MATH 141 Calculus 2 • McGill University, Montreal

Corrected exercises: work (MATH 141)

This is the corrected exercise set for the work chapter of MATH 141, Calculus 2, the integral calculus course taken at McGill University. It follows section 6.4 of Stewart: variable forces, Hooke's law, cables and chains, pumping liquids out of tanks, in SI and in imperial units. There is no calculator in the course, so every tank answer is an exact multiple of π\pi, obtained with ρg=9800\rho g = 9800 N/m3^3 or 62.562.5 lb/ft3^3, and every solution names the slice, its weight and its distance, because that is where the marks are.

The thread running through the whole set: work is force times distance only on a slice where BOTH are constant, so the first question is always what varies. When the force changes along the path, slice the path and integrate F(x) dxF(x)\,dx. When the pieces of the object travel different distances, slice the object, and give each slice its own weight and its own distance, measured from where it IS to where it is DELIVERED.

The traps named explicitly in the solutions: the final force of a spring multiplied by the stretch, the length of a spring taken for its stretch, every piece of a cable lifted the full length, the distance written yy by reflex, the bounds taken on the empty part of a tank, the similar triangle read upside down, gg applied to a weight in pounds, half full taken for half the work, the leak per second integrated per metre, and mghmgh used where gravity weakens.

10 corrected exercises • 100 points • 150 minutes

Revision sheet for this chapter → Every MATH 141 chapter →

Course recap

  • • Constant force along the motion: W=FdW = Fd. Units: 11 J =1= 1 N⋅\cdotm; in imperial, foot-pounds (ft-lb).
  • • Force varying along the path: W=∫abF(x) dxW = \int_a^b F(x)\,dx, the signed area under the graph of FF.
  • • Hooke's law: F=kxF = kx, xx the stretch from the NATURAL length; ∫x1x2kx dx=k2(x22−x12)\int_{x_1}^{x_2} kx\,dx = \frac{k}{2}(x_2^2 - x_1^2).
  • • Object whose pieces travel different distances: W=∫(weight of the slice)×(its distance)W = \int (\text{weight of the slice}) \times (\text{its distance}).
  • • Tank: W=∫abρg A(y) D(y) dyW = \int_a^b \rho g\,A(y)\,D(y)\,dy, bounds where the liquid IS, D(y)D(y) from the slice to the outlet.
  • • Water: ρg=1000×9.8=9800\rho g = 1000 \times 9.8 = 9800 N/m3^3; in imperial, 62.562.5 lb/ft3^3, already a weight, no gg.
  • • Gravitation: F(r)=GMmr2=mgR2r2F(r) = \frac{GMm}{r^2} = \frac{mgR^2}{r^2}, rr measured from the centre of the Earth.

Part A: the basics (/50)

Exercise 1: Variable force: work is the area under F(x)

When a constant force FF moves an object a distance dd in its own direction, the work is W=FdW = Fd, in joules (11 J =1= 1 N⋅\cdotm) or in foot-pounds. When the force CHANGES with the position xx, the product no longer makes sense: which value of FF would you multiply by? The answer of the chapter is to cut the path into short pieces on which FF is almost constant, and to add the pieces: W=∫abF(x) dxW = \int_a^b F(x)\,dx.

Every force below acts along the xx-axis, xx in metres and FF in newtons. The figure shows the force of part d).

-1123456789-3-2-112345x (m)F (N)
  • a) A constant force of 1212 N pushes a box 55 m along the floor, in the direction of motion. Compute the work, write it as an integral, and say what area it is.
  • b) F(x)=3x2+2xF(x) = 3x^2 + 2x moves a particle from x=1x = 1 to x=3x = 3. Compute the work. Then compute F(1)×2F(1) \times 2 and F(3)×2F(3) \times 2 and explain why the true work must lie between them.
  • c) F(x)=6x2F(x) = \frac{6}{x^2} moves a particle from x=1x = 1 to x=3x = 3. Compute the work.
  • d) The force is the piecewise linear function of the figure. Find the work done from x=0x = 0 to x=5x = 5, then from x=0x = 0 to x=8x = 8. At which position is the work done since x=0x = 0 the largest?
  • e) F(x)=10sin⁡(πx4)F(x) = 10\sin\left(\frac{\pi x}{4}\right). Compute the work from x=0x = 0 to x=4x = 4, then from x=0x = 0 to x=8x = 8, and interpret the second result.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) W=∫0512 dx=60W = \int_0^5 12\,dx = 60 J, the area of a 5×125 \times 12 rectangle
  • b) W=34W = 34 J, between F(1)×2=10F(1) \times 2 = 10 and F(3)×2=66F(3) \times 2 = 66
  • c) W=4W = 4 J
  • d) 1616 J from 00 to 55; 1919 J from 00 to 88; largest at x=7x = 7 (2020 J)
  • e) 80π\frac{80}{\pi} J, then 00 J: the force gives back on [4,8][4, 8] what it did on [0,4][0, 4]

a) The force is constant and along the motion, so W=Fd=12×5=60W = Fd = 12 \times 5 = 60 J. As an integral, W=∫0512 dx=12x∣05=60W = \int_0^5 12\,dx = 12x \Big|_0^5 = 60 J: the area of the rectangle of width 55 (the path) and height 1212 (the force) under the graph of FF. This is the picture to keep for the whole chapter: work is an AREA under a force-position graph, and the product FdFd is only the special case where that area is a rectangle.

b) Cut [1,3][1, 3] into pieces of length Δx\Delta x. On one piece the force is almost F(xi∗)F(x_i^*), so the work on it is almost F(xi∗)ΔxF(x_i^*)\Delta x, and the Riemann sum ∑F(xi∗)Δx\sum F(x_i^*)\Delta x tends to ∫13F(x) dx\int_1^3 F(x)\,dx. Here W=∫13(3x2+2x) dx=[x3+x2]13=(27+9)−(1+1)=34W = \int_1^3 (3x^2 + 2x)\,dx = \left[x^3 + x^2\right]_1^3 = (27 + 9) - (1 + 1) = 34 J. The two products are F(1)×2=5×2=10F(1) \times 2 = 5 \times 2 = 10 and F(3)×2=33×2=66F(3) \times 2 = 33 \times 2 = 66. Since FF increases on [1,3][1, 3], it stays between 55 and 3333, and the comparison property of the integral gives 10≤W≤6610 \le W \le 66. The check catches the classic slip, multiplying the FINAL force by the distance (6666 J), which pretends the force was 3333 N all the way.

c) W=∫136x−2 dx=[−6x]13=−2−(−6)=4W = \int_1^3 6x^{-2}\,dx = \left[-\frac{6}{x}\right]_1^3 = -2 - (-6) = 4 J. The force now decreases from 66 N to 23\frac{2}{3} N, so this time the bracket is 23×2≤W≤6×2\frac{2}{3} \times 2 \le W \le 6 \times 2, that is 43≤4≤12\frac{4}{3} \le 4 \le 12: consistent. The minus sign of the antiderivative −6x-\frac{6}{x} is where copies go wrong; a negative work for a force that pushes forward the whole way is the signal.

