2020 Online Physics Olympiad (OPhO):

Open Contest

OPhO Lead Organizers and Writers: Adithya Balachandran, Eddie Chen,

Ashmit Dutta, Ethan Hu, Viraj Jayam, Rishab Parthasarathy, Kushal Thaman,
Max Wang, QiLin Xue

OPhO Website Developer: Ben Oommen

Advisors: Dr. Branislav Kisačanin, Kye Shi, Kevin Zhou

May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Instructions

If you wish to request a clarification, please use this form. To see all clarifications, see this document.

• Use g = 9.81 m/s2 in this contest. See the constants sheet on the following page for other constants.

• This test contains 55 short answer questions. Each problem will have three possible attempts.
• The weight of each question depends on our scoring system found here. Put simply, the later questions are
worth more, and the overall amount of points from a certain question decreases with the number of attempts
and days that you take to solve a problem as well as the number of teams who solve it. This means that your
score decreases with the number of tries and days you take to solve a given problem.

• Any team member is able to submit an attempt. Choosing to split up the work or doing each problem
together is up to you. Note that after you have submitted an attempt, your teammates must refresh their
page before they are able to see it.
• Answers should contain at least three significant figures, unless otherwise specified. All answers within the
1% range will be accepted.
• When submitting a response using scientific notation, please use exponential form. In other words, if your
answer to a problem is A × 10B , please type AeB into the submission portal.
• A standard scientific or graphing handheld calculator may be used. Technology and computer algebra systems
like Wolfram Alpha or the one in the TI nSpire will not be needed. Attempts to use these tools will be classified
as cheating.
• You are allowed to use Wikipedia or books in this exam. Asking for help on online forums or your teachers
will be considered cheating and may result in a possible ban from future competitions.
• Top scorers from this contest will qualify to compete in the Online Physics Olympiad Invitational Contest,
which is an olympiad-style exam. More information will be provided to invitational qualifiers after the end
of the Open Contest.
• In general, answer in SI units (meter, second, kilogram, watt) unless otherwise specified. Please answer all
questions in degrees unless otherwise specified.
• If the question asks to give your answer as a percent and your answer comes out to be “x%”, please input
the value x into the submission form.
• Do not put letters in your answer on the submission portal! If your answer is “x meters” , input only the
value x into the submission portal.
• Do not communicate information to anyone else apart from your team-members before the
exam ends on May 29, 2020 at 11:59 PM UTC.

Sponsors

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

List of Constants
• Proton mass, mp = 1.67 · 10−27 kg • Permittivity of free space,
• Neutron mass, mn = 1.67 · 10−27 kg 0 = 8.85 · 10−12 C2 /(N · m2 )
• Electron mass, me = 9.11 · 10−31 kg
• Avogadro’s constant, N0 = 6.02 · 1023 mol−1 • Coulomb’s law constant,

• Universal gas constant, R = 8.31 J/(mol · K) 1

k= = 8.99 · 109 (N · m2 )/C2
4π0
• Boltzmann’s constant, kB = 1.38 · 10−23 J/K
• Electron charge magnitude, e = 1.60 · 10−19 • Permeability of free space, µ0 = 4π · 10−7 T · m/A
• 1 electron volt, 1 eV = 1.60 · 10−19 J
• Magnetic constant,
8
• Speed of light, c = 3.00 · 10 m/s
µ0
= 1 · 10−7 (T · m)/A
• Universal Gravitational constant, 4π
G = 6.67 · 10−11 (N · m2 )/kg2
• 1 atmospheric pressure,
2
• Acceleration due to gravity, g = 9.81 m/s
1 atm = 1.01 · 105 N/m2 = 1.01 · 105 Pa
• 1 unified atomic mass unit,

1 u = 1.66 · 10−27 kg = 931 MeV/c2 • Wien’s displacement constant, b = 2.9 · 10−3 m · K

• Planck’s constant, • Stefan-Boltzmann constant,

h = 6.63 · 10−34 J · s = 4.41 · 10−15 eV · s σ = 5.67 · 10−8 W/m2 /K4

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Problems
Pr 1. Angry Birds
A quarantined physics student decides to perform an experiment to land a small box of mass m = 60 g onto
the center of a target a distance ∆d away. The student puts the box on a top of a frictionless ramp with height
h2 = 0.5 m that is angled θ = 30◦ to the horizontal on a table that is h1 = 4 m above the floor. If the student
pushes the spring with spring constant k = 6.5 N/m down by ∆x = 0.3 m compared to its rest length and
lands the box exactly on the target, what is ∆d? Answer in meters. You may assume friction is negligible.

∆x

h2 = 0.5 m
θ = 30◦

h1 = 4 m

∆d =?

Solution: By conservation of energy, we have that

r
1 2 1 k 2
kx = mgx sin θ + mv 2 =⇒ v = x − 2gx sin θ.
2 2 m
By kinematic formulae for motion with constant acceleration,
1
−4.5 m = v sin θt − gt2 .
2
Solving for t through the quadratic, t = 1.099 s and the velocity is v = 2.60 m/s. Therefore, the distance,
∆d = v cos θt = 2.47 m .

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 2. The Wheels on the Monster Truck go Round and Round

A wooden bus of mass M = 20, 000 kg (M represents the mass excluding the wheels) is on a ramp with angle
30◦ . Each of the four wheels is composed of a ring of mass M2 and radius R = 1 m and 6 evenly spaced spokes
of mass M6 and length R. All components of the truck have a uniform density. Find the acceleration of the
bus down the ramp assuming that it rolls without slipping.
2
Answer in m/s .

θ = 30◦

Solution: The moment of inertia of each wheel can be thought of as a superposition of the six spokes and
a ring. Therefore, we get:  
M 2 1M 2 5
Iwheel = R +6 R = M R2 .
2 3 6 6
The moment of inertia of four wheels is:
 
5 10
Ibus = 4 M R2 = M R2 .
6 3
The total mass of the bus is  
M M
m=M +4 +6· = 7M.
2 6
Using Newton’s second law down the ramp,

7M a = 7M g sin θ − 4f

if f is the friction at each wheel, and the torque balance on each wheel is:
5
M R2 α = f R.
6
Letting a = αr for the no slip condition, we can solve for f to be:
5
f= M a.
6
so our force balance equation becomes:
10 21 2
7M a = 7M g sin θ − M a =⇒ a = g sin θ = 3.32 m/s
3 31

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 3. District 12
In an old coal factory, a conveyor belt will move at a constant velocity of 20.3 m/s and can deliver a maximum
power of 15 MW. Each wheel in the conveyor belt has a diameter of 2 m. However a changing demand has
pushed the coal factory to fill their coal hoppers with a different material with a certain constant specific
density. These ”coal” hoppers have been modified to deliver a constant 18 m3 s−1 of the new material to the
conveyor belt. Assume that the kinetic and static friction are the same and that there is no slippage. What is
the maximum density of the material?

Solution: The maximal force the convey belt can provide to a particle is:
P
F =
v
The conveyor belt must provide an impulse to the particles to have a momentum of p = mv, where m is the
mass of the particle and v is the velocity.
dp
F =
dt
dp
where dt is:
ρV̇ v
Solving for for the maximum density we get:
P
ρ=
V̇ v 2

kg
ρ = 2022.2
m3

Pr 4. Neutrino Party
Neutrinos are extremely light particles and rarely interact with matter. The Sun emits neutrinos, each with
2
an energy of 8 × 10−14 J and reaches a flux density of 1011 neutrinos/(s cm ) at Earth’s surface.

In the movie 2012, neutrinos have mutated and now are completely absorbed by the Earth’s inner core, heating
3
it up. Model the inner core as a sphere of radius 1200 km, density 12.8 g/cm , and a specific heat of 0.400J/g K.
The time scale, in seconds, that it will take to heat up the inner core by 1◦ C is t = 1 × 10N where N is an
integer. What is the value of N ?

Solution: The cross sectional area is πr2 , so the incoming power generated by the neutrinos is:

P = πr2 EΦ

where E is the energy of each neutrino and Φ is the flux density. We want to cause a change in energy of:
4
∆Q = mc∆T = ρ πr3 c∆T
3
which can be accomplished in a time:

ρ(4πr3 )c∆T 4ρrc∆T

P t = ∆Q =⇒ t = 2
= = 1 × 1014 s
3πr EΦ 3EΦ

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 5. Quarantine Secrets
A ball is situated at the midpoint of the bottom of a rectangular ditch with width 1 m. It is shot at a velocity
v = 5 m/s at an angle of 30◦ relative to the horizontal. How many times does the ball collide with the walls
of the ditch until it hits the bottom of the ditch again? Assume all collisions to be elastic and that the ball
never flies out of the ditch.

Solution: We use the idea of mirroring the walls of the ditch. We can then draw out the normal path of
the projectile and find the number of intersections the projectile makes with the mirror walls. The total
time of the projectile to travel a path is given by
2v0 sin θ
t= .
g
The projectile will cover a horizontal distance
 
1 v 1
N+ a = v cos θt =⇒ N = cos θt − .
2 a 2

Taking the ceiling of this gives:  

R − a/2
N= = 2.
a

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 6. Planetary Proton
Professor Proton has discovered a new planet on one of his planetary expeditions. He wants to measure the
magnetic field of the planet he has found. Professor Proton has brought all the necessary equipment required
to carry out the following experiment. A proton is launched off a large cliff at a non-relativistic speed v and an
angle θ = 30◦ with respect to the horizontal plane at the magnetic equator of a distant planet. The magnetic
field acting perpendicularly on the particle can be assumed to be perfectly horizontal and coming out of the
page, as shown in the diagram. How strong is the magnetic field at the magnetic equator of this planet if the
period of oscillation of vx is 4.94 × 10−4 s? Write your answer in terms of µT (micro-Teslas).

Solution: The separate time-dependent equations for the x and y components of velocity are
−qvx B − mg
v˙y =
m
qvy B
v˙x =
m
Taking the derivative of the second equation:
q v˙y B
v¨x =
m
Plugging,
v¨x m
v˙y =
qB
into
−qvx B − mg
v˙y =
m
qB
we get a differential equation that has a sinusoidal solution. The angular frequency is therefore: ω = m .
Solving for period B we get that
ωm
B=
q
2π
T m
B=
q
B = 132.76 µT

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 7. Angel Coaster
A frictionless track contains a loop of radius R = 0.5 m. Situated on top of the track lies a small ball of mass
m = 2 kg at a height h. It is then dropped and collides with another ball (of negligible size) of mass M = 5 kg.

