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Dimensional Analysis in Applied Physics

This document is a tutorial for the PHYS1034 Applied Physics: Mathematical Modeling course at the University of the Witwatersrand. It includes four questions that require students to use dimensional analysis to formulate expressions related to pressure differences in soap bubbles, wind force on cars, energy from atomic bomb explosions, and terminal velocity of raindrops. Each question is worth 10 points, totaling 40 points for the tutorial.

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5 views1 page

Dimensional Analysis in Applied Physics

This document is a tutorial for the PHYS1034 Applied Physics: Mathematical Modeling course at the University of the Witwatersrand. It includes four questions that require students to use dimensional analysis to formulate expressions related to pressure differences in soap bubbles, wind force on cars, energy from atomic bomb explosions, and terminal velocity of raindrops. Each question is worth 10 points, totaling 40 points for the tutorial.

Uploaded by

munyaitb06
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

UNIVERSITY OF THE W I T W AT E R S R A N D, J O H A N N E S B U R G

School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

PHYS1034
Applied Physics: Mathematical Modeling
2025

Tutorial 01

Question 1 (10 Points)


Consider a soap bubble with radius, r . The pressure inside the bubble must be greater than the
pressure outside of the bubble. The surface tension of the bubble, γ, supports the difference in
pressure △p . Using dimensional analysis, formulate an expression for the pressure difference.

Question 2 (10 Points)


Use dimentional analysis to find a relationship between the force of the wind, F , on a car. You
will also need the velocity, v , the surface area of the car, A and the density of air, ρ.

Question 3 (10 Points)


In 1945 the first atomic bomb was tested in New Mexico. The destructive power (Energy) of the
bomb was kept classified however, following the release of time stamped pictures showing the
bomb’s explosion radius a British physicist, G.I. Taylor, was able to estimate the power released
by the explosion. Identify the missing parameter and use dimensional analysis to formulate an
expression for the Energy.

Question 4 (10 Points)


Challenge: Consider the problem of determining the terminal velocity of a raindrop falling from
a motionless cloud. Determine a general model using dimensional analysis. Hint: You will need 5
parameters.

PHYS1034 Tutorial-01 - 2025 1 of 1

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