audio source. Let the audio source be at the origin
O = (0, 0) and three sensors at points with the coordinates A = (0, a), B = (a, 0), and
C = (−a, 0) where a = 211.1 mm (let us make a simplifying assumption that the dimensions
of both the audio source and the sensors are negligible). The anemometer is held so that
all the sensors are located on the same horizontal plane, and the times taken for the audio
signal to reach the sensors are measured to be accordingly tA = 627.0 s, tB = 625.2 s,
and tC = 603.4 s. What is the speed of the wind? You can use reasonable simplifying
approximations for the calculations.
Problem 5 - DIY
- Has multiple parts.
2
Answers -
Problem 6
When a body moves in a liquid, the motion of the body puts the liquid into motion, too.
The motion of the liquid contributes to the total kinetic energy of the system, and hence,
leads to an increased effective mass of the body. The difference between the effective mass
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and the actual mass of the body is referred to as the added mass. The added mass depends
on the size and shape of the body.
Consider a certain metallic body of volume V and polarizability along its symmetry axis
x (i.e., a homogeneous externally applied electric field E ⃗ induces a total dipole moment
⃗
p⃗ = E on this body). Additionally, the body shape is such that if it were made from a
homogeneous dielectric material and put into a homogeneous electric field, the electric field
inside the body would also be homogeneous. Find the added mass of this body when it starts
moving translationally, parallel to the x-axis, in an incompressible initially motionless liquid
of density ρ. The viscosity of the liquid is negligibly small. Express the answer in terms of
V , ρ, and physical constants. H
Hint: Initially vortex-free inviscid fluid remains free of vortices, i.e., ⃗v d⃗r = 0 for any
integration contour inside the liquid, where ⃗v ≡ ⃗v (⃗r, t) is the fluid velocity at position ⃗r; t
denotes a fixed moment of time.
THIS PROBLEM IS SUPER TOUGH, AND I WILL ADD THIS IN THE OLYMPIAD
SET TOO. SOLUTIONS HERE
Problem 7
An elastic ball of negligible size is dropped vertically onto a frictionless inclined plane which
makes an angle with the horizontal. Initially the distance between the plane and the ball is
d and the speed of the ball is zero. The trajectory of the bouncing ball consists of parabolic
arcs. Show that the foci of these parabolic arcs lie on a well-known shape, and give the
parameter(s) defining this shape. Assume that collisions are perfectly elastic and that air
drag is negligible.
THIS PROBLEM IS SUPER TOUGH, AND I WILL ADD THIS IN THE OLYMPIAD
SET TOO. SOLUTIONS HERE
4
Solutions -
SOLS1 -
a)
Because the cars brake maximally, their slowdown is equal, and the distances of the braking
are equal. Therefore, if at the moment of applying the brakes the front of the rear car is
in the same location as the back of the first car was at the moment of igniting the brake
lights, then at this limit case no collision will yet happen. Let us find the distance when it
is exactly like that:
s = vt = 50 km/h × 1.5 s = 20.8 m.
b)
Let us observe the movement at a frame of reference that moves with a velocity v to the
same direction as the cars. In this frame of reference, the initial velocity of the cars is
zero. With respect to this frame of reference, during the braking of the first car, it starts to
accelerate with an acceleration that can be found from the relation F = ma where F = µmg,
therefore a = µg. First, we have to make clear if the collision takes place before or after the
implementation of the rear car’s brakes. If the collision would take place beforeqwhen the
rear car starts to brake, then l = 21 at2 would apply during the collision, where t = µg2l
= 1.0
s. Because this is smaller than 1.5 seconds, the collision of the cars takes place before when
the second car applies its brakes with the velocity difference ∆v = at = 36 km/h.
SOLS2 - The tires have to be turned to a direction that coincides with their movement
direction. The car’s rotation axis is probably located on the same line as the axes of the rear
wheels. On the other hand, in the optimal case, it would also be located on both the right
and left front wheel’s axis. Therefore, the desired angle β is given by:
a cot α − b b
β= = cot α −
a a
SOLS3 - Let us go to a frame of reference that rotates with an angular velocity ω2 ; there
it can be seen that the intersection point does not rotate but moves radially. Therefore, in
a laboratory frame of reference, its angular velocity is ω2 ; the chord AB rotates with this
angular velocity; since a central angle is double an inscribed angle, then the radius OB
(where O is the center of the still ring) rotates with the angular velocity ω and therefore the
velocity of the intersection point is similarly equal to ωR.
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SOLS4 - The relative differences of the propagation times are small; therefore, we can
assume that the speed of sound is considerably greater than the speed of wind. Let us
observe the travel of sound in the wind’s frame of reference where the x- and y-directional
components (sx = ux cas and sy = uy cas ) of the relative displacement of the sensors are also
small: sx , sy ≪ a; ux and uy mark the components of the wind’s velocity, and cs is the speed
of sound. Strictly speaking, the exact flight times tA , tB , and tC should have been in this
equation, but the displacements themselves are small, and due to the small differences in the
propagation times, each error is already insignificantly small. Therefore, we get the following
equations for the propagation times:
1 a
tA = a + uy ,
cs cs
1 a
tB = a + ux ,
cs cs
1 a
tC = a − ux ,
cs cs
where acs = 21 (tB + tC ),
tB − 12 (tB + tC )
2 a cs tB + tC
ux = cs 1 = − tC 2
≈ 6.1 m/s,
tB 2
(tB + tC ) tB (tB + tC )
and
2atA − tB − tC
a
uy = c2s ≈ 7.1 m/s.
(tB + tC )2
tA
p
Therefore, the speed of the wind u = u2x + u2y ≈ 9.4 m/s.