R
h

Let h be the minimum height that m was dropped such that M would be able to move all the way around the
loop. The coefficient of restitution for this collision is given as e = 12 .

Now consider a different scenario. Assume that the balls can now collide perfectly inelastically, which means
that they stick to each other instantaneously after collision for the rest of the motion. If m was dropped from
m
a height 3R, find the minimum value of M such that the combined mass can fully move all the way around
2
the loop. Let this minimum value be k. Compute α = hk2 . (Note that this question is only asking for α but
you need to find h to find α). Assume the balls are point masses (neglect rotational effects).

Solution: The velocity of m when it gets to the bottom of the track will be given by
p
vb = 2gh.
(1+e)m √
Claim: The velocity of M after collision will be given by vM = m+M 2gh.
Proof: Conservation of momentum before and after the collision is expressed by:

mvb = mvm + M vM

By coefficient of restitution,
vM − vm = evb
These equations may be solved directly to find vm , vM to give

(1 + e)m
vM = vb
m+M

Next, when the objects get to the top of the loop, conservation of energy gives the speed of M when it gets
to the top as
1 2 1
v = vt2 + 2gR.
2 M 2
At the top of the loop, M must at least have an acceleration g to maintain circular motion, and thus

vt2 p
= g =⇒ vt = gR.
R

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Substituting these results into our conservation equation gives us

(1 + e)2 m2 p
( 2gh)2 = gR + 4gR
(m + M )2
2(1 + e)2 m2 gh
= 5gR
(m + M )2
5(m + M )2 R
h=
2(1 + e)2 m2
= 6.805 m

In the second scenario, conservation of momentum before and after the collision gives:
mvb
mvb = (M + m)vf =⇒ vf =
M +m
The same conservation of energy formula as in the first scenario yields

m2 p 2
2gh = 5gR
(M + m)2
2m2 gh
= 5gR
(M + m)2
6m2 gR
= 5gR
(M + m)2
 2
k 5
=
k+1 6
r
k 5
=
k+1 6
√
5
k=√ √
6− 5
= 10.477

Thus,
k2
α= = 2.37 m2
h2

Pr 8. Wannabe Twoset
Eddie is experimenting with his sister’s violin. Allow the “A” string of his sister’s violin have an ultimate
tensile strength σ1 . He tunes a string up to its highest possible frequency f1 before
√ it breaks. He then builds
an exact copy of the violin, where all lengths have been increased by a factor of 2 and tunes the same string
again to its highest possible frequency f2 . What is f2 /f1 ? The density of the string does not change.

Note: The ultimate tensile strength is maximum amount of stress an object can endure without breaking.
Stress is defined as F
A , or force per unit area.

Solution: We note from a simple dimensional analysis that the angular frequency of the string ω will consist

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

of the tension T , the length of the string L and the mass of the string m.

T = [M LT −2 ]
L = [L]
m = [M ]
ω = [T −1 ]

Therefore, by rearranging, we find that

ω = T α Lβ mγ
[T −1 ] = [M LT −2 ]α [L]β [M ]γ

Distributing the exponents, and rearranging gives us

T −1 = M α+γ Lα+β T −2α

We now have three equations

α+γ =0
α+β =0
−2α = −1

From here, we find that α = 1/2. Substituting this into the first equation gives us

1/2 + γ = 0 =⇒ γ = −1/2

then substituting α into the second equation gives us

1/2 + β = 0 =⇒ β = −1/2

We now find that the angular frequency is given by

r
T
ω=A
Lm
where A is an arbritary constant. Noting that ω = 2πf , we find that
r
A T
f= .
2π Lm
√
From this analysis, we can then see that f2 /f1 = 2/2 ≈ 0.707 .

Pr 9. Waterhorse or Flyinghorse
A one horsepower propeller powered by a battery and is used to propel a small boat initially at rest. You have
two options:

1. Put the propeller on top of the boat and push on the air with an initial force F1

2. Put the propeller underwater and push on the water with an initial force F2 .

3 3
The density of water is 997 kg/m while the density of air is 1.23 kg/m . Assume that the force is both
cases is dependent upon only the density of the medium, the surface area of the propeller, and the power
delivered by the battery. What is F2 /F1 ? You may assume (unrealistically) the efficiency of the propeller does
not change. Round to the nearest tenths.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Solution: The force exerted on the fluid is roughly proportional to the change in momentum with respect
to time:
dp dm d
F = =v = v (ρAx) = ρAv 2
dt dt dt
It is kept at a constant power P = F v, which can allow us to solve for the speed v of the propellers.
 1/3
P
P = ρAv 3 =⇒ v =
ρA

so the force is given by:

 2/3
P
F = ρA =⇒ F ∝ ρ1/3
ρA
Therefore:
1/3
F2 /F1 = (997/1.23) = 9.26 times

Pr 10. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

A professional pastry chef is making a sweet which consists of 3 sheets of chocolate. The chef leaves a gap with
width d1 = 0.1 m between the top and middle layers and fills it with a chocolate syrup with uniform viscosity
η1 = 10 Pa · s and a gap with width d2 = 0.2 m between the middle and bottom sheet and fills it with caramel
with uniform viscosity η2 = 15 Pa · s. If the chef pulls the top sheet with a velocity 2 m/s horizontally, at what
speed must he push the bottom sheet horizontally such that the middle sheet remains stationary initially?
Ignore the weight of the pastry sheets throughout the problem and the assume the sheets are equally sized.

Note: Shear stress is governed by the equation τ = η × rate of strain.

Solution: The plates are equal sizes so all we have to do is simply balance the shear stresses which act in
opposing directions on the middle plate:

τ1 = τ2
v1 v2
η1 · = η2 ·
d1 d2
2 v
10 · = 15
0.1 0.2
v = 2.667 m/s .

Pr 11. Loopy Wire

The following diagram depicts a single wire that is bent into the shape below. The circuit is placed in a
magnetic field pointing out of the page, uniformly increasing at the rate dB dt = 2.34 T/s. Calculate the
magnitude of induced electromotive force in the wire, in terms of the following labelled areas ( m2 ). Note that
B is non-inclusive of C and that A = 4.23, B = 2.74, and C = 0.34.

A C
B

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Solution: Without loss of generality, let the current around A flow in the counterclockwise direction and let
the flux through A be positive. Note that the current will flow in the clockwise direction in C and around
B, the area enclosed by the loop is B + C. The flux will be negative here. Therefore, the total flux is then
proportional to:
Φ ∝ A − B − 2C = 0.81
and the magnitude of the induced electromotive force is:
dB
ε = (A − B − 2C) = 1.9 T m2 s−1 .
dt

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

The following information applies to the next two problems. A magnetic field is located within a region
enclosed by an elliptical island with semi-minor axis of a = 100 m and semi-major axis of b = 200 m. A car
carrying charge +Q = 1.5 C drives on the boundary of the island at a constant speed of v = 5 m/s and has mass
m = 2000 kg. Any dimensions of the car can be assumed to be much smaller than the dimensions of the island.
Ignore any contributions to the magnetic field from the moving car and assume that the car has enough traction
to continue driving in its elliptical path.

Let the center of the island be located at the point (0, 0) while the semi major and semi minor axes lie on the
x and y-axes, respectively.

On this island, the magnetic field varies as a function of x and y: B(x, y) = kb ecb xy ẑ (pointing in the upward
direction, perpendicular to the island plane in the positive z-direction). The constant cb = 10−4 m−2 and the
constant kb = 2.1 µT

Pr 12. Journey 2: The Magnetic Island 1

At what point on the island is the force from the magnetic field a maximum? Write the distance of this point
from the x-axis in metres.

Pr 13. Journey 2: The Magnetic Island 2

Assuming no slipping, what is the magnitude of the net force on the car at the point of the maximum magnetic
field? (Answer in Newtons.)

Solution: 2
x2
(12) To find a minimum or maximum, the gradient of the constraint function f (x, y) = b2 + ay2 − 1 and the
gradient of the B field function should be scalar multiples of each other.
2x
µ = cb yexy
b2
2y
µ = cb xexy
a2
Solving the two equations, we get that a maximum point (x, y) is of the form ( √b2 , √a2 ) or (− √b2 , − √a2 ). The
distance from the y-axis is thus √a = 70.7 m .
2

(13) The net force acting on the car must provide ac . We have
r
x2
r(x) = xî + a 1 − 2 ĵ
b
and we simply have to find the radius of curvature of this function. This is given by
3
[1 + (y 0 (x))2 ] 2
R= .
|y 00 (x)|

We can evaluate this to find

(a2 + b2 )3/2
R= √ .
2 2ab
2
The total force acting on the car is m vR = 252.98 N .

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 14. Tuning Outside

Inside a laboratory at room temperature, a steel tuning fork in the shape of a U is struck and begins to
vibrate at f = 426 Hz. The tuning fork is then brought outside where it is 10◦ C hotter and the experiment is
performed again. What is the change in frequency, ∆f of the tuning fork? (A positive value will indicate an
increase in frequency, and a negative value will indicate a decrease.)

Note: The linear thermal coefficient of expansion for steel is α = 1.5 × 10−5 K−1 and you may assume the
expansion is isotropic and linear. When the steel bends, there is a restoring torque τ = −κθ such that κ ≡ GJ
where G = 77 GPa is constant and J depends on the geometry and dimensions of the cross-sectional area.

Solution: Note that κ has units of torque so dimensionally, J must be proportional to L3 . Therefore, we
have: √
βM L2 α ∝ −L3 θ =⇒ f ∝ L
Therefore, we have:
∆f ∆L
=
f 2L
∆L
Since L = α∆T , this gives us:
1
∆f = f α∆T = 0.0320 Hz .
2

Pr 15. Too Much Potential

A large metal conducting sphere with radius 10 m at an initial potential of 0 and an infinite supply of smaller
conducting spheres of radius 1 m and potential 10 V are placed into contact in such a way: the large metal
conducting sphere is contacted with each smaller sphere one at a time. You may also assume the spheres are
touched using a thin conducting wire that places the two spheres sufficiently far away from each other such
that their own spherical charge symmetry is maintained. What is the least number of smaller spheres required
to be touched with the larger sphere such that the potential of the larger sphere reaches 9 V? Assume that the
charges distribute slowly and that the point of contact between the rod and the spheres is not a sharp point.

