OCR MEI M3 (Mechanics 3) 2012 January

1 The surface tension of a liquid enables a metal needle to be at rest on the surface of the liquid. The greatest mass \(m\) of a needle of length \(a\) which can be supported in this way by a liquid of surface tension \(S\) is given by $$m = \frac { 2 S a } { g }$$ where \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity.

1. Show that the dimensions of surface tension are \(\mathrm { MT } ^ { - 2 }\). The surface tension of water is 0.073 when expressed in SI units (based on kilograms, metres and seconds).
2. Find the surface tension of water when expressed in a system of units based on grams, centimetres and minutes. Liquid will rise up a capillary tube to a height \(h\) given by \(h = \frac { 2 S } { \rho g r }\), where \(\rho\) is the density of the liquid and
   \(r\) is the radius of the capillary tube. \(r\) is the radius of the capillary tube.
3. Show that the equation \(h = \frac { 2 S } { \rho g r }\) is dimensionally consistent.
4. Find the radius of a capillary tube in which water will rise to a height of 25 cm . (The density of water is 1000 in SI units.) When liquid is poured onto a horizontal surface, it forms puddles of depth \(d\). You are given that \(d = k S ^ { \alpha } \rho ^ { \beta } g ^ { \gamma }\) where \(k\) is a dimensionless constant.
5. Use dimensional analysis to find \(\alpha , \beta\) and \(\gamma\). Water forms puddles of depth 0.44 cm . Mercury has surface tension 0.487 and density 13500 in SI units.
6. Find the depth of puddles formed by mercury on a horizontal surface.

2 A light inextensible string of length 5 m has one end attached to a fixed point A and the other end attached to a particle P of mass 0.72 kg . At first, P is moving in a vertical circle with centre A and radius 5 m . When P is at the highest point of the circle it has speed \(10 \mathrm {~ms} ^ { - 1 }\).

1. Find the tension in the string when the speed of P is \(15 \mathrm {~ms} ^ { - 1 }\). The particle P now moves at constant speed in a horizontal circle with radius 1.4 m and centre at the point C which is 4.8 m vertically below A .
2. Find the tension in the string.
3. Find the time taken for P to make one complete revolution. Another light inextensible string, also of length 5 m , now has one end attached to P and the other end attached to the fixed point B which is 9.6 m vertically below A . The particle P then moves with constant speed \(7 \mathrm {~ms} ^ { - 1 }\) in the circle with centre C and radius 1.4 m , as shown in Fig. 2. \begin{figure}[h]
   \includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{86d79489-aec1-4c94-bef6-45b007f818a0-3_693_465_1078_817} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Fig. 2}
   \end{figure}
4. Find the tension in the string PA and the tension in the string PB .

3 A bungee jumper of mass 75 kg is connected to a fixed point A by a light elastic rope with stiffness \(300 \mathrm { Nm } ^ { - 1 }\). The jumper starts at rest at A and falls vertically. The lowest point reached by the jumper is 40 m vertically below A. Air resistance may be neglected.

1. Find the natural length of the rope.
2. Show that, when the rope is stretched and its extension is \(x\) metres, \(\ddot { x } + 4 x = 9.8\). The substitution \(y = x - c\), where \(c\) is a constant, transforms this equation to \(\ddot { y } = - 4 y\).
3. Find \(c\), and state the maximum value of \(y\).
4. Using standard simple harmonic motion formulae, or otherwise, find
   (A) the maximum speed of the jumper,
   (B) the maximum deceleration of the jumper.
5. Find the time taken for the jumper to fall from A to the lowest point.

4

1. The region \(T\) is bounded by the \(x\)-axis, the line \(y = k x\) for \(a \leqslant x \leqslant 3 a\), the line \(x = a\) and the line \(x = 3 a\), where \(k\) and \(a\) are positive constants. A uniform frustum of a cone is formed by rotating \(T\) about the \(x\)-axis. Find the \(x\)-coordinate of the centre of mass of this frustum.
2. A uniform lamina occupies the region (shown in Fig. 4) bounded by the \(x\)-axis, the curve \(y = 16 \left( 1 - x ^ { - \frac { 1 } { 3 } } \right)\) for \(1 \leqslant x \leqslant 8\) and the line \(x = 8\). \begin{figure}[h]
   \includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{86d79489-aec1-4c94-bef6-45b007f818a0-4_368_519_1439_772} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Fig. 4}
   \end{figure}
   1. Find the coordinates of the centre of mass of this lamina. A hole is made in the lamina by cutting out a circular disc of area 5 square units. This causes the centre of mass of the lamina to move to the point \(( 5,3 )\).
   2. Find the coordinates of the centre of the hole.