Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.

2021

Challenge 4, Electrodynamics

Submission date: 22. November

Accelerator mass spectrometer (12 points) iii. (2 pt.) Calculate the required magnetic field
Consider a simple model of a so-called acclerator strength.
mass spectrometer, which is used to date moraines
of glaciers. To do that, the ratio of the 10 Be After the tube the 10 Be ions enter the space be-
(m10 = 1.7 × 10−27 kg) isotope to the stable iso- tween two charged metal plates E forming an exact
tope 9 Be is measured (Be = Beryllium). 9 Be is quarter of a full circle with Radius 1 m .
contained in the rock material and 10 Be is pro-
duced in very low concentrations by the cosmic iv. (1 pt.) What is the required direction of
rays hitting the rock surface. the electrical field lines between the plates to get
the 10 Be ions to describe an exact quarter of a full
9 10
Single negatively charged Be and Be ions are circle? Indicate the field lines in the figure!
extracted from a rock sample in the ion source
S. The source is on a electrostatic potential of v. (3 pt.) Calculate the required field strength.
−6 MV. To the right of the source there is a metal Can you give an approximate value for the charge
plate with a slit which is held at ground potential that needs to be brought onto the plates to pro-
(0 MV). Therefore the ions are accelerated in the duce that field? Assume that the height of the
direction indicated by the arrow and pass through plates is 10 cm.
the slit.
The 10 Be ions which described an exact quarter of
a full circle enter the detector D that counts each
ion. During a measurement lasting one minute
2000 10 Be ions have been counted

With a second detector I which can be put into the

beam axis the 9 Be ions are counted. But because
the abundance of these ions is much higher they
cannot be counted as simgle ions. Instead, they
are measured as a continous current (i.e each in-
coming ion produces an electron in the detector).
For the above measurement, a current of 100 nA
has been measured.

i. (2 pt.) Which is the energy and the velocity vi. (1.5 pt.) 10 Now calculate
9
the ratio of the
of the 10 Be ions after they have passed the slit? abundances of Be over Be ions in the rock sam-
ple.
The 10 Be ions pass through a region M with a
homogeneous magnetic field. vii. (1.5 pt.) Let us assume that the ion source
also produces ions with other masses and in other
ii. (1 pt.) The 10 Be ions shall describe an ex- charge states (i.e two or more times negatively
act quarter of a full circle with radius R = 1 m in charged). Are these ions able to pass through the
that region and fly straight into the tube located mass spectrometer and reach the detector D? Ex-
below region M . What is the required direction plain your answer!
of the magnetic field? Indicate the direction with
an arrow in the figure or describe!
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 6, Hydrodynamics

Submission date: 6. December

Hydrodynamics (8 points) ii. (1 pt.) Determine the velocity of the liquid

surface in the cylinder (va ) as a function of the ve-
locity of the liquid passing through the hole (vb )
Part A. Perforated cylinder (4 points)
for a time t > t0 .
Be there a cylinder with height H and diameter
2R, which is located at a place where standard iii. (2 pt.) Find an expression for the velocity at
pressure Patm and gravity g apply. At the be- the exit of the hole vb as a function of the height
ginning, the cylinder is filled to the brim with an h of fluid in the cylinder, taking into account the
ideal, incompressible liquid of density ρ. hypotheses given in the problem.

Part B. Hole in the swimming pool (4 points)

Blaise has designed and installed a new swimming

pool in his garden. The pool is a perfect cylinder
placed on the ground with the following dimen-
sions: Diameter 1 m and height 1.5 m. Blaise fills
the basin completely with water.

i. (2 pt.) Evangelista, Blaise’s little brother,

drills a hole in the wall of the pool at the height
h above the ground, whereupon the water begins
to flow out. How fast does the water flow out of
i. (1 pt.) Determine the absolute pressure Pb the hole? Justify with a calculation.
at the bottom of the cylinder (point B).
ii. (1 pt.) What horizontal distance (from the
At time t0 , an hole with diameter 2r is pierced
hole) has a drop of water travelled when it touches
in the bottom of the cylinder. For simplicity, we
the ground?
assume that r ≪ R.
iii. (1 pt.) At what height above the ground
should Evangelista drill a hole so that the droplet
travels the furthest possible horizontal distance
from the hole until it hits the ground?
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2020

Challenge 1, Mechanics

Submission date: 1. November

Along the rails (16 points) i. (3 pt.) Sketch a graph of the speed of the
The train G511 travels between Beijing and train as a function of time for the first 3 stations
Wuhan. It takes a time T of 5 hours and 15 min- after the departure station.
utes to travel the distance D 1233 km of the jour-
ney at a cruise speed vc of 300 kmh−1 . There are ii. (3 pt.) Sketch a graph of the acceleration aT
6 stops which respective time are 4, 5, 5, 6, 4 and of the train as a function of the distance for the 3
3 minutes (name them tsi with i ∈ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). first stations.
Our goal is to estimate the acceleration aT of the
train with these data. Part C. On the way (8 points)

Please answer algebraically to all questions unless Assume the acceleration is equal to the decelera-
staten otherwise. tion in this part. The hypothesis of part B. still
holds.
Part A. Before departure (2 points)
i. (3 pt.) Express the distance between two
To start on a good basis let’s clarify a few things. adjacent stations xi+1 − xi as a function of ac-
celeration, cruise speed and of the distance over
i. (1 pt.) What is the average speed at which
which the train travel at its cruise speed. (Find
the train moves during the travel?
an appropriate name for this variable).
ii. (1 pt.) Explain why the latter is different
ii. (3 pt.) Express the the time elapsed be-
from the cruise speed.
tween the departure from two adjacent stations
Part B. Travelling plan (6 points) ti+1 − ti as a function of acceleration, cruise speed
and of the distance over which the train travels at
Assume that the train can reach its cruise speed its cruise speed.
for a finite time between each stations. Use alge-
braic values to illustrate your graphs. For example iii. (2 pt.) Find the acceleration aT of the train.
you can use ti as departure time from each stations Write algebraic answer before the numerical appli-
(with t0 = 0 et t8 = T ). cation.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 5, Optics

Submission date: 29. November

All kinds of optics (15 points)

Parts A, B and C are independent of each other
and can therefore be solved individually.

Part A. Astronaut (3 points)

i. (3 pt.) An astronaut is in his spaceship in an

orbit 280 km from the surface of the Earth. What
is the minimum distance between two points on
the Earth’s surface so that he can still tell them
Figure 1:
apart (under optimal conditions)? The diameter
of the pupil is 0.5 cm and the wavelength of light
is 550 nm.

Part B. Coated glasses (5 points)

A beam of white light is shining perpendicularly

on a lens (n=1.52), which is covered with a thin
film of magnesium fluoride (n=1.38).

i. (3 pt.) What is the minimum film thickness at

which the reflected light contains no yellow-green
light of wavelength 550 nm (in air)?

ii. (2 pt.) For which minimum layer thickness Figure 2:

(different from zero) does constructive interference
result for the reflected light? i. (4 pt.) Explain why you see rings, what
the conditions are for bright rings and what the
Part C. Newton’s rings (7 points)
conditions are for dark rings.
In 1717, Sir Isaac Newton studied an interesting
Having been delighted by the beauty of the rings
phenomenon: If you approach a spherical surface
that bear his name, Sir Isaac Newton might have
to a reflecting plane surface, you observe a se-
wondered at what distance d the lens is from the
ries of concentric rings (see figure) when you look
plane surface.
through the glass from above. In our case, the
light source is monochromatic and has a wave- ii. (3 pt.) Express d as a function of the radius
length λ. R of the curved glass surface, the radius rn of the
nth dark ring and the wavelength λ.
Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 3, Oscillations et Ondes

Date de rendu: 15. novembre

Un pendule dans un condensateur (14 points) lieu du condensateur dont les plaques sont pa-
Dans ce problème, on souhaite étudier le compor- rallèles au plan yz (i.e. verticales par rapport au
tement d’un pendule dans un champ électrique. champ gravitationnel) ; la boule est chargée avec
Pour ce faire, on considère un condensateur plan q = 200 nC. Esquisser les forces agissant sur la
(idéal) avec des plaques de surface A = 1 m2 , éloi- boule ainsi que la force résultante.
gnées d’une distance d = 20 cm, ainsi qu’une pe-
tite boule de masse m = 5 g, attachée à un fil de ii. (2 pt.) Quel est l’angle formé par le pendule
longueur l = 10 cm. au repos avec la verticale ?