Solution: Let each sphere with radius 1 m have charge q. Note that each time the large metal conducting
sphere is contacted with each of the smaller spheres, the potential is equalized between the two objects.
The potential on a sphere is proportional to rq , so the large conducting sphere must retain 11
10
of the total
charge after it is contacted with a smaller sphere. Furthermore, to reach 9 V, the required end charge on
the sphere of radius 10 m is at least 9q. Thus, we get a recursion for the charge of the large square Q in
terms of the number of small spheres touched n.
10
Q(n + 1) = (Q(n) + q) ·
11
Inductively applying this recursion, we obtain
 n 
10 10
Q(n) = q + ··· + .
11 11

We can now sum this geometric series:

10 n

!
10 11 − 1
Q(n) = q · 10 .
11 − 1
11

10 n


Thus, using Q(n) ≥ 9q, we find that 11 ≤ 0.1, which provides n ≥ 24.1588, or n = 25 as the answer.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 16. Particle in the Box

During high speed motion in a strong electric field, a charged particle can ionize air molecules it collides with.

A charged particle of mass m = 0.1 kg and charge q = 0.5 µC is located in the center of a cubical box. Each
vertex of the box is fixed in space and has a charge of Q = −4 µC. If the side length of the box is l = 1.5 m
what minimum speed (parallel to an edge) should be given to the particle for it to exit the box (even if it’s
just momentarily)? Let the energy loss from Corona discharge and other radiation effects be E = 0.00250 J.

Solution: Conservation of energy gives:

Ti + Ui = Tf + Uf + E.

Solving for the initial potential energy gives

kqQ 16kqQ
Ui = −8 √ =− √ .
l 3/2 3l

And since the final kinetic energy is zero, the final potential energy is
r !
kqQ kqQ √ 2 kqQ
Uf = −4 √ − 4 q = − 4 2 + 4
l/ 2 l 3 3 l
2

and thus solving for the initial kinetic energy:

!
√
r
1 2 16 kqQ
mv 2 = −4 2 − 4 +√ + E.
2 3 3 l

The final answer is v = 0.354 m/s .

Pr 17. Room of Mirrors 1

Max finds himself trapped in the center of a mirror walled equilateral triangular room. What minimum beam
angle must his flashlight have so that any point of illumination in the room can be traced back to his flashlight
with at most 1 bounce? (Answer in degrees.) Since the room is large, assume the person is a point does not
block light. Visualize the questions in a 2D setup. The floor/ceiling is irrelevant.

The point of illumination refers to any point in the room that is lit.

Solution: Each time light hits a mirror, we can reflect the entire equilateral triangle about that mirror and
continue to trace the straight-line path of the light. For a maximum of 1 bounce, we can reflect our triangle
about each of its initial sides. In order for the light to hit every part of the triangle (or an image of that
part), by symmetry we require a 120◦ angle. In this case, we would just shine the flashlight so that light
directly reaches the entirety of one side, and reflections of light will fully reach the other two sides of the
triangle.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 18. Secret Society

For his art project, Weishaupt cut out N = 20 wooden equilateral triangular blocks with a side length of
` = 10 cm and a thickness of t = 2 cm, each with the same mass and uniform density. He wishes to stack one
on top of the other overhanging the edge of his table. In centimeters, what is the maximum overhang? Round
to the nearest centimeter. A side view is shown below. Assume that all triangles are parallel to each other.

Note: This diagram is not to scale.

t = 2 cm

`overhang =?

Solution: Let us consider N = 1 equilateral triangles. From inspection, we need to place the triangle such
that the
√
center of mass lies at the edge of the table. The maximum overhang in this case is (1 − f )h where
h = ` 2 3 is the height of the triangle and f h = h3 is the location of the center of mass.
If we wish to place a second triangle on top, we want to maximize the center of mass to be as far right as
possible without the top block toppling. Placing the second block such that its center of mass is at the tip
of the first triangle accomplishes this. However, the center of mass of the two triangles combined is now
past the edge. Their center of mass is:
fh + h f +1
xcm = = h
2 2
Thus the maximum overhang of the first block is now:
f +1 1−f
h− h= h
2 2
Now, we will place a third block such that it has the maximum overhang with respect to the top block and
then shift the entire setup so that the center of mass of the system lies at the edge of the table. Following
the same procedures, we find that the maximum overhang of the first block is:
1−f
h
3
The overhang of the top two blocks are (1 − f )h and 1−f
2 h, unchanged from earlier. You can show via
induction that the maximum overhang of the nth block (counting from the top downwards) is:
1−f
h
n
so if there are 20 such blocks, then the total overhang (summing over all the blocks) is:
20 √ √
X 1−f 2` 3 ` 3
h = (1 − f )hH20 = H20 = H20 = 20.77 cm ≈ 21 cm
k 3 2 3
k=0

where HN is the N th harmonic number.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

The following information applies to the following three problems. Kushal finds himself trapped in a
large room with mirrors as walls. Being scared of the dark, he has a powerful flashlight to light the room. All
references to “percent” refer to area. Since the room is large, assume the person is a point does not block light.
Visualize the questions in a 2D setup. The floor/ceiling is irrelevant. The point of illumination refers to any point
in the room that is lit.

Pr 19. Focus On That Not This! 1

What percent of a large circular room can be lit up using a flashlight with a 20 degree beam angle if Kushal
stands in the center?

Pr 20. Focus On That Not This! 2

Kushal stands at a focus of an elliptical room with eccentricity 0.5 and semi major axis = 20 m. He points the
flashlight along the semi-major axis away from the other focus. Find the ideal position where the torch can be
placed to catch fire easily by the beam from the flashlight. What is the distance from this point to Kushal?
Note that the torch cannot be at the same location as the flashlight. (Answer in metres.)

Pr 21. Focus On That Not This! 3

Now Kushal stands at a focus of the same elliptical room as in Problem 22. Determine the minimum percent
of the elliptical room that can be lit up with a flashlight of beam angle 1 degree.

Solution:
(19) Each ray emitted follows a straight line, even when it is reflected since it originates from the center of
a circle. Thus, the light rays in total trace out two circular sectors with an angle of θ = 20◦ each. Thus, the
total percent of the room illuminated is:
2θ
f= = 11.1% .
360
(20) By the property of an ellipse, any light that is emitted from one focus and bounces off the sides will
arrive at the other focus. The distance between the two foci is:

2ae = 20 m

1 cθ c2 θ


(21) Let c be the distance between the foci and the center. The overlap area is: 2 (2c) 6 = 6 . PIE
then gives:
c2 θ
 
1 θ θ
A = (a + c)2 + −
2 3 9 6
Letting c = ae gives:
a2 e2 θ e2
 
2 2 2
A= a (1 + e)2 θ − = a2 θ (1 + e)2 −
9 6 9 6
√
the area of the ellipse is πa2 1 − e2 so the fraction is:
 
e2
θ 29 (1 + e)2 − 6
f= √ ≈ 0.294%
π 1 − e2

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 22. Two Star Crossed Lovers...

Two identical neutron stars with mass m = 4 × 1030 kg and radius 15 km are orbiting each other a distance
d = 700 km away from each other (d refers to the initial distance between the cores of the neutron stars).
Assume that they orbit as predicted by classical mechanics, except that they generate gravitational waves.
The power dissipated through these waves is given by:

32G4  m 5
P =
5 dc
How long does it take for the two stars to collide? Answer in seconds. Note: d is the distance between the
cores of the stars.

Solution: Due to Virial theorem, we have:

1
K=− U
2
so the total energy is:
1 Gm2
E=U− U =−
2 2R
We know that the power dissipated gives the change in energy, or:

32G4  m 5 d Gm2
P = =
5 Rc dt 2R
or: Z t Z 2r
32G4  m 5 Gm2 64G3 m3
dt = − dR =⇒ dt = −R3 dR
5 Rc 2R2 0 5 c 5
d
Solving this leads us to:
64G3 m3 d4 − r4 5c5 (d4 − 16r4 )
5
t= =⇒ t =
5c 4 256G3 m3
Plugging in the numbers gives:
t = 590 sec
Note that we can also assume that d  (2r)4 which will simplify calculations, and not introduce any
4

noticeable error.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 23. Too Bored

The graph provided plots the y-component of the velocity against the x-component of the velocity of a kiddie
roller coaster at an amusement park for a certain duration of time. The ride takes place entirely in a two
dimensional plane.

Some students made a remark that at one time, the acceleration was perpendicular to the velocity. Using this
graph, what is the minimum x-velocity the ride could be travelling at for this to be true? Round to the nearest
integer and answer in meters per second. The diagram is drawn to scale, and you may print this page out and
make measurements.

vy (m/s)

1 2 3 vx (m/s)

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Solution: The solution revolves around the idea that when the acceleration is perpendicular to the
velocity, the work done is 0, and thus, the instantaneous rate of change of the magnitude of velocity
vx2 + vy2 is 0. Thus, at such points, when the vertical velocity is plotted against the horizontal veloc-
ity, the curve will be tangent to a circle centered at the origin because vy2 + vx2 is nonchanging at that instant.

This is equivalent to stating that the line from the origin to the curve is perpendicular to the curve. Drawing
such lines to the curve, the first time this occurs is at vx = 1 m/s .

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

The following information applies to the next two problems: In the cosmic galaxy, the Sun is a main-
sequence star, generating its energy mainly by nuclear fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium. In its core, the Sun
fuses hydrogen to produce deuterium (2H) and tritium (3H), then makes about 600 million metric tons of helium
(4He) per second. Of course, there are also some relatively smaller portions of fission reactions in the Sun’s core,
e.g. a nuclear fission reaction with Uranium-235 (235U). The Fusion reaction:
2
H + 3 H → 4 He + n + Released Energy

The Fission reaction:

235
U + n + (Initial Energy) → 144 Ba + 90 Kr + 2n + Released Energy

Isotope Mass (at rest)

Isotope Names Mass (at rest) (u)

Deuterium (2 H) 2.0141
Tritium (3 H) 3.0160
Helium (4 He) 4.0026
Neutron (n) 1.0087
Uranium-235 (235 U) 235.1180
Barium-144 (144 Ba) 143.8812
Krypton-90 (90 Kr) 89.9471

Pr 24. You are my Sunshine 1

Calculate the kinetic energy (in MeV) released by the products in one fusion reaction.

