This mandatory assignment consists of some multiple-choice questions (first

part; 30 points) and some problems (second part; 70 points). As a third part,
there is the option of writing a short “essay” which gives a bonus of 30 points
on the of the 100 points that can be achieved in the first two parts.
The evaluation is pass (more than 40 points) or fail.

Multiple-Choice Questions
Tick the correct answer. Only one is correct.

The square brackets [C,B,W] specify the points obtained by answering Cor-
rectly, by leaving it as Blank, and by aswering Wrongly. The values of C, B
and W vary from question to question, depending on the difficulty and how ba-
sic/fundamental the topic of the question is.

Question 1 [2, 0, -2]: In mechanics, once you have postulated the three
Newton’s laws, the conservation of (mechanical) energy is

2 a further postulate justified by observations and experiments following the

scientific method.
2 a consequence of Newton’s laws.

2 none of the above.

Q. 2 [2, 0, -2]: Consider the following statement: “An object at rest stays
at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the
same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force”
2 This statement is correct in an inertial reference frame
2 This statement is correct only if the object is a point-like particle

2 This statement is generically correct

Q. 3 [2, 0, -2]: You take a metallic disk. It is certified to be a perfect disk

of diameter d =10 cm (in other words, you are sure it is a perfect circle and the
diameter is 10 cm). You measure several times the disk’s circumference c with a
tape measure having ticks every 1 mm. Since for a circle you have c = dπ, you
use your measurements to estimate π by calculating π = c/d, with c being the
result of your measurements and d = 10cm. In this way, you expect to measure

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π and obtain:
(Hint: you may not be able to understand which estimate is correct, but you
should be able to understand which estimates are very wrong.)

2 something like ”π is within the interval [3, 4]”, but you cannot further
shrink the interval due to the statistical error.
2 something like ”π is within the interval [3.12, 3.26]”, but you cannot fur-
ther shrink the interval due to the statistical error.

2 something like ”π is within the interval [3.141592, 3.141593]”, but you can-
not further shrink the interval due to the statistical error.

Q. 4 [2, 0, -2]: Which of the following scenarios is most suitable for treating
an object as a point-like particle in classical mechanics?

2 Investigating the deformation of a car upon impact with a wall.

2 Calculating the behavior of a spinning top.
2 Analyzing the trajectory of an asteroid crossing the Milky Way.

Q. 5 [2, 0, -2]: In a 2-dimensional Cartesian system xOy there is the

(instantaneous) velocity ⃗v = (15x̂ + 7ŷ) m/s.

2 The angle between ⃗v and the x axis is smaller than 45◦

2 The angle between ⃗v and the y axis is smaller than π/4 radians
2 None of the above.

2
 Figure 1: Relevant for Question 7, and possibly other questions

Q. 6 [2, 0, -2]: A disk of radius R = 0.1 m is spinning with angular velocity

rad 2
ω(t) = π t .
s3
A point P is on the border of the disk. The point is located at θ(t = 0) = 90◦ at
the time t = 0. Based on this information, you deduce that, at the time t = 1s,
the point will be at the position θ(t = 1s) = θ0 , with θ0 satisfying the condition
2 90◦ < θ0 < 180◦
2 180◦ ≤ θ0 < 270◦
2 none of the above

Q. 7 [2, 0, -2]: A disk of radius R = 0.1 m is spinning with angular velocity

rad
ω(t) = π .
s
A point P is on the border of the disk. At the time t = 0
2 the (instantaneous) acceleration of P is zero
2 the radial component of the acceleration of P is zero
2 the tangential component of the acceleration of P is zero

Q. 8 [2, 0, -2]: A disk of radius R = 0.1 m is spinning with angular velocity

π rad
ω= .
5 s
A point P is on the border of the disk.