Partie A. Champ électrique (3 points) iii. (5 pt.) Si on déplace le pendule d’un pe-
tit angle par rapport à sa position d’équilibre, il
i. (1 pt.) Calculer la capacité C du condensateur.
va en résulter une oscillation (approximativement
ii. (2 pt.) Calculer la tension et le champ élec- harmonique). Calculer la fréquence de ces oscilla-
trique lorsque le condensateur porte une charge tions.
Q = ±2 µC. Indication : Pour x ≪ 1 , on pourra utiliser
sin x ≈ x
Partie B. Oscillation (11 points)
Si vous n’avez pas pu résoudre les tâches pré- iv. (2 pt.) De quelle manière est modifiée la fré-
cédentes, utilise un champ électrique de E = quence des oscillations si la tension du condensa-
2.26 MV · m−1 pour les exercises suivantes. teur est maintenue constante et la distance entre
les plaques est augmentée de ∆d = 5 cm ?
i. (2 pt.) On place à présent le pendule au mi-
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 2, Thermodynamics

Submission date: 8. November

Under pressure (16 points)

i. (2 pt.) If the temperature of the gas is 23 °C,

how big is the volume of the gas in the cylinder?

A cylinder with initial volume V = 2 L is filled Part C. We dive (9 points)

with nitrogen. The cylinder is hermetically sealed
by a piston. In the first part of the task, the pis- A diver brings the cylinder under water, h = 7 m
ton is blocked, the gas is heated to different tem- below the water surface. The temperature would
peratures and the pressure is measured for each still be 23 °C and the piston can still move freely.
temperature. The results of the measurements are
shown in the following table. Constants:

# T(°C) P(Pa) • density of water: ρw = 1.0 gcm−3

1 10 168100
• Heat capacity of nitrogen: cs =
2 20 174000
1.04 kJkg−1 K−1
3 50 191800
4 100 221500
5 150 251200 i. (2 pt.) What volume does the gas occupy if
6 250 310600 the temperature remains unchanged?

ii. (3 pt.) The cylinder is left under water.

Part A. Determination of the mass (5 points) What amount of heat must be added to the gas so
i. (2 pt.) Draw a graph of the pressure as a that its volume becomes 2 L?
function of temperature in the cylinder.
iii. (4 pt.) What must be the mass of the
ii. (3 pt.) What is the mass of the nitrogen in cylinder (as a function of the temperature of the
the cylinder? gas) so that the cylinder remains in equilibrium
at the same depth? (i.e., it neither rises back to
Part B. Equilibrium (2 points) the surface nor sinks to the bottom.) The mass
of the piston will be neglected. The volume of the
Now the piston can move parallel to the cylinder piston and cylinder together can also be neglected
axis, but it will never leave the cylinder. The heat compared to the volume of the gas.
transfer between the gas and the environment can
be neglected, unless otherwise stated.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 3, Waves and Oscillations

Submission date: 15. November

Pendulum in the capacitor (14 points) i. (2 pt.) In the middle of the condenser, whose
In this task we investigate the behaviour of a pen- plates are parallel to the yz -plane (i.e. perpendic-
dulum in an electric field. For this purpose we ular to gravity), we now place our pendulum. The
consider an (ideal) plate capacitor with plate area sphere is charged with q = 200 nC. Sketch which
A = 1 m2 and distance d = 20 cm and a small forces act on the sphere and the resulting force.
sphere with mass m = 5 g, which is suspended
from a thread of length l = 10 cm. ii. (2 pt.) What angle does the pendulum as-
sume with the vertical when at rest?
Part A. Electric field (3 points)
iii. (5 pt.) If the pendulum is deflected by a
i. (1 pt.) Calculate the capacitance C of the small angle from this rest position, it will perform
capacitor. an (approximately harmonic) oscillation. Calcu-
ii. (2 pt.) What is the voltage and electric late the frequency of this oscillation! Note: For
field when the charge Q = ±2 µC resides on the x ≪ 1 sin x ≈ x holds.
capacitor plates?
iv. (2 pt.) How does the frequency of the os-
Part B. Oscillation (11 points) cillation change if the voltage of the capacitor is
kept constant and the distance between the plates
If you could not solve the previous tasks, use an is increased by ∆d = 5 cm?
electric field of E = 2.26 MV·m−1 for the following
tasks.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Electrodynamics

Warm-Up questions

Chapter 8.1
i. The electroscope is one of the first instrument used to measure a electrical quantity: charges.
Different models exist, but we are interested in the one drawn below.
Two thin gold sheets are parallel to each other in a glass bottle. They are fixed to a metallic rod,
which is ended by a metallic plate outside the bottle. The goal of the bottle is to protect the gold
sheet from draught (among other).
To take the measure, we place the object to measure close to the plate.

Figure 1: Electroscope

a) What happens when one put a positively charged object close to the device? Describe the kind
of charges, which appear at each place.

b) With this instrument can we determine the sign of the charges?

c) And can we determine the amount of charge?

Chapter 8.2
ii.

a) Calculate the charge on a sphere of radius r made of conducting material. Assume that the
sphere is at a potential U .

b) A positive charges q sits at (0, 0, 1). Calculate the charge to be placed at (0, 0, 3) such that the
origin is at zero potential.

c) Let the x, y-plane as well as the x, z-plane be perfect conductors. Let the charge per area on
the x, y-plane be 1 C · m−2 and the charge per area on the x, z-plane be −2 C · m−2 . Draw the
equipotential lines.

d) Show that the electrical field of the form

 
y
⃗
E(x, y, z) = −x
 
0

cannot arise in electrostatics.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

e) (More difficult) Two identical spheres of radius R are at a distance d from each other. After
charging one of the spheres with 4 C and the other one with 2 C, we connect them with a wire.
Calculate the energy dissipated through the wire in the process reaching equilibrium. Assume
that R << d.

Chapter 8.3
iii.

a) Assume we have a uniform B-field in z-direction. Calculate the difference in the radius of the
trajectory of a 14 C + particle and 13 C + particle assuming the same initial velocity of 1000 m · s−1 ,
along the x-axis.

b) Consider a homogeneous B-field in the z-direction. Start with an electron somewhere in the
z = d-plane. The initial velocity is (0, v0 , 1). Calculate the length of the trajectory until the
electron hits the z = 0-plane.

Chapter 9.2
iv. Calculate the equivalent resistor and the current, which goes out of the battery.

Figure 2:

Chapter 9.5
v. In the circuit below, the current that flows through the 30 Ω resistor is 2.0 A. What is the value
of the resistor R1 ?

Figure 3:

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

vi. Given the circuit below, determine...

a) The current flowing through each resistor.

b) The voltage of the battery on the left.

c) The power deliver to the circuit by the battery on the right.

Figure 4:

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Hydrodynamics

Warm-Up questions

Hydrodynamics
i. Viviane and Sebastian would like to build a submarine out of an old water tank.

a) Assume the water tank has a volume of 2000 litres. What is the minimal weight of the submarine
such that it can dive?

b) They would like to dive down to a depth of 20m. What is the water pressure at this depth?

c) To look out of the submarine, they build a round window with radius r = 20cm. What force is
acting on the window in the depth of 20m?

ii. When it is raining, the water on a roof top is collected by a rain pipe and flows through a vertical
downpipe to the ground. We assume a house with a 5m long downpipe and we neglect any kind of
friction.

a) How fast is the water flowing at the end of the downpipe?

b) At the lower end of the downpipe we place a water wheel. Assuming there are 10 litres of water
per minute flowing through the pipe, what power can the water wheel produce (under ideal
conditions)?

iii. In this question we want to investigate the Bernoulli effect. For this we consider a pipe system
with a narrowing, see figure 1. At the narrowest position, the diameter is half of the one at the
beginning and the end. A little baby submarine is floating in the water, it has therefore always the
same speed as the water. We assume the water floats at the widest positions with a speed v0 and we
neglect friction.

Figure 1:

a) What is the speed at the narrowest position?

b) When floating from the widest to the narrowest position, the submarine gets accelerated, there-
fore the kinetic energy increases. How much is the increase assuming the submarine has a mass
of m?

c) Where does the energy for this acceleration come from? Compare with the Bernoulli equation.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Mechanics 1

Warm-Up questions

Kinematics (Chapter 2.2)

i. Alice throws a ball vertically upwards. She wants the ball to reach the height of the school wall,
which a classmate tells her is 7 m tall. Alice throws the ball from 1 m above the ground. We neglect
all friction.

a) Alice throws the ball upwards with an initial velocity of 18 km/h. Does the ball reach the top
of the school wall?

b) Which minimal initial velocity does the ball need to have so that it reaches the top of the school
wall?

c) In this case, what would the final velocity of the ball upon impact with the ground?

ii. While Denis is using his salad spinner, he wonders at what speed the leaves are rotating at the
perimeter of the salad spinner. The salad spinner has a diameter of 30 cm and completes 9 rotations
in 2 s.

a) At what speed do the leaves rotate at the perimeter of the salad spinner?

b) What is their acceleration?

