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Physics 2030 Midterm Exam Overview

The document is the outline for a 30-point midterm exam in Physics 2030 consisting of 3 problems. Problem 1 involves a point mass sliding along a rotating wire in a gravitational field and calculating the condition for equilibrium orbit. Problem 2 deals with relativistic particle motion in a static potential and finding the relativistic equation of motion, canonical momentum, and Hamiltonian. Problem 3 is about a particle projected vertically on the rotating Earth's surface and calculating where it will land based on the Earth's rotation rate, gravity, and maximum height.

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9 views2 pages

Physics 2030 Midterm Exam Overview

The document is the outline for a 30-point midterm exam in Physics 2030 consisting of 3 problems. Problem 1 involves a point mass sliding along a rotating wire in a gravitational field and calculating the condition for equilibrium orbit. Problem 2 deals with relativistic particle motion in a static potential and finding the relativistic equation of motion, canonical momentum, and Hamiltonian. Problem 3 is about a particle projected vertically on the rotating Earth's surface and calculating where it will land based on the Earth's rotation rate, gravity, and maximum height.

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Physics 2030 October 16, 2012

Midterm Exam
30 points total

8:30 am – 10:20 am

1. (10 points total)


A point mass m slides without friction along a wire bent into a vertical circle of radius a. The wire
rotates with constant angular velocity ω about the vertical diameter, and the apparatus is placed in
a uniform gravitational field ~g parallel to the axis of rotation.

(a) (3 points) Construct the Lagrangian for the point mass using the angle θ (angular displacement
measured from the downward vertical) as the generalized coordinate.

(b) (5 points) Use the Euler-Lagrange equations to show that the condition for an equilibrium circular
orbit at angle θ0 is cos θ0 = aωg 2 .

(c) (2 points) Explain the result of part (b) by balancing forces in a co-rotating coordinate system.

1
2. (10 points total)
The relativistic motion of a particle of rest mass m moving with speed v and in a static potential
V (~r) is determined by the Lagrangian
q
L = −mc2 1 − v 2 /c2 − V (~r) .

(a) (3 points) Write down the Euler-Lagrange equations and find the relativistic equation of motion.

(b) (2 points) Find the canonical momentum p~.

(c) (5 points) Find the Hamiltonian. Is H a constant of motion?

3. (10 points total)


A particle is projected vertically upward from the surface of the rotating earth at a colatitude (polar
angle) θ. It rises to a height h that is much less than the radius of the earth, and then falls back to
the surface.

(a) (2 points) Does the particle strike the ground to the east, or to the west, of its initial position?
Provide the reasoning that led to your answer.

(b) (6 points) Find its distance away from the initial launch point when it hits the ground. Hint:
Your answer will depend on the angular rotation rate of the earth Ω, the acceleration of gravity g,
and the maximum height h.

(c) (2 points) Verify by explicit calculation that your solution in part (b) has the correct dimension
of length.

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