HKPhO2015

Hong Kong Physics Olympiad 2015

2015

Organisers
Education Bureau

The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Co-organiser
Hong Kong Baptist University

Advisory Organisations
The Physical Society of Hong Kong

Hong Kong Physics Olympiad Committee

10 May, 2015
2015 5 10

 HKPhO2015

Rules and Regulations

1 Allquestionsareinbilingualversions.YoucananswerineitherChineseorEnglish,butonly
ONElanguageshouldbeusedthroughoutthewholepaper.

2. Themultiplechoice answersheetwill becollected 1.5hoursafterthestartofthe contest.
You canstartansweringtheopenendedquestionsanytimeafter youhavecompletedthe
multiplechoicequestionswithoutwaitingforannouncements.

3. Onthecoveroftheanswerbookandthemultiplechoiceanswersheet,pleasewriteyour8
digitContestantnumberandyourEnglishNameintheNamebox.
8 Name

4. After you have made the choice in answering a multiple choice question, fill the
correspondingcircleonthemultiplechoiceanswersheetfullyusingaHBpencil.
HB

5. The open problems are long. Please read the whole problem first before attempting to
solvethem.Iftherearepartsthatyoucannotsolve,youareallowedtotreattheansweras
aknownanswertosolvethefollowingparts.

 HKPhO2015

The following symbols and constants are used throughout the examination paper unlessotherwise
specified:

GravitationalaccelerationonEarthsurface g 9.8m/s2

Gravitationalconstant G 6.671011 Nm2/kg2
RadiusofEarth RE 6378km

SunEarthdistance rE 1.51011 m
(=1AstronomicalUnit(AU))(=1(AU))
EarthMoondistance rm 384400km

MassofSun MSun 1.991030 kg

MassofEarth ME 5.981024 kg
DensityofAir 0 1.2kg/m3
DensityofWater w 1000 kg/m3

TrigonometricIdentities:

sin x y sin x cos y cos x sin y sin x cos y

1
sin x y sin x y
2

cosx y cosx cos y sin x sin y cosx cos y

1
cosx y cosx y
2

sin 2 x 2 sin x cosx sin x sin y

1
cosx y cosx y
2
cos2 x cos 2 x sin 2 x

TaylerSeries:
:
x3 x5
sin x x
6 120
x2 x4
cosx 1
2 24
x3 2x5
tan x x
3 15

 HKPhO2015

MultipleChoiceQuestions
Selectoneanswerineachquestion.Foreachquestion,2marksforcorrectanswer,0markfornoanswer,
minus0.5markforwronganswer,butthelowestmarkofthemultiplechoicesectionis0mark.

200.50

1. Aboard(massm)issandwichedbetweenastationaryincline(angle)andanotheridenticalboard.A
forceactsontheouterboardtokeeptheboardsfromslipping.Ifthecoefficientoffrictionbetween
all the surfaces is , what is the component of the minimum compression force, F normal to the
boardsurface?

m

F

A. mg sin 2 cos
mg sin cos F
B.

mg sin 2 cos
C.
2
mg sin 3 cos
D.
2
E. mg sin cos


2. Auniformmetalball(massm)istiedtotheendofastring(massless,lengthL).Theotherendofthe
stringisfixed.Theballismovinginaverticalcirclecenteredatthefixedendofthestring.Suppose
thevelocityoftheballatthelowestpointisvo,whatisthestringtensionwhenitmakesanangleto
thedownwardverticalposition?

m L
vo


2
mvo
A. mg cos 1
L
2
mvo
B. mg 2 cos 1
L
2
mvo
C. mg 3 cos 2
L
2
mvo
D. mg cos 1
2L
2
mvo
E. mg 2 cos 1
2L
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3. Theorbitalpropertiesofageostationarysatelliteincludei)itsorbitisdirectlyovertheEarthequator,
andii)itsorbitalperiodisthesameastheEarth'srotationperiod.Supposealunarstationarysatellite
(itsorbitalperiodisthesameastheMoonsrotationperiod)isplacedovertheMoonequator,what
isthevalueoftheratio(REarth+HEarth)/(RMoon+HMoon)?REarthandRMoonaretheEarthandtheMoon
radii, HEarth and HMoon are the satellite heights from the Earth and from the Moon surfaces,
respectively.Youmayassume(Earthmass)/(Moonmass)=81androtationperiodoftheMoon=27
days.