Upon opening the salad spinner, Denis discovers that there are more leaves at the perimeter of the
spinner than before. However, Denis has learned in school that the acceleration vector is opposed to
the position vector, and should therefore be pointing to the center.

c) Explain why the leaves have moved to the perimeter of the salad spinner.

Dynamics (Chapter 2.3)

iii. A wooden block is placed on a ramp. The coefficient of static friction is µs is 0.6 and the
coefficient of kinetic friction is µk is 0.4. The block weighs 2 kg.

a) What is the maximal angle of inclination of the ramp so that the block doesn’t slide down the
ramp?

b) Assume the ramp is at the maximal angle of inclination calculated above. We lightly push the
block. Describe the velocity of the block over time.

iv. Fred is driving 60 km/h along a country road. Suddenly, a deer crosses the road and Fred slows
down. After 1.5 s, he is now driving at 10 km/h and the deer disappears. We know that the combined
mass of Fred and the car are 800 kg. What is the average applied force during the deceleration?

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

v. We assume that the moon moves around the Earth in a circular orbit.

a) What is the velocity of the moon?

b) What is the period of revolution of the moon around the Earth?

Some useful information: the distance between the Earth and moon is 3.84 × 105 km and the mass of
the Earth is 5.97 × 1024 kg.

Work and Energy (Chapter 2.4)

vi. Two balls are affixed to the ends of a long rod. The balls weigh 2 kg and 3 kg and the length of
the rod is 1 m. We assume the mass of the rod is negligible. The rod rotates around its center of mass
at a speed of 10 rotations per minute.

a) What is the rotational energy of the system?

b) What is the moment of inertia of the system?

c) What is the angular momentum of the system?

d) How do these quantities change if the rod rotates around its geometric center?

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Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Oscillations et Ondes
Warm-Up questions
(Chapitre 5.2)
i. Trouver la fonction qui décrit la position verticale de la masse m en fonction du temps. Le ressort
a une constante de ressort k et une longueur initiale nulle.

Indice : Commencer par poser un système d’axe. Indiquer la position d’équilibre x0 . Décrire le système
avec un équation différentielle. La modifier pour la rendre homogène (c.à.d. pour qu’elle n’ait plus
de termes ne dépendant pas de x ou de ses dérivées). Résoudre l’équation en substituant un Ansatz,
comme décrit dans le script.
(Chapitre 6.4)
ii. Explique avec tes propres mots, pourquoi la sirène d’une ambulance est plus aiguë quand elle
s’approche.
iii. Maxime veut mesurer la vitesse maximale de son train électrique. Pour ce faire, il place une
petite alarme générant un son à f1 = 1 kHz sur la locomotive. Il place également un petit capteur
permettant de mesurer la fréquence au bord des rails. Lorsque la locomotive s’éloigne du capteur, ce
dernier détecte une fréquence de f2 = 994 Hz. Quelle est la vitesse du train ?
La vitesse du son dans l’air est v = 340 m/s.

(Chapitre 6.5)
iv. Alice regarde dans l’eau selon un angle ϕ = 25° par rapport à l’horizontale. Auparavant, elle a
placé un objet à 84 cm sous l’eau et à 5 m du bord.

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Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

a) Si il n’y a pas d’eau, Alice regarde-t-elle dans la bonne direction pour voir l’objet ?

b) Et quand il y a de l’eau ?

c) Si elle ne regarde pas dans la bonne direction, doit-elle lever (ϕ plus petit) ou baisser la tête
pour voir l’objet ?

(Chapitre 6.6)
v. Calculer la période du signal suivant :

y(t) = cos(10πt) − sin(15πt) + sin(20πt + π/2)

vi. Quelles sont les fréquences auxquelles une corde de guitare de longueur L = 90 cm peut vibrer ?

Et pour l’air se trouvant dans un tuyau même longueur, ouvert d’un côté et fermé de l’autre ?

Indice: Dans les deux cas, on est en présence d’ondes stationnaires : l’onde semble osciller sur place,
sans se propager. Ceci est dû à la présence d’ondes identiques se propageant dans le sens opposé.

Pour la corde de guitare, les deux extrémités sont fixées et ne peuvent pas bouger. Pour le tube, la
pression à l’extrémité ouverte est fixée (pression atmosphérique), tandis que l’oscillation est maximale
à l’extrémité fermée (à cause de la manière dont l’onde est réfléchie).

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Thermodynamics

Warm-Up questions

Basic vocabulary (Chapter 4.1-4.3,4.7,4.8)

i. Given 55 g of oxygen gas, find the total number of oxygen molecules as well as the moles of oxygen
molecules. What is the advantage of using the unit of moles?

ii. A box contains a gas at 20 °C. The box is heated until the gas’s internal energy doubles. What
is the temperature of the gas now?

iii. Determine which of the following things can influence the internal energy of a gas:

a) kinetic translational energy of the gas molecules

b) heat energy of the gas molecules

c) potential energy due to the attractions between the gas molecules

d) rotational energy of the gas molecules

Which of the following contribute to the internal energy of an ideal gas?

Heat capacity and phase changes (Chapter 4.4,4.13)

iv. You have water at room temperature (20 °C) and want to make a block of ice that will have a
temperature of -18 °C.

a) Sketch the change in temperature as time passes.

b) You are using liquid nitrogen to cool the water. How much liquid nitrogen do you need to cool 100
grams of water into ice? Helpful quantities: specific heat capacity of water cw = 4.18 J·g−1 ·K−1 ,
specific heat capacity of ice ci = 2.05 J · g−1 · K−1 , enthalpy of fusion / heat of fusion of water
Lw = 333.5 J · g−1 , enthalpy of vaporization / heat of vaporization of nitrogen Ln = 199 J · g−1 .

Ideal gas law (Chapter 4.5)

v. An air bubble is going up from the bottom of a water tank with height of 1 m. The initial volume
is 5 cm3 . Considering that the water temperature is constant. What is its volume at the surface?

vi. We have an ideal gas with molar mass M.

a) What is the relationship between the density and the temperature T? What is the relationship
between the density and the pressure p?

b) As we know from experience, warm air rises. Does this also apply to ideal gases? If yes, why?

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Processes and heat engines (Chapter 4.9-4.11)

vii. Which thermodynamic processes (isobaric, isochoric, isothermal, adiabatic) best describes the
following phenomena:

a) the heating of a hot air balloon

b) Internal combustion of a diesel engine

c) the inflation of a soccer ball

viii. The following thermodynamic cycle is described in a P-V diagram (Process 1 is isotherm bei
Temperature T1 ).

1
3
T1

Qualitatively describe how the thermodynamic cycle would look in a T-V as well as a P-T diagram.

ix. A heat engine that is filled with one mole of an ideal gas goes through the following thermodynamic
cycle.

p
A
5 bar
3
1

2 bar B C
2

1 dm3 5 dm3 V

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

a) What type of processes are described by paths 1 and 2?

b) In which paths of the cycle is work done by the heat engine and in which paths is work done on
the heat engine (from outside)? Calculate the amount (with the correct sign) for each path.

c) What is the net work done by the heat engine after one full cycle?

d) Calculate the external heat that is supplied to paths 1 and 3. What is the net heat flow after
one full cycle?

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Waves and Oscillations

Warm-Up questions
Harmonic oscillations (Chapter 5.2)
i. A mass is hung from the ceiling with a spring. Find a function that describes the vertical position
of the mass m as a function of time. The spring has a spring constant k and is initially unstretched.

Hint: Begin by drawing a coordinate system and choosing your axes. Designate the equilibrium position
of the spring with x0 . Describe the system using a differential equation and modify the equation to
obtain a homogeneous differential equation (meaning that the equation only contains terms that are
dependent on x or derivatives of x). Solve the equation using the approach described in the script.
Waves propagation (Chapter 6.4)
ii. In your own words, explain why the pitch of an ambulance siren increases as the ambulance
approaches you?
iii. Maxime wants to measure the maximal speed of his electric train. To do this, he places a small
alarm on his train that generates a tone of frequency f1 = 1 kHz. He also places a small sensor on
the train tracks that can measure the frequency. While the train moves away from the sensor, the
sensor measures a frequency of f2 = 994 Hz. How fast is the train moving? The speed of sound in air
is v = 340 m/s.

Waves propagation at interfaces (Chapter 6.5)

iv. Alice is standing at the edge of a pool and looks at the water at an angle of ϕ = 25° below
the horizon. She has previously placed an object 84 cm below the water and 5 m away from the edge
where she is standing.

