Question: A 2kg metal ball is suspended from a rope.

If it is released from point A and swings down to the point B (the bottom of its arc) what is its velocity at point B?

Answer: Step 1 : Analyse the question to determine what information is provided

The mass of the metal ball is m = 2kg The change in height going from point A to point B is h = 0.5m The ball is released from point A so the velocity at point A is zero (vA = 0m/s).

These are in the correct units so we do not have to worry about unit conversions.

Step 2 : Analyse the question to determine what is being asked

Find the velocity of the metal ball at point B.

Step 3 : Determine the Mechanical Energy at A and B To solve this problem we use conservation of mechanical energy as there is no friction. Since mechanical energy is conserved,

Therefore we need to know the mechanical energy of the ball at point A (UA) and at point B (UB). The mechanical energy at point A is

We already know m, g and vA, but what is hA? Note that if we let hB = 0 then hA = 0.5m as A is 0.5m above B. In problems you are always free to choose a line corresponding to h = 0. In this example the most obvious choice is to make point B correspond to h = 0. Now we have,

As already stated UB = UA. Therefore UB = 10J, but using the definition of mechanical energy

because hB = 0. This means that

Problem : A skier glides down a frictionless hill of 100 meters, the ascends another hill, of height 90 meters, as shown in the figure below. What is the speed of the skier when it reaches the top of the second hill?

The skier moves from point A to point B The skier is in a conservative system, as the only force acting upon him is gravity. Instead of calculating the work done over the curved hills, we can construct an alternate path, because of the principle of path independence:

Theoretical Path of Skier We construct a path of two segments: one is horizontal, going between the two hills, and one is vertical, accounting for the vertical drop between the two hills. What is the work done over each of these two segments? Since the gravitational force is perpendicular to the displacement in the horizontal segment, no work is done. For the second segment, the gravitational force is constant and parallel to the displacement. Thus the work done is: W = Fx =mgh = 10mg . By the Work-Energy Theorem, this net work causes an increase in velocity. If the skier started with no initial velocity, then we can relate the final velocity to the work done: mv f 2 = 10mg

We can cancel the mass and solve for v f : vf= Thus the final velocity of the skier is 14 m/s. = 14m/s

Problem : What was the change in potential energy in the last problem, given that the mass of the skier is 50 kg?

Problem : What is the total energy of the mass-spring system shown below? The mass is shown at its maximum displacement on the spring, 5 meters from the equilibrium point.

Mass-spring system

Problem : A particle, under the influence of a conservative force, completes a circular path. What can be said about the change in potential energy of the particle after this journey? Solution for Problem 4 >> We know that if the particle completes a closed path, the net work on the particle is zero. We already established through the Work-Energy Theorem that the total kinetic energy does not change. However, we also know that U= - W . Since no work is done, the potential energy of the system does not change. We can also answer this question in a more conceptual manner. We have defined potential energy as the energy of configuration of a system. If our particle returns to its initial position, the configuration of the system is the same, and must have the same potential energy. Close

Problem :

A pendulum with string of length 1 m is raised to an angle of 30 o below the horizontal, as shown below, and then released. What is the velocity of the pendulum when it reaches the bottom of its swing?

A pendulum, shown in its initial and final positions. In this case there are two forces acting on the ball: gravity and tension from the spring. The tension, however, always acts perpendicular to the motion of the ball, thus contributing no work to the system. Thus the system is a conservative one, with the only work being done by gravity. When the pendulum is elevated, it has a potential energy, according to its height above its lowest position. We can calculate this height:

Pendulum, with important distances shown The height h can be calculated by subtracting x from the total length of the string: h = 1 - x . We use a trigonometric relation to find x: sin30 o = . Thus x = .5m and h = 1 - .5 = .5m . Now that we have the initial height of the pendulum, we can calculate its gravitational potential energy: U G = mgh = .5mg . All of this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy at the final position of the pendulum, with a height of 0. Thus: .5mg = mv 2 . The masses cancel, and we can solve for v: v = = 3.1m/s . Thus, when the pendulum reaches an angle of 90 with the horizontal, it has a velocity of 3.1 m/s.