Problem Set 1

Physics 5200

Due Jan. 21, 1999
  1. (3 points) The position of a particle as a function of time is given by


    2. x(t) = Acos(wt) + bt + c


    where  A, w, b, and c are constants.  Determine the velocity and acceleration as functions of time.
     

  2. (4 points) A drowsy cat spots a flowerpot that sails first up and then down past an open window.  The pot was in view for a total of 0.50 sec, and the top-to-bottom height of the window is 2.00 m.  How high above the window top did the flowerpot go?  (Hint:  Start by making a diagram of the flowerpot going up and down, and overlay a window.  You will need to find two independent relations and use these to determine two unknown constants.)

    3.  
  3. (3 points) A mass, M1, rests on an inclined plane, attached by a massless rope over a frictionless pulley to a second mass, M2, as shown in the diagram below.  If the two masses are in equilibrium, and the plane is inclined by an angle [theta], what is the mass M2, expressed in terms of M1 and [theta]?