Examination Answers – Semester 1, 2012

PHYC10003 Physics 1

These are answers to the exam questions, not complete solutions. Answers provided to questions
requiring explanations do not represent complete solutions, and would in most cases not receive the
full marks allocated on the exam paper. Many marks are given on the exam for ‘working’ (i.e. for
showing that you understand the relevant physics), and a numerical answer alone is usually not
sufficient to gain full marks.

1.
(a) If the mass doesn’t change over time,
then and therefore .

(b) If there is no net external force, then an object (with constant mass) won’t accelerate (i.e.
will travel at constant velocity). For a given net force, an object with greater mass will
accelerate less than one with smaller mass.

(c) A frame in which Newton’s laws hold without the need for modification (e.g. by
introduction of inertial or ‘imaginary’ forces) is called an inertial reference frame.

(d) Zero (because the net force acts perpendicularly to the velocity at all times).

(e)
(i) It takes 1.49 ms. (Need to show this.)
(ii) N in the direction the plane is flying.
(iii) Same magnitude as in (ii), but in opposite direction.

2.
(a) Sketch required. . The force is the negative gradient of the potential
energy curve. In this case, the force is zero at the point where the potential energy is
zero, positive at smaller separations and negative at larger separations. The force goes to
zero (from below) as and to (positive) infinity as .

(b) The force is repulsive where it is positive and attractive where it is negative.

(c) The system is in equilibrium where there is no force on it. This occurs where the
potential energy is a minimum. Arguably, it is also in equilibrium when the two atoms
are infinitely far apart.

3.
(a)
(i) 16.3 m/s (assuming the velocity units are m/s).
(ii) .
(iii)

(b) 7.0 m/s.

(c) 9.1 m/s.

Exam Answers 2012 PHYC10003 Physics 1 1

4.
(a) C – into the page.

(b) towards the centre of the circle.

(c) 0.082

(d) .

(e) .

(f) at maximum .

5.
(a) 740 m (to 2 significant figures).

(b) Horizontal: 60 m/s (to the right). Vertical: 120 m/s (downwards).

(c) 690 m.

6.
(a) Sketch required. [Note: how the sketch looks will depend on whether you take the
‘height of the spring’ at a given time to be the position of the top of the spring or the
position of the bottom of the spring.]

(b) 0.98 J.

(c) 3.1 cm.

(d) 4.0 m/s.

(e) Energy has gone mostly to heating the spring and the surface, and perhaps a little to the
air (due to air resistance and sound). Some energy may also have gone to oscillations of
the spring itself (i.e. stored as kinetic and spring potential energy of the spring itself).

7.
(a) The proper time between two events is the time interval between those events when they
occur at the same location. Need equation and example.

(b) The proper length of an object is the distance measured between its ends when it is at
rest. Need equation and example.

(c) m/s.

(d) m/s.

(e) .

Exam Answers 2012 PHYC10003 Physics 1 2

8.
(a) The acceleration due to gravity on the moon is less than it is on Earth (about 1/6).
Assuming the takeoff speed that can be obtained by an astronaut (via muscle power) is
approximately constant, the lower acceleration means that the astronaut can jump higher.

(b)
(i) m.
(ii) 5470 s (91 min).
(iii) J.

9.
(a) The period of oscillation is , so as mass is added the period increases.

(b)
(i) 1.6 s.
(ii) 0.65 m.

10.
(a)
(i) .
(ii) No. This is not a travelling wave, since the displacement is not a function of
.
(iii) m.

(b)
(i) 156 Hz.
(ii) The rotational speed of the tube: higher speed will tend to excite higher-order
harmonics. Doppler effect: the person listening will hear a higher frequency as
the tube moves towards them, and lower as it moves away from them.

11.
(a) 19 m/s.
(b) 1.3 W.

12.
(a) Yes, the bottom half will form a complete image. Every point on an object can be
thought of as the source of a infinite number of rays. Half of the rays that passed through
the whole lens will still pass through the half lens. The resulting image will, however, be
half as bright as before.

(b)
(i) The regular pattern of ridges acts like a diffraction grating. Each ridge acts like
an individual source of light waves which can interfere with one another to
produce constructive or destructive interference at various angles (different for
different wavelengths).
(ii) .

(c)
(i) +2 m.
(ii) Converging. The lens is thicker in the middle than at the edges, and has positive
focal length.
(iii) Diagram required. Inage is formed 360 cm to the right of the lens [prove this
using the thin lens formula]. The image is inverted compared to the object.

Exam Answers 2012 PHYC10003 Physics 1 3