d) The work is the SIGNED area between the graph and the xx-axis, read with geometry. On [0,2][0, 2]: triangle, 12×2×4=4\frac{1}{2} \times 2 \times 4 = 4. On [2,5][2, 5]: rectangle, 3×4=123 \times 4 = 12. So W0→5=16W_{0 \to 5} = 16 J. On [5,8][5, 8] the line goes from 44 down to −2-2, with slope −2-2, so it crosses zero at x=7x = 7: triangle above the axis on [5,7][5, 7], area 12×2×4=4\frac{1}{2} \times 2 \times 4 = 4, and triangle BELOW the axis on [7,8][7, 8], area 12×1×2=1\frac{1}{2} \times 1 \times 2 = 1, counted negative because the force now points backwards. W0→8=16+4−1=19W_{0 \to 8} = 16 + 4 - 1 = 19 J. The accumulated work W(b)=∫0bF(x) dxW(b) = \int_0^b F(x)\,dx has derivative W′(b)=F(b)W'(b) = F(b) by the Fundamental Theorem: it increases while F>0F > 0 and decreases once F<0F < 0, so it is largest at x=7x = 7, where W=20W = 20 J. Adding the last triangle as +1+1 (2121 J) is the trap: work done against the motion is negative.

e) With u=πx4u = \frac{\pi x}{4}, du=π4 dxdu = \frac{\pi}{4}\,dx: ∫10sin⁡(πx4)dx=−40πcos⁡(πx4)+C\int 10\sin\left(\frac{\pi x}{4}\right)dx = -\frac{40}{\pi}\cos\left(\frac{\pi x}{4}\right) + C. From 00 to 44: −40π(cos⁡π−cos⁡0)=−40π(−2)=80π-\frac{40}{\pi}(\cos\pi - \cos 0) = -\frac{40}{\pi}(-2) = \frac{80}{\pi} J, about 2525 J with π≈3.14\pi \approx 3.14. From 00 to 88: −40π(cos⁡2π−cos⁡0)=0-\frac{40}{\pi}(\cos 2\pi - \cos 0) = 0. The force pushes forward on [0,4][0, 4] and backward on [4,8][4, 8], symmetrically, so the net work is zero even though the particle moved 88 m. Forgetting the factor 4π\frac{4}{\pi} of the substitution gives 2020 J instead of 80π\frac{80}{\pi}: the result is off by the factor 4π\frac{4}{\pi}, which is not 11.

Exercise 2: Springs: Hooke's law measures the stretch, not the length

Hooke's law: a spring stretched or compressed a distance xx beyond its NATURAL length pulls back with a force of magnitude F(x)=kxF(x) = kx, where k>0k > 0 is the spring constant. The work needed to take it from a stretch x1x_1 to a stretch x2x_2 is ∫x1x2kx dx\int_{x_1}^{x_2} kx\,dx. The whole difficulty is in the word stretch: xx is measured from the natural length, never from the wall.

A force of 4040 N is needed to hold a spring stretched 0.20.2 m beyond its natural length, as in the figure.

natural lengthx = 0x = 0.2 m40 N
  • a) Find kk, then the work needed to stretch the spring from its natural length to a stretch of 0.20.2 m. A classmate answers 40×0.2=840 \times 0.2 = 8 J: find his mistake.
  • b) Compute the work needed to stretch it from 0.20.2 m to 0.30.3 m beyond its natural length, and compare with the work from 00 to 0.10.1 m.
  • c) How far beyond its natural length does a work of 1616 J stretch it?
  • d) A second spring: 1.51.5 J of work stretch it from a length of 3030 cm to a length of 4040 cm, and another 2.52.5 J from 4040 cm to 5050 cm. Find its natural length and its spring constant.
  • e) How much work does it take to compress this second spring from its natural length to a length of 1515 cm?
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) k=200k = 200 N/m, W=4W = 4 J; 88 J uses the final force as if it were constant
  • b) 55 J, against 11 J from 00 to 0.10.1 m
  • c) x=0.4x = 0.4 m
  • d) natural length 2020 cm, k=100k = 100 N/m
  • e) 18\frac{1}{8} J

a) 40=k(0.2)40 = k(0.2) gives k=200k = 200 N/m. Then W=∫00.2200x dx=100x2∣00.2=100×0.04=4W = \int_0^{0.2} 200x\,dx = 100x^2 \Big|_0^{0.2} = 100 \times 0.04 = 4 J. The classmate's 88 J multiplies the force at the END of the stretch by the whole distance, as if the spring had resisted with 4040 N from the start. It did not: the force grows from 00 to 4040 N, so the area under F=200xF = 200x is a TRIANGLE, 12×0.2×40=4\frac{1}{2} \times 0.2 \times 40 = 4, exactly half the rectangle 40×0.240 \times 0.2. On an exam this answer loses the whole question, because it skips the integral that the chapter is about.

b) W=∫0.20.3200x dx=100(0.32−0.22)=100(0.09−0.04)=5W = \int_{0.2}^{0.3} 200x\,dx = 100(0.3^2 - 0.2^2) = 100(0.09 - 0.04) = 5 J, while ∫00.1200x dx=100×0.01=1\int_0^{0.1} 200x\,dx = 100 \times 0.01 = 1 J. Same displacement of 0.10.1 m, five times the work: the second stretch starts where the spring already pulls back with 4040 N. The bounds of a spring integral are STRETCHES, and the work between two of them is k2(x22−x12)\frac{k}{2}(x_2^2 - x_1^2), not k2(x2−x1)2\frac{k}{2}(x_2 - x_1)^2, which would give the wrong 11 J here.

c) The work from the natural length to a stretch xx is ∫0x200t dt=100x2\int_0^x 200t\,dt = 100x^2. Setting 100x2=16100x^2 = 16 gives x2=0.16x^2 = 0.16, so x=0.4x = 0.4 m, the positive root since xx is a stretch. Four times the work for twice the stretch: the work grows like the SQUARE of the stretch.

d) Let LL be the natural length in metres. The lengths 0.300.30, 0.400.40, 0.500.50 correspond to the stretches 0.30−L0.30 - L, 0.40−L0.40 - L, 0.50−L0.50 - L. Then 1.5=k2[(0.4−L)2−(0.3−L)2]=k2(0.1)(0.7−2L)1.5 = \frac{k}{2}\left[(0.4 - L)^2 - (0.3 - L)^2\right] = \frac{k}{2}(0.1)(0.7 - 2L) and 2.5=k2(0.1)(0.9−2L)2.5 = \frac{k}{2}(0.1)(0.9 - 2L), by the difference of squares. Dividing the second by the first: 0.9−2L0.7−2L=53\frac{0.9 - 2L}{0.7 - 2L} = \frac{5}{3}, so 2.7−6L=3.5−10L2.7 - 6L = 3.5 - 10L, 4L=0.84L = 0.8 and L=0.2L = 0.2 m =20= 20 cm. Back in the first equation: 0.05k×0.3=1.50.05k \times 0.3 = 1.5, so k=100k = 100 N/m. Check the second: 0.05×100×0.5=2.50.05 \times 100 \times 0.5 = 2.5 J. The trap is to integrate from 0.300.30 to 0.400.40, which treats the LENGTH as the stretch and makes the spring natural at length zero.

e) A length of 1515 cm is a compression of 0.050.05 m below the natural 2020 cm. Hooke's law holds in compression with the same kk, so W=∫00.05100x dx=50×0.0025=0.125=18W = \int_0^{0.05} 100x\,dx = 50 \times 0.0025 = 0.125 = \frac{1}{8} J. The work YOU do is positive whether you stretch or compress: you push in the direction the end moves.