(REarth+HEarth)/(RMoon+HMoon)REarthRMoon
HEarthHMoon
/=8127

A. (8127)
B. (8127)2
C. (81/27)3
D. (1/9)3
E. (1/9)1/3

4. Adam(heightH,widthW,onewallinclinedatangle)isfullyfilledwithwater(density).Ifgisthe
accelerationduetogravity,theresultantforceexertedbythewateronthedamwallisgivenby

H W
g

A. gH W 2
2

B. gH W 2 sin
2

C. gHW 2 cos H Water Dam

D. gH 2W 2 cos

E. gHW sin cos

Remark: Question 5 is cancelled.

5. Aconicalpendulumwith2identicalbobsonamasslessrod(lengthL)makesanangleof withthe
vertical.OnebobismountedatL/2ofthewire,whereastheotherismountedattheendoftherod.
Theperiodoftherotationalmotionis:

2 L
L/2

A. 2 L sin g
B. 3L cos g

C. 2 2 L sin g
D. 2 3L cos g
E. L tan g

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6. Supposeyouarestandinginanelevator,theelevatorismovingupwardataconstantspeedof0.5
m/s,thenetforceonyouis

0.5m/s

A. zero.
B. +0.5N.
C. 9.8N.
D. +9.8N.
E. yourweight.


7. Apendulumhasalengthof1m.Howmanyswingsdoesthependulumperforminanhour?

A. 60.
B. 300.
C. 900.
D. 1800.
E. 3600.

8. Aball(massm2)ishangingatrestfromawire(negligiblemass).Aheadonelasticcollisionoccurs
when it is struck by a stone (mass m1, horizontal velocity v1before collision), the ball swings to a
maximumheight(h)abovetheoriginallevel.Themaximumheight(h)is

m2
m1 v1
hh

1 m1 2
A. v1
2g m1 m2
2
1 m1 2
B. v1
2g m1 m2
2 m1 2
C. v1
g m1 m2
2
2 m1 2
D. v1
g m1 m2
2
2 m1 2
E. v1
g m2

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9. Anelectricwaterpumpdrawswaterfromawellofdepth10matarate0.1m3/s.Thewateristhen
rejected from the pump with velocity 2 m/s. If the efficiency of the pump is 80%, the power
consumptionofthepumpis

0.1 m3/s 10 m 2 m/s

80

A. 8kW.
B. 10kW.
C. 12.5kW.
D. 17.5kW.
E. 20kW.

10. Acar(massm)undergoesacircularhorizontaltrack(radiusr)atconstantspeedv.Supposehisthe
height of the center of mass (CG) above ground, and a is the horizontal separations between the
left/right wheels and the center of mass. What are the normal forces N1 and N2? The direction of
frictionforcefisindicated.

m v r h
CGa / f
N1 N2

1 hmv 2 1 hmv 2
A. N1 mg , N 2 mg .
2 ar 2 ar N1 N 2

1 hmv 2 1 hmv 2
B. N1 mg , N 2 mg .
2 ar 2 ar
CG
mg hmv 2 mg hmv 2
C. N1 , N2 . h
2 ar 2 ar f f
mg hmv 2 mg hmv 2
D. N1 , N2 .
2 ar 2 ar a a

mg hfmv 2 mg hfmv 2
E. N1 , N2 .
2 ar 2 ar

11. Howmuchworkisdoneinthefollowingforce(F)againstdistance(x)graph?Theforceisaninfinite
seriesofsemicircleswithradiiofR,R/2,R/4,R/8,.

Fx
RR/2R/4R/8.

A. (1/3)R2. F
B. (2/3)R2.
C. R2.
D. (4/3)R2. R R/4
E. (5/3)R2. R/2 R/8
.
x
7

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12. Abinarystarsystemconsistsof2starsorbitingaroundtheircommoncenterofmass.Thetwostars
haveidenticalmass.Theorbitalspeedofeachstaris200km/sandtheorbitalperiodofeachis12.2
days.Findthemassofeachstar.

