Homeworks for PHY 317K

Welcome to homework assignments for the General Physics I course, PHY 317K. The homeworks on this page are for the section taught by Professor Vadim Kaplunovsky in Fall of 1999 (unique #56135). Other sections assign different homeworks.

Most homework problems are taken from the Halliday, Resnick & Walker textbook; such problems are listed by problem numbers. All other problems are written in full as plain (html) text.

Please note that the physical laws and the formulae you use and the way you put them together are more important for your grade than the numbers you calculate. If you (correctly) derive the correct formula for the answer of a problem, you will receive partial credit even if your arithmetic is faulty. On the other hand, a numerical answer without a clear explanation of where it came from would earn you little credit even if it happens to be correct.

Assignment List

  • Assignment 1, due September 7.
  • Assignment 2, due September 14.
  • Assignment 3, due September 21.
  • Assignment 4, due September 28.
  • Assignment 5, due October 7 (extended from October 5).
  • Assignment 6, due October 12.
  • Assignment 7, due October 26.
  • Assignment 8, due November 2.
  • Assignment 9, due November 9.
  • Assignment 10, due November 18 (extended from November 16).
  • Assignment 11, due November 29 at 5 PM (extended from November 23).
  • Assignment 12, due December 2.

    • Assignment 1

    Due:
    September 7.
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 6, 7, 11, 15, 16*, 19, 20, 33 and 36 at the end of Chapter 1.
    Non-textbook problem:
    An astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance of the Earth from the Sun, approximately 1.5*10^8 km.
    (a) The speed of light in vacuum is approximately 3*10^8 m/s; express this speed in in terms of AU/min (astronomical units per minute).
    (b) A light year (ly) is the distance light travel (through the vacuum) in one year. How many astronomical units are there in one light year?
    (c) A parsec (pc) is the distance at which 1 AU would subtend exactly an angle of exactly one second of arc (ie., 1/3600 of a degree), see figure 1-8 after problem 16 of the textbook (page 9). How many light years is one parsec?
    (d) Express 1 ly and 1 pc in kilometers and in miles.
    Note that although light-years are commonly used in popular literature to describe astronomical distances, the real astronomers prefer to measure interstellar distances in parsecs.
    *Note:
    The non-textbook problem above was supposed to replace the textbook problem 16 -- they largely duplicate each other -- but somehow both got assigned. To correct this mistake, the two problems will be graded as one.

    Solutions anavailable. Sorry.

    Assignment 2

    Due:
    September 14.
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 2, 5, 9, 14, 17, 19, 20, 27, 30, 31, 33, 37, 45, 50, 56, 58, 60, 61, 70, 71, 74 and 79 at the end of Chapter 2.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None

    Solutions anavailable. Sorry.

    Assignment 3

    Due:
    September 21.
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 2, 6, 11, 14, 16, 17, 28 and 30 at the end of Chapter 3.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None
    Note:
    Please write your formulae before you calculate numbers. Draw pictures whenever appropriate.

    Solutions available (after due date) in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Assignment 4

    Due:
    September 28.
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 17, 18, 25, 30a, 34, 42, 43, 55, 74, 76, 79, 83 and 85 at the end of Chapter 4.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None

    Solutions available (after due date) in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Assignment 5

    Due:
    October 7. (Extended from October 5.)
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 58 and 63 at the end of Chapter 4; questions 2 and 8 and problems 10, 18, 22, 35, 38, 40, 52, 54, 58 and 68 at the end of Chapter 5.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None

    Solutions available (after due date) in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Assignment 6

    Due:
    October 12.
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 6, 14, 20, 24, 60, 62, 66 at the end of Chapter 6.
    Non-textbook problem:
    Titan -- the largest moon of Saturn -- has a fairly dense atmosphere; near Titan's surface, the `air' density is about 5.5 kg/m3. The Cassini mission to Saturn (to arrive on July 1, 2004) carries the Huygens probe which will enter Titan's atmosphere, aerobrake to a (relative) stop and then descend down to the surface on a parachute. Actually, several parachutes are used in a sequence; the final descent uses a drogue 'chute of diameter 3.03 m. The mass of Huygens -- or rather its Descent Module -- is 220 kg; the surface gravity of Titan is 1.35 m/s2. Assume the drag coefficient of the drogue 'chute to be C=0.8 (I am not sure of the actual value but C=0.8 is typical) and plenty of time for the Descent Module to reach is terminal speed. What is the landing speed of the Huygens's Descent Module?

    Solutions available (after due date) in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Assignment 7

    Due:
    October 26.
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 4, 8, 16, 26, 27, 33, 34, 42, 48 and 50 at the end of Chapter 7.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None

    Solutions available (after due date) in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI. Solutions re-posted on 11/1 to correct numerical errors in problems 26 and 42; and reposted again on 11/9 to correct yet another error in problem 26.

    Assignment 8

    Due:
    November 2.
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 38 and 40 at the end of Chapter 7; question 6 and problems 8, 16, 22, 32, 36, 40 and 60 at the end of Chapter 8.
    Non-textbook problem:
    A 10~kg crate slides down a 5~m high frictionless ramp, then continues sliding along a horizontal floor with a kinetic friction coefficient µk=0.5 until the friction force brings it to a stop. Use energy/work consideration to determine the final position of the crate.

    Solutions available (after due date) in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Assignment 9

    Due:
    November 9.
    Textbook problems:
    Question 6 and problems 4, 5, 8, 10, 20, 21, 28, 37, 42 and 46 at the end of Chapter 9.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None

    Solutions available (after due date) in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Assignment 10

    Due:
    November 18 (extended from November 16).
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 60 and 64 at the end of Chapter 11; question 2 and problems 16, 18, 25 and 31 at the end of Chapter 13.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None
    Note:
    The next homework will be due Tuesday, November 23.

    Solutions available (after due date) in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Assignment 11

    Due:
    November 29 (Monday!) before 5 PM (Extended from November 23).
    Collection point:
    Professor Kaplunovsky's mail box in room RLM 5.208
    Textbook problems:
    Questions 2 and 6 and problems 18, 21, 28, 29, 30, 34, 35, 37, 44 and 45 at the end of Chapter 15.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None
    Note:
    The next homework will be due Thursday, December 2.

    Solutions will be available after due time in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Assignment 12

    Due:
    December 2.
    Textbook problems:
    Problems 53, 57, 66, 72 and 76 at the end of Chapter 15.
    Non-textbook problems:
    None

    Solutions will be available after due time in several formats: PDF, PostScript, TeX source, DVI.

    Last Modified: November 23, 1999
    Vadim Kaplunovsky
    vadim@physics.utexas.edu