1
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

a) Assuming there was no water, is Alice looking in the right direction (and at the right angle) to
see the object?

b) How does your answer to part a change if we consider that there is water in the pool?

c) Assume that Alice is not looking in the right direction, should she raise her head (the angle
below the horizon becomes smaller) or lower her head to see the object?

Multi-Waves phenomena (Chapter 6.6)

v. Calculate the period of the following wave:

y(t) = cos(10πt) − sin(15πt) + sin(20πt + π/2)

vi. At what frequencies can a guitar string of length L = 90 cm vibrate? How does your answer
change if we consider a pipe of the same length that is closed on one end and open on the other?

Hint: In both cases, we are dealing with stationary waves, meaning waves that seem to oscillate in place
without propagating forwards. This is due to the presence of two identical waves that are propagating
in opposite directions. For the guitar string, assume that the two ends of the string are fixed and
cannot move. For the pipe, assume that the pressure at the open end of the pipe is constant

2
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 4, Electrodynamics: Solution

Accelerator mass spectrometer 12 pt.

Consider a simple model of a so-called acclerator mass spectrometer, which
is used to date moraines of glaciers. To do that, the ratio of the 10 Be
(m10 = 1.7 × 10−27 kg) isotope to the stable isotope 9 Be is measured (Be =
Beryllium). 9 Be is contained in the rock material and 10 Be is produced in
very low concentrations by the cosmic rays hitting the rock surface.
Single negatively charged 9 Be and 10 Be ions are extracted from a rock sample
in the ion source S. The source is on a electrostatic potential of −6 MV. To
the right of the source there is a metal plate with a slit which is held at
ground potential (0 MV). Therefore the ions are accelerated in the direction
indicated by the arrow and pass through the slit.

10
i. Which is the energy and the velocity of the Be ions after they have
passed the slit? 2 pt.
For a charged particle passing a gap between two plates on different potential we know
E = qU after the passed gap. 0.5 pt.
Let q = −1e because we have single negatively charged particles. U = −6 MV, thus
E = 9.6 × 10−13 J. 0.5 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

m10 v 2
But we also know E = 2 0.5 pt.

so v = 1.06 × 107 m · s−1 . 0.5 pt.

10
The Be ions pass through a region M with a homogeneous magnetic field.

ii. The 10 Be ions shall describe an exact quarter of a full circle with radius
R = 1 m in that region and fly straight into the tube located below region M .
What is the required direction of the magnetic field? Indicate the direction
with an arrow in the figure or describe! 1 pt.

Considerung Lorentz’ law F = qv × B, the magnetic field has to point away from you
into the figure. 1 pt.

iii. Calculate the required magnetic field strength. 2 pt.

The Lorentz force need to be equal to the centripetal force,

v2
qv × B = m10
R
1 pt.

Therefore we have
qBR
v=
m10
0.5 pt.

The numerical value is B = 1.13 T. 0.5 pt.

After the tube the 10 Be ions enter the space between two charged metal
plates E forming an exact quarter of a full circle with Radius 1 m .

iv. What is the required direction of the electrical field lines between the
plates to get the 10 Be ions to describe an exact quarter of a full circle?
Indicate the field lines in the figure! 1 pt.

The field lines need to be aligned radially pointing away from the center of the circle. 1 pt.

v. Calculate the required field strength. Can you give an approximate value
for the charge that needs to be brought onto the plates to produce that field?
Assume that the height of the plates is 10 cm. 3 pt.

We have F = Eq 0.5 pt.

2
For the electrons to describe a circle the condition Eq = m10 vR needs to be fullfilled.
Thus E = 1.2 × 107 N · C−1 0.5 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

For a plate capacitor we have C = ε0 Ad , Q = CU and U = Ed, which gives Q = ε0 εA 1 pt.

With A = R π2 h, where h is the height of the capacitor (A = 0.157 m2 ). 0.5 pt.

We get a numerical value of Q = 1.62 × 10−5 C 0.5 pt.

The 10 Be ions which described an exact quarter of a full circle enter the
detector D that counts each ion. During a measurement lasting one minute
2000 10 Be ions have been counted

With a second detector I which can be put into the beam axis the 9 Be ions
are counted. But because the abundance of these ions is much higher they
cannot be counted as simgle ions. Instead, they are measured as a continous
current (i.e each incoming ion produces an electron in the detector). For the
above measurement, a current of 100 nA has been measured.
10 9
vi. Now calculate the ratio of the abundances of Be over Be ions in the
rock sample. 1.5 pt.
10 2000
The Be ions are coming out a rate of c10 = 60 s = 33.3 Hz. 0.5 pt.

On the other hand the rate for 9 Be ions is c9 = 100 nA

e = 6.25 × 1011 Hz 0.5 pt.
c10
We get a ratio r = c9 = 5.33 · 10−11 . 0.5 pt.

vii. Let us assume that the ion source also produces ions with other masses
and in other charge states (i.e two or more times negatively charged). Are
these ions able to pass through the mass spectrometer and reach the detector
D? Explain your answer! 1.5 pt.

Other ions are able to pass through the spectrometer if they meet certain conditions.
2 2
From the above calculations we have B2UR = mq where the left side is a constant. There-
m m10
fore ions with q = 1e can come trough the magnet. 1 pt.

For the charged plates we found ER

2U = 1, which means that all ions can go through the
plates (if they passed the magnet) 0.5 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 6, Hydrodynamics: Solution

Hydrodynamics 8 pt.

Part A. Perforated cylinder 4 pt.

Be there a cylinder with height H and diameter 2R, which is located at a

place where standard pressure Patm and gravity g apply. At the beginning,
the cylinder is filled to the brim with an ideal, incompressible liquid of density
ρ.

i. Determine the absolute pressure Pb at the bottom of the cylinder (point

B).
1 pt.
The pressure at the bottom of the cylinder is given by
Pb = ρgh + Patm
-0.25 points if one forgets Patm . 1 pt.

At time t0 , an hole with diameter 2r is pierced in the bottom of the cylinder.

For simplicity, we assume that r ≪ R.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

ii. Determine the velocity of the liquid surface in the cylinder (va ) as a
function of the velocity of the liquid passing through the hole (vb ) for a time
t > t0 . 1 pt.

Since the velocity in the cylinder is constant we can use the continouity equation

va πR2 = vb πr2

0.5 pt.

Solving for va gives

2
r

va = vb
R
0.5 pt.

iii. Find an expression for the velocity at the exit of the hole vb as a function
of the height h of fluid in the cylinder, taking into account the hypotheses
given in the problem. 2 pt.

Since r ≪ R we see that va is small compared to vb . This means the water level in the
cylinder almost remains constant. 0.5 pt.

This means we can apply the Bernoulli equation between the water surface in the cylinder
and the hole at point B
1 2 1
ρva + ρgh + Patm = ρvb2 + Patm
2 2
0.5 pt.

Solving for vb gives q

vb = 2gh + va2

0.5 pt.

Since va ≪ vb , because r ≪ R we obtain

p
vb = 2gh

0.5 pt.

Alternative solution:
Let Epot (h) and Epot (h − dh) be the potential energies of the water in the cylinder for a
water line at h respectively h − dh

πR2 ρgh2
Epot (h) =
2
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

πR2 ρg(h − dh)2

Epot (h − dh) =
2
The difference in volume for these two cases is ∆V = πR2 dh. This is also the volume
which leaves the cylinder through the hole. This means the potential energy of the water
is transformed into kinetic energy. Since we have va ≪ vb we can neglect the kinetic
energy of the water in the cylinder and we get

Ecin = Epot (h) − Epot (h − dh)

!
dh2 1
gπR2 ρ dh + = ρπR2 dhvb2
2 2
We consider only the terms linear in dh and solve for vb
p
vb = 2gh

Part B. Hole in the swimming pool 4 pt.

Blaise has designed and installed a new swimming pool in his garden. The
pool is a perfect cylinder placed on the ground with the following dimensions:
Diameter 1 m and height 1.5 m. Blaise fills the basin completely with water.

i. Evangelista, Blaise’s little brother, drills a hole in the wall of the pool
at the height h above the ground, whereupon the water begins to flow out.
How fast does the water flow out of the hole? Justify with a calculation. 2 pt.

The Bernoulli equation in this case reads

1 2 1
ρva + ρgha + pa = ρvb2 + ρghb + pb
2 2
1 pt.

Further we can make the following assumption pa ≈ pb ≈ patm and va ≈ 0. 0.5 pt.

With this assumptions the Bernoulli equation reads

1
ρgH = ρvb2 + ρgh
2
solving for vb gives q
vb = 2g(H − h)
0.5 pt.

ii. What horizontal distance (from the hole) has a drop of water travelled
when it touches the ground? 1 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

From cinematics we get

x(t) = vb t
1
y(t) = h − gt2
2
When the water drop touches the ground we have y(t) = 0. Solving the second equation
for t we get s
2h
t=
g
0.5 pt.

