PHYSICS

IIT-JAM Physics Paper - 2008

Instructions:
Attempt all the 25 questions.
Questions 1-15 (Objective questions) carry six marks each and each questions 16-25 (Subjective
questions) carry twenty one marks each.

1. The product PQ of any two real, symmetric matrices P and Q is:

(a) Symmetric for all P and Q (b) Never symmetric
(c) Symmetric if PQ = QP (d) Antisymmetric for all P and Q
2. The work done by a force in moving particle of mass m from any point (x, y) to a neighbouring point
x dx, y dy is given by dW 2 xydx x 2 dy . The work done for a complete cycle around a unit circle is:
(a) 0 (b) 1 (c) 3 (d) 2
3. EFGH is a thin square plate of uniform density and side 4a. Four point masses, each of mass m, are placed
on the plate as shown in the figure. In the moment of inertia matrix 1 of the composite system,

(a) Only Ixy is zero (b) Only Ixz and Iyz are zero.
(a) All the product of inertia terms are zero (d) None
4. The chemical potential of an ideal Bose gas at any temperature is:
(a) Necessarily (b) Either zero or negative (c) Necessarily positive (d) Either zero or positive.
5. If the electrostatic potential at a point (x, y) is given by by V 2x 4y volts, the electrostatic energy density
at that point (in J/m3) is:
1 2
(a) 50 (b) 100 (c) 200 0 2x 4y
(d)
2
6. In an inertial frame S, a stationary rod makes an angle with the x-axis. Another inertial frame S' moves with
a velocity v with respect ot S along the common x x ' axis. As observed from S' the angle made by the rod
with the x ' axis is ' . Which of the following statements is correct?
(a) ' (b) '
(c) ' if v is negative and ' if v is positive
(c) ' if v is negative and ' if v is positive.

7. Consider a doped semiconductor having the electron and the hole mobilities 0 and p , respectively. Its
intrinsic carrier density is ni. The hole concentration p for which the conductivity is minimum at a given temperture
is:

p p n
n
(a) n i (b) n i (c) n i (d) n i
p n n p

1
 PHYSICS

8. Two coherent plane waves of light of equal amplitude, and each of wavelength 20108 m , propagating at

an angle of radian with respect to each other, fall almost normally on a screen. The fringe-width (i mm)
1080
on the screen is:
(a) 0.108 (b) 0.216 (c) 1.080 (d) 2.160
9. A circular disc (in the horizontal xy-plane) is spinning about a vertical axis through it centre O with a constant

angular velocity . As viewed from the reference frame of teh disc, a particle is observed to execute uniform
motion, in the anticlockwise sense, centered at P. When the particle is at the point Q, which of the following

figures correctly represents the directions of the Coriolis force Fcor and the centrifugal force Fcfg ?

(a) (b) (c) (d)

10. The instantaneous position x t of a small block performing one-dimensional damped oscillation is

x t Ae rt cos t . Here, is the angular frequency,, the damping coefficient, A the initial amplitude

dx
and the initial phase. If x t 0 and v , the values of A and with n 0,1, 2,.......... are
dt t 0

v 2n 1 v
(a) A , (b) A , n
2 2
v 2n 1 2v 2n 1
(c) A , (d) A ,
2 2
11. A photon of wavelength ' ' is incident on a free electron at rest and is scattered in the backward direction. The
fractional shift in its wavelength in terms of the Compton wavelength ' ' of the electron is:
2 3 2
(a) (b) (c) (d)
2 3 2
12. The logic expression for the output Y of the following circuit is:

(a) P Q QR S (b) P Q QR S

(c) P Q QR S (d) P Q QR S

13. The activity of a radioactive sample is decreased to 75% of the initial value after 30 days. The half-life (in days)
of the sample is approximately [You may use ln 3 1.1, ln 4 1.4]
(a) 38 (b) 45 (c) 59 (d) 69

2
 PHYSICS

14. The ratio of the second-neighbour distance to the nearest-neighbour distance to the nearest-neighbour dis-
tance in an fcc lattice is
(a) 2 2 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 2
15. A thermodynamic system is maintained at constant temperature and pressure. In thermodynamic equilibrium,
its
(a) Gibbs free energy is maintain (b) Enthalpy is maximum
(c) Helmholtz free energy is minimum (d) Internal energy is zero.
16. A thin hollow cylinder of radius and length both equal to L is closed at the bottom. A disc of radius L/2 is
removed from the bottom as shown in figure. This object carries a uniform surface-charge density . Calcu-
late the electrostatic potential at the point P on the axis of the cylinder as shown in the figure.
dx
[You may use 2
x a 2
ln x x 2 a 2 ].