Exercise 3: Cables and chains: every piece travels its own distance

A cable is not lifted by a force that varies: it is lifted piece by piece, and the pieces do not travel the same distance. The piece near the roof barely moves, the piece at the bottom rises the whole length. So we slice the OBJECT, not the path: each slice brings its own weight and its own distance.

A cable 2020 m long, weighing 66 N per metre, hangs vertically from the roof of a building. Measure xx downward from the roof, as in the figure. The crate appears in part c) only.

roofΔxx100 N
  • a) The whole cable is wound up onto the roof. Write the work done on the slice between depths xx and x+Δxx + \Delta x, then compute the total work.
  • b) Only the top 1010 m of cable are wound up. Compute the work.
  • c) A crate weighing 100100 N now hangs from the bottom of the cable. Compute the work to wind the whole cable, crate included.
  • d) Recompute c) by slicing the PATH instead: when yy metres have been wound up, what force must the winch exert?
  • e) A chain 1010 m long, weighing 88 N per metre, lies on the ground. One end is lifted to a height of 1010 m, so that the chain hangs vertically and just touches the ground. Compute the work. Then compute it when the end is lifted to 44 m only.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) slice: 6 Δx⋅x6\,\Delta x \cdot x; W=∫0206x dx=1200W = \int_0^{20} 6x\,dx = 1200 J
  • b) 300+600=900300 + 600 = 900 J
  • c) 1200+2000=32001200 + 2000 = 3200 J
  • d) F(y)=6(20−y)+100F(y) = 6(20 - y) + 100; ∫020(220−6y) dy=3200\int_0^{20} (220 - 6y)\,dy = 3200 J
  • e) 400400 J; 6464 J

a) The slice between depths xx and x+Δxx + \Delta x has length Δx\Delta x, so it weighs 6 Δx6\,\Delta x newtons, and it must rise about xx metres to reach the roof. Its work is about 6x Δx6x\,\Delta x. Adding the slices gives a Riemann sum ∑6xi∗ Δx\sum 6x_i^*\,\Delta x, whose limit is W=∫0206x dx=3x2∣020=1200W = \int_0^{20} 6x\,dx = 3x^2 \Big|_0^{20} = 1200 J. The famous wrong answer is 120×20=2400120 \times 20 = 2400 J: total weight times total length, which lifts EVERY piece 2020 m. Check with the average value: the cable is uniform, every metre weighs the same, and the distances xx run evenly from 00 to 2020, with average 120∫020x dx=10\frac{1}{20}\int_0^{20} x\,dx = 10 m. So W=120×10=1200W = 120 \times 10 = 1200 J.

b) Two groups of slices. The top 1010 m end on the roof: a slice at depth x∈[0,10]x \in [0, 10] rises xx, total ∫0106x dx=3x2∣010=300\int_0^{10} 6x\,dx = 3x^2 \Big|_0^{10} = 300 J. The bottom 1010 m, weighing 6060 N, are NOT wound up but they rise too: every piece of it moves up exactly 1010 m, total 60×10=60060 \times 10 = 600 J. So W=900W = 900 J. Answering 300300 J forgets that the lower half is dragged up with the upper half, and it is the most frequent error on this question.

c) The crate is a single weight of 100100 N that rises the full 2020 m: constant force, no integral, 100×20=2000100 \times 20 = 2000 J. The cable still costs 12001200 J, so W=3200W = 3200 J. Integrating the crate, or forgetting it, both cost the part.

d) After yy metres have been wound, 20−y20 - y metres still hang, weighing 6(20−y)6(20 - y) newtons, plus the crate. The winch pulls with F(y)=6(20−y)+100=220−6yF(y) = 6(20 - y) + 100 = 220 - 6y newtons, a force that VARIES along the path, so W=∫020(220−6y) dy=[220y−3y2]020=4400−1200=3200W = \int_0^{20} (220 - 6y)\,dy = \left[220y - 3y^2\right]_0^{20} = 4400 - 1200 = 3200 J, as in c). Two readings of the same work: slice the object and add weight times distance, or slice the path and add force times displacement. Choose the one where the two factors are easy to write.

e) The piece of chain that ends at height yy was lying on the ground, at height 00, so it rises yy: a slice of length Δy\Delta y weighs 8 Δy8\,\Delta y and costs 8y Δy8y\,\Delta y. W=∫0108y dy=4y2∣010=400W = \int_0^{10} 8y\,dy = 4y^2 \Big|_0^{10} = 400 J. When the end is lifted to 44 m only, only 44 m of chain leave the ground, and the other 66 m do not move: W=∫048y dy=4×16=64W = \int_0^4 8y\,dy = 4 \times 16 = 64 J. The bounds follow the pieces that MOVE, not the length of the chain.

Exercise 4: Pumping out a cylindrical tank: the distance is not y

To pump water out of a tank, slice the WATER into horizontal layers: a layer is lifted as a block, all its water travels the same distance, but two layers do not. A layer of area A(y)A(y) and thickness Δy\Delta y holds A(y) ΔyA(y)\,\Delta y cubic metres, weighs ρg A(y) Δy\rho g\,A(y)\,\Delta y newtons, and travels a distance D(y)D(y) from where it IS to where it is DELIVERED. Throughout: ρg=1000×9.8=9800\rho g = 1000 \times 9.8 = 9800 N per cubic metre, and every answer is exact, in terms of π\pi.

A vertical cylindrical tank has radius 22 m and height 55 m. Measure yy upward from the bottom, as in the figure.

