Problem 45
1. Problem Statement:
A body of mass 8 kg hangs from a rope of length 2.5 m. A horizontal force of 60 N acts on the body. Find the angle the rope makes with the
2
vertical in equilibrium. (Take g = 10 m/s . Ignore rope mass.)
2. Given Data:
Mass m = 8 kg
Horizontal force F = 60 N
2
Acceleration due to gravity g = 10 m/s
Rope length = 2.5 m (not needed to find the angle)
3. Relevant Formulas:
In equilibrium, the vertical and horizontal components of the rope tension T balance weight and applied horizontal force:
T cos θ = mg (vertical equilibrium)
T sin θ = F (horizontal equilibrium)
Divide the two equations to get:
F
tan θ = .
mg
17 1 PUC Physics P-1_compressed
(Reference: equilibrium of forces — see textbook.)
4. Step 1 — Compute tan θ :
Compute mg = 8 × 10 = 80 N.
So
F 60 3
tan θ = = = = 0.75.
mg 80 4
5. Step 2 — Recognize the ratio and find angle:
A right triangle with opposite = 3 and adjacent = 4 has tan θ = 3/4. That triangle has hypotenuse 5 (the 3–4–5 Pythagorean triple). So:
3 4
sin θ = , cos θ = .
5 5
The angle whose tangent is 3/4 is θ ≈ 36.87∘ .
80
(Optional check: from vertical equilibrium T cos θ = mg gives T = = 100 N. From horizontal T sin θ = 100 × 3/5 = 60 N —
4/5
consistent.)
6. Final Answer:
The rope makes an angle θ ≈ 36.9∘ with the vertical (approximately 36.87∘ ).
Problem 46
1. Problem Statement:
Assuming Earth is a sphere of uniform mass density, a body weighs 250 N at the surface. (a) What would it weigh at a depth equal to half the
radius of Earth? (b) What will its weight be at the centre of Earth?
2. Given Data:
Weight at surface Wsurf ace = 250 N.
Depth d = 12 R (half the radius).
Earth treated as uniform density sphere of radius R.
3. Relevant Formulas:
For a uniform sphere, gravitational acceleration at distance r from center is proportional to r :
r
g(r) = gsurface ⋅ ,
R
where gsurface is gravitational acceleration at the surface and R is Earth's radius.
Weight at radius r is W (r)= m g(r). (Derivation: mass enclosed scales as r3 , leading to g ∝ r. See textbook.) 17 1 PUC Physics P-1_compressed
4. Step 1 — Weight at depth d = R/2:
Depth from surface d = 12 R means distance from center is
r = R − d = R − 12 R = 12 R.
Then acceleration there is
r 1 1
g(r) = gsurface ⋅ = gsurface ⋅ = gsurface .
R 2 2
Since weight is proportional to g , the weight at that depth is half the surface weight:
1 1
Wd= R = × Wsurf ace = × 250 N = 125 N.
2 2
2
5. Step 2 — Weight at the centre r = 0:
At the centre r = 0, by the same relation g(0) = gsurface ⋅ 0 = 0.
So the weight at the centre is
Wcenter = m ⋅ 0 = 0 N.
6. Final Answers:
Weight at depth = 12 R:
125 N .
Weight at centre of Earth: 0N .
