Mathematics 9709/43 — May/June 2024
Cambridge A-Level · Mechanics · worked solutions for every part, with the mark scheme
Topics Kinematics of Motion in a Straight Line · Newton's Laws of Motion · Forces and Equilibrium · Energy, Work and Power · Momentum
Two particles and of masses and respectively are at rest on a smooth horizontal plane. Particle is projected with a speed directly towards . After and collide, moves with a speed of .
Find the two possible speeds of after the collision.
Approach
Apply conservation of linear momentum for the two possible cases: P continues in the same direction, or P reverses direction.
Working
Take the direction of P's initial motion as positive.
Case 1: P continues in the same direction
Case 2: P reverses direction
Answer
The two possible speeds of Q after the collision are and .
2 m/s or 2.8 m/s
Walkthrough
We are told two particles collide on a smooth horizontal plane. Since the plane is smooth, there is no friction to worry about, and since the collision involves only the two particles, the total momentum of the system is conserved. Momentum is the product of mass and velocity, and it is a vector quantity, so direction matters.
The key insight is that after the collision, P could move in either direction: it could continue moving in the same direction as before, or it could bounce back and move in the opposite direction. Both are physically possible, so we must consider both cases.
We set up the conservation of momentum equation for each case. Taking the direction of P's initial motion as positive:
Case 1 (P continues forward): initial momentum = final momentum gives , which solves to .
Case 2 (P reverses): P's final velocity is now , so , which solves to .
The question asks for speeds, which are magnitudes, so both answers must be positive.
Key Takeaways
- Conservation of linear momentum: in the absence of external forces, total momentum before = total momentum after.
- Momentum is a vector — direction matters, so we need to consider both possible directions of motion after a collision.
- Speed is the magnitude of velocity, so it must be positive.
Common Mistakes
- Only considering one direction for P after the collision — both cases are needed for full marks.
- Giving negative answers for speed — the mark scheme explicitly says "Do not allow negative."
- Using the wrong masses or velocities in the momentum equation.
Things to Be Careful About
- Establish a clear sign convention (positive = P's initial direction) and apply it consistently.
- Remember that speed is always non-negative; the negative sign in the momentum equation for P's reversed motion reflects direction, not speed.
- The mark scheme requires three non-zero terms in the momentum equation for the method mark.
A particle of mass is attached to one end of a light inextensible string. The other end of the string is attached to a fixed point on a vertical wall. The particle is held in equilibrium by a force of magnitude , perpendicular to the string, with the string taut and making an angle of with the wall (see diagram).
Find the tension in the string and the value of .
Approach
The particle is in equilibrium under three forces: its weight acting vertically downwards, the tension in the string acting at to the vertical wall, and the applied force acting perpendicular to the string. We resolve these forces horizontally and vertically to form two simultaneous equations, then solve for and . An alternative is to resolve along the directions of and , or use Lami's theorem.
Working
Method 1: Resolving horizontally and vertically
Let the horizontal direction away from the wall be positive , and the vertical direction upwards be positive .
The tension acts along the string towards the wall, at to the vertical. Its components are:
- Horizontal:
- Vertical:
The force acts perpendicular to the string, pointing upwards and away from the wall. Since the string is at to the vertical, is at to the vertical (or to the horizontal). Its components are:
- Horizontal:
- Vertical:
The weight acts vertically downwards.
Resolving horizontally ():
Resolving vertically ():
Substitute equation (1) into equation (2):
Using :
Substitute into equation (1):
Method 2: Resolving along and (Alternative)
Resolving along the direction of :
Resolving along the direction of :
Method 3: Lami's Theorem (Alternative)
The angles between the forces are:
- Between and :
- Between and :
- Between and :
Applying Lami's theorem:
Answer
X = 1 N, Tension = 1.73 N
Walkthrough
The particle is in equilibrium under three concurrent forces: its weight acting vertically downwards, the tension in the string acting along the string towards the wall, and the applied force acting perpendicular to the string. To find the unknowns and , we can use any of three standard equilibrium methods.
