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UNLV, DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

ME 242, Spring 2015, FIRST TEST
Closed Book, one page of handwritten notes allowed. Enter the answer for each question into the space
provided. Enter SI units in all answer spaces with brackets ( ).

1. (20 points) Point masses A (5 kg) and B (8 kg) are linked by a pulley and released from
rest as shown. gravity is present. No friction.
(a) Determine the tension force, T, in the cord
(b) Determine the time for mass B to travel 1 meter.
Pulleys: Constraint eq: aA = -0.5aB
Newtons Law applied for each mass in directions
sA and sB:

mb g T
ma g

3
5

mb ab

2 T

ma aa

Solving for T and aB gives: T = 23.3 N, aB = 6.89m/s2 (aA = -3.45 m/s2)

(b) Travel time: sB = 1m = 0.5*aB*t2 solving for t gives: t = sqrt(1/(0.5*aB) = 0.539 s
Answers

(a)
(b)

tB,1meter

23.3
=

0. 539 s

2. (15 points) A ball is thrown vertically upright with a velocity of 20 m/s at the edge of a 40m
deep cliff. Neglect air resistance. Determine:
a) the height to which the ball rises.
b) the time to reach the bottom of the cliff.
Answers

(a) v = 0 at max. height, thus v*dv = a*dy h = v02/2g = 200/9.81 = 20.4 m

(b) time to top: vo g*t = 0 t1 = vo/g = 20/9.81 s t1: vo/g = 2.04 s
Drop from top height to bottom is s = (20.4+ 40)m = *g*t22

t2 = (2*60.4/g)1/2 = 3.5 s

Answers: a) Max. height =

b)

tbottom =

20.4 m

t1+t2 = 5.55 s

3. (15 points) A water jet flows from the nozzle at A upward at the angle shown. V0 = 25 m/s.
Determine the elevation h at which the water jet impacts the wall at point B. No friction.
Earth gravity is present.
3
theta acos
5

d
h

v0 cos ( theta ) t
v0 sin ( theta ) t 0.5 g t

Solving both eqs above for t and h gives: t = 0.4s

Answer

h=

7.21 m

4. (15 points) The conveyor moves at +6i m/s and accelerates at -3i m/s2 as shown.
(a) Sketch the polar coordinate unit vectors ur and u for point B in the diagram below. (2)
(b) Radius r is given. Compute the angular velocity of the pulley (5)
(c) Using polar (r,) coordinates, determine the velocity vector and the acceleration vector of
point B on the rim at the instant shown. (8)

u
(b) = v/r in rad/s = 6/r rad/s
(c) vB = 0* ur + r* u
radial accelaconv/r

ur

a(0 r*2)*ur + (r* + 2*0*) * u

aB = -36/ r * ur - 3 * u m*s-2
Answer.
Pulley =

For Part c: Use Polar Coordinate Vectors Please!

6/r rad/s

(c)

vB

0* ur + r* u = 6 *u

a B -36/ r * ur - 3 m/s2 * u

m/s
m*s-2

5. (15 points) The 2-kg collar C on the

smooth rod AB is held by the spring at r = 800
mm from center B. Determine the constant
angular velocity at which the mechanism is
rotating in the horizontal plane. The spring
constant is k = 200 N/m, with an unstretched
spring length of 300 mm.

ur

Fsp k ( r L0)

Spring force Fsp at r = 0.8m:

Fsp = 100 N

Newton in Radial direction: Sum (Frad) = m*a_rad

k ( r L0)

m r om

Solving for omega gives:

om

( r L0)
m r

Answer
AB =

7.91 rad/s

6. (20 points) A newspaper is thrown from a moving car (vc = 12 m/s) at a 90-degree angle
relative to the car, and a velocity of 6 m/s relative to the car.
(a) Determine the velocity vector vP of the newspaper that is seen by an observer standing on
the sidewalk in terms of unit the fixed vectors i and j shown below.
(b) Graphically find the velocity vector of the newspaper. Graph the mathematical relation
between vectors vC, vP, and vP/C in the box below at right.

Answer (b): graph rel veloc.

vector sum

VPaper
VPaper/Car

vC

vcar
Answers
(a)

VPaper =

12*i + 6*j

m/s Vector!