0yheight5 mradius 2 m
  • a) The tank is full. Write the weight of the layer at height yy and the distance it travels, then compute the work to pump all the water over the top.
  • b) Same, but the water must leave through an outlet 11 m ABOVE the top of the tank.
  • c) The water is only 33 m deep. Compute the work to pump it all over the top.
  • d) The tank is full, and water is pumped over the top until only 22 m of water remain. Compute the work.
  • e) Check a) and c) without integrating, with the average value of the distance, and explain why this shortcut is legitimate for a cylinder.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) weight 39 200π Δy39\,200\pi\,\Delta y N, distance 5−y5 - y; W=490 000πW = 490\,000\pi J
  • b) W=686 000πW = 686\,000\pi J
  • c) W=411 600πW = 411\,600\pi J
  • d) W=176 400πW = 176\,400\pi J
  • e) 196 000π×2.5196\,000\pi \times 2.5 and 117 600π×3.5117\,600\pi \times 3.5: same values

a) Every layer is a disc of radius 22: A(y)=4πA(y) = 4\pi, volume 4π Δy4\pi\,\Delta y, weight 9800×4π Δy=39 200π Δy9800 \times 4\pi\,\Delta y = 39\,200\pi\,\Delta y newtons. A layer at height yy must reach the top, at height 55: it travels 5−y5 - y. So W=∫0539 200π(5−y) dy=39 200π[5y−y22]05=39 200π×252=490 000πW = \int_0^5 39\,200\pi(5 - y)\,dy = 39\,200\pi\left[5y - \frac{y^2}{2}\right]_0^5 = 39\,200\pi \times \frac{25}{2} = 490\,000\pi J, about 1.5×1061.5 \times 10^6 J. The distance is 5−y5 - y, not yy: yy is where the layer IS, 5−y5 - y is how far it GOES. For this tank, ∫05y dy\int_0^5 y\,dy also equals 252\frac{25}{2} by coincidence, which is why the error survives on a cylinder and costs the whole question on any other shape (Exercise 5).

b) Only the destination changes: the outlet is at height 66, so D(y)=6−yD(y) = 6 - y. W=39 200π∫05(6−y) dy=39 200π(30−252)=39 200π×352=686 000πW = 39\,200\pi\int_0^5 (6 - y)\,dy = 39\,200\pi\left(30 - \frac{25}{2}\right) = 39\,200\pi \times \frac{35}{2} = 686\,000\pi J. Check: the extra 196 000π196\,000\pi J is the total weight of the water, 39 200π×5=196 000π39\,200\pi \times 5 = 196\,000\pi N, lifted one more metre. Every layer travels 11 m further, so the work grows by weight times 11 m.

c) The bounds are where the water IS: yy from 00 to 33. The destination is still the top of the tank, so the distance is still 5−y5 - y. W=39 200π∫03(5−y) dy=39 200π(15−92)=39 200π×212=411 600πW = 39\,200\pi\int_0^3 (5 - y)\,dy = 39\,200\pi\left(15 - \frac{9}{2}\right) = 39\,200\pi \times \frac{21}{2} = 411\,600\pi J. Two errors are waiting here: 3−y3 - y as the distance (the layer must reach the TOP of the tank, not the surface of the water), and bounds from 22 to 55 (the empty part of the tank holds nothing to pump).

d) The water that is removed is the water between heights 22 and 55; the bottom 22 m never move. W=39 200π∫25(5−y) dy=39 200π[5y−y22]25=39 200π(252−8)=39 200π×92=176 400πW = 39\,200\pi\int_2^5 (5 - y)\,dy = 39\,200\pi\left[5y - \frac{y^2}{2}\right]_2^5 = 39\,200\pi\left(\frac{25}{2} - 8\right) = 39\,200\pi \times \frac{9}{2} = 176\,400\pi J. Writing ∫03\int_0^3 here computes c) again: it pumps the bottom 33 m of water, the heaviest part of the job, which is exactly the water that stays.

e) In a cylinder every layer of thickness Δy\Delta y has the SAME weight, so the work is the total weight times the average distance, the average value of DD on the interval where the water is. For a), total weight 39 200π×5=196 000π39\,200\pi \times 5 = 196\,000\pi N and average of 5−y5 - y on [0,5][0, 5] equal to 15∫05(5−y) dy=2.5\frac{1}{5}\int_0^5 (5 - y)\,dy = 2.5 m: 196 000π×2.5=490 000π196\,000\pi \times 2.5 = 490\,000\pi J. For c), weight 39 200π×3=117 600π39\,200\pi \times 3 = 117\,600\pi N and average of 5−y5 - y on [0,3][0, 3] equal to 13×212=3.5\frac{1}{3} \times \frac{21}{2} = 3.5 m: 117 600π×3.5=411 600π117\,600\pi \times 3.5 = 411\,600\pi J. The shortcut rests on the equal weights; the moment the cross-section changes with yy, it breaks, as Exercise 5 shows.

Exercise 5: The conical tank: the area of a layer changes with its height

In a cone, the layers are discs whose radius depends on the height: the weight of a layer is no longer the same from one layer to the next, and the radius has to be read from the geometry, by similar triangles, BEFORE any integral is written. As before, ρg=1000×9.8=9800\rho g = 1000 \times 9.8 = 9800 N per cubic metre.

A tank has the shape of a right circular cone, 66 m high, with a radius of 33 m at its widest. On the left of the figure it stands vertex DOWN, open at the top, with water 44 m deep; on the right, the same cone stands vertex UP on its base. Measure yy upward from the bottom in both cases.

3 m6 mdepth 4 mvertex down3 m6 mvertex up
  • a) Vertex down. Express the radius of the layer at height yy, then its weight.
  • b) Vertex down and full. Compute the work to pump all the water over the rim.
  • c) Vertex down, water 44 m deep as drawn. Compute the work to pump it over the rim.
  • d) Vertex up and full, the water leaving through a small hole at the vertex. Compute the work, and compare with b): same cone, same volume of water.
  • e) A student checks b) with the shortcut of Exercise 4: total weight times the average distance. Show that he gets the wrong answer, and explain why.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) r=y2r = \frac{y}{2}; weight 2450πy2 Δy2450\pi y^2\,\Delta y N
  • b) W=264 600πW = 264\,600\pi J
  • c) W=156 800πW = 156\,800\pi J
  • d) W=793 800πW = 793\,800\pi J, three times b)
  • e) shortcut: 529 200π529\,200\pi J, double the true value; the layers do not weigh the same

a) Cut the cone by a vertical plane through its axis: the vertex, the axis and the rim make a right triangle with legs 66 (height) and 33 (radius). The layer at height yy above the vertex cuts a smaller, similar triangle with legs yy and rr, so ry=36\frac{r}{y} = \frac{3}{6} and r=y2r = \frac{y}{2}. The layer's volume is π(y2)2Δy=π4y2 Δy\pi\left(\frac{y}{2}\right)^2\Delta y = \frac{\pi}{4}y^2\,\Delta y and its weight 9800×π4y2 Δy=2450πy2 Δy9800 \times \frac{\pi}{4}y^2\,\Delta y = 2450\pi y^2\,\Delta y newtons. Writing r=2yr = 2y (the ratio upside down) or r=3r = 3 (the rim radius for every layer) is the classic loss; test the formula at y=6y = 6, where it must give 33.

b) The rim is at height 66, so the layer travels 6−y6 - y. W=∫062450πy2(6−y) dy=2450π[2y3−y44]06=2450π(432−324)=2450π×108=264 600πW = \int_0^6 2450\pi y^2(6 - y)\,dy = 2450\pi\left[2y^3 - \frac{y^4}{4}\right]_0^6 = 2450\pi(432 - 324) = 2450\pi \times 108 = 264\,600\pi J. With the reflex distance yy instead, 2450π∫06y3 dy=2450π×3242450\pi\int_0^6 y^3\,dy = 2450\pi \times 324, three times too much: here the coincidence of the cylinder does not happen.