Method 1: Resolving horizontally and vertically
We set up a coordinate system with the -axis horizontal (away from the wall) and the -axis vertical (upwards). The tension makes an angle of with the vertical, so its horizontal component is (towards the wall) and its vertical component is (upwards). The force is perpendicular to the string, so it makes an angle of with the vertical (or with the horizontal). Its components are horizontally and vertically. Setting the sum of horizontal forces to zero gives . Setting the sum of vertical forces to zero gives . Solving these simultaneous equations yields and .
Method 2: Resolving along the force directions
Since and are perpendicular, we can resolve along their respective directions to eliminate one unknown at a time. Resolving along eliminates entirely, leaving . Resolving along eliminates , leaving . This is the fastest method once the angles are correctly identified.
Method 3: Lami's theorem
Lami's theorem states that for three concurrent forces in equilibrium, each force is proportional to the sine of the angle between the other two. The angles are (between and ), (between and ), and (between and ). Setting up the ratios directly gives both answers.
Key Takeaways
- Equilibrium requires the vector sum of all forces to be zero in every direction.
- Resolving forces along non-perpendicular axes (like and ) can simplify calculations when the forces are perpendicular to each other.
- Lami's theorem is a powerful shortcut for three-force equilibrium problems where all angles are known.
- Always carefully determine the angles each force makes with the chosen axes or with each other.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrectly identifying the angles: the string is at to the vertical wall, not to the horizontal. This makes at to the vertical, and at to the vertical.
- Sign errors when resolving: ensuring that forces pointing in opposite directions have opposite signs in the equilibrium equations.
- Forgetting to use the correct value of : the mark scheme implies to yield . Using would give , which may not match the expected answer format.
Things to Be Careful About
- The angle is between the string and the vertical wall, not the horizontal. This is a common trap that flips the sine and cosine components.
- The force is perpendicular to the string, meaning the angle between and the string is . This makes resolving along and particularly elegant.
- When using Lami's theorem, ensure the angles used are the angles between the forces, not the angles the forces make with the axes. The angle between and the weight is , not .
A car travels along a straight road with constant acceleration , where . The car passes through points , and in that order. The speed of the car at is in the direction . The distance is twice the distance . The car takes seconds to travel from to and seconds to travel from to .
Approach
Let be the distance . The car moves with constant acceleration , so the suvat equation may be used for each stage. The condition connects the two stages, giving two equations that can be solved for .
Working
Let .
From to , with :
From to , the initial speed is the speed at , which is , and :
Since , substitute into :
Expand and solve:
Answer
u = 11a
Walkthrough
This question describes motion with constant acceleration, so the suvat equations are valid for the whole journey. Let be the distance ; then the given information says .
For the first stage, substitute into to get an expression for .
For the second stage, the car starts with speed because it has already accelerated for 8 seconds, and it travels for another 10 seconds. So the distance is , and this equals .
Equating with gives a linear equation in and . Solving it eliminates the unknown distance and gives .
Key Takeaways
This question tests the use of the constant acceleration formula in two consecutive stages. The important idea is to write each stage's displacement using the correct initial speed and time, then use the distance ratio to connect the stages.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the distance as if its initial speed were still , instead of .
- Only doubling one term when substituting . The whole expression must be doubled.
- Using and setting it equal to , which leads to ; the mark scheme withholds the method mark for this.
- Using instead of , which leads to ; this is also not allowed.
Things to Be Careful About
- The times are different on each stage: 8 seconds from A to B, 10 seconds from B to C, and 18 seconds from A to C.
- When eliminating , every term on the left-hand side must be doubled before equating to the right-hand side.
- Since , the answer is positive, as expected for a car speeding up while moving along the road.
Approach
Use the constant acceleration formula for the whole journey from to , because the total time is seconds. Then substitute the value of found in part (a).
Working
The speed at is given by
Substitute :
Since , the speed is positive.
