College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences
Department of Physical Sciences
PH 1101 MECHANICS
Tutorial I
Questions
1.1 Why are there no SI units for area or volume?
1.2 If someone told you that every dimension of every object had shrunk to half its former value
overnight, how would refute this statement?
1.3 Name several repetitive phenomena occurring in nature that could serve as reasonable time
standards.
1.4 From what you know about pendulums, cite the drawbacks to using the period of a pendulum
as a time standard.
Problems
1.5 Five clocks are being tested in a laboratory. Exactly at noon, as determined by the WWV time
signal, on the successive days of a week the clocks read as follows. How would you arrange
these five clocks in the order of their relative value as good timekeepers? Justify your choice.
Clock Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat.
A 12:36:40 12:36:56 12:37:12 12:37:27 12:37:44 12:37:59 12:38:14
B 11:59:59 12:00:02 11:59:57 12:00:07 12:00:02 11:59:56 12:00:03
C 15:50:45 15:51:43 15:52:41 15:53:39 15:54:37 15:55:35 15:56:33
D 12:03:59 12:02:52 12:01:45 12:00:38 11:59:31 11:58:24 11:57:17
E 12:03:59 12:01:49 12:01:54 12:01:52 12:01:32 12:01:22 12:01:12
1.6 A small liquid drop is disturbed from its spherical shape, and set into oscillation: Assuming
that the frequency of oscillation f, depends only on the drop radius r, the liquid surface tension
T, and the density, obtain an expression of f in terms of r, T, and , using the principle of
dimensional homogeneity.
1.7 In determining the change from laminar to turbulent flow in liquid in cylindrical tubes, the
velocity of flow is investigated. One find that for any liquid there is a critical velocity at which
there is a sudden change from laminar to the turbulent type of motion. If the critical velocity,
v0 depends only on the viscosity, of the liquid, the density of the liquid and the diameter d
of the cylindrical tube into which the liquid is flowing, then use the principle of dimensional
homogeneity to find an expression for v0 in terms of , and d.
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2024/2025
