1. Calculate the acceleration due to gravity on the Moon. The Moons radius is 1.

74 106 m and its mass is 7.35 1022 kg.

Remember, agrav = agrav =

GM , R2

so

GM 6.67 1011 7.35 1022 m = = 1.62 2 2 6 2 R (1.74 10 ) s

2. Water balloons are tossed from the roof of a building, all with the same speed but with dierent launch angles. Which one has the highest speed on impact? Ignore air resistance.

1 2 3

Figure 1: Water balloon trajectories This is a problem of energy conservation, not kinematics. Note that each balloon is given the same velocity and thrown from the same height, so 1 Etot = mgh + mv 2 2 Upon landing, energy conservation tells us 1 1 2 2 Ef inal = mvf inal + mg (0) = mgh + mv 2 2 Since this is true for every balloon, each balloon must have the same nal velocity.

3. A spring has a spring stiness constant, k, of 440 N/m. How much must this spring be stretched to store 25 J of potential energy?

1 From U = 2 kx2 ,

2U 2U x= k k choosing the positive root since we are asked for stretch. Then, x2 = x= 2 25 = 0.337 m 440

4. A 145 g baseball is dropped from a tree 13.0 m above the ground. A> With what speed would it hit the ground if air resistance could be ignored? B> If it actually hits the ground with a speed of 8.00 m/s, what is the average force of air resistance exerted on it?

A> Use energy conservation, not kinematics 1 mv 2 = mgh v = 2 this should look familiar to you now. v= 2 9.8 13 = 15.96 m s 2gh

B> By denition, the average force of air resistance, when multiplied by h = 13 m, will give the work done against air resistance Wair = Fair h I choose the minus sign because Fair and h, when viewed as vectors, point in dierent directions. In this context, h is in the direction of motion (down), while Fair points opposite (up). So Fair h = Fair h cos(180 ) = Fair h Using energy conservation, 1 1 2 m 2 2 mgh Fair h = mvf Fair h = mgh vf Fair = mg v 2 2 2h f Fair = 0.145 9.8 82 2 13 = 1.064 N

5. A 9300 kg boxcar traveling at 15 m/s strikes a second boxcar at rest. The two stick together and move o with a speed of 6.0 m/s. What is the mass of the second car?

Since they stick together, the collision is inelastic, so energy is not conserved. m1 v = (m1 + m2 )v m1 v = m1 v + m2 v m2 v = m1 (v v ) m2 = m1 v vv = m1 1 = 9300 v v 15 1 6 = 13950 kg

v Note the formula: m2 = m1 v 1 This tells you that if v > v , then m2 has nonzero massin other words, it exists. When v = v , then m2 = 0there is no second car. v < v is physically impossible without energy being added to the system.

6. Two billiard balls of equal mass undergo a perfectly elastic head-on collision. If one balls initial speed was 2.00 m/s, and the others was 3.00 m/s in the opposite direction, what will be their speeds after the collision?

This is an elastic collision with equal masses, so pi = pf mv1 + mv2 = mv1 + mv2 v1 + v2 = v1 + v2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 + v2 ) = m(v1 + v2 ) v1 + v2 = v1 + v2 Ei = Ef m(v1 2 2 Note that since I am using vector notation, the sign (i.e. ) information m is suppressed. So v1 = 2 m s in the +x direction, while v2 = 3 s in the x direction. Now pay close attention to the steps (P ) (E ) (P ) (E ) 2v1 v2 = 2v1 v2 v1 v2 = v1 v2 v1 v2 = 6 Heres the tricky part. The only way for v1 v2 = 6 is if one of the values is positive while the other is negative. Those values must be v1 = 3 and v2 = 2. Why? 2 + First, our values are restricted to 2, 3 by energy conservation: v1 2 2 2 v2 = v1 + v2 . There are many possible ways to generate 6, but only two give 22 + 32 = 32 + 22 . Momentum conservation tells us the rest: v1 + v2 = v1 + v2 v1 + v2 = 1 (i.e. in the x direction)
2 2 v1 + 2v1 v2 + v2 =v1 + 2v1 v2 + v2 2 2 v1 + v2 =v1 + v2
2 2 2 2 2 2

v1 + v2 =v1 + v2
2 v1

= square this equation

2

2 v2

=v1 + v2

= subtract E from P

demands that (3, 2) be chosen because 3 + (2) = 1. If we choose v1 = 2 and v2 = 3, then we are saying v1 = v1 and v2 = v2 6

In other words, the balls pass through each otherclearly impossible. So our only choice is v1 = 3 and v2 = 2 This is an MCAT-style question, so those of you planning to take the MCAT scould be sure to understand this solution, as you will have no physics text as a reference.