IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

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IB Physics Booklet
Topic 6: Circular Motion and Fields
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

6.1 Circular Motion

Specification

I can:   
Identify the forces providing the centripetal forces such as tension, friction,
gravitational, electrical or magnetic
Solve problems involving centripetal force, centripetal acceleration, period,
frequency, angular displacement, linear speed and angular velocity
Qualitatively and quantitatively describe examples of circular motion including
cases of vertical and horizontal circular motion

My notes
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
My notes
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
My notes
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

Questions (from easy – hard)

1 Convert the following angles into radians.

a 30° [1]

b 210° [1]

c 0.05° [1]

2 Convert the following angles from radians into degrees.

a 1.0 rad [1]

b 4.0 rad [1]

c 0.15 rad [1]

3 The planet Mercury takes 88 days to orbit once round the Sun.
Calculate its angular displacement in radians during a time interval of:

a 44 days [1]

b 1 day. [1]

4 In each case below, state what provides the centripetal force on the object.

a A car travels at a high speed round a sharp corner. [1]

b A planet orbits the Sun. [1]

c An electron orbits the positive nucleus of an atom. [1]

d Clothes spin round in the drum of a washing machine. [1]

5 An aeroplane is circling in the sky at a speed of 150 m s−1.

The aeroplane describes a circle of radius 20 km.
For a passenger of mass 80 kg inside this aeroplane, calculate:

a her angular velocity [2]

b her centripetal acceleration [3]

c the centripetal force acting on her. [2]

IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
6 The diagram shows a stone tied to the end of a length of string.
It is whirled round in a horizontal circle of radius 80 cm.

The stone has a mass of 90 g and it completes 10 revolutions in a time of 8.2 s.

a Calculate:
i the time taken for one revolution [1]

ii the distance travelled by the stone during one revolution (this distance is equal to the circumference of the
circle) [1]

iii the speed of the stone as it travels in the circle [2]

iv the centripetal acceleration of the stone [3]

v the centripetal force on the stone. [2]

b What provides the centripetal force on the stone? [1]

c What is the angle between the acceleration of the stone and its velocity? [1]

7 A lump of clay of mass 300 g is placed

close to the edge of a spinning turntable.
The centre of mass of the lump of clay travels
in a circle of radius 12 cm.

a The lump of clay takes 1.6 s to complete one revolution.

i Calculate the rotational speed of the clay. [2]
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
ii Calculate the frictional force between the clay and the turntable. [3]

b The maximum magnitude of the frictional force F between the clay and the turntable is
70% of the weight of the clay. The speed of rotation of clay is slowly increased.
Determine the speed of the clay when it just starts to slip off the turntable. [4]

8 The diagram shows a skateboarder of mass 70 kg who drops through a vertical height
of 5.2 m.

The dip has a radius of curvature of 16 m.

a Assuming no energy losses due to air resistance or friction, calculate the speed of the skateboarder at the
bottom of the dip at point B.
You may assume that the speed of the skateboarder at point A is zero. [2]

b i Calculate the centripetal acceleration of the skateboarder at point B. [3]

ii Calculate the contact force R acting on the skateboarder at point B. [3]

IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
9 A car of mass 820 kg travels at a constant speed
of 32 m s−1 along a banked track.
The track is banked at an angle of 20°
to the horizontal.

a The net vertical force on the car is zero.

Use this to show that the contact force R on the car is 8.56 kN. [2]

b Use the answer from a to calculate the radius of the circle described by the car. [4]
10 A stone of mass 120 g is fixed to one end of a light rigid rod.

