PHYSICS 3355 − INTERMEDIATE MECHANICS Spring 2010

Problem set 11: solutions

Problem 3 Center of mass (8 Points)

a) Find the center of mass of a hemispherical shell of constant density and inner radius
r1 and outer radius r2 .

Solution:

Put the shell in the z > 0 region, with the base in the x − y plane. By sym-
metry, X = 0 and Y = 0. In addition,

2π π/2 Rr2
ρ z r 2 dr
R R
dφ sin θdθ
0 0 r1
Z=
2π π/2 Rr2
ρ r 2 dr
R R
dφ sin θdθ
0 0 r1

Using z = r cos θ and doing the integrals gives

3 r24 − r14


Z=
8 r23 − r13

b) Consider two particles of equal mass m. The force on the particle 1 is F~1 = ~0 and
the force on the particle 2 is F~2 = F0~ex . If the particles are initially at rest at the
origin, what is the position, velocity and acceleration of the center of mass?

Solution:

Since particle 1 has F~1 = ~0, ~r0 = ~v0 = ~0, then ~r1 = ~0. For particle 2, F~2 = F0~ex ,
then ~¨r2 = Fm0 ~ex . Integrating twice with ~r0 = ~v0 = ~0 gives

F0 2
~r2 = t ~ex
2m
Therefore we have for the center of mass

~ = m1~r1 + m2~r2 F0 2
R = t ~ex
m1 + m2 4m
~˙ = F0
R t ~ex
2m
¨
~ = F0
R ~ex
2m
 c) A model of the water molecule is shown in the figure. Where is the center of mass?
Solution:

By symmetry Y = 0. Let mH = m and m0 = 16mH = 16m. Then

3
P
mi xi
i=1 a cos 520
X= 3
= = 0.068 a
P 9
mi
i=1

Problem 2 Torque (10 Points)

a) Even though the total force on a system of particles is zero, the net torque may not
be zero. Show that the net torque has the same value in any coordinate system.

Solution:

From class we know that the total force is

~α(e) + f~αβ
X XX
F
α α β
α6=β

P ~ (e)
where the second term is zero. In addition, it is given that Fα = ~0.
α
Now consider two coordinate systems with origins at 0 and 0′ . We call ~r the vector
from 0 to 0′ , ~rα is the position vector of mα in the coordinate system centered at
0, and ~rα ′ is the position vector of mα in the coordinate system centered at 0′ . It
 follows that: ~rα = ~r + ~rα ′ .
The torque in 0 is given by
~ = ~rα × F~α(e)
X
N
α
The torque in 0′ is given by
~′ = ~ (e)
X
N ~rα ′ × Fα
α

(~rα − ~r) × F~α(e)

X
=
α

~rα × F~α(e) − ~r × F~α(e)

X X
=
α α
~ − ~r × F~α(e)
X
= N
α
P ~ (e) ~′ = N
~.
Since it is given that Fα = ~0, it follows that N
α

b) The force of attraction between two particles is given by

 
~ r ˙ ˙
f12 = k (~r2 − ~r1 ) − ~r2 − ~r1
v0
where k is a constant, v0 is a constant velocity, and r = |~r2 − ~r1 |. Calculate the
internal torque for the system. Why does this quantity not vanish?

Solution:

The internal torque for the system is

~ = ~r1 × f~12 + ~r2 × f~21
N

where f~12 is the force acting on the first particle due to the second particle. Now
f~21 = −f~12 . Then
~
N= (~r1 − ~r2 ) × f~12
 
r ˙ ˙
= k (~r1 − ~r2 ) × (~r2 − ~r1 ) − ~r2 − ~r1
v0
kr  
= (~r1 − ~r2 ) × ~r˙1 − ~r˙2
v0
 
This is not zero in general because (~r1 − ~r2 ) and ~r˙1 − ~r˙2 are not necessarily par-
allel. The internal torque vanishes only if the internal force is directed along the line
joining two particles.
Problem 3 Collisions (12 Points)

a) A deuteron (nucleus of deuterium atom consisting of a proton and a neutron) with

speed 14.9 km/s collides elastically with a neutron at rest. Use the approximation
that the deuteron is twice the mass of the neutron.

i) If the deuteron is scattered through a laboratory angle ψ = 10o , what are the
final speeds of the deuteron and neutron?