Pr 25. You are my Sunshine 2

Calculate the energy produced in the core of the Sun per second from helium fusion. Answer in Joules.

Solution:
(24) Let the kinetic energy released be

KEreleased = −∆mc2

Let the mass of helium be mh , deuterium be md , tritium mt , and mass of neutron mn Therefore.

−∆m = md + mt − mh − mn = 3.0160 + 2.0141 − 4.0026 − 1.0087 = 0.0188 u

which gives  
MeV
KEreleased = (0.0188 u) · 931.494 = 17.51 MeV
u
(25) We perform the following conversions:

600 · 106 tons He = 6 · 1014 g He

6 · 1014 g He
g He
= 1.499 · 1014 mol He
4.0026 mol He

6.02 · 1023 molecules He 17.51 MeV 1.6 · 10−13 J

1.499 · 1014 mol He · · · = 2.528 · 1026 J
1 mol He 1 molecule He 1 MeV

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 26. Be Reflected It Must

While exploring outer space, Darth Vader comes upon a purely reflective spherical planet with radius Rp =
40, 000 m and mass Mp = 8.128 × 1024 kg. Around the planet is a strange moon of orbital radius Rs =
6, 400, 000 m (Rs  Rp ) and mass Ms = 9.346 × 1019 kg(Ms  Mp ). The moon can be modelled as a
blackbody and absorbs light perfectly. Darth Vader is in the same plane that the planet orbits in. Startled,
Darth Vader shoots a laser with constant intensity and power P0 = 2 × 1032 W at the reflective planet and hits
R
the planet a distance of 2p away from the line from him to the center of the planet. Upon hitting the reflective
planet, the light from the laser is plane polarized. The angle of the planet’s polarizer is always the same as the
angle of reflection. After reflectance, the laser lands a direct hit on the insulator planet. Darth Vader locks the
laser in on the planet until it moves right in front of him, when he turns the laser off. Determine the energy
absorbed by the satellite. Assume the reflective planet remains stationary and that the reflective planet is a
perfect polarizer of light.

Rp /2

Solution: The original angle of reflectance can be found with some optical geometry to be θ0 = sin−1 12 =


π
6 . By Malus’ Law, when the laser hits the planet with an angle θ, the final power after reflection is
P0 cos2 (θ). Also, note that the satellite has to be at an angle 2θ due to the law of reflection. Therefore, by
Kepler’s Third law, the time for the satellite to reach θ = 0 is
s s
r3 r3
t = 2θ =⇒ dt = 2 dθ.
GMp GMp

Thus, the total power absorbed by the satellite is

Z θ0 s Z θ0 s
r 3 r3
P0 cos2 (θ)dt = 2P0 cos2 (θ)dθ = P0 (θ0 + sin(θ0 ) cos(θ0 )) = 1.33 · 1035 J .
0 GMp 0 GMp

Pr 27. Braking Up
A particle of rest mass m moving at a speed v = 0.7c decomposes into two photons which fly off at a separated
angle θ. What is the minimum value of the angle of separation assuming that the two photons have equal
wavelength. (Answer in degrees)

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Solution: Conservation of momentum and energy gives:

pm = 2Eγ cos(θ/2)

Em = 2Eγ
Relativity demands that:
2
Em = m2 + p2m
Solving this system of three equations gives:

4Eγ2 = m2 + p2m
γ 2 m2 v 2
= m2 + γ 2 m2 v 2
cos2 (θ/2)
 
1
γ 2 v 2 −1 + =1
cos2 (θ/2)
1 1
= 2 2 +1
cos2 (θ/2) γ v
cos(θ/2) = v
θ = 91.1◦

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 28. With Great Power

Mario is racing with Wario on Moo Moo Meadows when a goomba, ready to avenge all of his friends’ deaths,
came and hijacked Mario’s kart. A graph representing the motion of Mario at any instant is shown below. The
velocity acquired by Mario is shown on the x-axis, and the net power of his movement is shown on the y-axis.
When Mario’s velocity is 6 m/s, he eats a mushroom which gives him a super boost.

P (100 W )

v(m/s)

3 6 9

You may need to make measurements. Feel free to print this picture out as the diagram is drawn to scale.
Find the total distance from Mario runs from when his velocity is 0 m/s to when his velocity just reaches
9 m/s given that Mario’s mass is m = 89 kg. Answer in meters and round to one significant digit.

Solution: Our first goal is to find an expression for the power curve P (v). To do this, let us select a few
points on the curve. The easiest point to pick is (0, 0) since it is fixed at the origin. The next two easiest
points to pick are those that are on the lines x = 3 and x = 6 which are given as approximately (3, 1.8)
and (6, 7.2). Note that y-axis is in units of 100 W so in reality these two points are given as (3, 180) and
(6, 720). This curve is resemblant of a quadratic in the form of y = k1 x2 and upon solving for k1 we find
that the curve is given as P = 20v 2 . Secondly, the next line remains constant with respect to time as a line
P = 900. Therefore, we can write a piecewise function for power defined by
(
20v 2 if v ≥ 0, and v < 6
P (v) = .
900 if v ≥ 6

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

We need to find the relationship between power, velocity, and displacement of Mario. Consider dividing the
displacement into tiny rectangular pieces with width ∆t such that
X X
s= ∆si = vi (t) · ∆t.
i∈N i

We want to the displacement to be expressed in terms without ∆t. This means that we have to find a
relationship for ∆t. Note that
∆t 1 ∆v
∆t = ∆v · = ∆v · = .
∆v ∆v/∆t a
Therefore, we now know the displacement to be expressed as
Z
X ∆v v
s= vi (t) = dv.
i→0
a a(v)

To find an expression for a(v) in terms of power, we note that

P (v)
P (v) = F (v) · v =⇒ a(v) =
vm
which means that upon substituting,
Z 2 Z 6 Z 9
v m 89v 2 89v 2
s= dv =⇒ s = 2
dv + dv = 43.61 ≈ 40 m .
P (v) 0 20v 6 900

Pr 29. I’m a little teacup

At an amusement park, there is a ride with three “teacups” that are circular with identical dimensions. Three
friends, Ethan, Rishab, and Kushal, all pick a teacup and sit at the edge. Each teacup rotates about its own
axis clockwise at an angular speed ω = 1 rad/s and can also move linearly at the same time.

The teacup Ethan is sitting on (as always) is malfunctional and can only rotate about its own axis. Rishab’s
teacup is moving linearly at a constant velocity 2 m/s [N] and Kushal’s teacup is also moving linearly at a
◦
constant velocity of 4 m/s [N 60 E]. All three teacups are rotating as described above. Interestingly, they
observe that at some point, all three of them are moving at the same velocity. What is the radius of each
teacup?

Note: [N 60◦ E] means 60◦ clockwise from north e.g. 60◦ east of north.

Solution: We can plot the motion on a √ vy − vz graph instead of carrying out calculations. We have three
points at locations (0, 0), (0, 2), and (2 3, 2) which represent the velocity of the center of mass of the
teacups. The velocity that they are moving at can be traced as a circle with radius rω, centered at these
points.
The problem now becomes, at what value r will the three circles intersect. Drawing a diagram, or carrying
out trigonometric calculations gives r = 2 m .

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 30. Tetrahedron Resistance

An engineer has access to a tetrahedron building block with side length ` = 10 cm. The body is made of a
thermal insulator but the edges are wrapped with a thin copper wiring with cross sectional area S = 2 cm2 .
The thermal conductivity of copper is 385.0 W/(m K). He stacks these tetrahedrons (all facing the same
direction) to form a large lattice such that the copper wires are all in contact. In the diagram, only the front
row of a small section is coloured. Assume that the lattice formed is infinitely large.

At some location in the tetrahedral building block, the temperature difference between two adjacent points is
1◦ C. What is the heat flow across these two points? Answer in Watts.

Note: Two adjacent points refer to two adjacent points on the tetrahedron.

Solution: There are many ways to solve this problem. We first identify that this is exactly the same as an
infinite lattice resistor problem. To solve these, we can imagine injecting a current at a node and seeing how
this current spreads out. However, a faster approach is by applying Foster’s Theorem on this lattice.
The resistance of a single wire is:
`
R= = 1.299 W/K
kS
Foster’s theorem tells us that
ER = V − 1

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

where V is number of vertices and E is edges. Taking the limit as E, V → ∞, we get: E = 6V (since each
vertex is connected to 12 edges, but each edge is shared by two vertices). Therefore:
1
Reff = R = 0.2165 W/K
6
From Fourier’s Law, we have:
∆T
Q̇ = = 4.62 W .
Reff

Pr 31. AIME
Three unit circles, each with radius 1 meter, lie in the same plane such that the center of each circle is one
intersection point between the two other circles, as shown below. Mass is uniformly distributed among all
area enclosed by at least one circle. The mass of the region enclosed by the triangle shown above is 1 kg. Let
x be the moment of inertia of the area enclosed by all three circles (intersection, not union) about the axis
√
perpendicular to the page and through the center of mass of the triangle. Then, x can be expressed as aπ−b√ c
d e
kg m2 , where a, b, c, d, e are integers such that gcd(a, b, d) = 1 and both c and e are squarefree. Compute
a + b + c + d + e.

