UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

Centre : Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) Unit Code : FHSC1014

Course : Foundation in Science Unit Title : Mechanics
Year/ Trimester : Year 1 / Trimester 1
Session : 201506

Additional Tutorial 4: Application of Newton’s Laws.

1. A certain orthodontist uses a wire brace to align a patient’s

crooked tooth as in figure. The tension in the wire is adjusted to
have a magnitude of 18.0 N. Find the magnitude of the net force
exerted by the wire on the crooked tooth.

[Answer: 8.71 N]

2. Three forces act on a moving object. One force has a magnitude of 80.0 N and is directed
due north. Another has a magnitude of 60.0 N and is directed due west. What must be the
magnitude and direction of the third force, such that the object continues to move with a
constant velocity?
[Answer: 100 N, 53.1o south of east]

3. A 150-N bird feeder is supported by three cables as shown in figure. Find the tension in
each cable.

[Answer: T1 = 150 N, T2 = 75.1 N, Tvertical = 130 N]

4. The drawing shows box 1 resting on a table, with box 2 resting on top of box 1. A
massless rope passes over a massless, frictionless pulley. One end of the rope is
connected to box 2, and the other end is connected to box 3. The weights of the three
boxes are W1 = 55 N, W2 = 35 N, and W3 = 28 N. Determine the magnitude of the
normal force that the table exerts on box 1. [62 N]

[Answer: 62 N]
5. A box sits on a horizontal wooden ramp. The coefficient of static friction between the box
and the ramp is 0.30. What is the angle between the ramp and the horizontal direction
when the box begins to slide down the ramp?
[Answer: 17o]

6. Two blocks are sliding to the right across a horizontal surface, as the drawing shows. In
Case A the mass of each block is 3.0 kg. In Case B the mass of block 1 (the block behind)
is 6.0 kg, and the mass of block 2 is 3.0 kg. No frictional force acts on block 1 in either
Case A or Case B. However, a kinetic frictional force of 5.8 N does act on block 2 in both
cases and opposes the motion. For both Case A and Case B determine (a) the magnitude
of the forces with which the blocks push against each other and (b) the magnitude of the
acceleration of the blocks.

[Answer: (a) 2.9 N, 3.9 N, (b) 0.97 m/s2, 0.64 m/s2]

7. Two blocks of masses m1 and m2 (m1 > m2) are placed on a frictionless table in contact
with each other. A horizontal force of magnitude F is applied to the block of mass m 1 in
the figure.
(a) If P is the magnitude of the contact force between the blocks,
draw the free-body diagrams for each block.
(b) What is the net force on the system consisting of both blocks?
(c) What is the net force acting on m1?
(d) What is the net force acting on m2?
(e) Write the x-component of Newton’s second law for each block.
(f) Solve the resulting system of two equations and two unknowns, expressing the
acceleration a and contact force P in terms of the masses and force.
(g) How would the answers change if the force had been applied to m2 instead? Is the
contact force larger, smaller or the same in this case? Why?

8. A high diver of mass 70.0 kg steps off a board 10.0 m above the water and falls vertical to
the water, starting from rest. If her downward motion is stopped 2.00 s after her feet first
touch the water, what average upward force did the water exert on her?
[Answer: 1.18×103 N]
9. A crate of weight mg is pushed by a force P on a horizontal floor as shown in figure. The
coefficient of static friction is s, and P is directed at angle  below the horizontal.

(a) Show that the minimum value of P that will move the crate is given by
 mg sec 
P s
1   s tan 
(b) Find the condition on  in terms of s for which motion of the
crate is impossible for any value of P.

10. Assume the three blocks portrayed in figure move on a frictionless surface and a 42-N
force acts as shown on the 3.0-kg block. Determine (a) the acceleration given this system,
(b) the tension in the cord connecting the 3.0-kg and the 1.0-kg blocks, and (c) the force
exerted by the 1.0-kg block on the 2.0-kg block.

[Answer: (a) 7.0 m/s2, (b) 21 N, (c) 14 N]

11. Objects with masses m1 = 10.0 kg and m2 = 5.00 kg are connected by a

light string that passes over a frictionless pulley as in the figure above. If,
when the system starts from rest, m2 falls 1.00 m in 1.20 s, determine the
coefficient of kinetic friction between m1 and the table.

[Answer: 0.288]

12. The coefficient of static friction between the 3.00-kg crate and the
35.0° incline of figure is 0.300. What minimum force F must be
applied to the crate perpendicular to the incline to prevent the crate
from sliding down the incline?

