Scribd
Upload
172 views2 pages

Mechanical Energy Problems Worksheet

1) The document contains 5 exercises related to mechanical energy and its conservation for different systems involving objects moving under the influence of gravity and springs. 2) The first exercise provides kinetic energy, potential energy, and mechanical energy values at different times for a solid moving on a track, and asks the student to complete the table and determine the solid's position at two times. 3) The second exercise gives the coordinates and mass of a falling particle over time, and asks the student to determine values and show conservation of mechanical energy for the particle. 4) The remaining exercises involve solids moving on inclined planes or compressed between springs, and ask the student to calculate energy values and velocities at different points using the principle

Uploaded by

notrobot74
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
172 views2 pages

Mechanical Energy Problems Worksheet

1) The document contains 5 exercises related to mechanical energy and its conservation for different systems involving objects moving under the influence of gravity and springs. 2) The first exercise provides kinetic energy, potential energy, and mechanical energy values at different times for a solid moving on a track, and asks the student to complete the table and determine the solid's position at two times. 3) The second exercise gives the coordinates and mass of a falling particle over time, and asks the student to determine values and show conservation of mechanical energy for the particle. 4) The remaining exercises involve solids moving on inclined planes or compressed between springs, and ask the student to calculate energy values and velocities at different points using the principle

Uploaded by

notrobot74
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

Refresh your memory

Exercise one:
A solid (S) of mass m = 0.5 kg can move freely on a track situated in the vertical plane.
The kinetic energy EK, potential energy EPG and the mechanical energy Em of the system [Earth ; (S)] at different instants
are given in the table below :

Date t1 t2 t3 t4
EK (J) 0.6 0.8 0.1
EPG(J) 0.7 –1.6
Em(J)

1-Complete the empty boxes in the table.


2-Determine the position of (S) with respect to the reference at the instants t2 and t3. g = 10 m/s2.

Exercise two:
Mechanical energy of a particle in freefall
 
In a vertical plane of an orthonormal system (O ; i ; j ) , a particle M of coordinates (x,y) and mass m = 500 g moves with :

x = 30t and y = −5t 2 + 40t (t in seconds, x and y in meter)where j is a unit vector which is vertically upwards. The
horizontal plane passing through O is taken as a reference level for the gravitational potential energy. Take : g = 10 m/s2.

1) Determine the coordinates and the speed of the particle at the instants 0 ; 2 s ; 10 s.
2) Calculate the mechanical energy of the system S (Earth – particle) at the same instants.
3) Show that the mechanical energy of the system S is conserved.

Exercise three:
Conservation of mechanical energy « 2 »

A solid (S) of mass m = 200 g and of small dimensions, is launched


without initial speed from the top O of an inclined plane. (S) (S)
moves along the line of greatest slope OA as shown in the O
adjacent figure. (R) is a spring of constant k = 40 N/m. (R)

We consider the horizontal plane passing through AX as the  = 300


reference level of gravitational potential energy. In this exercise X A
we neglect the frictional forces. Take : g = 10 m/s2, OA = 50 cm .

1) Calculate the mechanical energy of the system [(S) ; spring ; Earth].


2) Find the speed of (S) when it passes through the point A.
3) The solid (S) passes by the point A, slides on a horizontal and rectilinear track AX, and compresses the spring (R).
Determine the maximum compression of the spring.

Exercise four:

Conservation of mechanical energy « 4 »


Two identical springs of unjoint turns such that each one is O
characterized by a free length L0 = 20 cm and a stiffness k = 25 N/m. x' A B x

The two springs have the same horizontal axis x'Ox and intercalate between them a small mass M = 400 g as shown
in the figure. O is the midpoint of the segment [AB] with AB = 60 cm.
We neglect frictional forces and we take the gravitational potential energy zero at O.

1) Calculate at equilibrium, the potential energy of the system S (Earth – springs – M – supports).
2) We place M at a point I of abscissa x = +5 cm. Calculate the potential energy of the system S.
3) M being at I, is released without speed. Determine the velocity vector of M when it passes for the first time by O.

Exercise five:
Non conservation of mechanical energy

A solid (S) of mass m = 0.6 kg is launched with a speed V0 along the line of greatest
x (S)
slope inclined by an angle α with respect to the horizontal as shown in figure (a).

In figure (b) we represent the graphs of the mechanical energies Em and of the α EPP = 0
gravitational potential energy EPG of the system [(S) ; Earth] as a function of the position O
x of (S). Figure (a)

The zero level of gravitational potential energy is taken to be the horizontal plane passing through O. Given g = 10 m/s 2.

1) The graph shows that the mechanical energy of the system is not conserved.
Justify. E(J)
2) What are, the values of the potential and the kinetic energies of the system 3
for x = 3 m (by the aid of the graph) ? Em
3) Deduce the value of α.
 2
4) Calculate the initial value of the kinetic energy. Deduce the value V 0 of V0
.
1
5) The non conservation of the mechanical energy is due to a force of friction EPP
between (S) and the support. Calculate the value of this force supposed x(m)
constant. 0
0 1 2 3
Figure (b)

You might also like