Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ib Paper 2 17B iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ia Paper 4 11B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ia Paper 4 3B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ia Paper 4 9B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ia Paper 4 9B a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 4 10B a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Apply the rotating-frame derivative formula first to , then to . Since the angular velocity is constant in either frame,The two apparent forces in the rotating equation are the Coriolis force and the centrifugal acceleration multiplied by mass. ThusSet . The supplied gradient identity gives . Taking the scalar product with removes , since it is orthogonal to , and removes the Coriolis force. Therefore the energy balance in a uniformly rotating frame isThe displayed quantity is conserved when the potential is stationary in the rotating coordinates. This includes a static inertial potential invariant under rotations about the chosen axis, such as vertical gravity in part (b). If the word conservative only means a time-independent inertial potential, that extra rotational invariance is needed; a conservative force alone does not imply the claimed conservation.
For an explicit counterexample to that unrestricted interpretation, take unit mass, an inertial force , , no , rotation , and inertial trajectory with initial velocity zero. It satisfies Newton's second law. Substituting into the proposed energy gives , which is not constant for nonzero rotation. The qualified conservation law above is the one used for the hoop.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 4 11B c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Measure a signed angle from the upward radius in the direction of falling. With , gravitational torque givesThere is an idealization in the release condition: exactly upright and exactly at rest is an unstable equilibrium, so the exact ideal solution stays there. Uniqueness of this smooth equation with prevents spontaneous departure. The usual falling calculation means an infinitesimal disturbance, with its energy tending to that of the upright rest state. For that limiting separatrix motion, conservation of mechanical energy givesOn the branch with increasing angle, for ; the opposite branch has the opposite angular velocity. The nontrivial limiting motion approaches the upright position only as , because has a logarithmically divergent integral near zero.
Let point from toward , and in the direction of increasing angle, so and . The centre of mass acceleration on the limiting falling branch isGravity has components . Applying Newton's second law to the whole disc givesThe signed component parallel to the radius, positive from toward , is the required . This same radial formula is consistent at the exact stationary upright state, where , , and ; nonzero falling angles require the limiting-release interpretation just stated.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 4 3B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
By Newton's third law, the force on the second particle is . For and centre of mass , Newton's second law gives . ThusThe centre moves on a straight line with constant velocity; zero velocity is allowed. For the relative position , subtraction of the two equations givesHence the two-body problem reduces to a single particle of reduced mass , together with the elementary centre motion. Reconstruct the positions as , .
Yes: the two equal masses can follow the same fixed circle in diametrically opposite positions. Put the stationary centre of mass at the circle's center and choose tangential velocities with the same sense of rotation. If the circle has radius , the separation is and the mutual gravitational force is directed toward that center, with magnitude . The circular orbit condition is , so an equal-mass circular binary hasThese initial data maintain the opposite positions and give the same constant angular speed for both particles.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 4 9B a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
A central force has no angular component, so the supplied polar acceleration formula and Newton's second law give . Thus is the conserved specific angular momentum. For a nonradial orbit, allows to be used as a parameter. With and a prime denoting ,Also . The radial equation therefore becomes the Binet equationFor a purely radial trajectory , the angular parameter is unavailable, and one instead uses the direct radial equation. The orbit in part (b) is nonradial.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 4 11B ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
The PDF gives initial position and initial rotating-frame velocity zero. Use those values; the TeX erroneously places dots over the position coordinates.
For rotation about the third axis, the supplied acceleration relation and Newton's second law give the equations of motion in a rotating frameThus . Set to combine the planar equations:The two characteristic roots are and . From and ,The triple-angle formulas therefore give the particularly simple astroid motion of a harmonic oscillator in a rotating frameThe orbit satisfies ; the zero speed at each cusp is consistent with the smooth time-parametrized motion.
Its rotating-frame speed isHence, for , the first maximum occurs at , andThe maximum repeats periodically. For a signed negative angular frequency, use and ; at the particle remains at rest.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 4 3B Solution 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.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 4 9B b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
For inferring an inverse-square force from Kepler laws, first use the area swept by an infinitesimal radius sector:Kepler's second law makes the areal velocity constant, so is constant. Then , meaning that the acceleration has no transverse component. Newton's second law therefore gives a central force directed along the Sun–planet line.
