Mechanics Homework 0: Pre-requisite Review

The purpose of this assignment is to help you get back some of the calculus and physics skills that may
be a bit rusty after a summer or semester of disuse. You will need all of these techniques and equations
during the semester, so you must review this material and come to the first day of class prepared to use
the knowledge you gained in pre-requisite courses! I hope that your work on this assignment will give
you a prep sheet that you can refer to during the course if, for example, you need to refresh the
definition of the chain rule.

Instructions:
This assignment is due 4pm on the first day of class.
This assignment will be graded, and it will count towards your overall homework grade in the course, so
take it seriously and do your best work. Make sure to appropriately show your work. Write out your
answers on a separate piece of paper. Each question will be graded out of two points; 2/2 means you
did exactly what was asked, means you should have showed more work or did not get the right
answer, and 0/2 means you did the problem completely wrong or got the right answer but did not show
your work.
Please note that although I love Mathematica and Sage as much as any physics student, it is not
appropriate to use a computer or calculator to solve the derivatives and integrals in this problem set.
These are all problems you should be able to do by hand, and will have to do from memory during inclass derivations and quizzes this semester. So, time to remember how to do them without a computer!
Start early; it is probably a mistake to put this off until the day it is due. This assignment has over sixty
problems. If you dont remember the material, the assignment may take a while, but the time reviewing
will be well spent since you will need these skills to be successful in this class
SHOW YOUR WORK. Yes, some of answers have no work to show, but if you have to do any algebra or
vector expansion, do not do it in your head, write it out. Remember, doing it in your head and
copying it from the computer look the same to me when I grade.

Calc I Review:
Basic Derivatives:
Find the derivatives of the following functions, where , , are arbitrary constants:

1. () = ,

= ________

2. () = 3 + 4 ,
3. () = cos[],
4. () = sin[],
5. () = ln[],

= ________

= ________

= ________

= ________

Product Rule:
6. In your own words, describe what the product rule is and when it should be used.

Use the product rule to differentiate the following, where , , are arbitrary constants:

7. () = 2 ,

= ________

8. () = ( sin[])( cos[]),
9. () = ( sin[])( 3 +
10. () =

sin[]
,

)
4

= _________
= ________

= ________

Chain Rule:
11. In your own words, describe what the chain rule is and when it should be used.
Use the product and chain rules to differentiate the following, where , , are arbitrary constants:
2

12. () = ,

= ________

13. () = sin[] ln[],

14. () = 2 ; () = ln[],

= ________

= ________ (write your answer as a function of t, not x)

15. () = ; () = sin[] + cos[],

= ________(write your answer as a function of

t, not x)
Complex Numbers:
16. In your own words, define the term complex number.
Solve the following, where = 1 and , , are arbitrary constants:
17. ( + )( )
18. ( + )2

Single Variable Calculus Review:

Basic Integration:
Solve the following integrals, where , , are arbitrary constants. Dont forget constants of
integration when appropriate!
1. () = , () = __________
2. () = , () = ___________
5

3. () = 1 3 + 4 , () = __________

4. () = 0 cos[] , () = __________
1

5. () = , () = __________
U-Substitution:
6. In your own words, describe the U-Substitution method of solving integrals.
Make the appropriate U-substitution to solve the following integrals, where , , are arbitrary
constants. Dont forget constants of integration when appropriate!
7. () = ( 2 + 1)2 (2) , = ______, () = _________
2

8. () = 5 , = ______, () = _________

9. () = 0 sin[] cos[] , = ______, () = ___________

Integration By Parts:
10. In your own words, describe the integration by parts method of solving integrals. Give the basic
equation for this type of solution as part of your answer.

Use integration by parts to solve the following integrals, where , , are arbitrary constants. Dont
forget constants of integration when appropriate!
11. () = sin[] , () = __________
12. () = 2 ln[] , () = ___________

Single Variable Calc Review, Continued:

Series Expansions
Use a Taylor Series expansion to expand the following functions to their third term:
13. sin[] for near 0.
14. ex for near some constant 0 .
15. (1 + )2 for near 0.
Multi Variable Calculus Review:
Partial Derivatives:
1

Find the following partial derivatives for (, , ) = 4 sin[] cos[ ]

1.
2.
3.

=?
=?
=?

Multi-Variable Integration:
Solve the following integrals:
2

0 0 3 sin[]

4. 0

5. 0 0

Del Vector Operator:

6. Expand the vector operator in Cartesian, cylindrical polar, and spherical polar coordinates.
You do not have to show any work or do any derivations-- just write out in each coordinate
system.
Dot and Cross Product:
In the following problems, A = 1 + 2 + 3 and B = 1 + 2 + 3 .
7. Explain why = 0 and = 1.
8. Find A B. Make sure to show your work!
9. Find A B. Make sure to show your work!
B
B
B
B
=A
and A
= 2 ( A
). Make sure to
10. Show, for scalar constants and , A
show your work!
A. Make sure to show your work!
11. Show A B = B
Position vector:
12. The position vector is r = + + in Cartesian coordinates. Give r in cylindrical polar and
spherical polar coordinates.

Differential Equations Review:

Separation of Variables:
1. In your own words, explain the separation of variables technique and when it should be used.
Now use separation of variables to solve the following differential equations, where , , are
arbitrary constants. Dont forget to include arbitrary constants when applicable!
2.

= , () = ____

3.

= , () = ______

4.

= , () = ____

5.

= 2 , () = ____

Second Order Differential Equations:

State the general solutions to the following differential equations, where , , are arbitrary
constants. Dont forget to include arbitrary constants when applicable!
6.

2
2

7.

2
2

Using Initial Conditions:

If = 0 and = 0 at t=0, solve for the arbitrary solutions in your general solutions to the
following differential equations. As usual , , are arbitrary constants.
8.

2
2

9.

2
2

Analytical Physics Review:

Newtons Laws:
1. Summarize Newtons Laws of Motion in your own words.
2. What is a freebody diagram, and what is used for?
3. Explain how Newtons Second Law can be used to find the net acceleration of an object.
Equations of Motion for Constant Acceleration, and their Derivation:
4. What is the acceleration of a mass m in free-fall?
5. If = 0 and

= 0 at t=0, solve this differential equation to obtain the equations of motion

((), (), ()) for a mass experiencing free-fall:

2
2

Circular motion:
6. Give the equation for the arclength S shown in the figure as a function of and .
7. Give the equation for the tangential velocity of the mass in the figure as a function of angular
velocity and radius .
Momentum:
8. Give the equation for momentum of an object with mass m and velocity v.
9. What is the law of conservation of momentum, and when is it applicable? Give an example of a
problem you have solved using conservation of momentum.
Angular Momentum:
10. Give the equation for the angular momentum of an object with mass m and velocity v traveling
in a circle of radius r.
11. When is conservation of angular momentum applicable? Give an example of a problem you
have solved using conservation of angular momentum.
Torque:
12. What is torque?
13. Give the equation for torque.
Mechanical Energy:
14. Give the equation for the kinetic energy of an object with mass m and velocity v.
15. Give the equation for the gravitational potential energy of an object with mass m.
16. Give the equation for the spring potential energy of an object with mass m attached to a spring
with spring constant k.
17. When is conservation of mechanical energy applicable? Give an example of a problem you have
solved using conservation of mechanical energy.