c) The bounds are where the water is, 00 to 44; the destination is still the rim. W=2450π[2y3−y44]04=2450π(128−64)=2450π×64=156 800πW = 2450\pi\left[2y^3 - \frac{y^4}{4}\right]_0^4 = 2450\pi(128 - 64) = 2450\pi \times 64 = 156\,800\pi J. The water is 23\frac{2}{3} of the height but only (23)3=827\left(\frac{2}{3}\right)^3 = \frac{8}{27} of the volume, and still more than half of the work of b), because it sits where the distance to the rim is longest.

d) Vertex up, the radius SHRINKS with the height: at height yy the similar triangle has legs 6−y6 - y and rr, so r=6−y2r = \frac{6 - y}{2}, and the vertex is at height 66, so the distance is again 6−y6 - y. W=∫069800π(6−y)24(6−y) dy=2450π∫06(6−y)3 dy=2450π[−(6−y)44]06=2450π×324=793 800πW = \int_0^6 9800\pi\frac{(6 - y)^2}{4}(6 - y)\,dy = 2450\pi\int_0^6 (6 - y)^3\,dy = 2450\pi\left[-\frac{(6 - y)^4}{4}\right]_0^6 = 2450\pi \times 324 = 793\,800\pi J, exactly three times b). The volume is the same, 13π(3)2(6)=18π\frac{1}{3}\pi(3)^2(6) = 18\pi cubic metres, but vertex up the wide layers are at the bottom, far from the outlet, and vertex down they are at the top, close to it. The work depends on WHERE the weight is, not only on how much there is.

e) Total weight: 9800×18π=176 400π9800 \times 18\pi = 176\,400\pi N; average of 6−y6 - y on [0,6][0, 6]: 33 m; product 529 200π529\,200\pi J, twice the true 264 600π264\,600\pi J. The average value gives every height the same importance, which is right only when every layer weighs the same (the cylinder). In the vertex-down cone, the heavy layers are high up, where the distance is short, so the true work weights the short distances more: dividing, the effective distance is 264 600π176 400π=1.5\frac{264\,600\pi}{176\,400\pi} = 1.5 m, not 33 m. The integral ∫ρg A(y)D(y) dy\int \rho g\,A(y)D(y)\,dy does that weighting automatically; the shortcut does not.

Part B: problems and reasoning (/50)

Exercise 6: A trough in imperial units: the pound is already a weight

In imperial units, water weighs 62.562.5 lb per cubic foot, and the pound is a unit of FORCE: 62.562.5 lb/ft3^3 plays the role that ρg=9800\rho g = 9800 N/m3^3 plays in SI, and no gg appears anywhere. Work is in foot-pounds (ft-lb).

A trough 1010 ft long has a vertical cross-section that is an isosceles triangle, 44 ft across the top and 22 ft deep, as in the end view of the figure. It is full of water. Measure yy upward from the bottom edge.

4 ft2 ftwy0end view, trough 10 ft long
  • a) Express the width ww of the water surface at height yy, then the weight of the layer at height yy.
  • b) Compute the work to pump all the water over the top edge of the trough.
  • c) The water is only 11 ft deep. Compute the work to pump it over the top edge. What fraction of the water of b) is it, and what fraction of the work?
  • d) The trough is full and the water must leave through a pipe 11 ft above the top edge. Compute the work, and check it against b) in one line.
  • e) A student multiplies 62.562.5 by 3232 ft/s2^2 to get the weight of a layer. Explain what is wrong and what it does to his answer.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) w=2yw = 2y; weight 1250y Δy1250y\,\Delta y lb
  • b) W=50003W = \frac{5000}{3} ft-lb
  • c) W=25003W = \frac{2500}{3} ft-lb: a quarter of the water, half of the work
  • d) W=12 5003W = \frac{12\,500}{3} ft-lb =50003+2500×1= \frac{5000}{3} + 2500 \times 1
  • e) 62.562.5 lb/ft3^3 is already a weight density; his answer is 3232 times too large

a) The end view is a triangle with its vertex at the bottom: at height 22 the width is 44, at height 00 it is 00, and the width grows linearly with the height. By similar triangles, wy=42\frac{w}{y} = \frac{4}{2}, so w=2yw = 2y. The layer at height yy is a thin rectangular slab, 1010 ft long, 2y2y ft wide and Δy\Delta y ft thick: volume 20y Δy20y\,\Delta y ft3^3, weight 62.5×20y Δy=1250y Δy62.5 \times 20y\,\Delta y = 1250y\,\Delta y lb. Test: at y=2y = 2 the width is 44, as drawn.

b) The top edge is at height 22, so the layer travels 2−y2 - y. W=∫021250y(2−y) dy=1250[y2−y33]02=1250(4−83)=1250×43=50003W = \int_0^2 1250y(2 - y)\,dy = 1250\left[y^2 - \frac{y^3}{3}\right]_0^2 = 1250\left(4 - \frac{8}{3}\right) = 1250 \times \frac{4}{3} = \frac{5000}{3} ft-lb, about 16671667 ft-lb.

c) Bounds 00 to 11, distance still 2−y2 - y: W=1250[y2−y33]01=1250×23=25003W = 1250\left[y^2 - \frac{y^3}{3}\right]_0^1 = 1250 \times \frac{2}{3} = \frac{2500}{3} ft-lb. The full trough holds 10×12×4×2=4010 \times \frac{1}{2} \times 4 \times 2 = 40 ft3^3; at a depth of 11 ft the triangle of water is 22 ft across and 11 ft deep, so it holds 10×12×2×1=1010 \times \frac{1}{2} \times 2 \times 1 = 10 ft3^3: a QUARTER of the water. Yet it costs HALF the work, because that water is the bottom of the trough, the part that travels farthest. Half the depth, a quarter of the water, half the work: three different fractions, and none of them is the one you would guess.

d) The pipe is at height 33: W=∫021250y(3−y) dy=1250[3y22−y33]02=1250(6−83)=1250×103=12 5003W = \int_0^2 1250y(3 - y)\,dy = 1250\left[\frac{3y^2}{2} - \frac{y^3}{3}\right]_0^2 = 1250\left(6 - \frac{8}{3}\right) = 1250 \times \frac{10}{3} = \frac{12\,500}{3} ft-lb. One-line check: every layer travels 11 ft more than in b), so the work grows by the total weight, 62.5×40=250062.5 \times 40 = 2500 lb, times 11 ft: 50003+2500=12 5003\frac{5000}{3} + 2500 = \frac{12\,500}{3}.

e) The pound is a force, and 62.562.5 lb/ft3^3 is the WEIGHT of a cubic foot of water, the imperial analogue of ρg\rho g, not of ρ\rho. Multiplying by 3232 ft/s2^2 applies the gravity a second time: the units become lb⋅\cdotft/s2^2 per cubic foot, which is not a weight density, and every work comes out 3232 times too large, 160 0003\frac{160\,000}{3} ft-lb for b). In SI the density 10001000 kg/m3^3 is a MASS density and needs gg; in imperial the data is already a weight. Read the unit of the data before deciding whether gg enters.

