Chapter 1: Mechanics

When a Dodge Viper is at Elwood’s Car Wash, a BMW Z3 is at Elm and Main. Later, when the Dodge reaches Elm and Main, the BMW reaches Elwood’s Car Wash. How are the cars’ average velocities between these two times related?

In describing the size of a large ship, one uses such expressions as “it displaces 20,000 tons.” What does this mean? Can the weight of the ship be obtained from this information?

A spaceship makes a circular orbit with period Taround a star. If it were to orbit, at the same distance, a star with three times the mass of the original star, would the new period (in terms of T) be $\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{a}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\mathbf{3}\mathbf{T}\mathbf{,}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{b}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{T}\sqrt{\mathbf{3}}\mathbf{,}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{c}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\mathbf{}\mathbf{,}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{d}\mathbf{\right)}\frac{\mathbf{}\mathbf{T}}{\sqrt{\mathbf{3}}}\mathbf{,}\mathbf{}\mathbf{or}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{e}\mathbf{\right)}\mathbf{}\frac{\mathbf{T}}{\mathbf{3}}$?

A woman holding a large rock stand on a frictionless,horizontal sheet of ice. She throws the rock with speed at anangleabove the horizontal. Consider the system consisting of thewoman plus the rock. Is the momentum of the system conserved?Why or why not? Is any component of the momentum of thesystem conserved? Again, why or why not?

Two identical gliders on an air track are connected by an ideal spring. Could such a system undergo SHM? Explain. How would the period compare with that of a single glider attached to a spring whose other end is rigidly attached to a stationary object? Explain

A woman bounces on a trampoline, going a little higher with each bounce. Explain how she increases the total mechanical energy.

shows some of the electric field lines due to three-point charges arranged along the vertical axis. All three charges have the same magnitude. (a) What are the signs of the three charges? Explain your reasoning. (b) At what point(s) is the magnitude of the electric field the smallest? Explain your reasoning. Explain how the fields produced by each individual point charge combine to give a small net field at this point or points.

According to the standard model of the fundamental particles, what are the similarities between baryons and leptons? What are the most important differences?

A woman in an elevator lets go of her briefcase, but it does not fall to the floor. How is the elevator moving?

When a Dodge Viper is at Elwood’s Car Wash, a BMW Z3 is at Elm and Main. Later, when the Dodge reaches Elm and Main, the BMW reaches Elwood’s Car Wash. How are the cars’ average velocities between these two times related?