3
 2 The period of the circular motion of P is different from 10 s.
2 The frequency of the circular motion of P is different from 0.1 s−1
2 None of the above

Q. 9 [2, 0, -2]: A disk of radius R = 0.1 m is spinning with angular velocity

π rad
ω= .
5 s

A point P is on the border of the disk. A force F⃗ , with magnitude |F⃗ | = 2 N ,

is applied to P along its radial direction. The work W done by the force in 1
turn satisfies the condition
2 10−2 J < W < 10 J

2 10 J < W < 103 J

2 None of the above

Q.
 10
 [2, 0, -2]:
 The angle α (measured in radians) between the vectors
5 1
w
⃗= and ⃗q = satisfies the condition
4 1

2 0 < α < 0.09

2 1<α<2
2 None of the above

Q 11 [2, 0, -2]: A force is applied to a moving object. The magnitude of

the force is |F⃗ (t)| = k |⃗v | t4 , where t is the time at which the force is applied,
and ⃗v is the velocity of the object. Then, k must be a quantity whose units are
2 Newton/second3
2 kilogram/second5

4
 2 None of the above

Q. 12 [2, 0, -2]: A conservative force has potential U (⃗r) = −k m|⃗r|, where

m is the mass to which the force is applied, and ⃗r is the position of the mass.
Then, k must be a quantity whose units are
2 Joule/(kilogram · second)
2 meter/second2
2 None of the above

Q. 13 [2, 0, -2]:
A force is pushing an object that can slide on a frictionless, horizontal plane.
Thanks to the force, the object covers the distance d = 10 m from the time
t1 = 10 s to the time t2 = 20 s. The force is parallel to the plane, and has
magnitude |F⃗ | = 2 N . The quantity P̄ , which is the average power of the force
in the interval ∆t = t2 − t1 satisfies the condition
2 P̄ < 0.5 W
2 0.5 W ≤ P̄ < 3 W
2 None of the above

Q. 14 [2, 0, -2]: A point-like particle of mass m = 1 kg is moving along

a triangle of vertices A, B and C. In the Cartesian coordinates xOz, where x
is an horizontal coordinate and z is a vertical coordinate, the position of A is
{x = 0, z = 0}, the position of B is {x = 0, z = 1 m} and the position of C
is {x = 1 m, z = 1 m}. The work W done by the gravitational force along the
closed path A → B → C → A satisfies the condition
2 0.1 J < W < 0.9 J
2 0.9 J < W < 3 J
2 None of the above

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 Q. 15 [2, 0, -2]: A point-like particle is close to a maximum of a potential
energy curve.
2 The force sourcing the potential energy tends to push the particle away
from the maximum

2 The motion of the particle is, in first approximation, the one of an har-
monic oscillator
2 None of the above

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Problem 1.
Value: 13 points

A disk of radius R = 2 m is spinning with angular velocity ω(t) = (t+1s) rad

s2 .
A point P is on the border of the disk. At the time t = 0, the point is located
at θ(t = 0) = 0◦ .

P1-1: Determine the speed and the velocity of P at the time t = 0. Express
the component of the velocity ⃗v in terms of its components along the x
and y axes of the Cartesian coordinate system in figure 2

P1-2: Express the above velocity in terms of its components along the tangen-
tial and normal directions of the trajectory of P at the time t = 0.
(Hint: this is equivalent to write ⃗v in the form ⃗v = vN ûN + vT ûT , where
ûT is the unit vector tangent to the path of P and ûN is the unit vector
orthogonal to the path of P)

P1-3: Determine the acceleration of P at the time t = 0.

Figure 2: Possibly helpful for Problem 1

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Problem 2
Value: 13 points

A point-like particle is moving in a reference frame with Cartensian coordi-

nates xOy. Its position as a function of time is
2 3
 
⃗ = a(t − 1 s) + b(t − 5 s)
r(t)
c t2

with a = (1/2) m/s2 , b = (1/3)m/s3 and c = 1m/s2 .

P2-1: Determine the average velocity between t = 1 s and t = 5 s.

