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Physics 211, Homework Set #4

These problems are due Wednesday, Apr 7, at 5 PM. You may place your solutions in the mailbox outside my office door, or bring them into class.

The grading scheme for the homework set is as follows: three of the problems will be chosen to count for 10 points, and you may be given partial credit on them. You will receive 1 point for at least attempting each of the other questions. However, you do not know which of the questions will be chosen for detailed grading ... and therefore you should do them all.

  1. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 4
  2. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 11
  3. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 16
  4. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 24
  5. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 41
  6. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 47
  7. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 54
  8. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 60
  9. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 75
  10. Cutnell and Johnson, Chap 4, problem 78

  11. Astrologers maintain that the positions of planets in the Solar System can affect the personalities and actions of humans. Is this reasonable?

    The only way the planets might influence humans is by their gravitational force. How large are these forces, and how do they compare to other forces on infants?

    Baby Timmy is born on the ground floor of Rochester General Hospital. He has mass m = 3 kg at birth. Make a table which shows the distance between the infant and the center of mass of each of the nine planets, the Sun, and the Moon. Calculate the gravitational force between Timmy and each of these eleven bodies.

    Baby Jenny is born on the sixth floor of the hospital, with the same mass as Timmy. How different is the gravitational force on her than on Baby Timmy? How does this difference compare to the gravitational forces of the planets?

    Timmy lies in a crib, covered by a single blanket. How much force does the blanket exert on Timmy? Jenny's nurse places two blankets over her. How much force do the blankets exert on Jenny? How does this difference in force compare to the gravitational forces exerted by the planets on the infants?

    How important do you think the positions of the planets are to the development of an infant's personality?

This page maintained by Michael Richmond. Last modified Mar 8, 1999.

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.