With the result from i. we get q

x = 2 h(H − h)

0.5 pt.

iii. At what height above the ground should Evangelista drill a hole so that
the droplet travels the furthest possible horizontal distance from the hole
until it hits the ground? 1 pt.
p
From ii. we know the dependency of the distance x from h: x(h) = 2 h(H − h). For
the hmax , which maximizes x we have

x′ (hmax ) = 0

0.5 pt.

The derivative is
(H − 2h)
x′ (h) = p =0
h(H − h)
Solving for h gives
H
h=
2
0.5 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 1, Mechanics: Solution

Along the rails 16 pt.

The train G511 travels between Beijing and Wuhan. It takes a time T of 5
hours and 15 minutes to travel the distance D 1233 km of the journey at a
cruise speed vc of 300 kmh−1 . There are 6 stops which respective time are 4,
5, 5, 6, 4 and 3 minutes (name them tsi with i ∈ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Our goal is to
estimate the acceleration aT of the train with these data.

Please answer algebraically to all questions unless staten otherwise.

Part A. Before departure 2 pt.

To start on a good basis let’s clarify a few things.

i. What is the average speed at which the train moves during the travel? 1 pt.

It is equal to the total distance divided by the total time minus the time spent at stations.
D
vaverage =
T − ti
P

1 pt.

ii. Explain why the latter is different from the cruise speed. 1 pt.

The cruise speed is the speed which is reached after acceleration, so the train usually
doesn’t travel at that speed, therefore the average speed is lower than the cruise speed.
NB : these two questions are here to make sure the students understand what cruise
speed is, and instead of giving it to them I introduce that with a question. 1 pt.

Part B. Travelling plan 6 pt.

Assume that the train can reach its cruise speed for a finite time between
each stations. Use algebraic values to illustrate your graphs. For example
you can use ti as departure time from each stations (with t0 = 0 et t8 = T ).

i. Sketch a graph of the speed of the train as a function of time for the first
3 stations after the departure station. 3 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

t1 t2 t3
∆t1 ∆t2 ∆t3
Speed

vc
t01 t02 t03

1ststation 2ndstation etc.

Time

Label of axes. 0.5 pt.

Name of intervals or at least labelling of intervals. 0.5 pt.

Non zero waiting time at the station during which the speed is 0. 0.5 pt.

Non zero time interval during which the speed is vc between acceleration and decelera-
tion. 1 pt.

Coherent curves for acceleration. 0.5 pt.

here ti is the time of departure from station i, ∆ti is the time during which the train is
at its cruise speed between stations i − 1 and i. At station i the train spend a time t0i .
whenever the train is accelerating or decelerating the time elapsed will be called ∆t

ii. Sketch a graph of the acceleration aT of the train as a function of the

distance for the 3 first stations. 3 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

x1 x3
ac
∆x1 ∆x2 ∆x3
Speed

0
−ac x2

1ststation 2ndstation etc.

Time

Label of axes. 0.5 pt.

Name of intervals or at least labelling of intervals. 0.5 pt.

Non zero waiting time at the station during which the speed is 0. 0.5 pt.

Non zero time interval during which the speed is vc between acceleration and decelera-
tion. 1 pt.

Coherent curves for acceleration. 0.5 pt.

here xi is the distance between station i and the departure station, ∆xi is the distance
covered by the train at its cruise speed between stations i − 1 and i. Whenever the train
is accelerating or decelerating the distance travelled will be called ∆x

Part C. On the way 8 pt.

Assume the acceleration is equal to the deceleration in this part. The hy-
pothesis of part B. still holds.

i. Express the distance between two adjacent stations xi+1 − xi as a function

of acceleration, cruise speed and of the distance over which the train travel
at its cruise speed. (Find an appropriate name for this variable). 3 pt.

The train covers the same distance, or spend the same time during acceleration and
deceleration, this can be obtained by combining
1
x(t) = aT t2
2
and
v(t) = at
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

1 pt.

at time ∆t, the train reached its cruise speed, vc = v(∆t)

vc2
∆x =
2aT

1 pt.

therefore the distance xi+1 − xi is given by

vc2
xi+1 − xi = 2∆x + ∆xi+1 = + ∆xi+1
aT

1 pt.

ii. Express the the time elapsed between the departure from two adjacent
stations ti+1 − ti as a function of acceleration, cruise speed and of the distance
over which the train travels at its cruise speed. 3 pt.

The train covers the same distance, or spend the same time during acceleration and
deceleration, this can be obtained simply with

v(t) = at

at time ∆t, the train reached its cruise speed, vc = v(∆t)

vc
∆t =
aT

1 pt.

therefore the time ti+1 − ti is given by

2vc
ti+1 − ti = 2∆t + ∆ti+1 + tsi+1 = + ∆ti+1 + tsi+1
aT

2 pt.

iii. Find the acceleration aT of the train. Write algebraic answer before the
numerical application. 2 pt.

We are given the total time T and the total distance D of the travel, we can sum up the
individual components computed in the previous part and equate them to the latter.
N −1
X N vc2 NX
D= (xi+1 − xi ) = + ∆xi+1
i=0
aT i=0

0.5 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

N −1 −2
X 2N vc NX N
X
T = (ti+1 − ti ) = + ∆ti+1 + tsi+1
i=0
aT i=0 i=0

0.5 pt.
PN −1 PN −1
We can calculate the value of T vc −D to get rid of the sums i=0 ∆xi+1 and i=0 ∆ti+1
N −2
N vc2 X
T vc − D = + vc tsi+1
aT i=0

0.5 pt.

as indeed the relation ∆ti+1 vc = ∆xi+1 is valid for every i. This yields the following
result

N vc2
aT = P −2
T vc − D − vc N i=0 tsi+1

0.25 pt.

Numerical application with N = 7

7(300 kmh−1 )2
=
(5.25 h)(300 kmh−1 ) − 1233 km − (300 km/h)(0.45 h)

= 3043.48 kmh− 2 = 0.235 ms−2 = aT

0.25 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 5, Optics: Solution

All kinds of optics 15 pt.

Parts A, B and C are independent of each other and can therefore be solved
individually.

Part A. Astronaut 3 pt.

i. An astronaut is in his spaceship in an orbit 280 km from the surface of the

Earth. What is the minimum distance between two points on the Earth’s
surface so that he can still tell them apart (under optimal conditions)? The
diameter of the pupil is 0.5 cm and the wavelength of light is 550 nm. 3 pt.
1.22λ
The minimal resolution for a circular aperture of radius R is given θmin = 2R 1 pt.

For a small angle, at a distance D, on can distinguish a distance of dmin = Dθmin . 1 pt.
1.22λD
So our astronaut could see two objects separated by a distance dmin = 2R . We get
dmin = 38 m. 1 pt.

Part B. Coated glasses 5 pt.

A beam of white light is shining perpendicularly on a lens (n=1.52), which

is covered with a thin film of magnesium fluoride (n=1.38).

i. What is the minimum film thickness at which the reflected light contains
no yellow-green light of wavelength 550 nm (in air)? 3 pt.

We consider the interference of two light rays. One is reflected at the surface between
air and magnesium fluorid and the other guess through the magnesium fluorid and gets
reflected at the surface between glass and magnesium fluorid.

The phase shifts at the two reflections cancel each other, due to increasing refractive
indices (1 = nvacuum < ncoating < nbulk ) 1 pt.

We have therefore an optical path difference of ∆s = 2ln, where l is the thickness of the
coating and n is its refractive index. 0.5 pt.

The condition for a destructive interference is ∆s = λ(k + 0.5), where k is an integer. 0.5 pt.
λ
The minimal thickness is therefore lmin = 4n = 99.6 nm. 1 pt.

ii. For which minimum layer thickness (different from zero) does construc-
tive interference result for the reflected light? 2 pt.

The condition for a constructive interference is ∆s = kλ 1 pt.

Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

λ
The minimal thickness is therefore lmin = 2n = 199 nm. 1 pt.
Part C. Newton’s rings 7 pt.
In 1717, Sir Isaac Newton studied an interesting phenomenon: If you ap-
proach a spherical surface to a reflecting plane surface, you observe a series
of concentric rings (see figure) when you look through the glass from above.
In our case, the light source is monochromatic and has a wavelength λ.

Figure 1:
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Figure 2:

i. Explain why you see rings, what the conditions are for bright rings and
what the conditions are for dark rings. 4 pt.

There is an interference between the light which is reflected at the bottom surface of
the curved lens and the one which has an additional travel of two times h, the height
between the curved lens and the flat surface. 2 pt.