Answer
The speed at is
29a m/s
Walkthrough
After part (a) we know the initial speed at A in terms of the acceleration: . The car now travels for a total of seconds from A to C, still with constant acceleration . Using with gives the speed at C. Substitute and simplify.
Key Takeaways
This part shows that once one quantity is known in terms of another, a single suvat formula applied over the whole interval gives the required final speed. No new distance equation is needed.
Common Mistakes
- Using (the B to C time) instead of (the A to C time).
- Forgetting to replace with the result from part (a).
- Writing the final speed as or .
Things to Be Careful About
- The mark scheme uses a follow-through mark: if part (a) were wrong, the formula for the speed at C would still be checked using the candidate' s own value of .
- Because , the speed is ; it must not be written with a negative sign.
A particle travels in a straight line. The velocity of the particle at time after leaving a point is , where
The distance travelled by the particle in the first of its motion is . You may assume that in the first of its motion.
Approach
Since the velocity is given as a function of time, integrate with respect to to obtain the displacement. Because in the first s, the distance travelled equals the displacement between and . Set this displacement equal to m and solve for .
Working
Integrate the velocity:
The distance travelled in the first s is :
Simplify:
Solve for :
Answer
k = 3
Walkthrough
We are given the velocity as a function of time and told the distance travelled in the first seconds. Since throughout this interval, the particle never reverses direction, so the distance travelled is exactly the displacement from to .
To find displacement from velocity, integrate the velocity function. The constant of integration will cancel when we use the limits and . Evaluating the integral at and subtracting its value at gives an expression in terms of . Setting this equal to m produces a simple linear equation, which we solve to find .
Key Takeaways
- For variable velocity, displacement is the integral of velocity with respect to time.
- When the velocity is always positive, distance travelled equals displacement.
- A definite integral automatically cancels the constant of integration.
Common Mistakes
- Using , which only applies for constant velocity, instead of integrating.
- Forgetting to subtract the value at the lower limit .
- Ignoring the condition ; if the particle reversed direction, distance would not equal displacement.
Things to Be Careful About
- Ensure the integration is correct: becomes , and becomes .
- The constant is not needed because it cancels when subtracting .
- Keep units consistent: displacement is in metres and time in seconds.
Find the value of the minimum velocity of the particle. You do not need to show that this velocity is a minimum.
Approach
To find the minimum velocity, differentiate with respect to , set the derivative equal to zero to find the time at which the stationary point occurs, and substitute this time back into the expression for . The question states that it is not necessary to prove that this velocity is a minimum.
Working
Using from part (a):
Differentiate with respect to :
Set :
Substitute into :
Answer
5/3 m s^-1
Walkthrough
From part (a) we know , so the velocity is .
The minimum velocity occurs at a stationary point of the velocity-time graph, where the derivative is zero. Differentiate the quadratic to get . Setting this equal to zero gives .
Finally, substitute back into the velocity expression to find the minimum velocity:
The question explicitly says we do not need to show that this is a minimum, so no second derivative or sign test is required.
Key Takeaways
- The minimum or maximum of a velocity function occurs where .
- For a quadratic with a positive coefficient of , the stationary point is a minimum.
- The value of from part (a) must be used in part (b).
Common Mistakes
- Setting instead of when looking for the minimum velocity.
- Forgetting to substitute the value of back into after finding it.
- Using the wrong value of from part (a).
Things to Be Careful About
- If using the formula , note that and , so .
- The units of velocity are .
- The answer is exact; is also accepted but the fraction is preferred.
A van of mass is towing a trailer of mass down a straight hill inclined at an angle of to the horizontal where . The van and the trailer are connected by a light rigid tow-bar which is parallel to the road. There are constant resistance forces of on the van and on the trailer.
It is given that the tension in the tow-bar is .
Find the acceleration of the trailer and the driving force of the van's engine.
Approach
Positive direction is taken down the hill. Resolve each weight into a component down the plane, then apply Newton's second law separately to the trailer and to the van. The given tow-bar tension is ; it pulls the trailer down the slope and pulls the van back up the slope.
Working
Using and positive down the hill.