Exercise 7: Round tanks: choose the origin that makes the layer simple

A hemisphere, a sphere, a cylinder lying on its side: the area of a layer comes from the Pythagorean theorem, and the choice of the axis decides whether the polynomial is short or long. Where to put y=0y = 0, and which way yy points, is a DECISION to write down, not a convention to assume. As before, ρg=1000×9.8=9800\rho g = 1000 \times 9.8 = 9800 N per cubic metre.

The figure shows a hemispherical bowl of radius 33 m, full of water, with an axis yy pointing DOWN from the rim.

radius 3 my0ylayer at depth y
  • a) With yy the depth below the rim, express the area of the layer at depth yy and the distance it travels, then compute the work to pump all the water over the rim.
  • b) Redo a) with yy measured UPWARD from the bottom of the bowl, and compare the two computations.
  • c) A spherical tank of radius 22 m is full. The water leaves through a pipe 11 m above the top of the tank. Taking the origin at the centre of the sphere, compute the work.
  • d) A cylindrical tank of radius 22 m and length 55 m lies on its side, full of water. Compute the work to pump the water over its top. No trigonometric substitution is needed.
  • e) The spherical tank of c) is only half full. Compute the work to pump its water to the top of the tank, and compare with the full tank pumped to the same level.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) area π(9−y2)\pi(9 - y^2), distance yy; W=198 450πW = 198\,450\pi J
  • b) area π(6y−y2)\pi(6y - y^2), distance 3−y3 - y; same W=198 450πW = 198\,450\pi J, longer polynomial
  • c) W=9800×32π=313 600πW = 9800 \times 32\pi = 313\,600\pi J
  • d) W=9800×40π=392 000πW = 9800 \times 40\pi = 392\,000\pi J
  • e) 431 200π3\frac{431\,200\pi}{3} J, that is 1116\frac{11}{16} of the full tank's 627 200π3\frac{627\,200\pi}{3} J

a) The layer at depth yy is a disc. Its edge is on the sphere, at distance 33 from the centre, which sits in the middle of the rim; the depth yy and the radius rr of the disc are the two legs of a right triangle with hypotenuse 33. So r2=9−y2r^2 = 9 - y^2 and A(y)=π(9−y2)A(y) = \pi(9 - y^2). With the axis pointing down from the rim, the distance to the rim IS yy. W=∫039800π(9−y2)y dy=9800π[9y22−y44]03=9800π(812−814)=9800π×814=198 450πW = \int_0^3 9800\pi(9 - y^2)y\,dy = 9800\pi\left[\frac{9y^2}{2} - \frac{y^4}{4}\right]_0^3 = 9800\pi\left(\frac{81}{2} - \frac{81}{4}\right) = 9800\pi \times \frac{81}{4} = 198\,450\pi J.

b) Upward from the bottom, the centre of the sphere is at height 33, so a layer at height yy is 3−y3 - y below the centre: r2=9−(3−y)2=6y−y2r^2 = 9 - (3 - y)^2 = 6y - y^2, and the distance to the rim is 3−y3 - y. ∫03(6y−y2)(3−y) dy=∫03(18y−9y2+y3) dy=[9y2−3y3+y44]03=81−81+814=814\int_0^3 (6y - y^2)(3 - y)\,dy = \int_0^3 (18y - 9y^2 + y^3)\,dy = \left[9y^2 - 3y^3 + \frac{y^4}{4}\right]_0^3 = 81 - 81 + \frac{81}{4} = \frac{81}{4}, the same W=198 450πW = 198\,450\pi J. The physics cannot depend on the axis, and it does not; the algebra does. The first choice puts the origin where the geometry is centred, and it is the one to take on an exam.

c) Origin at the centre, yy upward: yy runs from −2-2 to 22, A(y)=π(4−y2)A(y) = \pi(4 - y^2), and the pipe is at height 2+1=32 + 1 = 3, so D(y)=3−yD(y) = 3 - y. W=9800π∫−22(4−y2)(3−y) dy=9800π[3∫−22(4−y2) dy−∫−22y(4−y2) dy]W = 9800\pi\int_{-2}^{2} (4 - y^2)(3 - y)\,dy = 9800\pi\left[3\int_{-2}^{2} (4 - y^2)\,dy - \int_{-2}^{2} y(4 - y^2)\,dy\right]. The second integrand is ODD on an interval symmetric about 00, so it vanishes; the first is even, 3×2∫02(4−y2) dy=6(8−83)=323 \times 2\int_0^2 (4 - y^2)\,dy = 6\left(8 - \frac{8}{3}\right) = 32. W=9800×32π=313 600πW = 9800 \times 32\pi = 313\,600\pi J. The centred origin is what makes the symmetry visible.

d) Origin on the axis of the cylinder, yy upward, y∈[−2,2]y \in [-2, 2]. The layer at height yy is a thin rectangle, 55 m long and as wide as the chord of the circle at that height, 24−y22\sqrt{4 - y^2}: area 104−y210\sqrt{4 - y^2}. The top is at height 22, distance 2−y2 - y. W=9800∫−22104−y2(2−y) dy=9800[20∫−224−y2 dy−10∫−22y4−y2 dy]W = 9800\int_{-2}^{2} 10\sqrt{4 - y^2}(2 - y)\,dy = 9800\left[20\int_{-2}^{2}\sqrt{4 - y^2}\,dy - 10\int_{-2}^{2} y\sqrt{4 - y^2}\,dy\right]. The second integral is odd, so it is 00. The first is the area of a half disc of radius 22, read with geometry: 12π(2)2=2π\frac{1}{2}\pi(2)^2 = 2\pi. W=9800×40π=392 000πW = 9800 \times 40\pi = 392\,000\pi J. Reaching for y=2sin⁡θy = 2\sin\theta here is not wrong, but it costs ten minutes that the geometry gives back.

e) The bottom half is y∈[−2,0]y \in [-2, 0], pumped to the top of the tank at height 22: ∫−20(4−y2)(2−y) dy=∫−20(8−4y−2y2+y3) dy=−[8y−2y2−2y33+y44]y=−2=−(−16−8+163+4)=443\int_{-2}^{0} (4 - y^2)(2 - y)\,dy = \int_{-2}^{0} (8 - 4y - 2y^2 + y^3)\,dy = -\left[8y - 2y^2 - \frac{2y^3}{3} + \frac{y^4}{4}\right]_{y=-2} = -\left(-16 - 8 + \frac{16}{3} + 4\right) = \frac{44}{3}. So W=9800×44π3=431 200π3W = \frac{9800 \times 44\pi}{3} = \frac{431\,200\pi}{3} J. Full tank to the same level: by symmetry ∫−22(4−y2)(2−y) dy=2×2∫02(4−y2) dy=643\int_{-2}^{2} (4 - y^2)(2 - y)\,dy = 2 \times 2\int_0^2 (4 - y^2)\,dy = \frac{64}{3}, so W=627 200π3W = \frac{627\,200\pi}{3} J. Half the water, 4464=1116\frac{44}{64} = \frac{11}{16} of the work: the half that stays in a half-full tank is always the expensive half.