17. A particle of mass 1 kg is moving in a central force field given by F1 r 3 1 r
2
r r
(a) Assuming that the particle is moving in a circular orbit with angular momentum 2 Js , find the radius of the
orbit.

(b) At t = 0, an additional force F2 v , where v is the instantaneous velocity of the particle, is switched
1 2
on. Show that the magnitude of its angular momentum after a time second is J s .
e
18. An incompressible fluid is enclosed between two horizontal surfaces located at z = 0 and z =d . the fluid motion

is two dimensional, and the velocity field V x, z , t is given by V x, z , t u x, z , t x w x, z , t z are
periodic functions of the horizontal coordinate x with wavenumber k.

z
(a) If the vertical velocity w x, x, t A t cos kx sin , find the horizontal velocity u x, z, t using the
d

equation of continuity. What is the vorticity field V ?
d 2
(b) Find the net fluid flux from a parallelepiped of size L as shown in the figure, where .
2 k

3
 PHYSICS

19. The wave function n x of a particle confined to a one-dimensional box of length L with rigid walls is given

2 n x
by n x sin , n 1, 2,3......
L L
(a) Determine the energy eigenvalues. Also, determine the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions of the momentum
operator.
(b) Show that the energy eigenfunctions are not the eigenfunctions of the momentum operator.
20. A mass and spring system consists of two blocks of mass M and one block of mass m(<M). These blocks are
connected with two identical springs of spring constant k as shown in the figure. The system is constrained to
move along a straight line on a frictionless horizontal surface. The spring follows Hooks law. Find the angular
frequencies of the independent oscillations (normal modes).

Now, the masses M and m are interchanged and the new arrangement is shown in the following figure:

The ratio of the frequency of the new arrangement to that of the old arrangment, when the middle block remains
stationary, is 2 . Find the ratio of the frequencies in the two arrangement when the middle block oscillates.

21. A half-wave plate and a quarter-wave plate are placed between a polarizer P1 and at analyzer P2. All of these
are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the direction of propagation of unpolarized incident light (see
figure). The optic-axis of the half wave plate makes an angle of 30 with respect to the pass-axis of P1 and that
of the quarter wave plate is parallel to the pass-axis of P1.

(a) Determine the state of polarization for the light after passing through (i) the half wave plate and (ii) the
quarter wave plate.
(b) What should be the orientation of the pass-axis P2 with respect to that of P1 such that the intensity of the
light emerging from P2 is maximum?

22. Consider a system N non-interacting distinguishable spin 1/2 particles, each of magnetic moment . The

system is at an equilibrium temperature T in a magnetic field B such that n particles have their magnetic

moments aligned parallel to B .
(a) Find the energy E and the entropy S of the system.
(b) Using the relationship between E and S, find T. Hence determine the ratio n/N in terms of B and T. [Use
ln N! = N ln N N].

4
 PHYSICS

23. (a) An ideal gas, kept in contact with a heat reservoir, undergoes a uasistatic process in which its pressure gets
doubled. Obtain the Maxwell relation from the differential form dF = SdT P dV and evaluate the
expression for the change in entropy of n modes of the gas.
(b) Using S = S(T, V), derive a general expression for U / V T , U(S, V) is the internal energy. Evaluate it
for the ideal gas at considered in part (a) Justify that the outcome is consistent with the expression for the
average energy known from the kinetic theory.
24. Consider an ideal Fermi gas consisting of N non-reltivistic spin-1/2 particles confined to a length L in one
dimension at 0 K.
(a) Find an expression for the density of states an hence calculate the Fermi energy of the gas.
(b) Find the mean energy per particle in terms of the Fermi energy.
25. A square loop of side L and mass M is made of a wire of cross-sectional area A and resistance R. The loop,
moving with a constant velocity v0i in th horizontal zy-plane, enters a region 0 x 2L having constant

magnetic field Bk .

(a) Find an expression for the x-component of the force F acting on the loop in terms of its velocity v t , B,
L and R.
(b) Find the speed of the loop as its side ad exits the field region at x 2 L and sketch its variation with x.