For the trailer, the forces down the plane are the tension and the weight component ; the force up the plane is the resistance . Newton's second law gives
With and :
so
For the van, the forces down the plane are the driving force and the weight component ; the forces up the plane are the resistance and the tension . Newton's second law gives
Substituting , and :
that is
Therefore
Answer
a = 0.7 m/s^2 and D = 3850 N
Walkthrough
First choose a positive direction; here down the hill is natural because the van is moving down. On an incline the component of weight along the plane is ; this is what affects motion along the slope.
For the trailer, the tow-bar pulls it in the direction of motion, so the tension is positive. Its weight component is also down the slope, while the resistance opposes the motion and acts up the slope. Putting these into Newton's second law gives a direct equation for , because the tension is known.
For the van, the driving force and its weight component act down the slope, while the resistance and the tow-bar tension act up the slope. The tow-bar tension is the same size , but on the van it opposes the motion. With already found, this equation gives .
Key Takeaways
- The weight on an inclined plane splits into along the plane and perpendicular to the plane; only the parallel component affects motion along the plane.
- Newton's second law must be applied separately to each body, with forces resolved along the direction of motion.
- A light rigid tow-bar means the two bodies have the same acceleration.
- The tension in the tow-bar is the same at both ends but acts in opposite directions on the two bodies.
Common Mistakes
- Using as the component along the slope instead of .
- Forgetting a force term: the tension on the van opposes motion, and the resistance is opposite to the direction of travel.
- Missing when calculating the weight component.
- Quoting an answer without showing the step '' or ''; the mark scheme requires the method to be visible.
Things to Be Careful About
- Keep one consistent positive direction. With down the hill positive, forces down the plane are positive and forces up the plane are negative.
- Use .
- Check units: mass in kilograms, forces in newtons, acceleration in .
- Because the tow-bar is light and rigid, the trailer and van accelerate together.
On another occasion, the van and trailer ascend a straight hill inclined at an angle of to the horizontal where . The driving force of the van's engine is now , and the speed of the van at the bottom of the hill is . The resistances to motion are unchanged.
Approach
Positive direction is taken up the hill. Form Newton's second law equations for the trailer and the van separately. Both bodies have the same acceleration , and the tow-bar carries the same tension ; on the trailer this tension acts up the slope, while on the van it acts back down the slope.
Working
Using and positive up the hill.
For the trailer, the forces up the slope are the tension ; the forces down the slope are the resistance and the weight component . Newton's second law gives
With and :
So
For the van, the force up the slope is the driving force ; the forces down the slope are the resistance , the tension and the weight component . Newton's second law gives
With values:
So
From (1), . Substituting into (2):
so
Then
Answer
a = 0.3 m/s^2 and T = 1200 N
Walkthrough
For the ascent, take up the hill as positive. The weight components now pull both bodies back down the slope.
For the trailer, the tow-bar tension pulls it up the slope, while the resistance and its weight component act down the slope. This gives an equation involving and .
For the van, the driving force acts up the slope, while the resistance , the weight component , and the tow-bar tension act down the slope. The tension has the same magnitude in both equations because it is the same light tow-bar, but on the van it points opposite to the motion.
Both equations contain the same two unknowns and , so solve them simultaneously. Express from the trailer equation and substitute into the van equation; this eliminates and gives . Substituting back gives .
Key Takeaways
- Connected bodies moving together have the same acceleration, so one common can be used in both equations.
- The tension in a light connector is the same at both ends, but each body feels it in opposite directions.
- On an incline, the component of weight along the slope is .
- Two equations in two unknowns can be solved by substitution.
Common Mistakes
- Using the same direction for in both equations. The tension pulls the trailer up the slope but pulls the van back down.
- Forgetting one of the down-slope forces on the van, such as the tension or the weight component.
- Using instead of for the component along the slope.
- Omitting from the weight components.
- Not showing the step to '' or ''; the mark scheme requires visible method.
Things to Be Careful About
- With positive up the hill, the acceleration is positive in the direction of motion.
