Problem Set 3

Handout November 11th 2013 Due November 19th 2013

Problem 1
A ladder is in static equilibrium, standing on rough ground and leaning against a smooth wall. The weight W of the ladder is 100 N, and acts through the centre of the ladder, as shown.

NB

3m W RA 4m A NA

(i) By considering the balance of forces, determine the magnitude of the normal force NA that the ground exerts on the the ladder. (ii) By considering the balance of moments, determine the magntiude of the normal force NB that the wall exerts on the ladder.

Problem 2
A pendulum consists of a massless string of length l, attached to a pivot at one end and a bob of mass m at the other. The string is held tight, and the bob is released from rest at an angle to the vertical.

(i) Explain why the tension in the string does no work on the bob of the pendulum, which implies that conservation of energy applies to the bob. (ii) In terms of l and , derive an expression for the initial height of the pendulum above its lowest point. (iii) Use the result from part (ii) to nd the potential energy of the bob, relative to the lowest point of the pendulum (in other words, take the ground of the problem to be at the lowest point). (iv) Write an expression for the speed of the bob at the lowest point of the pendulum (in terms of l, , and the acceleeration due to gravity g ).

Problem 3
A frictionless inclined plane makes an angle with the horizontal. Two blocks, of mass M and m respectively, are connected by a light string, and balanced on either side of a pulley as shown in the diagram below.

m (i) By considering the balance of forces on the blocks, nd the ratio terms of and the acceleration due to gravity g .
m M,

in

(ii) Since the two blocks have zero net force acting on them, one can raise the height of the mass m block by height h, as shown below, without doing any work. Using the fact that the overall energy of the system remains m invariant under such an adjustment, rederive the ratio M from part (ii), and show that you get the same answer. h
M

m h