Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/ia/paper-4/3b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 4 3B Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Use zero-relative-velocity mass shedding: the released sand initially shares the balloon's vertical velocity, rather than being actively ejected. Let and let a positive mass be shed in a short interval . The momentum of the balloon and that newly released sand changes byThe leading external impulse is . Newton's second law applied to this combined material system therefore givesWriting for the remaining balloon alone would omit the outgoing momentum flux. A nonzero relative ejection velocity would instead produce a rocket equation thrust term.
Initial mechanical equilibrium gives . Write , so up to depletion. ThenIntegrating from rest,Since and , the final upward speed isThe acceleration is nonnegative throughout release, consistent with the upward motion.
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