For the radial dependence, set . Since ,The radial acceleration is the Binet equation expressionThe focus-based ellipse has , hence . ThusFor a planet of mass , the force is : it is attractive and obeys the inverse-square law. This deduction uses both the shape of the orbit and its constant areal velocity; the orbit shape alone would not determine its time-dependent acceleration.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 4 10C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For any vector , differentiating its components and the rotating basis gives the rotating-frame derivative formulaApply it twice to the position , with constant angular velocity . The inertial acceleration iswhere dots denote rotating-frame derivatives. Newton's second law therefore becomesThe last terms are the Coriolis force and the force corresponding to centrifugal acceleration.
For the particle on a uniformly rotating inclined plane, choose orthonormal vectors along the horizontal axis and up the slope, and set , the upward normal vector. Then andHere is the normal reaction. The marble is modeled as the smooth sliding particle specified by the printed equations, without an additional rolling constraint. The rotating-frame Coriolis acceleration and centrifugal acceleration are respectivelyThe normal rotating-frame acceleration is zero, so the normal reaction is not generally ; it satisfiesProjecting the same equation onto the two tangential axes gives exactly
Multiply the equations by and and add. The Coriolis force terms cancel, as expected because this force does no work relative to the rotating frame. The normal reaction also does no work along the plane. The conserved quantity is rotating-frame kinetic energy plus gravitational and centrifugal potential energy:This need not be the conserved inertial energy, since the externally driven rotating plane can exchange energy with the particle.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 4 3C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
In classical charged particle in a uniform magnetic field motion, the Lorentz force and Newton's second law giveAssume and choose an orthonormal coordinate system with , . Write , retaining the sign of the electric charge. The velocity equations areThus the parallel velocity is constant, and the perpendicular velocity rotates at constant angular frequency. Choosing the time origin and perpendicular axes conveniently givesIntegrating the velocity, one obtainsThe first two coordinates describe a circle of radius , while the third advances uniformly. This is helical motion in a uniform magnetic field: the helix has axis parallel to through the guiding centre. Its cyclotron frequency isand its signed angular velocity vector about that axis is . The minus sign follows from the ordering in the Lorentz force. The helix degenerates to a circle when and to a straight line when . If or , there is only straight-line motion. In a relativistic extension with fixed Lorentz factor , the frequency becomes ; the classical result above uses as momentum.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ia Paper 4 3B i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Use Newton's second law, . Acceleration has physical dimension , so multiplying by mass gives the dimension of forceThe bracket notation records a physical dimension, rather than the numerical value or the choice of units.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 3 17D b iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For , Newton's second law givesDefine the exponential relaxation time and terminal velocity . Solving the first-order equation for and then integrating givesBoth prescribed initial values hold. The current approaches zero as the bar approaches terminal velocity. If , there is no magnetic force and instead , ; the constant current is .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ia Paper 4 11A a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The rotating-frame derivative formula is . Applying it twice to the position vector, with constant angular velocity, givesSolving for identifies the displayed terms: its left side is the acceleration relative to the rotating reference frame, the first right-hand term is the inertial acceleration, is the Coriolis acceleration, and is the outward centrifugal acceleration.
For a particle of mass , replace by the actual force divided by using Newton's second law. The remaining terms then appear as apparent forces in . There is no Euler acceleration because is constant and no translational acceleration term because the common origin is fixed in the inertial frame.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ia Paper 4 4A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The dimensions are , , , and . Under the stated model, are the only parameters determining the ascent time. If is dimensionless, then , , and , leaving one independent dimensionless variable. One convenient choice isThus dimensional analysis fixes the form, but Newton's second law must determine the function .
Take upward velocity as positive. Throughout ascent, Newton's second law with linear drag gives . An integrating factor or direct solution of this linear ordinary differential equation givesThe first zero of this velocity is the highest point, soThis vertical ascent under linear drag has for , since . The limit recovers the no-drag ascent time ; gives .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 39C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Write the density and pressure as and , and let the small fluid velocity be the gradient of an acoustic velocity potential, . The linear homentropic acoustic equations arewhere the adiabatic sound speed of a perfect gas is . Absorbing a function of time into , the momentum equation givesEliminating and gives the acoustic wave equation
Let the shell displacement be and put , . The spherically symmetric solution regular at the centre isThe kinematic boundary condition givesSince , the pressure amplitude on the shell is thereforeThe radial Newton's second law per unit area isso its complex amplitude satisfiesFor a nonzero mode, cancellation of and multiplication by yield the frequency equation for spherically symmetric vibration of a gas-filled elastic shell:The spectrum is discrete and contains infinitely many positive solutions. Indeed, for sufficiently large , runs from to on , forcing at least one root there. These high modes are predominantly standing acoustic modes of the gas, while the lowest mode is predominantly the shell's radial breathing mode; the coupling shifts both families.
