Year: 1993
Paper: 2
Question Number: 13
Course: UFM Mechanics
Section: Simple Harmonic Motion
No solution available for this problem.
Difficulty Rating: 1600.0
Difficulty Comparisons: 0
Banger Rating: 1500.0
Banger Comparisons: 0
The force $F$ of repulsion between two particles with positive charges
$Q$ and $Q'$ is given by $F=kQQ'/r^{2},$ where $k$ is a positive
constant and $r$ is the distance between the particles. Two small
beads $P_{1}$ and $P_{2}$ are fixed to a straight horizontal smooth
wire, a distance $d$ apart. A third bead $P_{3}$ of mass $m$ is
free to move along the wire between $P_{1}$ and $P_{3}.$ The beads
carry positive electrical charges $Q_{1},Q_{2}$ and $Q_{3}.$ If
$P_{3}$ is in equilibrium at a distance $a$ from $P_{1},$ show
that
\[
a=\frac{d\sqrt{Q_{1}}}{\sqrt{Q_{1}}+\sqrt{Q_{2}}}.
\]
Suppose that $P_{3}$ is displaced slightly from its equilibrium position
and released from rest. Show that it performs approximate simple harmonic
motion with period
\[
\frac{\pi d}{(\sqrt{Q_{1}}+\sqrt{Q_{2}})^{2}}\sqrt{\frac{2md\sqrt{Q_{1}Q_{2}}}{kQ_{3}}.}
\]
{[}You may use the fact that $\dfrac{1}{(a+y)^{2}}\approx\dfrac{1}{a^{2}}-\dfrac{2y}{a^{3}}$
for small $y.${]}