The light going to the reflective surface picks up an additional half wavelength phase
shift. 1 pt.

Therefore the condition for constructive interference reads

2h 1 1
=n+ =n+
λ 2 2
where n is an integer. For constructive interference we see a bright ring. 0.5 pt.

Therefore the condition for constructive interference reads

2h 1 1
= n′ + + = n
λ 2 2
where n′ and n are integers. For destructive interference we see a dark ring. 0.5 pt.

Having been delighted by the beauty of the rings that bear his name, Sir
Isaac Newton might have wondered at what distance d the lens is from the
plane surface.

ii. Express d as a function of the radius R of the curved glass surface, the
radius rn of the nth dark ring and the wavelength λ. 3 pt.

We have q
hn = d + (R − R2 − rn2 )
1 pt.

With the assumption that we only look at rings close to the center rn ≪ R we get
s
s2 s2
hn = d + R(1 − 1− ) ≈ d +
R2 R2
1 pt.

With the condition for destructive interference we get

λ r2
d= n− n
2 2R
1 pt.
Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 3, Oscillations et Ondes: Solution

Un pendule dans un condensateur 14 pt.

Dans ce problème, on souhaite étudier le comportement d’un pendule dans
un champ électrique. Pour ce faire, on considère un condensateur plan (idéal)
avec des plaques de surface A = 1 m2 , éloignées d’une distance d = 20 cm, ainsi
qu’une petite boule de masse m = 5 g, attachée à un fil de longueur l = 10 cm.

Partie A. Champ électrique 3 pt.

i. Calculer la capacité C du condensateur. 1 pt.

We have
A
C = ε0
d
0.5 pt.

The numerical result is C = 44.27 pF. 0.5 pt.

ii. Calculer la tension et le champ électrique lorsque le condensateur porte

une charge Q = ±2 µC. 2 pt.

We have
Q
U=
C
0.5 pt.

and therefore
U
E=
d
0.5 pt.

the numerical results are

U = 44.52 kV and E = 226 kV · m−1

(0.5 points each) 1 pt.

Partie B. Oscillation 11 pt.

Si vous n’avez pas pu résoudre les tâches précédentes, utilise un champ élec-
trique de E = 2.26 MV · m−1 pour les exercises suivantes.

i. On place à présent le pendule au milieu du condensateur dont les plaques

sont parallèles au plan yz (i.e. verticales par rapport au champ gravitation-
nel) ; la boule est chargée avec q = 200 nC. Esquisser les forces agissant sur la
boule ainsi que la force résultante. 2 pt.
Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Figure 1 –

For the electrical force. 0.5 pt.

For the gravititional force. 0.5 pt.

For the force in the pendulum. 0.5 pt.

For the resulting force. 0.5 pt.

ii. Quel est l’angle formé par le pendule au repos avec la verticale ? 2 pt.

In x-direction we have the electrical force Fel = qE and in z direction the gravitational
force Fg = mg 0.5 pt.

Therefore we get the angle !

Fel
θ = arctan
Fg
Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

1 pt.

The numerical result is θ = 83.8° (for E = 2.26 MV · m−1 ) or θ = 42.65° (for E =

226 kV · m−1 ). 0.5 pt.

iii. Si on déplace le pendule d’un petit angle par rapport à sa position

d’équilibre, il va en résulter une oscillation (approximativement harmonique).
Calculer la fréquence de ces oscillations.
Indication : Pour x ≪ 1 , on pourra utiliser sin x ≈ x 5 pt.
q
At every point we have the same force Fel+g = Fel2 + Fg2 acting on the charge under an
the angle θ, which we calculated above. Around the equilbrium point the force becomes

Fr = −Fel+g sin(ϕ)

where ϕ deflection from equilbrium. 1 pt.

We make a Taylor approximation for small ϕ

Fr ≈ −Fel+g ϕ

0.5 pt.

We get the equation of motion

mlϕ̈ = −Fel+g ϕ
and therefore
Fel+g
ϕ̈ = − ϕ
ml
1 pt.

From ϕ̈ = −ω 2 ϕ we can identify s

Fel+g
ω=
ml
1 pt.

With ω = 2πf 0.5 pt.

the frequency becomes

!1/4
1 1
2
qQ
 1/4 
f= √ (qE)2 + (mg)2 = √ + (mg)2
2π ml 2π ml ϵ0 A

0.5 pt.

The numerical value of f is 4.8 Hz (for E = 2.26 MV · m−1 ) or 1.838 Hz (for E =

226 kV · m−1 ) 0.5 pt.
Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

iv. De quelle manière est modifiée la fréquence des oscillations si la tension

du condensateur est maintenue constante et la distance entre les plaques est
augmentée de ∆d = 5 cm ? 2 pt.

The charge changes by

d
Q′ = Q
d + ∆d
1 pt.

Therefore we can use the formula

!1/4
1
2
qQ

f= √ + (mg)
2
2π ml ϵ0 A

again. 0.5 pt.

The numerical value is f = 4.3 Hz (for E = 2.26 MV · m−1 ) or f = 1.757 Hz (for

E = 226 kV · m−1 ) 0.5 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 2, Thermodynamics: Solution

Under pressure 16 pt.

A cylinder with initial volume V = 2 L is filled with nitrogen. The cylinder

is hermetically sealed by a piston. In the first part of the task, the piston
is blocked, the gas is heated to different temperatures and the pressure is
measured for each temperature. The results of the measurements are shown
in the following table.

# T(°C) P(Pa)
1 10 168100
2 20 174000
3 50 191800
4 100 221500
5 150 251200
6 250 310600

Part A. Determination of the mass 5 pt.

i. Draw a graph of the pressure as a function of temperature in the cylinder.

2 pt.

0.25 points for graph label on each axis 0.5 pt.

0.25 for correct units on each axis 0.5 pt.

Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

correct ploting of data 1 pt.

Typically you take off : -(0.25 pt) if the data do not span over the whole axis (ie if
they plot from 0 to 350000 for the pressure, from 150000 is sufficient and allows better
visualization of the data) -(0.25 pt) if the graph is super small on the sheet of paper
ii. What is the mass of the nitrogen in the cylinder? 3 pt.
The ideal gas law
P V = nRT
0.5 pt.
We substitue n = m
M and divide by V
mR
P = T
MV
0.5 pt.
From the slope one can determine the mass
MV
m = slope ·
R
1 pt.
Get the numerical value for the slope from the graph. 0.5 pt.
For finding the numerical value of the mass (4 g). The results in the following sections
will be calculated with this value. 0.5 pt.
Part B. Equilibrium 2 pt.
Now the piston can move parallel to the cylinder axis, but it will never leave
the cylinder. The heat transfer between the gas and the environment can be
neglected, unless otherwise stated.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

i. If the temperature of the gas is 23 °C, how big is the volume of the gas in
the cylinder? 2 pt.

We have
V = (mR/Mm P )T = 3.48 L
1 pt.

where we have used that P = Patm = 1 × 105 Pa, anything close to that within 10% is
acceptable. 1 pt.

Part C. We dive 9 pt.

A diver brings the cylinder under water, h = 7 m below the water surface.
The temperature would still be 23 °C and the piston can still move freely.

Constants:

• density of water: ρw = 1.0 gcm−3

• Heat capacity of nitrogen: cs = 1.04 kJkg−1 K−1

i. What volume does the gas occupy if the temperature remains unchanged?
2 pt.

The pressure in this case is

P = Patm + ρwater gh
1 pt.

Again we have
V = (mR/Mm P )T
0.5 pt.

The numerical application gives V = 2.07 L 0.5 pt.

ii. The cylinder is left under water. What amount of heat must be added
to the gas so that its volume becomes 2 L? 3 pt.

Again we have
P = Patm + ρwater gh
0.5 pt.

which gives
(V Mm P )/(mR) = T f = 285.69 K = 12.69 °C
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

1 pt.

we find for the heat

Q = mcnitrogen (T f − T i)
1 pt.

Resulting in a numerical value of Q = −42.9 J 0.5 pt.

iii. What must be the mass of the cylinder (as a function of the temperature
of the gas) so that the cylinder remains in equilibrium at the same depth?
(i.e., it neither rises back to the surface nor sinks to the bottom.) The mass of
the piston will be neglected. The volume of the piston and cylinder together
can also be neglected compared to the volume of the gas. 4 pt.

Archimedes :
FA = ρwater Vf luid g
1 pt.

Equilibrium :
FA = (mcylinder + m)g
1 pt.

Combining the two latter (one can simplify g) :

ρwater Vf luid = mcylinder + m

0.5 pt.

V = (mR/Mm P )T
0.25 pt.