200km/s12.2

A. 0.00010SolarMass A. 0.00010
B. 0.00020SolarMass B. 0.00020
C. 10.1SolarMass C. 10.1
D. 20.2SolarMass D. 20.2
E. 40.4SolarMass E. 40.4


13. A block lies on a horizontal and frictionless turntable. The block is connected to a string which is
attachedtothecenteroftheturntable.Theturntableisrotatingwithslowuniformangularspeed .
Anobserversitsontheturntable.Accordingtotheobserver,whichofthefollowingis/aretrue?
i. Theblockisaccelerating.
ii. Theblockisnotaccelerating.
iii. Themagnitudeofthestringtensionisproportionalto2.

i.
ii.
iii. 2

A. (i)only.
B. (ii)only.
C. (i)and(iii).
D. (ii)and(iii).
E. (i),(ii),and(iii).

14. ArockislaunchedverticallyontheEarthssurfaceat8km/s.IgnoringairresistanceandtheEarth
rotation,theheightoftheprojectilethatcanriseis:

8 km/s

A. 3,265km.
B. 6,683km.
C. 10,597km.
D. 20,196km.
E. 40,328km.

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15. Aballisprojectedatangle(s) andatspeed10m/s,andeventuallytherangeoftheprojectileis10

m.Thepossiblevalue(s)ofis/are:

10m/s 10m

A. 39.25.
B. 50.75.
C. 78.5. 10m/s
D. 39.25or50.75.
E. 50.75or78.5.
10m

16. As shown in the figure, a ball (mass m1) and a block (mass m2) are attached by a cord (massless),
whichpassesoverafrictionlesspulley.Theblockliesonafrictionlessinclineofangle .Whatisthe
conditionthattheblockwillacceleratedowntheincline?

m1 m2

A. sin m1 m2 .
B. cos m1 m2 .
sin m1 m2 .
2
C.
cos m1 m2
2
D.
E. sin cos m1 m2 .

17. Asolidsphereisattachedatoneendofacord(lengthR)andissetintomotioninaverticalcircle
abouttheotherendwhichisfixed.Determinethespeedofthespherewhenitpassesoverthetopof
thecirclewithzerocordtension.

A. gR
B. gR sin
C. gR cos
D. gR sin cos
E. gR tan

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18. ByconsideringthegravitationalforcesoftheMoonandtheEarthonly,whichofthefollowingocean
tideismostpossible?Thediagramisnotdrawntoscale.

19. Asmallblock(mass0.2kg)isattachedtoamasslessspringandundergoesasimpleharmonicmotion
onasmoothsurface(amplitudeA=0.1m,angularfrequency =0.5radian/s).Thedisplacementof
theparticleattimetfromitsequilibriumpositionisdescribedby
x(t ) A cos t ,
Ifthepotentialenergyofthespringattheequilibriumpositioniszero,whatisthetotalenergyofthe
system?

0.2kg A=0.1m
=0.5radian/s

x(t ) A cos t



A. 0.05mJ.
B. 0.10mJ.
Spring
C. 0.15mJ. Frictionless
D. 0.20mJ.
E. 0.25mJ.

10

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20. ThefigureshowsaLshapeobjectofuniformmassperunitarea.Whereisthecenterofmass rG ?

L rG

2a
A. rG i j . y
3
3a
B. rG i j .
4 2a
4a
C. rG i j .
5 a
5a
D. rG i j .
6

rG a i j .
x
E.
0 a 2a

--- ENDOFMULTIPLECHOICESESSION ---

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OpenProblems
Total5Problems5

1. Abouncingball(10Marks)

AballisallowedtodropfreelyfromrestandataheightHoabovetheground.Afterhittingtheground,
theballbouncestoaheightH1.Thebouncingprocessrepeatscontinuouslyuntilthebouncingheight
istoosmalltobeobserved.

(a)Calculatethecoefficientofrestitution,CR,intermsofHoandH1.CRisdefinedas:

CR=Relativespeedaftercollision/Relativespeedbeforecollision.

(b)Determinethetotaldistancethattheballtravels.ExpressyouranswerintermsofHoandCR.
(c)Findthetotaltimedurationthattheballtravels.ExpressyouranswerintermsofHoandCR.
Hints:Youmayassume:
i. CRisconstantthroughoutallthebouncing,
ii. Timeofcontactbetweentheballandthegroundisnegligible,and
iii. Airresistanceisnegligible.