The stone is whirled at a constant speed of 4.0 m s−1 in a vertical circle of radius 80 cm.
tension in the rod at A
Calculate the ratio: [6]
tension in the rod at B
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
Exam Questions (MC)

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Exam Questions (EA)

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IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

6.2NEWTON’S LAW OF GRAVITATION

Specification

I can:   
Describe the relationship between gravitational force and centripetal force

Apply Newton’s law of gravitation to the motion of an object in circular orbit around a point mass

Solve problems involving gravitational force, gravitational field strength, orbital speed and orbital
period

Determine the resultant gravitational field strength due to two bodies

My notes
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

My notes
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

My notes
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

My notes
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
Questions (from easy – hard)

1 Define gravitational field strength at a point in space. [1]

2 Show that the gravitational constant G has the unit N m2 kg−2. [2]

3 The gravitational field strength on the surface of the Moon is 1.6 N kg−1.
What is the weight of an astronaut of mass 80 kg standing on the surface of the Moon? [2]

4 Calculate the magnitude of the gravitational force between the objects described below.
You may assume that the objects are ‘point masses’.
a two protons separated by a distance of 5.0 × 10−14 m
(mass of a proton = 1.7 × 10−27 kg) [3]

b two binary stars, each of mass 5.0 × 1028 kg,

with a separation of 8.0 × 1012 m [2]

c two 1500 kg elephants separated by a distance of 5.0 m [2]

IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
5 The diagram shows the Moon and an artificial satellite orbiting round the Earth.
The radius of the Earth is R.

a Write an equation for the gravitational field strength g at a distance r from the centre of
an isolated object of mass M. [1]

b By what factor would the gravitational field decrease if the distance from the centre of
the mass were doubled? [2]

c The satellite orbits at a distance of 5R from the Earth’s centre and the Moon is at a
distance of 59R. Calculate the ratio:
gravitatio nal field strength at position of satellite
[3]
gravitatio nal field strength at position of Moon

6 The planet Neptune has a mass of 1.0  1026 kg and a radius of 2.2  107 m.
Calculate the surface gravitational field strength of Neptune. [3]

7 Calculate the radius of Pluto, given its mass is 5.0  1023 kg and its surface
gravitational field strength has been estimated to be 4.0 N kg−1. [3]
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves
8 A space probe of mass 1800 kg is travelling from Earth to the planet Mars.
The space probe is midway between the planets. Use the data given to calculate:
a the gravitational force on the space probe due to the Earth [3]

b the gravitational force on the space probe due to Mars [2]

c the acceleration of the probe due to the gravitational force acting on it. [3]

Data
separation between Earth and Mars  7.8  1010 m
mass of Earth  6.0  1024 kg mass of Mars  6.4  1023 kg

9 An artificial satellite orbits the Earth at a height of 400 km above its surface.
The satellite has a mass 5000 kg, the radius of the Earth is 6400 km and the mass of the
Earth is 6.0  1024 kg. For this satellite, calculate:
a the gravitational force experienced [3]

b its centripetal acceleration [2]

c its orbital speed. [3]

10 a Explain what is meant by the term gravitational potential at a point. [2]

b Write down the gravitational potential energy of a body of mass 1 kg when it is at

an infinite distance from another body. [1]

c The radius of the Earth is 6.4  106 m and the mass of the Earth  6.0  1024 kg.
Calculate the potential energy of the 1 kg mass at the Earth’s surface. [3]
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

d Write down the minimum energy required to remove the body totally from the Earth’s gravitational field. [1]

11 The planets in our solar system orbit the Sun in almost circular orbits.
a Show that the orbital speed v of a planet at a distance r from the centre of the Sun is
given by:
GM
v= [4]
r

b The mean distance between the Sun and the Earth is 1.5  1011 m and the mass of the Sun
is 2.0  1030 kg.
Calculate the orbital speed of the Earth as it travels round the Sun. [2]

12 There is a point between the Earth and the Moon where the net gravitational field strength
is zero. At this point the Earth’s gravitational field strength is equal in magnitude but
opposite in direction to the gravitational field strength of the Moon.
Given that:
mass of Earth
= 81
mass of Moon

calculate how far this point is from the centre of the Moon in terms of R, where R is
the separation between the centres of the Earth and the Moon. [4]
IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves

Exam Questions (MC)

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IB Physics Course Booklet Unit 4: Oscillations and Waves