Solution: Define point O as the point in the plane that the axis of rotation passes through. Since moments
of inertia simply add about a given axis, we can calculate the moments of inertia of the three ”sectors”
whose union forms the given area and subtract twice the moment of inertia of the triangle, so our answer
will be 3Is,O − 2It,O .
Claim: The center of mass of a sector is π2 away from the vertex of the sector along its axis of symmetry.
Proof: We can divide the sector into arbitrarily small sectors that can be approximated as isosceles triangles.
It’s well known that the center of mass of one such isosceles triangle is 23 of the way from the central vertex
to the base. Therefore, the center of mass of the sector is the center of mass of the arc with central angle π3
and same center with radius 32 contained within the sector. Since the center of mass has to lie on the axis
of symmetry, we set that as the x axis with the vertex of the sector being x = 0. Then, the x-coordinate of
a point on the arc whose corresponding radius makes an angle of θ with the axis of symmetry is 23 cos(θ).
We can integrate this over all possible angles (− π6 ≤ θ ≤ π6 ) and then divide by the range ( π3 ) to get the
average x-coordinate, or the center of mass.
R π6 2
−π 3
cos(θ)dθ
6
π
3
Z π
2 6
cos(θ)dθ
π −π
6

2  π  π 
sin − sin −
π 6 6

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

2
π
This concludes the proof. 
Now define point X as the vertex of a sector and point M as the center of mass of that sector. According
to the parallel axis theorem,
 2
2
Is,X = Is,M + ms
π
ms
. It’s well known that Is,X = 21 ms r2 = 2 , and so

π2 − 8
 
ms 4ms
Is,M = − 2 = ms
2 π 2π 2

It’s also well known that O is on the line of symmetry and a distance of √13 away from X, and so M X =
2 √1
π − 3 . Therefore,
 2 √ !
2 1 5π − 8 3
Is,O = Is,M + ms −√ = ms
π 3 6π
It’s well known that, since O is the center of mass of the triangle,
1
It,O =
12
Now we just need to calculate ms . Since the mass of the triangle is 1 kg, this is equivalent to finding the
ratio of the area of a sector to the area of a triangle. Through geometry, this is found to be 32π
√ . Finally,
3
we get our answer to be
  √ ! √ !
2π 5π − 8 3 1 10π − 17 3
√ − = √
3 6π 6 6 3

and a + b + c + d + e = 10 + 17 + 3 + 6 + 3 = 039

Pr 32. Global Warming

Life on Earth would not exist as we know it without the atmosphere. There are many reasons for this, but one
of which is temperature. Let’s explore how the atmosphere affects the temperature on Earth. Assume that all
thermal energy striking the earth uniformly and ideally distributes itself across the Earth’s surface.

• Assume that the Earth is a perfect black body with no atmospheric effects. Let the equilibrium temper-
6
ature of Earth be T0 . (The sun outputs around 3.846 × 102 W, and is 1.496 × 108 km away.)
• Now assume the Earth’s atmosphere is isothermal. The short wavelengths from the sun are nearly
unaffected and pass straight through the atmosphere. However, they mostly convert into heat when they
strike the ground. This generates longer wavelengths that do interact with the atmosphere. Assume that
the albedo of the ground is 0.3 and e, the emissivity and absorptivity of the atmosphere, is 0.8. Let the
equilibrium average temperature of the planet now be T1 .

What is the percentage increase from T0 to T1 ?

Note: The emissivity is the degree to which an object can emit longer wavelengths (infrared) and the absorp-
tivity is the degree to which an object can absorb energy. Specifically, the emissivity is the ratio between the
energy emitted by an object and the energy emitted by a perfect black body at the same temperature. On the
other hand, the absorptivity is the ratio of the amount of energy absorbed to the amount of incident energy.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Solution: Let us solve this problem in the case of the Earth being a graybody first and then substitute
values for when it is a blackbody. The portion of energy that reaches the Earth is given by the ratio between
the cross-sectional area of the satellite and the area of an imaginary sphere centered around the sun with a
radius of L. Thus, the incoming radiation is multiplied by a factor of γ = (R/2L)2 . The energy from the
sun that the surface absorbs is γ(1 − α)E, where E is the energy output of the sun. Here γ = 1/4 as the
sphere encompassing will be 4 times the area of its intercept.
We can now write two systems of equations at the atmosphere and the ground of the Earth. At the top of
the atmosphere, we require equilibrium meaning that zero net radiation leaves the atmosphere or:
1
− S0 (1 − α) + εσTa4 + (1 − ε)σTs4 = 0.
4
Similarly, at the ground, we write another equilibrium equation of:
1
S0 (1 − α) + εσTa4 − σTs4 = 0.
4
Thus, solving the ground equilibrium equation yields us Ta = 2−1/4 Ts and plugging back into the atmosphere
equilibrium equation tells us:
1  ε 4
S0 (1 − α) = 1 − σTs =⇒ Ts = 289.601 K .
4 2

Pr 33. Flattening the Curve

Two infinitely long current carrying wires carry constant current i1 = 2 A and i2 = 3 A as shown in the
diagram. The equations of the wire curvatures are y 2 − 8x − 6y + 25 = 0 and x = 0. Find the magnitude of
force (in Newtons) acting on one of the wires due to the other.

10

y 2 − 8x − 6y + 25 = 0
8

4
i2 = 3 A
2

−4 −2 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
i1 = 2 A
−2

−4

−6 x = 0

Note: The current-carrying wires are rigidly fixed. The units for distances on the graph should be taken in
metres.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

µ0 i1
Solution: The magnetic field from the wire is given by B = 2πx . Let θ be the direction of a component of
force from the vertical. It is then seen that

dF = Bi2 d` =⇒ dFx = Bi2 d` sin θ = Bi2 dy.

We only consider the force in the x-direction which means that

Z ∞
µ0 i1 i2 ∞ dy
Z
Fx = dFx = .
∞ 2π −∞ x

Solving the equation in terms of x and then plugging in gives us

8µ0 i1 i2 ∞
Z
dy 8µ0 i1 i2 π
Fx = 2
= · = µ0 i1 i2 = 7.5398 · 10−6 N .
2π −∞ y − 6y + 25 2π 4

Pr 34. Hiking in Mountains

Mountains have two sides: windward and leeward. The windward side faces the wind and typically receives
warm, moist air, often from an ocean. As wind hits a mountain, it is forced upward and begins to move
towards the leeward side. During social distancing, Rishab decides to cross a mountain from the windward
side to the leeward side of the mountain. What he finds is that the air around him has warmed when he is on
the leeward side of the mountain.

Let us investigate this effect. Consider the warm, moist air mass colliding with the mountain and moving
upwards on the mountain. Disregard heat exchange with the air mass and the mountain. Let the humidity of
the air on the windward side correspond to a partial vapor pressure 0.5 kPa at 100.2 kPa and have a molar mass
of µa = 28 g/mole. The air predominantly consists of diatomic molecules of oxygen and nitrogen. Assume
the mountain to be very high which means that at the very top of the mountain, all of the moisture in the
air condenses and falls as precipitation. Let the precipitation have a heat of vaporization L = 2.4 · 106 J/kg
and molar mass µp = 18.01 g/mole. Calculate the total change in temperature from the windward side to the
leeward side in degrees Celsius.

Solution: We use the first law of thermodynamics to solve this problem. For diatomic molecules, the
internal energy per mole is given by 52 RT . If the molar mass of the air is µa , then we have that the change
in internal energy of the air is given by
5M
∆U = R∆T.
2 µa
We also note that the total work performed by the gas is
W = P2 V2 − P1 V1
since the process is adiabatic, we can use the ideal gas equation P V = νRT = (M/µ)RT to express the
total work as
M
W = R∆T.
µa
The heat that is taken away during condensation at the top of the mountain is given by Q = L∆m where
∆m is the total mass of the precipitation. According to the ideal gas law, we have that
∆m M
P V1 = RT1 , P1 V1 = RT1
µp µa
recombining these equations and equating them gives us
∆m M
RT1 = RT1
µp P µa P1
µp P
∆m = M .
µa P1

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Therefore,
µa P
Q = LM .
µp P1
We finally can now use the first law of thermodynamics
µp P 5M M
Q = ∆U + W =⇒ LM = R∆T + R∆T.
µa P1 2 µa µa
We then simplify this equation to get
µp P 7M
LM = R∆T
µa P1 2 µa
2 Lµp P
∆T = = 7.41 K
7 RP1
A simpler approach could be to assume that the number of moles of water vapour in the atmosphere is
equal to number of moles of water condensed. Then, the mass of precipitated water is µp n PP1 , where n is
the number of moles of air. Thus,
P 7
µp n L = nR∆T.
P1 2

Pr 35. Me and my Crush

Two electrons are in a uniform electric field E = E0 ẑ where E0 = 10−11 N/C. One electron is at the origin,
and another is 10 m above the first electron. The electron at the origin is moving at u = 10 m/s at an angle
of 30◦ from the line connecting the electrons at t = 0, while the other electron is at rest at t = 0. Find the
minimum distance between the electrons. You may neglect relativistic effects.

Solution: Let ` = 10 m. First, switch into the reference frame accelerating at − Eq m ẑ. In this frame, the
electrons are not affected by the electric field. Now, switch into the center of mass reference frame from here.
In this frame, we have both conservation of angular momentum and conservation of energy. Both electrons
in this frame are moving at u2 initially at an angle of θ = 30◦ . At the smallest distance, both electrons will
be moving perpendicular to the line connecting them. Suppose that they both move with speed v and are
a distance r from the center of mass. By conservation of angular momentum,
u `
2m · · sin θ = 2mvr
2 2
u`
vr = sin θ.
4

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Now, by conservation of energy,

ke2 1 ke2
mv 2 + = mu2 + .
2r 4 `
ul
Now, we just solve this system of equations to determine the value of r. Substituting v = 4r sin θ into the
conservation of energy equation, we can solve the ensuing quadratic to find:
q
ke2 ke2 2 2
mu2 `2 2
+ mu2 + 4ke



2 + 2 ` 16 sin (θ)
r= 1 2ke2
.
2
2 mu + `

Finally, remembering that the distance between the electrons is actually 2r, we obtain 2r = 6.84 m as the
final answer.

Pr 36. Can’t or can

Consider a long uniform conducting cylinder. First, we divide the cylinder into thirds and remove the middle
third. Then, we perform the same steps on the remaining two cylinders. Again, we perform the same steps on
the remaining four cylinders and continuing until there are 2048 cylinders.

We then connect the terminals of the cylinder to a battery and measure the effective capacitance to be C1 . If
we continue to remove cylinders, the capacitance will reach an asymptotic value of C0 . What is C1 /C0 ?

You may assume each cylindrical disk to be wide enough to be considered as an infinite plate, such that the
radius R of the cylinders is much larger than the d between any successive cylinders.

Note: The diagram is not to scale.

Solution: The capacitance is proportional to C ∝ d1 , where d is the distance between successive parallel
plates. When we add capacitor plates in series, their effective capacitance will be:
 −1
1 1 1 1
C∝ + + ··· = =⇒ C ∝
1/d1 1/d2 d1 + d2 + · · · dtotal

Therefore, this essentially becomes a math problem: What is the total length of the spacing in between?
Between successive ‘cuts’, the length of each cylinder is cut down by 1/3, but the number of gaps double.
Therefore, the spacing grows by a factor of 2/3 each time. For n = 21 , the spacing starts off as 1/3. For
n = 210 , the spacing becomes:

1 1 − (2/3)10
 
1
∝d= L = 0.983L
Ceff 3 1 − 2/3

for n → ∞, it is clear the total spacing will converge to L. Therefore:

C1 /C0 = 1.017

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Pr 37. Mom Trust the Physics!