P = P atm + ρwater gh 0.25 pt.

it yields
ρwater R
 
mcylinder (T ) = T −1 m
Mm (Patm + ρwater gh)
1 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Challenge 3, Waves and Oscillations: Solution

Pendulum in the capacitor 14 pt.

In this task we investigate the behaviour of a pendulum in an electric field.
For this purpose we consider an (ideal) plate capacitor with plate area A =
1 m2 and distance d = 20 cm and a small sphere with mass m = 5 g, which is
suspended from a thread of length l = 10 cm.

Part A. Electric field 3 pt.

i. Calculate the capacitance C of the capacitor. 1 pt.

We have
A
C = ε0
d
0.5 pt.

The numerical result is C = 44.27 pF. 0.5 pt.

ii. What is the voltage and electric field when the charge Q = ±2 µC resides
on the capacitor plates? 2 pt.

We have
Q
U=
C
0.5 pt.

and therefore
U
E=
d
0.5 pt.

the numerical results are

U = 44.52 kV and E = 226 kV · m−1

(0.5 points each) 1 pt.

Part B. Oscillation 11 pt.

If you could not solve the previous tasks, use an electric field of E = 2.26 MV ·
m−1 for the following tasks.

i. In the middle of the condenser, whose plates are parallel to the yz -plane
(i.e. perpendicular to gravity), we now place our pendulum. The sphere
is charged with q = 200 nC. Sketch which forces act on the sphere and the
resulting force. 2 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Figure 1:

For the electrical force. 0.5 pt.

For the gravititional force. 0.5 pt.

For the force in the pendulum. 0.5 pt.

For the resulting force. 0.5 pt.

ii. What angle does the pendulum assume with the vertical when at rest? 2 pt.

In x-direction we have the electrical force Fel = qE and in z direction the gravitational
force Fg = mg 0.5 pt.

Therefore we get the angle !

Fel
θ = arctan
Fg
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

1 pt.

The numerical result is θ = 83.8° (for E = 2.26 MV · m−1 ) or θ = 42.65° (for E =

226 kV · m−1 ). 0.5 pt.

iii. If the pendulum is deflected by a small angle from this rest position,
it will perform an (approximately harmonic) oscillation. Calculate the fre-
quency of this oscillation! Note: For x ≪ 1 sin x ≈ x holds. 5 pt.
q
At every point we have the same force Fel+g = Fel2 + Fg2 acting on the charge under an
the angle θ, which we calculated above. Around the equilbrium point the force becomes

Fr = −Fel+g sin(ϕ)

where ϕ deflection from equilbrium. 1 pt.

We make a Taylor approximation for small ϕ

Fr ≈ −Fel+g ϕ

0.5 pt.

We get the equation of motion

mlϕ̈ = −Fel+g ϕ
and therefore
Fel+g
ϕ̈ = − ϕ
ml
1 pt.

From ϕ̈ = −ω 2 ϕ we can identify s

Fel+g
ω=
ml
1 pt.

With ω = 2πf 0.5 pt.

the frequency becomes

!1/4
1 1
2
qQ
 1/4 
f= √ (qE) + (mg)
2 2
= √ + (mg) 2
2π ml 2π ml ϵ0 A

0.5 pt.

The numerical value of f is 4.8 Hz (for E = 2.26 MV · m−1 ) or 1.838 Hz (for E =

226 kV · m−1 ) 0.5 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

iv. How does the frequency of the oscillation change if the voltage of the
capacitor is kept constant and the distance between the plates is increased
by ∆d = 5 cm? 2 pt.

The charge changes by

d
Q′ = Q
d + ∆d
1 pt.

Therefore we can use the formula

!1/4
1
2
qQ

f= √ + (mg)
2
2π ml ϵ0 A

again. 0.5 pt.

The numerical value is f = 4.3 Hz (for E = 2.26 MV · m−1 ) or f = 1.757 Hz (for

E = 226 kV · m−1 ) 0.5 pt.
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Electrodynamics

Warm-Up questions

Chapter 8.1
i. The electroscope is one of the first instrument used to measure a electrical
quantity: charges. Different models exist, but we are interested in the one
drawn below.

Two thin gold sheets are parallel to each other in a glass bottle. They are fixed
to a metallic rod, which is ended by a metallic plate outside the bottle. The
goal of the bottle is to protect the gold sheet from draught (among other).

To take the measure, we place the object to measure close to the plate.

Figure 1: Electroscope

a) What happens when one put a positively charged object close to the
device? Describe the kind of charges, which appear at each place.

b) With this instrument can we determine the sign of the charges?

c) And can we determine the amount of charge?

a) When a positively charged object is placed closed to the metallic plate, it will in-
duce negative charges on the plate. Since the metallic part is not connected to the
ground, it must globally stay neutral. So, the increase of negative charges in one
ends induces an increase of positive charges in the other ends, on the gold leaves.
Since both leaves will be positively charged, they will repeal each other under the
mutual action of the Coulomb force.

Figure 2:

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

b) If the object is negatively charged, we get the same final visual result. It is not
possible to determine whether the leaves repeal because they are both positively or
both negatively charged.

c) If the object is not charged, then nothing will happen. We can also imagine, that
the more the leaves repeal each other, the bigger is the charge on the object.

Chapter 8.2
ii.

a) Calculate the charge on a sphere of radius r made of conducting material.

Assume that the sphere is at a potential U .

b) A positive charges q sits at (0, 0, 1). Calculate the charge to be placed at

(0, 0, 3) such that the origin is at zero potential.

c) Let the x, y-plane as well as the x, z-plane be perfect conductors. Let the
charge per area on the x, y-plane be 1 C · m−2 and the charge per area on
the x, z-plane be −2 C · m−2 . Draw the equipotential lines.

d) Show that the electrical field of the form

 
y
⃗
E(x, y, z) = −x
 
0

cannot arise in electrostatics.

e) (More difficult) Two identical spheres of radius R are at a distance d

from each other. After charging one of the spheres with 4 C and the
other one with 2 C, we connect them with a wire. Calculate the energy
dissipated through the wire in the process reaching equilibrium. Assume
that R << d.

a) The sphere is conducting, so the charge is uniformly spread on its surface and all
points on the surface will have the same potential.
Consider spherical surfaces around the conducting sphere and with the same centre.
The Gaussian law tells us that the charged sphere acts like a point charge. Indeed, in
both cases the same electric field are seen on the surface, thus the surface potential
is also the same.
Now we must find the value of a point charge, such that it creates a potential U at
a distance r.
Q
U= ⇒ Q = 4πϵ0 rU
4πϵ0 r
b) The potential created by each point charge add. In the origin we have:
q1 q2
U= +
4πϵ0 r1 4πϵ0 r2
where U = 0, r1 = 1, r2 = 3 and q1 is known. Solving this equation gives us
q2 = −3q1 .

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

c) An infinite plate generates an uniform electric field, which is perpendicular to the

plate and whose value is Q/A
2ϵ0 , where Q/A is the charge per area.
The two infinite plates split the space in four volumes. In each of them there is a
uniform electric field, as we can find between both plates of a capacitor.
Since the potential difference is defined as the integral of the electric field along a
path, the equipotential lines will be perpendicular to the electric field.

Figure 3: The electric field is represented by the black arrows. The grey arrows show the
contribution of each plane. The red diagonal are the equipotential lines.

d) This electric field rotates around the z-axis. Try to draw it on the x, y-plane, to
convince you.
In electrostatic only charges can generate an electric field. Such electric field either
spreads away in all directions or comes towards the charge from all directions. Clearly
our cylindrical electric field cannot be created with charges.
To convince ourselves further, we can consider a cylinder around the z-axis. Re-
marking that its surface is parallel to the electric field, the Gaussian Law tells us
that there is no charges inside the cylinder. Since we can take a cylinder as big as
we want, charges cannot be responsible for this electric field.
e) To dissipated energy is the initial energy of the system minus its final energy. The
only energy we have to consider is the electrical potential energy due to the charges.
Each sphere is subject to its own charges and to the other sphere.
Let compute the potential energy of a single charged sphere, assuming the potential
is zero far away. This is the work needed to assemble all the charges in the sphere.
The work needed to add a charge dq to a sphere of radius r and of charge q(r) is:
q(r) · dq
dW =
4πϵ0 r
Since the spheres we are interested in are homogeneously charged, q(r) can simply
be expressed as the final charge times the sphere’s volume ratio (current one divided
by final one):
V (r) r3 3Q
q(r) = Q =Q 3 so dq = 3 r2 dr
V (R) R R
We can know find the total work needed to assemble one sphere, from radius r = 0 m
to radius r = R:
Q r2 3Q2 r4 3 Q2
Z Z Z R
W = dW · r = dq = dr =
4πϵ0 R3 0 4πϵ0 R 6 5 4πϵ0 R