Exercise 8: Five statements to correct

Each statement below was written on a MATH 141 paper, and each is false. Say what is wrong, give the correct statement, and settle it with a computation. Use ρg=9800\rho g = 9800 N/m3^3 where needed.

  • a) A spring needs 4040 N to hold it 0.20.2 m beyond its natural length, so the work to stretch it that far is 40×0.2=840 \times 0.2 = 8 J.
  • b) Stretching that spring from 0.20.2 m to 0.30.3 m beyond its natural length costs the same as stretching it from 00 to 0.10.1 m, since the displacement is 0.10.1 m both times.
  • c) Pumping out the cylindrical tank of Exercise 4 (radius 22 m, height 55 m) takes half as much work when it is half full as when it is full.
  • d) In imperial units, the weight of a layer of water of volume VV cubic feet is 62.5×32×V62.5 \times 32 \times V pounds.
  • e) A 2020 m cable weighing 66 N/m ends up entirely on the roof, so each of its pieces is lifted 2020 m and the work is 120×20=2400120 \times 20 = 2400 J.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) False: W=∫00.2200x dx=4W = \int_0^{0.2} 200x\,dx = 4 J
  • b) False: 55 J against 11 J
  • c) False: 367 500π367\,500\pi J against 490 000π490\,000\pi J, three quarters of the work
  • d) False: 62.5V62.5V pounds, the pound is already a force
  • e) False: ∫0206x dx=1200\int_0^{20} 6x\,dx = 1200 J

a) FALSE. The force is 4040 N only at the end of the stretch; it grows from 00 with F=kxF = kx, k=400.2=200k = \frac{40}{0.2} = 200 N/m. W=∫00.2200x dx=100(0.2)2=4W = \int_0^{0.2} 200x\,dx = 100(0.2)^2 = 4 J, the area of the triangle under FF, half the rectangle 40×0.240 \times 0.2. Correct statement: FdFd is the work of a CONSTANT force; the work of a spring is k2x2\frac{k}{2}x^2 for a stretch xx from the natural length.

b) FALSE. ∫0.20.3200x dx=100(0.09−0.04)=5\int_{0.2}^{0.3} 200x\,dx = 100(0.09 - 0.04) = 5 J, while ∫00.1200x dx=1\int_0^{0.1} 200x\,dx = 1 J. Correct statement: the work between two stretches is k2(x22−x12)\frac{k}{2}(x_2^2 - x_1^2); it depends on where the stretch starts, because the spring already resists with 4040 N at 0.20.2 m.

c) FALSE. Half full, the water occupies 0≤y≤2.50 \le y \le 2.5 and still goes over the top at 55: W=39 200π∫02.5(5−y) dy=39 200π(12.5−3.125)=39 200π×9.375=367 500πW = 39\,200\pi\int_0^{2.5} (5 - y)\,dy = 39\,200\pi\left(12.5 - 3.125\right) = 39\,200\pi \times 9.375 = 367\,500\pi J, against 490 000π490\,000\pi J full: the ratio is 34\frac{3}{4}. Correct statement: the water that stays in a half-full tank is the bottom half, the half that travels farther, so it costs more than half of the work.

d) FALSE. The pound is a unit of force, and 62.562.5 lb/ft3^3 is already the weight of one cubic foot. The layer weighs 62.5V62.5V lb. Multiplying by 3232 ft/s2^2 applies gravity twice and makes every answer 3232 times too large. Correct statement: in SI, weight =ρgV= \rho g V with ρ=1000\rho = 1000 kg/m3^3; in imperial, weight =62.5V= 62.5V with no gg.

e) FALSE. The piece at depth xx rises only xx metres; only the bottom piece rises 2020 m. W=∫0206x dx=3(20)2=1200W = \int_0^{20} 6x\,dx = 3(20)^2 = 1200 J, half of 24002400. Correct statement: for a hanging cable, slice the cable, and each slice's distance is its own depth; total weight times total length lifts every piece as if it were at the bottom.

Exercise 9: A leaking bucket pulled up a well

A well is 3030 m deep, from the winch down to the surface of the water. A bucket weighing 2020 N empty is filled with 180180 N of water and pulled up at a constant speed of 0.50.5 m/s by a rope weighing 0.50.5 N per metre, 3030 m of rope hanging from the winch at the start. On the way up, water leaks out of the bucket at a constant rate of 22 N per second. Measure yy, the height of the bucket above the water, as in the figure.

The bucket, the water and the rope are three different problems of the chapter in one: a constant weight, a weight that changes along the path, and an object whose pieces travel different distances. Kinetic energy is ignored, the speed being constant.

0y30 mbucketrope
  • a) Express the weight of the water in the bucket when the bucket is at height yy. How much water arrives at the top?
  • b) Compute the work done on the empty bucket, then on the water.
  • c) Compute the work done on the rope in two ways: by slicing the path, then by slicing the rope.
  • d) Give the total work.
  • e) The same bucket is now pulled at 11 m/s. Compute the new total work, and explain why pulling faster costs MORE work.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) 180−4y180 - 4y N; 6060 N arrives at the top
  • b) bucket 600600 J; water ∫030(180−4y) dy=3600\int_0^{30} (180 - 4y)\,dy = 3600 J
  • c) ∫0300.5(30−y) dy=∫0300.5x dx=225\int_0^{30} 0.5(30 - y)\,dy = \int_0^{30} 0.5x\,dx = 225 J
  • d) 44254425 J
  • e) water 45004500 J, total 53255325 J: more water survives the trip

a) At 0.50.5 m/s, the bucket reaches height yy after t=y0.5=2yt = \frac{y}{0.5} = 2y seconds, and by then it has lost 2×2y=4y2 \times 2y = 4y newtons of water. The water weighs 180−4y180 - 4y N at height yy, and 180−120=60180 - 120 = 60 N at the top. The leak is given per SECOND, the integral runs over METRES: the speed is the conversion, and skipping it (writing 180−2y180 - 2y) is the error the problem is built to catch.

b) The empty bucket is a constant force of 2020 N over 3030 m: W=600W = 600 J, no integral. The water is a force that varies along the path, so slice the path: W=∫030(180−4y) dy=[180y−2y2]030=5400−1800=3600W = \int_0^{30} (180 - 4y)\,dy = \left[180y - 2y^2\right]_0^{30} = 5400 - 1800 = 3600 J. Check with the average value: the weight is linear in yy, so its average on [0,30][0, 30] is the mean of the end values, 180+602=120\frac{180 + 60}{2} = 120 N, and 120×30=3600120 \times 30 = 3600 J. Using the initial 180180 N all the way gives 54005400 J, the leak forgotten.

c) Slicing the path: when the bucket is at height yy, the rope between the winch and the bucket is 30−y30 - y m long and weighs 0.5(30−y)0.5(30 - y) N, the force the winch must add for the rope. W=∫0300.5(30−y) dy=0.5[30y−y22]030=0.5×450=225W = \int_0^{30} 0.5(30 - y)\,dy = 0.5\left[30y - \frac{y^2}{2}\right]_0^{30} = 0.5 \times 450 = 225 J. Slicing the rope: the piece at depth xx below the winch is wound up, so it rises xx and weighs 0.5 Δx0.5\,\Delta x: W=∫0300.5x dx=0.25×900=225W = \int_0^{30} 0.5x\,dx = 0.25 \times 900 = 225 J. The same number twice, as in Exercise 3 d): a cable can be sliced as an object or as a path.