A square based pyramid (that is symmetrical) is standing on top of a cube with side length ` = 10 cm such
that their square faces perfectly line up. The cube is initially standing still on flat ground and both objects
have the same uniform density. The coefficient of friction between every surface is the same value of µ = 0.3.
The cube is then given an initial speed v in some direction parallel to the floor. What is the maximum possible
value of v such that the base of the pyramid will always remain parallel to the top of the cube? Answer in
meters per second.

` = 10 cm

Solution: Let x be the relative displacement of the two objects. Then:

vi2 = 2ax
where the relative acceleration is:
2h
gµ
a=
3`
work The acceleration of pyramid is gµ and the acceleration of cube is:
`2 h `2 h
 
3` + 2h
ρ`3 a = ρ `3 + gµ + ρ gµ =⇒ a = gµ
3 3 3`
Therefore, the relative acceleration is:
6` + 2h
a= gµ
3`
We want to direct the motion of the cube diagonally (such that horizontal sides of
√
the cube form a 45 degree
2
angle with the displacement). Initially, we may think that we need to let x = 2 ` but it can start tipping
before that. Moving into a non-inertial reference frame for the pyramid, we see that the effective gravity
needs to point towards the back corner of the cube, so it needs to satisfy the criteria
√
hcm mg 2 1
√ = =⇒ x = `−µ h
2
`−x mgµ 2 4
2

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Here I used the fact that the center of mass was 1/4 of the way up. Substituting, we get:

 √  √
v ! v !
u  u 
u 6` + 2h 2 µ u 2h 2 µ
v= 2 t gµ l − h = 2gµ 2 +
t `− h
3` 2 4 3` 2 4

The maximum v occurs at √

2 2
−3 + µ
h/` =
2
giving a maximum v of vmax = 1.07 m/s .

Pr 38. FBI Open Up!

During quarantine, the FBI has been monitoring a young physicists suspicious activities. After compiling
weeks worth of evidence, the FBI finally has had enough and searches his room.

The room’s door is opened with a high angular velocity about its hinge. Over a very short period of time,
its angular velocity increases to ω = 8.56 rad/s due to the force applied at the end opposite from the hinge.
For simplicity, treat the door as a uniform thin rod of length L = 1.00 m and mass M = 9.50 kg. The hinge
(pivot) is located at one end of the rod. Ignore gravity. At what distance from the hinge of the door is the
door most likely to break? Assume that the door will break at where the bending moment is largest. (Answer
in metres.)

F
x

Solution: Let N be the force from the pivot and F be the applied force at the end. Let α be the angular
acceleration. Writing the torque equation and Newton’s 2nd law for the whole door, we get:
1
F ·L= M L2 α
3
1
N +F = M Lα
2
Solving, we get F = 31 M Lα and N = 61 M Lα. Now, we consider the part of the door with length x attached
to the pivot. The rest of the door applies a torque τ and shear force f on our system. (There is also tension
force). Let λ = ML . We can write the torque equation and Newton’s 2nd law for our system:

1 3
τ + fx = λx α
3
x
N + f = λx · α
2
Solving, we get
1
τ= λxα(L2 − x2 )
6
and
1
f= λα(3x2 − L2 )
6
L
We maximize τ (which is equivalent to maximizing bending moment) to get x = √
3
= 0.577 m

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 39. Pappu’s Half Disk

A solid half-disc of mass m = 1 kg in the shape of a semi-circle of radius R = 1 m is kept at rest on a smooth
horizontal table. QiLin starts applying a constant force of magnitude F = 10 N at point A as shown, parallel
to its straight edge. What is the initial linear acceleration of point B? (Answer in m/s2 )

R
F A O B

Note: the diagram above is a top down view.

Solution: Let C denote the location of the centre of mass of the disc. It is well known that OC = 4R 3π .
Note that the initial angular velocity of the disc about its centre of mass is 0, and the linear acceleration is
simply
F
aCM = î
m
Now we use the τ = ~r × F~ = ICM αCM about the centre of mass of the disc
 
4R
F = ICM αCM
3π

To compute the moment of inertia of the disc about its centre of mass, we use Steiner’s theorem:
2
M R2

4R
ICM = −M
2 3π

so the τ = Iα equation becomes

" 2 # 4F R
M R2
  
4R 4R 3π
F = −M αCM ⇒ αCM = 1 16


3π 2 3π M R2 2 − 9π 2

Using kinematics equation for rotational motion, we have

~
~ CM × CB
~aB = ~aCM + α
4F R
~ = Rî −
Substituting the values of CB 4R 3π
3π ĵ and αCM
~ = M R2 ( 12 − 9π
16
2)
k̂ we get
" ! #
F 1 2
aB = 1+ î + 1 16

ĵ = 15.9395 m/s2
m 9π 2 3π 2 +
−1 + 32 9π 2

and we are done. 

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 40. Don’t Fall

A regular tetrahedron of mass m = 1 g and unknown side length is balancing on top of a hemisphere of mass
M = 100 kg and radius R = 100 m. The hemisphere is placed on a flat surface such that it is at its lowest
potential. For a certain value of the length of the regular tetrahedron, the oscillations become unstable. What
is this side length of the tetrahedron?

Solution: For stable equilibrium the height resultant from a slight displacement must be greater than the
original height of the center of mass of the cube. A small displacement from the original position can be
modeled as an x displacement of
Rdθ,
which raises the height by
Rdθ sin(dθ)
added to the height
s cos(dθ)
This must be greater than s, where s is the distance from the center of mass to the point of contact to the
sphere. Approximating to the second degree of θ using Taylor series, we solve the inequality and get that
s = R. The altitude of the tetrahedron is therefore 4s = 400
√
l2 − (l 3/3)2 = 4002
p
Therefore, l = 4002 · 3/2 = 490 m

Pr 41. Heartbreak
3
A planet has a radius of 10 km and a uniform density of 5 g/cm . A powerful bomb detonates at the center
of the planet, releasing 8.93 × 1017 J of energy, causing the planet to separate into three large sections each
with equal masses. You may model each section as a perfect sphere of radius r0 . The initial and final distances
between the centers of any two given sections is 2r0 . How long does it take for the three sections to collide
again?

Solution: Due to conservation of momentum, the three masses must form an equilateral triangle at all
times. Let us determine the force as a function of r, the distance between each mass and the center.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

The vector sum of the net force on any individual mass is

√
Gm2 √ 3Gm2
F = 2 − 2 cos 120◦ =
d2 d2
where d is the distance between the mass and the center.

d2 = 3r2

The net force is thus

Gm2
F =√
3r2
√
The system behaves as if there was a stationary mass m0 = m/ 3 at the center, simplifying the problem
greatly into a restricted two body system. Next, we need to figure out the height of the apoapsis. This can
be done via conservation of energy.

Gm2 Gm2
Ebinding,initial +E = 3Ebinding,final − √ =⇒ ` = − √  2
  = 101, 000 m
3` 3 − 3GM 17 − −3 3Gm2
5R + 8.93 · 10 5rf

If you have a stationary mass M at the center. The time it takes for an object to fall into it is:
r
`3
T =π
8GM
√
our time will be double this, and the mass in the center will be M = m/ 3. So plugging in numbers gives:
v
u l3
t = 2π t   = 138, 000
u
8G √m3

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If we take into account a nonzero radius so final separation is 10/ cos(30◦ ) km, then the answer should be:
 
Z 10000 v
cos( ) u
π
u xl
−2 6
 dx = 136, 000 s
  
t
m
l 2G √3 (l − x)

Note if you set the upper bound to zero, you get the same answer as before. Both these answers will be
accepted.

Pr 42. Sandwiched!
A point charge +q is placed a distance a away from an infinitely large conducting plate. The force of the
electrostatic interaction is F0 . Then, an identical conducting plate is placed a distance 3a from the charge,
parallel to the first one such that the charge is “sandwiched in.” The new electrostatic force the particle feels
is F 0 . What is F 0 /F0 ? Round to the nearest hundredths.

Solution: We solve this via the method of image charges. Let us first reflect the charge +q across the
closest wall. The force of this interaction will be:
q2 1
F0 =
4π0 a2 22
and this will be the only image charge we need to place if there were only one conducting plane. Since there
is another conducting plane, another charge will be reflected to a distance a + 4a past the other conducting
plane, and thus will be a + 4a + 3a = 8a away from the original charge. All these reflections cause a force
that points in the same direction, which we will label as the positive + direction. Therefore:

q2
 
1 1 1 1 1 1
F+ = + 2 + 2 + 2 2 + 2 + ···
4π0 a2 22 8 10 16 18 24

Now let us look at what happens if we originally reflect the charge +q across the other wall. Repeating the
steps above, we see that through subsequent reflections, each force will point in the negative − direction.
Therefore:
−q 2
 
1 1 1 1 1 1
F− = + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + ···
4π0 a2 62 8 14 16 22 24
The net force is a result of the superposition of these two forces, giving us:

q2  1 1 1 1 1 1
F0 = + 2 + 2 + 2 2 + 2 + ···
4π0 a2 22 8 10 16 18 24
1 1 1 1 1 1 
− 2 − 2 − 2 − 2 − 2 − 2 − ···
6 8 14 16 22 24
Even terms can be cancelled out to give:

q2
 
0 1 1 1 1 1 1
F = − 2 + 2 − 2 + 2 − 2 + ···
4π0 a2 22 6 10 14 18 22
q2 1 1
 
1 1 1 1 1
= − + − + − + · · ·
4π0 a2 4 12 32 52 72 92 112

You may recognize the infinite series inside the parentheses to be Catalan’s constant G ≈ 0.916. Alterna-
tively, you can use a calculator and evaluate the first seven terms to get a rough answer (but will still be
correct since we asked for it to be rounded). Therefore:
1 1 1 1 1 1
F 0 /F = − 2 + 2 − 2 + 2 − 2 + · · · = G ≈ 0.916
12 3 5 7 9 11

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

The following information applies to the next three problems. Jerry spots a truckload of his favourite
golden yellow Swiss cheese being transported on a cart moving at a constant velocity v0 = 5 m/s î along the x-axis,
which is initially placed at (0, 0). Jerry, driven by desire immediately starts pursuing the cheese-truck in such a
way that his velocity vector always points towards the cheese-truck; however, Jerry is smart and knows that he
must maintain a constant distance ` = 10 m from the truck to avoid being caught by anyone, no matter what.
Note that Jerry starts at coordinates (0, `).