- The resistances are unchanged: on the van and on the trailer.
- The driving force is now , different from part (a).
g - If the van and trailer were treated as a system, the tension would be internal and cancel; here separate equations with the same were used.
Approach
The acceleration is constant, so use the constant-acceleration formula with , and .
Working
Since the van continues to move up the hill, take the positive root:
Answer
25 m/s
Walkthrough
After part (i), the acceleration up the hill is constant because all forces remain constant. The initial speed at the bottom is , and we want the speed after travelling up the hill.
Time is not involved, so the most direct suvat equation is . Substitute , and .
This gives . Because the van is moving up the hill, take the positive square root, .
Key Takeaways
- The suvat equations apply only when acceleration is constant; here it is.
- is useful when displacement is given and time is not needed.
- Speed is the positive root of .
Common Mistakes
- Using the acceleration from part (a), , instead of the new acceleration from (b)(i).
g - Forgetting to square or forgetting the factor in .
- Taking the negative square root and reporting a negative speed.
- Mixing distance with displacement; here the distance up the slope is exactly the displacement .
Things to Be Careful About
- The mark scheme follows through on their value of from part (i), provided it does not give a negative root.
- Units must be consistent: speeds in , acceleration in , distance in metres.
- The final speed is .
A cyclist is travelling along a straight horizontal road. The total mass of the cyclist and her bicycle is . There is a constant resistance force of magnitude to the cyclist's motion. At an instant when she is travelling at , her acceleration is .
Approach
Let be the driving force of the cyclist. Use Newton's second law to find , then use to find the power output.
Working
Resolving horizontally, with motion taken as positive:
The power output is the product of the driving force and the speed:
Answer
280 W
Walkthrough
The cyclist is moving horizontally, so we need to consider only horizontal forces. Let be the driving force. Resistance is opposing motion. Since the acceleration is , the resultant horizontal force is . Newton's second law gives
This step corresponds to the M1 mark for using Newton's second law. Solving, . Power is the rate at which the driving force does work. When the force and velocity are in the same direction, , so substituting and gives .
Key Takeaways
- Newton's second law connects resultant force with mass and acceleration.
- Power output is calculated from the driving force and the speed, not from the resultant force.
- Resistive forces oppose motion and are subtracted from the driving force.
Common Mistakes
- Using only the resistance as the force in without finding the driving force.
- Using the resultant force instead of the driving force in the power formula.
- Sign errors in the equation of motion.
Things to Be Careful About
- The driving force is , obtained by adding the resistance to the resultant force.
- Units: power is in watts, force in newtons, speed in metres per second.
- The mark scheme allows any force term in the expression as long as the relationship is seen.
Find the steady speed that the cyclist can maintain if her power output and the resistance force are both unchanged.
Approach
At steady speed the acceleration is zero, so the driving force equals the resistance. Use the unchanged power in to find the steady speed.
Working
At steady speed, , so
Using with from part (a):
Answer
8.75 m s^-1
Walkthrough
Steady speed means constant speed, so acceleration is zero. Therefore the resultant force is zero and the driving force must equal the resistance, . The power output is unchanged from part (a), . Using , we have , so . This is the steady speed the cyclist can maintain at this power against this resistance.
Key Takeaways
- At constant speed on a horizontal road, the driving force equals the resistance.
- The formula links power, force and velocity.
Common Mistakes
- Trying to use the acceleration from part (a) at steady speed.
- Forgetting that the driving force must equal the resistance when .
- Using the wrong power value instead of their part (a) result.
Things to Be Careful About
- The answer can be expressed as or .
- Follow-through is allowed: the mark scheme accepts .
- The force in is the driving force, not the resistance.
The cyclist later descends a straight hill of length , inclined at an angle of to the horizontal. Her power output is now , and the resistance force now has variable magnitude such that the work done against this force in descending the hill is . The time taken to descend the hill is .
Given that the speed of the cyclist at the top of the hill is , find her speed at the bottom of the hill.
