MT121: Week 2 Questions

Motion in One Dimension

Question 1 : Let x0 and γ be constants and let x(t) = x0 e−γt be the position of the
particle along the x axis. Find the velocity of the particle at time t = 2/γ.

(a) −γx0 e−2

(b) x0 e−2
You just calculate x(2/γ) not v(2/γ). Differentiate first.
(c) − xγ0 e−2 + c
differentiate, don’t integrate.
(d) 0

Question 2 : Let b and d be constants and let v(t) = bt2 be the velocity of a particle
which, at t = 0, has the position x(0) = d. Find the particle’s position as a function of
time.

(a) d + 12 bt3
You didn’t do the integral properly.
(b) 2bt + d
you differentiated before adding a constant of integration. bizarre!
1 3
(c) 3 bt+c
You forgot to substitute the initial conditions.
(d) d + 13 bt3

Question 3 : Let b be a constant and let v(t) = bt2 be the velocity of a particle. What
is its acceleration?
1 3
(a) 3 bt +c
dv
differentiate, don’t integrate. a = dt
(b) 2bt + c
you differentiated before adding a constant of integration. bizarre!
(c) 2bt
(d) bt2

Question 4 : The acceleration of a particle moving along the x-axis is given by a = 4−t2
(in S.I. units). Find the position of the particle as a function of time, given that
v(t = 0) = 2m/s and x(t = 0) = 2m.

(a) 2t + 2t2 − 12 t4
You used the SUVAT equations and solved for S, forgetting that S = x − x(0).
Also, see next comment.
(b) 2(1 + t + t2 ) − 12 t4
You used the SUVAT equations didn’t you? I told you not to. Here, the acceler-
ation is not constant, so they don’t apply.
1 4
(c) 2(1 + t + t2 ) − 12 t
(d) 2(1 + t + t2 )

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 Question 5 : When a particle is at a position x, it is subject to an acceleration a = αx3
where α is a constant. What are the dimensions of α?
1
(a) [α] = T 2 L2
(b) dimensionless, [α] = 1
NO. constants do not need to be dimensionless.
(c) [α] = L13
You got the part from the x3 , but what are the dimensions of acceleration?
1
(d) [α] = LT 2

Question 6 : When a particle is at a position x, it is subject to an acceleration a = αx3

where α is a constant. What is the speed of the particle at position x if it starts from
position x0 with velocity 0?

α(x4 −x40 )
(a) 2

(b) αt(x3 − x30 )

You used SUVAT to calculate the velocity. See next comment, and remember
speed is |v|. This answer can be negative, a speed cannot.
(c) |αt(x3 − x30 )|
You used SUVAT again, didn’t you? NO
1 4
(d) 4 α(x − x40 )
You integrated, and put in the initial conditions, but perhaps didn’t take enough
care of what was on the left-hand side. Notice that you integrated with respect
to x, not t, but a = dv dv
dt . How to get around that? you needed to use a = v dx .

Question 7 : A particle of mass m is subject to a force

dx
F = −6mα2 x − 5mα ,
dt
where α is a positive constant. At t = 0 the particle starts from x = x0 with a velocity
v(0) = −3αx0 . Find the trajectory, x(t).
(a) x(t) = Ae−3t + Be−2t
This is a general solution without using initial conditions, and you’ve missed out
the αs.
(b) x(t) = −x0 e3αt
Be careful with signs.
(c) x(t) = x0 e3t + A(e2t − e3t )
You forgot to use the initial condition for velocity. Two initial conditions get rid
of two unknown coefficients.
(d) x(t) = x0 e−3αt

Question 8 : A particle of mass m is initially at x = 0 with a velocity v0 . The particle

moves in the x-direction subject to a force F (t) = Ae−γt where A and γ are constants.
For what values of v0 will the particle reverse direction during its motion, given that
A, γ > 0?
(a) v0 > 0
(b) v0 = 0
(c) − γm
A
< v0 < 0

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 (d) v0 < − γm
A

Question 9 : A particle moves along a straight line with acceleration which is propor-
tional to the square of its velocity, i.e. v̇ = kv 2 . Find its velocity and displacement if
at time t = 0 the particle starts at x(0) = x0 with a velocity v(0) = v0 > 0.
v0 1
(a) v(t) = 1+v 0 kt
, x(t) = x0 + k ln(1 + tkv0 )
Be careful with minus signs!
1
(b) v(t) = v0
1−v0 kt , x(t) = x0 − k ln |1 − tkv0 |
(c) v(t) = v0 , x(t) = v0 t + x0
√
1+ 1−4ktv0
(d) v(t) = 2kt , x(t) = x0 + v0 t + 12 v 2 (t)t
SUVAT again?