Pr 43. Tom and Jerry 1

Let the magnitude of velocity (in m/s) and acceleration (in m/s2 ) of Jerry at the moment when the (acute)
angle between the two velocity vectors is θ = 60◦ be α and β respectively. Compute α2 + β 2 .

Pr 44. Tom and Jerry 2

At a certain instant during Jerry’s motion, when his distance from the x-axis is 2 m, let his distance from the
y-axis be ξ (in metres), and let his speed at t = 1 second be ψ m/s. Compute ξ 2 + ψ 2 .

Pr 45. Tom and Jerry 3

Tom spots Jerry’s footprints in the mud after Jerry has already travelled a distance ` = 10 m towards the
cheese truck. He starts moving at a constant speed of 5 m/s (except for a very large acceleration at the start,
a result of his dislike for Jerry) along Jerry’s trail. Alas, as is destined, he will never be able to catch Jerry.
After a long period of time, what will be the separation between them? (in meters) Assume that Tom and
Jerry have the energy to maintain their velocities for a very long period of time. Tom starts chasing Jerry
from the same place Jerry started running towards the cheese truck.

Solution:
(43) If the distance between Jerry and the cheese truck is constant, then Jerry moves in circle of radius `
in the reference frame of the cheese truck. There is no radial component of Jerry’s velocity in this reference
frame, so we must have α = v0 cos θ = 52 . In this case, the tangential velocity is v0 sin θ. Furthermore, the
(v0 sin θ)2 v02 sin2 θ
radial acceleration in this frame is given by the centripetal acceleration which is ` = ` . The
tangential acceleration is

d dθ −v0 sin θ v 2 sin θ cos θ

(v0 sin θ) = v0 cos θ · = v0 cos θ · =− 0 .
dt dt ` `
The vector sum of these accelerations has magnitude
s
 2 2 2  2 2 √
v0 sin θ v0 sin θ cos θ v02 sin θ 5 3
β= + = = .
` ` ` 4

The final answer is α2 + β 2 = 10.9375.

(44) As in the previous part, we can work in the reference frame of the cheese truck. As in the
previous problem, we know that
dθ v0 sin θ
=− .
dt `
We can solve this differential equation more explicitly:
dθ v0
= − dt
sin θ `
θ
dθ0 v0 t 0
Z Z
=− dt .
π
2
sin θ0 ` 0
v0
ln | cot θ + csc θ| = t
`

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

From the value of t, we can solve for θ and find the speed from ψ = v0 cos θ = 2.3106 (Note a quick way
to find θ is to use cot θ2 = cot θ + csc θ). Now, the distance from the x-axis is given by ` sin θ, so we can
easily find θ and substitute in to our equation to find the time. At this time, the cheese truck has moved
a distance v0 t, but Jerry is a horizontal distance ` cos θ behind the truck, so the distance to the y-axis is
ξ = v0 t − ` cos θ = 13.1264. Finally, ξ 2 + ψ 2 = 177.6.

(45) First, we will calculate the change in the horizontal distance between Tom and the cheese
truck from the time Tom starts moving. When Jerry was moving along this path, in a small time dt, the
`
angle of Jerry’s motion changes by dθ = − v0 sin θ dθ from the results in the previous problem. For the Tom’s
motion, the speed is faster by a factor of cos θ , so in time dt for the Tom, we have dt = − v`0 cot θdθ. Now,
1

the cheese truck continues to the right at speed v0 , while Tom has a horizontal velocity v0 cos θ. Thus, the
total change in horizontal distance between Tom and the cheese truck is
Z ∞ Z 0   Z π2
`
(v0 − v0 cos θ)dt = (v0 − v0 cos θ) − cot θdθ = ` (cot θ − cos θ cot θ)dθ = `(1 − ln 2).
0 π
2
v0 0

The initial horizontal distance between Tom and the cheese truck can be found with v0 t where t is the time
at which Jerry has traveled a distance `. The arc length of Jerry’s path is
Z Z 0
(v0 cos θ)dt = (−` cot θ)dθ = −` ln | sin θ| = `.
π
2

√
1 e2 −1
Thus, we find sin θ = e and cos θ = e .
From our equation above, distance the cheese truck travels in
this time is p
v0 t = ` ln | cot θ + csc θ| = ` ln(e + e2 − 1).
√
The distance between Tom and the cheese truck then approaches `(ln(e + e2 − 1) + 1 − ln 2) after a long
time. Since Jerry lags the truck by a distance `, the distance between Tom and Jerry approaches
p
`(ln(e + e2 − 1) − ln 2) = 9.64 m .

Pr 46. Ghoster Coaster

A frictionless track contains a loop of radius R = 0.5 m. Situated on top of the track lies a small ball of mass
m = 2 kg at a height h. It is then dropped and collides with another ball of mass M = 5 kg.

R
h

The coefficient of restitution for this collision is given as e = 21 . Now consider a different alternative. Now let
the circular loop have a uniform coefficient of friction µ = 0.6, while the rest of the path is still frictionless.
Assume that the balls can once again collide with a restitution coefficient of e = 12 . Considering the balls to
be point masses, find the minimum h such that the ball of mass M would be able to move all the way around
the loop. Both balls can be considered as point masses.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Solution: Let the angle formed by M at any moment of time be angle θ with the negative y-axis. The
normal force experienced by M is just
2
v(θ)
N = M g cos θ + M
R
by balancing the radial forces at this moment. Now, applying the work energy theorem, we have
" #
Z 2
v(θ) 1 2 1
−µ M g cos θ + M Rdθ = M v(θ) − M v0 2 + M gR(1 − cos θ)
R 2 2
" #
2 2
v(θ) M d(v(θ) )
⇒ −µ M g cos θ + M R= + M gR sin θ
R 2 dθ
Rearranging, we have
2
d(v(θ) )) 2
+ 2µv(θ) = −2gR(sin θ + µ cos θ)
dθ
Let v 2 (θ) = y. Thus we have a first order linear ODE of the form
dy
+ P (θ)y = Q(θ)
dθ
R
P (θ)dθ
This is easily solvable using the integrating factor e . Here the integrating factor is
R
2µdθ
e = e2µθ

So multiplying by the integrating factor, we get

Z Z
d(e2µθ y) = −2gR(sin θ + µ cos θ)e2µθ dθ

−2gR(sin θ + µ cos θ)e2µθ dθ

R
⇒y=
e2µθ
Now we use the well known integrals
eax
Z
eax sin x dx = (a sin x − cos x)
1 + a2
eax
Z
eax cos x dx = (a cos x + sin x)
1 + a2
(These integrals can be computed using integration by parts.) Thus, plugging and chugging these integration
formulas into our expression for y and integrating from θ = 0 to θ = φ, we have upon solving
−2gR 
v 2 (φ) − v0 2 = (3µ sin φ + (2µ2 − 1) cos φ − (2µ2 − 1)e−2µφ

1 + 4µ2

where v0 is the velocity at φ = 0. Solving gives us the velocity as a function of angle covered
s
2gR
v(φ) = v0 2 − [(3µ sin φ + (2µ2 − 1) cos φ − (2µ2 − 1)e−2µφ ]
1 + 4µ2

But to cover a complete circle, at the top most point

mv 2 (π) p
N = mg − ≥ 0 ⇒ v(π) ≤ gR
R
Thus s
2(1 − 2µ2 )
 
v0 ≤ gR 1 + (1 + e −2µπ )
1 + 4µ2

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From the previous expression,

√ s 
2(1 − 2µ2 )

m(1 + e) 2gh −2µπ )
v0 = ≥ gR 1 + (1 + e
M +m 1 + 4µ2

Hence
2
2(1 − 2µ2 )
 
R(M + m) −2µπ
h≥ 2 1 + 1 + 4µ2 (1 + e )
2m2 (1 + e)

We get h ≥ 72.902 m and we are done.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 47. Galactic Games

Two astronauts, Alice and Bob, are standing inside their cylindrical spaceship, which is rotating at an angular
velocity ω clockwise around its axis in order to simulate the gravitational acceleration g on earth. The radius
of the spaceship is R. For this problem, we will only consider motion in the plane perpendicular to the axis
of the spaceship. Let point O be the center of the spaceship. Initially, an ideal zero-length spring has one
end fixed at point O, while the other end is connected to a mass m at the “ground” of the spaceship, where
the astronauts are standing (we will call this point A). From the astronauts’ point of view, the mass remains
motionless.

Next, Alice fixes one end of the spring at point A, and attaches the mass to the other end at point O. Bob
starts at point A, and moves an angle θ counterclockwise to point B (such that AOB is an isosceles triangle).
At time t = 0, the mass at point O is released. Given that the mass comes close enough for Bob to catch it,
find the value of θ to the nearest tenth of a degree.

Assume that the only force acting on the mass is the spring’s tension, and that the astronauts’ heights are
much less than R.

θ
O

Solution: First, we must have ω 2 R = g and k = mω 2 . Now, we step into the frame of point A, rotating
around with the spaceship. We will thus have three fictitious forces: translational, centrifugal, and coriolis.
Note that because centrifugal is mω 2 r, pointing away from A, it cancels with the spring force. Thus, the
only forces left to consider are translational and coriolis.
The translational force points ”down” with a constant magnitude of mg, like gravity. The coriolis force

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

points perpendicular to the velocity with magnitude 2mωv. We recognize this setup is analogous to that
of a charged particle moving in an E field and B field. It is well known that the mass will follow a cycloid
shape. Writing the equation of the cycloid, and finding where the cycloid hits the circle (spaceship), we can
find θ. Note that we have to use numerical methods.
Specifically, the cycloid can be parametrized as R4 (α − sin α, 1 − cos α), and we need to find where this
intersects the circle x2 + y 2 = R2 , so (α − sin α)2 + (1 − cos α)2 = 16. Solving gives α = 3.307, and since
1−cos α ◦
cot θ = α−sin α , we have θ = 60.2 .