10

Ho H1

(a)CR Ho H1CR

CR=/

(b) Ho CR
(c) Ho CR

i. CR
ii.
iii.

Ho
H1

Fig.1Bouncingball
1

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2. Asuspendedhorizontalplatform(15Marks)

As shown in Fig. 2, a uniform rectangular platform (length L, mass m) is suspended by two ropes
makingangle 1and 2tothevertical.Inordertokeeptheplatformhorizontal,aload(mass2m)is
placedontheplatform.

(a)FindthetensionsT1andT2intermsofm,1,2,and/orL.

(b)Intermsofm,1,2,and/orL,determinexinordertokeeptheplatformhorizontal.

(c)If(1+2=90)andx=L/8,find1and2.

15

2 L m
12 2m

(a) m12/L T1 T2

(b) m12/L x

(c)(1+2=90) x=L/8 12

1 T1 T2
2

L

Fig.2Suspendedhorizontalplatform
2

13

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3. Oscillatingsphereinacylindricaltrough(15Marks)

Asolidsphere(radiusR,massm,anduniformdensity)rollswithoutslippinginacylindricaltrough
(radius=5R)withasmallangle displacedfromtheequilibriumposition.Thekineticenergyofthe
56
sphereis KE mR 2 2 ,whereistheinstantaneousangularvelocity.
5

(a) Findthepotentialenergyofthesphereintermsofm,g,R,and,wheregistheaccelerationdue
togravity.

(b) Find the total energy of the sphere oscillator. Express your answer in the form of energy
1 1
transformationinsimpleharmonicmassspringsystem,thatis,TotalEnergy E mv x 2 kx 2 ,
2 2
whereyoumayconsiderxasanangulardisplacement.

(c) Determinetheeffectivemass(meff),effectivespringconstant(keff),andperiodoftheoscillation.

15

R m
56
5R KE mR 2 2
5

(a) mgR/

(b)
1 1
E mv x 2 kx 2 x
2 2

(c) meffkeff

Fig.3Oscillatingsphereinacylindricaltrough
3

14

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4. Maximumgradientthatavehiclecanclimbup(15Marks)

Anengineerattemptstodesignaroadwithanangleofinclination toallowavehicle(massm)to
climb.Ononehandtheengineerwouldliketomaximizethegradient;ontheotherhand,thedesign
hastosatisfythespecificationsthatthewheelshavetobeadhesivetothegradientwhenthevehicle
isa
i. rearwheeldrive;
ii. frontwheeldrive;and
iii.fourwheeldrive.
Thespecificationsfurtherrequireavehicle
iv. toavoidoverturning;and
v. to avoid front and rear ends touch the road surface when climbing up a slope from a
horizontalroad.
A typical vehicle has the following dimensions (Fig. 4). Find the maximum gradients such that the
vehiclecanclimbupateachoftheabovepossibilities(i)to(v).Expressyouranswersintermsof R
(thecoefficientofstaticfrictionbetweentherearwheelsandtheroadgradient), F(thecoefficient
ofstaticfrictionbetweenthefrontwheelsandthegradient),CR(rearunderbodyclearance),CF(front
underbodyclearance),HR(rearoverhanging),HF(frontoverhanging),h(heightbetweencenteror
massandthegradient),LR,LF,and/orL(L=LR+LF).Youmayneglectairresistanceandassumethat
thevehicleismovingatconstantspeed.

15

m
;

i. ;
ii. ;
iii.

iv. ;
v.
4iv
R
FCRCF
HR HF h
LR LF/ L L = LR + LF

15

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Fig.4Specificationsoftypicalvehicle
4

5. Fuelforrocketpropulsion(5Marks)

Consider arocket inouterspace (gravitational forces are negligible). Thecombustion products are
ejectedataconstantspeedverelativetotherocket(totalinitialmassmi).
(a) Byconsideringtheconservationofmomentumonly,derivetheequationoftherocketvelocity
changevintermsofve,totalmasschangemoftherocket,andmi.
Hint:Youmayignorehigherorderterms.

(b)Giventhatve=2.5km/s,andthattherocketgeneratesaconstantforce3.5107Nduringthefuel
burn,calculatetherateoffuelmasschange.


5

ve
mi

(a) v ve m
mi

(b) ve = 2.5 km/s 3.5107 N

ENDOFEXAMPAPER

16