Solution:

Conservation of energy:
2m 2 2m 2 m 2 1
u = v + v2 =⇒ u21 = v12 + v22
2 1 2 1 2 2
Conservation of momentum is
2m~u1 = 2m~v1 + m~v2 =⇒ 4u21 + 4v12 = v22 + 8u1 v1 cos ψ
Solving these equations, we obtain two sets of solutions
p
2u1 cos ψ ± 4u21 cos2 ψ − 3u21
v1 =
3
2u1
q p
v2 = 6 − 4 cos2 ψ ∓ 2 cos ψ 4 cos2 ψ − 3
3
or numerically: v1 = 14.44 km/s, v2 = 5.18 km/s or v1 = 5.12 km/s, v2 = 19.79
km/s
ii) What is the laboratory scattering angle of the neutron?

Solution:

From the conservation of momentum follows that the total momentum

in direction perpendicular to ~u1 must vanish =⇒ 2mv1 sin ψ = mv2 sin ζ =⇒
sin ζ = 2 vv12 sin ψ =⇒ ζ = 74.84o or ζ = 5.16o

iii) What is the maximum possible scattering angle of the deuteron?

Solution:

In order √for the solutions of i) to be real, we need to have 4 cos2 ψ − 3 ≥ 0 =⇒

cos ψ ≥ 23 or ψ ≤ 30o .
 b) A billiard ball of initial velocity u1 collides with another billiard ball (same mass)
initially at rest. The first ball moves off at ψ = 45o . For an elastic collision, what
are the velocities of both balls after the collision? At what laboratory angle does
the second ball emerge?

Solution:

Conservation of momentum:
√
o u1 − v1 / 2
mu1 = mv1 cos 45 + mv2 cos ζ =⇒ cos ζ =
v2
v1
0 = mv1 sin 45o − mv2 sin ζ =⇒ sin ζ = √
2v2

Substitute into cos2 ζ + sin2 ζ = 1 , simplify, and the result is

√
u21 = v22 − v12 + 2u1 v1

Conservation of energy:
u21 = v12 + v22
√
=⇒ 2v12 = 2u1 v1 =⇒ v1 = √1 u1 =⇒ v2 = √1 u1 . As v1 = v2 it follows that ζ = 45o .
2 2

Problem 4 More collisions (12 Points)

a) In an elastic collision of two particles with masses m1 and m2 , the initial velocities
are ~u1 and ~u2 = α~u1 . If the initial kinetic energies of the two particles are equal,
find the conditions on u1 /u2 and m1 /m2 such that m1 is at rest after the collision.
Examine both cases for the sign of α.

Solution:

Since the initial kinetic energies of the two particles are equal, we have
1 1 1
m1 u21 = m2 u22 = α2 m2 u21
2 2 2
=⇒ α2 = m1 /m2 .
Now, the kinetic energy of the system is conserved because the collision is elastic.
Therefore,
1 1 1
m1 u21 + m2 u22 = m1 u21 = m2 v22
2 2 2
 since v1 = 0. Momentum is also conserved, so we can write

m1 u1 + m2 u2 = (m1 + αm2 )u1 = m2 v2

Substituting the second equality into the equation for the kinetic energy yields
m1 + αm2 2 2
 
2 1
m 1 u1 = m 2 u1
2 m2
or  2
1 m1
m1 = m2 +α
2 m2
Using α2 = m1 /m2 , this becomes
2
2α2 = α2 + α


√ √
=⇒ α = −1 ± 2, α2 = 3 ± 2 2. This gives us
m1 √ u1 √
=3±2 2 , = −(1 ± 2)
m2 u2

b) A particle with mass m1 and initial velocity ~u1 collides elastically with a particle
with mass m2 that is at rest. After the collision the struck particle moves along a
trajectory that makes an angle ζ with the initial direction of the incoming particle.
What is the amount of energy transferred between the particles at the collision?
Under what conditions is the transferred energy maximal?

Solution:

conservation of energy:
m1 u21 = m1 v12 + m2 v22
conservation of linear momentum:

m1 u1 = m1 v1 cos ψ + m2 v2 cos ζ
0 = m1 v1 sin ψ + m2 v2 sin ζ

Solving these equations yields

2m1 cos ζ
v2 = u1
m1 + m2
The energy transferred to particle m2 is therefore
1 2m2 m21
T2 = m2 v22 = 2 2
2 u1 cos ζ
2 (m1 + m2 )
The transferred energy is maximal if
 i) cos ζ = 1 =⇒ ζ = 0,
ii) m1 = m2 = m

Under these conditions, T2 = T0 .