Approach
Use the work-energy principle. The work done by the cyclist and the loss in gravitational potential energy increase the kinetic energy, while the work done against resistance removes energy from the cyclist.
Working
Work done by the cyclist over seconds:
The initial kinetic energy is
and the final kinetic energy is
Loss in gravitational potential energy, using and :
Work-energy equation, with work against resistance :
Simplify the left-hand side:
Since speed is positive:
Answer
8.5 m s^-1
Walkthrough
The descent is not at constant acceleration, and the resistance is variable, so use energy. The energy balance is
Here the cyclist's power output is for seconds, so the work done by the cyclist is . The hill has length and angle with , so the vertical drop is . Taking , the loss in gravitational potential energy is
The initial kinetic energy is and the final kinetic energy is . The work against resistance is . Substituting into the work-energy equation:
Simplifying gives , so , and .
Key Takeaways
- Work-energy principle links work input, potential energy, resistance, and kinetic energy.
- Work done by a constant power over time is power multiplied by time.
- For an inclined descent, the change in height is the length of the slope times .
Common Mistakes
- Using constant-acceleration (suvat) equations; the resistance is variable and the acceleration is not constant, so this loses method marks.
- Getting the sign of the potential energy term wrong: descending means PE decreases, releasing energy.
- Forgetting to include initial kinetic energy on the right-hand side.
- Adding rather than subtracting the work done against resistance.
Things to Be Careful About
- The five terms in the work-energy equation are work done by cyclist, loss in PE, work against resistance, final KE and initial KE.
- Use the vertical height , not the slope length , when calculating PE.
- The final speed is positive because it is a speed.
- If were specified as , the numerical result would differ; the mark scheme here uses .
The diagram shows a track which lies in a vertical plane. The section is a straight line inclined at an angle of to the horizontal and is smooth. The section is a horizontal straight line and is rough. The section is a straight line inclined at an angle of to the horizontal and is rough. The lengths , and are each .
A particle is released from rest at . The coefficient of friction between the particle and both and is . There is no change in the speed of the particle when it passes through either of the points or .
It is given that .
Find the distance which the particle has moved up the section when its speed is .
Approach
Use the work-energy principle from the release point A to the point on section CD where the speed is 1 m/s. The initial gravitational potential energy is converted into final potential energy, kinetic energy, and work done against friction on the rough sections BC and CD.
Working
Take the horizontal section BC as the reference level for gravitational potential energy.
At point A, the height above BC is m, so the initial PE is .
Section BC (rough, horizontal):
Normal reaction:
Friction force:
Work done against friction over 2 m:
Section CD (rough, inclined at 30° to horizontal):
Normal reaction:
Friction force:
Work done against friction over distance :
Change in PE over distance up the slope:
Work-energy equation (initial PE = final PE + work done against friction + final KE):
Dividing through by and using :
Rationalising the denominator:
Answer
1.28 m
Walkthrough
We apply the work-energy principle from point A (where the particle is released from rest) to a point on section CD at distance from C (where the speed is 1 m/s).
Step 1: Set up the reference level. Take BC as the zero level for gravitational PE. Point A is at height m above BC, so the initial PE is .
Step 2: Work done against friction on BC. The section BC is horizontal and rough. The normal reaction equals the weight: . The friction force is . Over the 2 m length of BC, the work done against friction is .
Step 3: Work done against friction and PE change on CD. Section CD is inclined at 30° and rough. The normal reaction is . The friction force is . Over distance , the work done against friction is . The particle rises by , so the gain in PE is .
Step 4: Final kinetic energy. At the point of interest, the speed is 1 m/s, so the final KE is .
Step 5: Apply the work-energy principle. Initial PE = final PE + total work done against friction + final KE:
Dividing by and using :
Key Takeaways
- The work-energy principle is a powerful tool for problems involving changing speed, height, and friction across multiple sections.
- On an inclined plane, the normal reaction is and the friction force is .
- Work done against friction is always positive (energy lost from the system), while the change in PE depends on whether the particle moves up or down.
- The mass cancels out in work-energy equations for this type of problem.