[Answer: 32.1 N]
 UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

Centre : Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) Unit Code : FHSC1014

Course : Foundation in Science Unit Title : Mechanics
Year/ Trimester : Year 1 / Trimester 1
Session : 201506

Solutions for Additional Tutorial 4: Application of Newton’s Laws.

1. F x  T cos14.0  T cos14.0  0
F y  T sin 14.0  T sin 14.0  2T sin 14.0

 F     Fy  
2 2
R x 0  ( 2T sin 14.0 ) 2  2T sin 14.0
R  218.0  sin 14.0   8.71 N

2. v  constant,  F  0
F3  (80.0) 2  (60.0) 2  100 N
 80.0 
  tan 1    53.1 south of east


 60.0 

3.
F x  0  T1 cos 30.0  T2 cos 60.0  0  T2  1.73T1
The tension in the vertical cable is the full weight of the
feeder,
Tvertical  150 N
F y  0  T1 sin 30.0  T2 sin 60.0  150  0

T1 cos 30.0  1.73T1  cos 60.0  150  0  T1  75.1 N

T2  130 N

4. T  W3 --- (1)
N  T  W1  W2 --- (2)
(1) into (2)
N  W1  W2  W3
N  55  35  28  62 N

5. mg sin   f s max   s N   s mg cos

tan    s
  tan 1  s  tan 1 0.30  17 
6.  P  m1 ( a ) --- (1)
P  f k  m2 ( a ) --- (2)
From (1) & (2),
P m1 f k
P  f k  m2    P 
 m1  m1  m2
 P fk
a    
 m1  m1  m2
(a) Case A
m1 f k 3.0(5.8)
P   2.9 N
m1  m2 3.0  3.0
Case B
m1 f k 6.0(5.8)
P   3.9 N
m1  m2 6.0  3.0
(b) Case A
fk 5.8
a   0.97 m/s 2
m1  m2 3.0  3.0
Case B
fk 5.8
a   0.64 m/s 2
m1  m2 6.0  3.0

7. (a)

(b) F y  0, F x  F PP F

(c) F y  0, F x FP

(d) F y  0, F x  P

(e) For m1: F x  ma x  F  P  m1a --- (1)

For m2: F x  ma x  P  m2 a --- (2)

(f) From (1) & (2),
F  m2 a  m1a  F  ( m1  m2 )a
 F
a
( m1  m2 )
 F   m2 
P  m2 a  m2      F
 m1  m2   m1  m2 
(g) Realize that applying the force to m2 rather than m1 would have the effect of
interchanging the roles of m1 and m2. We may easily find the results for that case
by simply interchanging the labels m1 and m2 in the results found in (f) above.
a remain same, but P becomes larger in this case because m1 > m2.

8. Set the point where the diver jumps y = 0, and take upwards direction as positive
v 2  u 2  2 gy where a = -g and y = -10.0 m as he reaches the water surface
v   0  2(9.80)(10.0)   14.0 m/s because the diver has a downward motion

Upon hitting water surface, v = -14.0 m/s becomes the initial velocity before the diver is
stopped by an upward force retarding her motion
v  u  at
0    14.0 
a  7.00 m/s 2
2.00
 mg  Fu  ma
Fu  (70.0)((7.00)  9.80)  1.18  103 N
Fu  1.18  103 N upward.

9. (a) For y-component,

N  mg  P sin  --- (1)
For x-component,
f s  P cos 
 s N  P cos  --- (2)
From (1)&(2),
 s (mg  P sin  )  P cos 
 s mg  s mg / cos   mg sec 
P   s
cos    s sin  1   s sin  / cos  1   s tan 

(b) Note that the answer to part (a) states that the magnitude of the applied force
required to start the crate moving will approach infinity as s tan approaches
the value of 1.
 s tan   1
 1 
  tan 1  
 s 
10. (a) F  m sys a
42
a  7.0 m/s 2 to the right
6.0
(b)  Fx  max  42  T   3.0 7.0  T  21 N
(c) F  ma   2.0  7.0   14 N to the right

s  ut  12 at 2  1.00  0  12 a 1.20
2
11.  a  1.39 m/s 2
F  ma y   5.00 9.80   T   5.001.39
y

T  42.1 N
F  ma x  42.1  f  10.0 1.39
x

f  28.2 N
f 28.2
k    0.288
n 10.0  9.80

12. F   ma  0  n  F  mg cos 

F ||  0  mg sin   f s  0  f s  mg sin 
f s   s n   s  F  mg cos  
mg sin    s  F  mg cos  
 sin    sin 35.5 
F  mg   cos     3.00 9.80   cos 35.5   32.1 N
 s   0.300 