P2-2: Determine the speed at t = 5 s

P2-3: Determine the angle (in degrees) between the acceleration and the ve-
locity at t = 5 s

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Problem 3
Value: 20 points

Figure 3: Configuration in Problem 3

A body of mass m1 is placed on a horizontal surface and connected to another

body of mass m3 by means of a rope. The body of mass m3 moves vertically.
A third body of mass m2 is placed on top of the first body. There is no friction
between the bodies of masses m1 and m2 , and there is no friction between the
rope and the pulley. However, there is a static friction of coefficient µ between
the horizontal surface and the body of mass m1 . The setup is illustrated in
Figure 3.

P3-1: Draw the Cartesian reference frame xOy that you will use in the following
questions. Draw also the forces applied to each mass.
P3-2: Write the x and y components of each force applied to the body of mass
m1 . Do the same for the bodies of mass m2 and m3 .

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P3-3: In the case with µ = 0, determine the x and y components of the accel-
erations of the bodies of mass m1 , m2 and m3 . Describe in a few words
what is happening to each body.
P3-4: Find the numerical values of the quantities determined in P3-3 if µ = 0,
m1 = 100 kg, m2 = 10 kg and m3 = 90 kg

P3-5: Consider now the case with m1 = 100 kg, m2 = 10 kg and m3 = 90 kg

but µ ̸= 0. Determine the minimal value of µ such that all bodies remain
at rest.

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Problem 4
Value: 24 points

Figure 4: Configuration in Problem 4

(See figure 4.) An object of mass m = 0.1 kg is sliding on a plane which is

inclined by an angle θ with respect to the horizontal dashed line. At the time
t0 = 0, the object has speed 3 × 10−3 m/s and is located at distance d = 2 m
from the end of the inclined plane. On the right of the inclined plane there is an
horizontal surface and then a spring. The spring obeys Hooke’s law F⃗ = −k ∆x, ⃗
where k = 0.1N/m is the Hooke’s constant and ∆x ⃗ is the variation of the spring’s
length with respect to the spring’s length in the absence of external forces. The
horizontal surface is frictionless, while the inclined plane has friction coefficient
µ.

P4-1: What is the maximal compression of the spring that will be achieved
when the object hits the spring? Assume µ = 0 and θ = 0.
P4-2: Address P4-1 if µ = 0 and θ = 30◦ . Moreover, what is the maximal

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 height reached by the object after the spring has pushed the object back
to the inclined plane?
P4-3: Address P4-1 if µ = 0.1 and θ = 0.
P4-4: Address P4-1 if µ = 0.1 and θ = 30◦ .

P4-5: Address P4-1 with µ = 0 and θ = 0 but the spring obeys a slight modifi-
cation of Hooke’s law: F⃗ = −k1 ∆x
⃗ − k2 |∆x|
⃗ 2 ∆x,
⃗ with k1 = 0.1N/m and
2
k2 = 0.1 N/m (Hint: Since you are interested only in the compression
of the spring, you can say |∆x| = ∆x.)

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“Essay”
The goal of this part is that you have understood the pillars of the scientific
method and, in principle, you are able to apply it to situations of everyday life.
Here do not get crazy on the details of the particular case, but use it to show
that you have understood the pillars and, more or less, can apply them.

There is a suggestion on the amount of pages you may need for each part; this
suggestion is very indicative, its spirit is ”don’t spend hours for this essay”, but
at the same time ”don’t write so little that it is impossible to be sure that you
have really understood,

An island has been discovered in the middle of the ocean, inhabited by a

population that has had no contact with non-native people. A journalist on
TV claims “the locals are gifted for running very fast, for sure much faster than
non-native people on average”.

ˆ Summarize the rationale of the scientific method (approx. 1/3 page).

Then break it into a item list of conceptual steps and explain in practice
what each item means/implies (approx. 1/3 page)

ˆ Imagine that you are hired to support or falsify, based on the scientific
method, the statement of the journalist. What kind of tests/analyses
would you run? Break them into steps and connect them to the item list
formulated in the previous point. (approx. 3/4 page)

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