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting that the normal reaction on the inclined section CD is , not .
- Using instead of for the normal reaction on CD.
- Sign errors in the work-energy equation: work done against friction should be on the same side as the final PE (both represent energy that the initial PE must supply).
- Not dividing through by correctly, or forgetting to use .
- Computing the height of A above BC incorrectly as instead of .
Things to Be Careful About
- The problem states there is no change in speed at B or C, so we can treat the motion continuously across these points without worrying about energy losses at the junctions.
- The distance is measured along the slope CD, not horizontally. The vertical rise is and the normal reaction involves .
- Allow sign errors in the work-energy equation as long as the equation is dimensionally correct and consistent (the mark scheme permits this).
- The answer m is the distance up CD from C, not the total distance from A.
It is given instead that with a different value of the particle travels up the track from before it comes instantaneously to rest.
Find the value of and the speed of the particle at the instant that it passes for the second time.
Approach
Use the work-energy principle in two stages. First, apply it from A to the point where the particle comes instantaneously to rest (1 m up CD) to find . Second, apply it from the stopping point back to C to find the speed on the second pass through C.
Working
Part 1: Find
Take BC as the reference level for PE. The particle starts at A (height m) and stops 1 m up CD (height m).
Initial PE at A:
Work done against friction on BC (distance 2 m):
Work done against friction on CD (distance 1 m):
Final PE at stopping point:
Final KE = 0 (particle is at rest).
Work-energy equation:
Dividing by :
Rationalising:
Part 2: Speed at C on the second pass
The particle slides back down 1 m from the stopping point to C. Apply the work-energy principle for this downward journey.
Initial PE at stopping point (1 m up CD):
Work done against friction on CD (distance 1 m, going down):
Final PE at C: 0
Final KE at C:
Work-energy equation:
Dividing by and using :
Substituting :
Answer
μ = 0.174, speed = 2.64 m/s
Walkthrough
Part 1: Finding
The particle is released from rest at A and travels up CD, coming to rest 1 m from C. We apply the work-energy principle from A to the stopping point.
At A, the height above BC is m, so initial PE = .
The particle travels 2 m along rough horizontal BC, losing energy to friction: work done = .
Then it travels 1 m up rough inclined CD. The normal reaction is , so friction = . Work done against friction = .
At the stopping point, the height above BC is m, so final PE = . Final KE = 0.
By work-energy: initial PE = final PE + total work done against friction:
Dividing by and solving:
Part 2: Speed at C on the return journey
The particle now slides back down 1 m from the stopping point to C. Apply work-energy for this downward motion.
Initial PE (at stopping point):
Work done against friction (going down 1 m on CD):
Final PE at C: 0
Final KE at C:
Work-energy: initial PE - work done against friction = final KE:
Dividing by and using :
Substituting :
Key Takeaways
- When a particle comes to rest and then reverses direction, you can apply the work-energy principle to each leg of the journey separately.
- The coefficient of friction can be found from one application of work-energy, then used in a second application for the return journey.
- On the return journey down an inclined plane, the weight component does positive work (helps motion) while friction does negative work (opposes motion).
Common Mistakes
- Using the wrong height for the stopping point: it is 1 m up CD, so the height is m, not 1 m.
- Forgetting that friction always opposes motion, so on the downward return journey, friction still does negative work (energy is still lost to friction going down).
- Not rationalising correctly: , not .
- Using or instead of (Cambridge A-Level typically uses unless stated otherwise).
Things to Be Careful About
- The question asks for the speed when the particle passes C for the second time. The first pass is on the way from B to up CD. The second pass is on the way back down from the stopping point to C.
- When the particle returns down CD, it does NOT pass through C again after this (it would continue along BC, but the question only asks for the speed at C on the return).
- Make sure to use the correct value of (to at least 2 significant figures) in the second work-energy equation, or use the exact form to avoid rounding errors.
- The work done against friction on the return journey is the same as on the upward journey over the same distance, because friction magnitude is the same and distance is the same.

