Mechanics Set 10

1. A tiny particle of mass m slides without friction down a spherical surface

of radius R. The particle starts at the top with negligible speed.
(a, 1 pt) Identify all forces that act on the particle as it slides along the
surface of the sphere.
(b, 2 pts) Calculate the polar angle at which the path of the particle leaves
the sphere.
(c, 3 pts) Find the time it takes the particle to slide from angular position 1
> 0 to angular position c, where it takes o.
(d, 2 pts) Find the time between take-o from the sphere and landing on the plane.
2. (8 pts)A block with mass m is attached to a wall by a massless spring with spring constant k. Initially the
spring is relaxed or not stretched. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the surface is .
The coefficient of static friction between the bock and the surface is 2. At time t=0, the block is given an
initial velocity   3<= where g is the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity and L is a constant
quantity with dimensions of length. Assume the spring constant is >  <?/=.
Determine the following: i. total distance travelled by the block; and distance of the final position of the
block from its initial position.
3.A point-mass m is glued to the bottom of a ping-pong ball, with mass M, with
uniform density, and radius R. The point-mass + ping-pong ball system
(originally resting on a flat smooth desk) is hit by a horizontal force F at height
h (<2R). The force lasts for a small time t. Immediately afterward, the ball is
found to roll without sliding
(a, 1 pt) What is the velocity of the center of mass of the system right after the force F acts for a time t ?
(b, 3 pts).What is h?
(c, 4 pts) Although the system will be rolling without sliding immediately after the force F acts, the ball will
eventually slide; if Ft is small but non-zero, the system will have a small angular oscillation in addition to
the translational motion of the center of mass. Determine the period of small oscillation of the system.
4.A block of mass M is free to slide horizontally on an airtrack with
negligible friction. Suspended from the block by a rod of negligible mass
and length L is a mass m swinging in a vertical plane.
(a, 5 pts) Write the Lagrangian in terms of the generalized coordinates x
and and their derivatives.
(b, 3 pts) Write the equations of motion
5.Consider a hoop of mass m and radius r rolling without slipping down an incline. Use the method of
Lagrange multipliers to determine the static frictional force of constraint between the hoop and the incline.
You should
(a, 2 pts )write the Lagrangian =(
, ,
 , ) and the holonomic
constraint, /(
, ) = 0 , that must accompany the Lagrangian.
(b, 3 pts) Derive the three equations associated with the
unknown dynamical variables
, , and the undeterm ined
Lagrange multiplier
(c, 3 pts ) and, finally, solve the system of equations in Part b
to determine the static frictional force of constraint between
the hoop and the incline.