d) W=600+3600+225=4425W = 600 + 3600 + 225 = 4425 J. On an exam, the three pieces are graded separately: write them separately, each with its own method named.

e) At 11 m/s the bucket reaches yy after yy seconds and loses 2y2y newtons: the water weighs 180−2y180 - 2y. Wwater=∫030(180−2y) dy=5400−900=4500W_{\text{water}} = \int_0^{30} (180 - 2y)\,dy = 5400 - 900 = 4500 J. The bucket and the rope do not change, 600600 and 225225 J, so the total is 53255325 J. Pulling faster costs more work because the work is spent on the WATER that is lifted: less time means less leaking, so more water is carried up, and 120120 N now arrive at the top instead of 6060. Work measures what is lifted and how far, not how long it takes; the time only enters through the leak.

Exercise 10: A final exam question: lifting a payload against gravity

Near the ground, lifting a mass mm by a height hh costs mghmgh, because the weight mgmg is constant. Far from the ground it is not. By Newton's law of gravitation, the Earth (mass MM) attracts a mass mm at distance rr from its CENTRE with a force F(r)=GMmr2F(r) = \frac{GMm}{r^2}. At the surface, r=Rr = R, this force is the weight mgmg, so GM=gR2GM = gR^2 and F(r)=mgR2r2F(r) = \frac{mgR^2}{r^2}.

A payload of mass mm is lifted slowly, straight up, from the surface to an altitude hh, that is from r=Rr = R to r=R+hr = R + h.

  • a) Show that the work needed is W(h)=mgRhR+hW(h) = \frac{mgRh}{R + h}.
  • b) Compute WW for h=Rh = R and compare with the constant-weight estimate mghmgh.
  • c) Show that W(h)<mghW(h) < mgh for every h>0h > 0, and that W(h)mgh→1\frac{W(h)}{mgh} \to 1 as h→0+h \to 0^+. By how much does mghmgh overestimate the work for h=R100h = \frac{R}{100}?
  • d) Compute the work needed to take the payload infinitely far from the Earth. What fraction of it does the lift of b) already represent?
  • e) Take m=1000m = 1000 kg, g=9.8g = 9.8 m/s2^2, R=6.4×106R = 6.4 \times 10^6 m and h=1.6×106h = 1.6 \times 10^6 m. Compute WW and mghmgh by hand, in scientific notation.
Show the solution

Answers

  • a) W=mgR2(1R−1R+h)=mgRhR+hW = mgR^2\left(\frac{1}{R} - \frac{1}{R + h}\right) = \frac{mgRh}{R + h}
  • b) W=mgR2W = \frac{mgR}{2}, half of mgh=mgRmgh = mgR
  • c) Wmgh=RR+h<1\frac{W}{mgh} = \frac{R}{R + h} < 1, tends to 11; for h=R100h = \frac{R}{100}, mghmgh is 1%1\% too large
  • d) ∫R∞mgR2r2 dr=mgR\int_R^\infty \frac{mgR^2}{r^2}\,dr = mgR; the lift to h=Rh = R is half of it
  • e) W=mgR5=1.2544×1010W = \frac{mgR}{5} = 1.2544 \times 10^{10} J; mgh=1.568×1010mgh = 1.568 \times 10^{10} J

a) The force changes along the path, so slice the path: on [r,r+Δr][r, r + \Delta r] the force is about mgR2r2\frac{mgR^2}{r^2}, and W(h)=∫RR+hmgR2r2 dr=mgR2[−1r]RR+h=mgR2(1R−1R+h)W(h) = \int_R^{R + h} \frac{mgR^2}{r^2}\,dr = mgR^2\left[-\frac{1}{r}\right]_R^{R + h} = mgR^2\left(\frac{1}{R} - \frac{1}{R + h}\right). Over a common denominator, 1R−1R+h=hR(R+h)\frac{1}{R} - \frac{1}{R + h} = \frac{h}{R(R + h)}, so W(h)=mgRhR+hW(h) = \frac{mgRh}{R + h}. The variable of integration is the distance to the CENTRE, rr, not the altitude: integrating mgR2x2\frac{mgR^2}{x^2} for xx from 00 to hh divides by zero at the ground.

b) W(R)=mgR⋅R2R=mgR2W(R) = \frac{mgR \cdot R}{2R} = \frac{mgR}{2}, while mgh=mgRmgh = mgR: the constant-weight estimate is TWICE the true work. At the altitude RR, that is at r=2Rr = 2R, the weight has fallen to mg4\frac{mg}{4}, and treating it as mgmg all the way overcharges most of the trip.

c) W(h)mgh=RR+h\frac{W(h)}{mgh} = \frac{R}{R + h}, which is less than 11 for h>0h > 0 since R+h>RR + h > R, and tends to RR=1\frac{R}{R} = 1 as h→0+h \to 0^+: near the ground, mghmgh is the right answer, which is why it is used in first-year physics. For h=R100h = \frac{R}{100}, mghW=R+hR=1.01\frac{mgh}{W} = \frac{R + h}{R} = 1.01: mghmgh is too large by exactly 1%1\%, about 6464 km of altitude on the Earth.

d) This is an improper integral: ∫R∞mgR2r2 dr=lim⁡b→∞mgR2(1R−1b)=mgR\int_R^\infty \frac{mgR^2}{r^2}\,dr = \lim_{b \to \infty} mgR^2\left(\frac{1}{R} - \frac{1}{b}\right) = mgR, finite because ∫R∞r−2 dr\int_R^\infty r^{-2}\,dr converges (p=2>1p = 2 > 1). An infinite path, a finite work: the force decreases fast enough. The lift of b) costs mgR2\frac{mgR}{2}, HALF of what it takes to leave the Earth for good.

e) Here h=R4h = \frac{R}{4}, so W=mgR⋅R45R4=mgR5W = \frac{mgR \cdot \frac{R}{4}}{\frac{5R}{4}} = \frac{mgR}{5}. By hand: 9.8×6.4=62.729.8 \times 6.4 = 62.72, so mgR=1000×62.72×106=6.272×1010mgR = 1000 \times 62.72 \times 10^6 = 6.272 \times 10^{10} J and W=6.272×10105=1.2544×1010W = \frac{6.272 \times 10^{10}}{5} = 1.2544 \times 10^{10} J. The estimate mgh=1000×9.8×1.6×106=15.68×109=1.568×1010mgh = 1000 \times 9.8 \times 1.6 \times 10^6 = 15.68 \times 10^9 = 1.568 \times 10^{10} J is R+hR=54\frac{R + h}{R} = \frac{5}{4} times too large, 25%25\% too much. The whole computation is two multiplications and a division by 55: simplify the formula with h=R4h = \frac{R}{4} BEFORE substituting the numbers.

See also

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