Pr 48. Cramped Up
Consider an LC circuit with one inductor and one capacitor. The amplitude of the charge on the plates of
the capacitor is Q = 10 C and the two plates are initially at a distance d = 1 cm away from each other. The
plates are then slowly pushed together to a distance 0.5 cm from each other. Find the resultant amplitude of
charge on the parallel plates of the capacitor after this process is completed. Note that the initial current in
the circuit is zero and assume that the plates are grounded.

Solution: In slow steady periodic processes (when the time for the change in parameters τ is much
less than the total systems frequency f ), a quantity called the adiabatic invariant I is conserveda . The
adiabatic invariant corresponds to the area of a closed contour in phase space (a graph with momentum p
and position x as its axes). Note the we can electrostatically map this problem to a mechanics one as the
charge corresponds to position, while the momentum would correspond to LI where I is the current and
L is the inductance. Thus, in phase space, we have an elliptical contour corresponding to the equation:
Q2 (LI)2
2C + 2L = C where C is a constant in the system. As the area under the curve is conserved, then it can
Q2
be written that πQ0 LI0 = πQf LIf . It is also easy to conserve energy such that LI 2 = which tells us
C
√
√Q . 4 4
I= LC
As C ∝ 1/x, we then can write the adiabatic invariant as xq which tells us Qf = 2Q .

We can also solve this regularly by looking at the changes analytically. From Gauss’s law, the elec-
tric field between the plates of the capacitators initially can be estimated as
Q
E=
2ε0 A
where A is the area of the plate. The plates of the capacitator is attracted to the other one with a force of

Q2
F = QE = .
2ε0 A
The charges of the plates as a function of time can be approximated as

Qc = ±Q sin(ωt + φ).
1
where ω = √LC . Using this equation, we estimate the average force hF i applied on the plate after a period
of oscillations to be
Z 2π
Q2 Q2 Q2 Q2
 
2 1 2
hF i = = sin (ωt + φ) = · sin (x)dx =
2ε0 A 2ε0 A 2ε0 A 2π 0 4ε0 A
this means that after one period, the amount of work done to push the plates closer together is given by

Q2
WF = hF i dx = dx.
4ε0 A
In this cycle, the amount of incremental work done by the LC circuit will be given by
 2 
Q x Qx Q2
dWLC = ∆(F x) = ∆ = dQ + dx.
2ε0 A ε0 A 2ε0 A

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

From conservation of energy, WF = WLC . Or in other words,

Q2 Qx Q2
dx = dQ + dx
4ε0 A ε0 A 2ε0 A
simplifying gives us

Qx Q2
dQ = − dx
ε0 A 4ε0 A
Z Z
1 dx dQ
=−
4 x Q
1
ln x + ln Q = const.
4
We now find our adiabatic invariant to be
xQ4 = const.
Substituting values into our equation, we find that
d 4 √
dQ4i =
4
Qf =⇒ Qf = 2Q = 11.892 C
2
a This will not be proved in this solution, but the proof can be found in any good mechanics book.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Pr 49. I knew I should’ve stayed home today

A bicycle wheel of mass M = 2.8 kg and radius R = 0.3 m is spinning with angular velocity ω = 5 rad/s
around its axis in outer space, and its center is motionless. Assume that it has all of its mass uniformly
concentrated on the rim. A long, massless axle is attached to its center, extending out along its axis. A ball of
mass m = 1.0 kg moves at velocity v = 2 m/s parallel to the plane of the wheel and hits the axle at a distance
h = 0.5 m from the center of the wheel. Assume that the collision is elastic and instantaneous, and that the
ball’s trajectory (before and after the collision) lies on a straight line.

h
v

Find the time it takes for the axle to return to its original orientation. Answer in seconds and round to three
significant figures.

Solution: After the collision, let the wheel have speed v1 and the ball have speed v2 . Conserving momentum,
energy, and angular momentum gives:
mv = M v1 + mv2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
mv 2 + M R2 ω 2 = M v12 + mv22 + M R2 ω 2 + · M R2 ω12
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1
m(v − v2 )h = M R2 ω1
2
where ω1 is the angular velocity (after collision) of the wheel in the direction perp. to the axis and the
velocity of the ball.

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Solving for ω1 , we get

4hmv
ω1 = .
m(R2 + 2h2 ) + M R2
Now, we realize that the angular momentum of the wheel is given by Ix ωx̂ + Iy ω1 ŷ where the wheel’s axis
is the x-axis and the y-axis is in the direction of ω1 . Since angular momentum is conserved, the wheel must
precess about its angular momentum vector. Let L̂ represent the direction of the angular momentum vector.
To find the rate of precession, we can decompose the angular p velocity vector ωx̂ + ω1 ŷ into a L̂ component
and a x̂ component. Since Ix = 2Iy , the L̂ component is (2ω)2 + ω12 , resulting in a precession period of
π
T =q = 0.568s
ω12
ω2 + 4

Pr 50. Fun with a String

A child attaches a small rock of mass M = 0.800 kg to one end of a uniform elastic string of mass m = 0.100 kg
and natural length L = 0.650 m. He grabs the other end and swings the rock in uniform circular motion around
his hand, with angular velocity ω = 6.30 rad/s. Assume his hand is stationary, and that the elastic string
behaves like a spring with spring constant k = 40.0 N/m. After that, at time t = 0, a small longitudinal
perturbation starts from the child’s hand, traveling towards the rock. At time t = T0 , the perturbation reaches
the rock. How far was the perturbation from the child’s hand at time t = T20 ? Ignore gravity.

Solution: Let x be the distance from a point on the unstretched elastic string to the center of rotation
(child’s hand). Note that x varies from 0 to L. However, the string stretches, so let r be the distance from a
point on the stretched string (in steady state) to the center of rotation. Let T be the tension in the string as
a function of position. Let λ = mL . Consider a portion of the string dx. We know that the portion as spring
L L dr
constant k dx and it is stretched by dr − dx, so by Hooke’s Law, we have T = k dx (dr − dx) = kL( dx − 1).
dT
Also, by applying Newton’s Second Law on the portion, we get dT = −λdx·ω r, which implies dx = −λω 2 r.
2

Combining the two equations, we obtain

 
1 00
T = −kL T +1 .
λω 2
We know that
T 0 (x = 0) = 0,
since r = 0 when x = 0. The general solution is
r
ω m
T = A cos ( x) − kL,
L k
for some constant A. Thus, we have
r
1 A ω m
r = − 2T0 = √ sin ( x).
λω ω km L k
Also, we have that
Z L Z L 
2 T 2
T (x = L) = M ω rxdx = M ω + 1 x.
0 0 kL
q
Plugging in our general solution, we can get A cos ω m A L k
p
2
pm

k − kL = M ω · kL ω m sin ω k . Solving for
A, we obtain
kL
A= p
.
cos ω m Mω
sin ω m
p

k − √
km k

We now introduce a claim:

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

Claim. The
q speed of a longitudinal wave on a spring with spring constant k, length L, and mass m is given
k
by v = L m

Proof. Let a spring with spring constant k and mass m be stretched to length L. The spring constant
L L ds
of a small portion dx of the spring is k dx , and the excess tension is δT = k dx ds = kL dx , where s is
2
the displacement from equilibrium. By Newton’s second law on the portion, we get dT = L dx · ddt2s , or
m
q
dT m d2 s 2 k d2 s d2 s k
dx = L dt2 . Thus, L m dx2 = dt2 , which we recognize as the wave equation with speed v = L m and the
pm
time it takes to traverse the spring is k.

Thus, we have s r
x x
Z Z Z r
λdx λ mx
t= dt = L
= dx = .
0 k · dx 0 kL k L
L T0
Since we know x = L when t = T0 , we have x = 2 when t = 2 . Therefore, our answer is

L sin 12 ω m
 r  r p

A ω m 1 k k
r= √ sin x = p
= 1.903 m
ω m cos ω m Mω
ω m
p

ω km L k k − √ sin k
km

Pr 51. When Rocket Scientists Play Catch

During the cold war, there was tension between the USSR and the U.S. But now, contrary to popular belief,
American and Russian astronauts pass time by hanging out, enjoying the view from the moon, and even
playing catch by launching projectiles at each other:

A projectile is launched with a speed v0 = 2200 m/s from the North Pole to the South Pole of a moon with
radius r0 = 1.7 × 106 m and M = 7.4 × 1022 kg.

How long does the flight take? Answer in seconds.

Solution: The projectile will follow an elliptical path. It is easiest to represent this path in terms of an
ellipse:
a(1 − e2 )
r=
1 − e cos θ
At θ = 90◦ , the numerator becomes a(1 − e2 ) = r0 . We will now show that the angular momentum is given

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May 25 - 30, 2020 Online Physics Olympiad 2020 - Open Round

by: p
L = m GM r0 .
If the apoapsis is ra and the speed of the projectile at apoapsis is va , then conservation of angular momentum
and energy gives:
L = mvf rf
1 GM m 1 GM m
mv 2 − = mvf2 −
2 0 r0 2 rf
Solving these equations, we get: q
v2 r
−1 + GM −1
ra = GM ·
2E
where E is the energy per unit mass of the projectile. By setting θ = 180◦ , we can write the location of the
apoapsis to be
ra = a(1 + e) = 9274582m
Therefore, to determine the apoapsis a, we just need to determine e. The eccentricity is given by:
r
2Er0
e= 1+ = 0.8167.
GM
Plugging in numbers, we find the semi-major axis to be a = 461, 670 m and the orbital period to be
r
a3
T = 2π = 32622 s
GM
However, we are only interested in the section of the orbit that occurs above the surface. If we are able
to determine the area the center of the moon subtends with the curve inside the moon, then we can apply
Kepler’s second law to determine the orbital period.

This area can be determined via polar integration to be:

7π
!2
a 1 − e2c
Z
1 2
dθ = 2.1633 × 1012 m2
2 5π
2
1 − ec cos θ

The fraction of area covered by the projectile while outside the moon will be:
√
πab − 2.1633 × 1012 πa2 1 − e2 − 2.1633 × 1012
f= = √ = 0.9542
πab πa2 1 − e2

where b = c2 − a2 and c = e/a were used to simplify the expression. Applying Kepler’s second law, the time
of flight is then:
t = f T = 31128.8 s

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