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

To this energy, we must add the potential due to the other sphere. Since R << d,
we can approximate both sphere as point-charge. So the additional potential each
sphere felt is E1−2 = E2−1 = Q1 Q2
4πϵ0 d .
Putting everything together, the total energy of the system is:

3 Q21 + Q22 Q1 Q2
Etot = E1−1 + E2−2 + 2E1−2 = +2
5 4πϵ0 R 4πϵ0 d

At the beginning Q1 = 4C and Q2 = 2C, after equilibrium both spheres have the
same charge Q1 = Q2 = 3C. And we get for the loss:

3 (20 − 18)C 2 (8 − 9)C 2 3 2C 2 2C 2

Eloss = Esys,1 − Esys,2 = +2 = −
5 4πϵ0 R 4πϵ0 d 5 4πϵ0 R 4πϵ0 d

Chapter 8.3
iii.

a) Assume we have a uniform B-field in z-direction. Calculate the differ-

ence in the radius of the trajectory of a 14 C + particle and 13 C + particle
assuming the same initial velocity of 1000 m · s−1 , along the x-axis.

b) Consider a homogeneous B-field in the z-direction. Start with an electron

somewhere in the z = d-plane. The initial velocity is (0, v0 , 1). Calculate
the length of the trajectory until the electron hits the z = 0-plane.

a) A charge moving in a magnetic field is subject to the Lorenz force. This force is
perpendicular to its motion and makes the charge rotate. Because the speed and
the magnetic field are perpendicular, the Newton’s law gives ma = qvB.
The acceleration of a circular motion only modifies the direction of the particle and
2
can be expressed as a = vr , with r the radius of the motion. Combining these two
expressions we get r = mv
qB .

The two particles 14 C + and 13 C + are in the same magnetic field B, with the same
velocity v and with the same charge q = +e (e is the elementary charge). Their only
difference is their mass. Indeed 14 C + contains one neutron more than 13 C + . Thus,
v
the difference in radius is ∆r = ∆m qB , with ∆m the mass of one neutron.

b) Again, the magnetic field acts on the moving particle. In order to easily find the
direction of the Lorenz force, we can split the speed in two contribution: one in the
→
− −→ → −
xy-plane and the other along the z-axis. Thus → −v =− v→ →
−
xy + vz and F = q vxy × B +
→
− →
−
q→
−
vz × B . The second term cancels because → −
vz is parallel to B and the first term
stays in the xy-plane. Hence the electron will never leave the z = d-plane.

Chapter 9.2
iv. Calculate the equivalent resistor and the current, which goes out of the
battery.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Figure 4:

First we remark that in the middle wire the resistors 40 Ω and 10 kΩ are in series. Ad-
ditionally, the two top wires consist of a series of three group of two resistors in parallel.
Using the rules for equivalent series and parallel resistors, we get the following circuit.

Figure 5:

Now, the three parallel wires have an equivalent resistor of R, where R1 = 1

20/3+12.5 Ω +
1 1
10 040 Ω + 15 Ω . So R = 8.41 Ω and the equivalent resistor is Req = 58.41 Ω.

The current is simply computed with the Ohm’s law: I = U/Req = 85.6 mA.

Chapter 9.5
v. In the circuit below, the current that flows through the 30 Ω resistor is
2.0 A. What is the value of the resistor R1 ?

Figure 6:

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Since R1 and R2 are in parallel, the voltage drop across them is the same: I1 R1 = I2 R2 =
6 V. Using that, the battery voltage is U = I · 8.0 Ω + 6 V = 12 V. So the total current is
I = 0.75 A = I1 + I2 and I1 = −1.25 A, the negative sign means that the current flows in
the opposite direction.
6V
Finally the resistor R1 is R1 = 1.25 A = 4.8 Ω.

vi. Given the circuit below, determine...

a) The current flowing through each resistor.

b) The voltage of the battery on the left.

c) The power deliver to the circuit by the battery on the right.

Figure 7:

Before applying Kirchhoff’s rules to solve this circuit, we must draw and name all the
current on the circuit. We don’t have to worry about their direction, because if we make
a mistake, we will just get a negative value for the current.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

a) Then use the loop rule in the bottom right loop: U2 = R2 I2 + R4 I4 ⇒ I2 =

U2 −R4 I4
R2 = 4 A.
The node rule applied on the centre node gives I3 = I4 − I2 = −1 A, so this current
flows in the opposite direction than drawn.
R2 I2 −R1 I1
The loop rule on the top loop is R1 I1 + R3 I3 = R2 I2 ⇒ I1 = R1 = 11 A.

b) The loop rule applied on the bottom left loop gives U1 = R3 I3 + R4 U4 = 9 V.

c) The current driven by the battery on the right is given by IU 2 = I1 + I2 = 15 A. So

the power delivered by this battery is P2 = U2 IU 2 = 300 W.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Hydrodynamics

Warm-Up questions

Hydrodynamics
i. Viviane and Sebastian would like to build a submarine out of an old water
tank.

a) Assume the water tank has a volume of 2000 litres. What is the minimal
weight of the submarine such that it can dive?
b) They would like to dive down to a depth of 20m. What is the water
pressure at this depth?
c) To look out of the submarine, they build a round window with radius
r = 20cm. What force is acting on the window in the depth of 20m?

a) They float if their mass is smaller than the mass of the water contained in the volume
of the submarine. Or equivalently if their mean density is smaller than the density
of water. Since water has a density of 1000kg · m−3 , and since they want to dive and
not to float, the minimal mass is 2000kg.
b) The pressure p at a distance h under the water surface is p = ρgh where ρ =
1000kg · m−3 is the density of water and g = 9.81m · s−1 the gravitational constant.
Therefore the pressure when diving at a depth of 20m is p = 1.96 · 105 Pa = 1.96bar.
c) The force F is F = pA where A = πr2 is the area of the window.

ii. When it is raining, the water on a roof top is collected by a rain pipe and
flows through a vertical downpipe to the ground. We assume a house with a
5m long downpipe and we neglect any kind of friction.

a) How fast is the water flowing at the end of the downpipe?

b) At the lower end of the downpipe we place a water wheel. Assuming
there are 10 litres of water per minute flowing through the pipe, what
power can the water wheel produce (under ideal conditions)?

a) Each drop with mass m floating from the roof to the ground picks up the potential
energy Epot = mgh (where h is the height) and converts it into kinetic energy
Ekin = 1/2mv 2 . Since this happens simultaneously for all drops (cancelling the mass
m), the water floats with a speed of

2gh = 9.9m · s−1

p
v=

b) A water stream of 10 litres per minute corresponds to a moved mass of m = 10 · kg

per minute. The total energy of the water passing the water wheel in one minute is
therefore
1
Etot = mv 2 = mgh = 490.5J.
2
Dividing by one minute (60s), we get a power of 8.18W.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

iii. In this question we want to investigate the Bernoulli effect. For this
we consider a pipe system with a narrowing, see figure 1. At the narrowest
position, the diameter is half of the one at the beginning and the end. A little
baby submarine is floating in the water, it has therefore always the same speed
as the water. We assume the water floats at the widest positions with a speed
v0 and we neglect friction.

Figure 1:

a) What is the speed at the narrowest position?

b) When floating from the widest to the narrowest position, the submarine
gets accelerated, therefore the kinetic energy increases. How much is the
increase assuming the submarine has a mass of m?

c) Where does the energy for this acceleration come from? Compare with
the Bernoulli equation.

a) The volume per time floating though the widest positions is the same as the volume
per time passing the narrowest parts. This is the continuity equation which leads to
v0 π(2R0 )2 = vi πR02 where vi = 4v0 is the speed in the narrowest location.

b) The kinetic energy at the widest sections is 0.5mv02 and at the narrowest sections
0.5m(4v0 )2 . Therefore the energy increases by a factor 16 or an absolute increase of
15/2mv02 .

c) The energy comes from the water pressure being higher at the wide sections and lower
at the smaller sections. At the passage from the widest to the narrowest section, the
submarine gets pushed by the higher pressure in the widest part towards the lower
pressure in the narrowest part. To compute the pressure, we use Bernoulli’s equation
p0 + 0.5ρv02 = pi + 0.5ρvi2 where ρ is the water density and the index i denotes the
pressure and speed in the narrowest area. Using vi = 4v0 and comparing the pressure
difference p0 −pi = 0.5ρ(vi2 −v02 ) = 15/2ρv02 . Using that the density of the submarine
is the same as of water (otherwise it would not float), and multiplying the pressure
difference by the volume of the submarine V = m/ρ, we get V (p0 − pi ) = 15/2mv02 .
The energy therefore comes from the pressure difference. This is not surprising as
the Bernoulli equation was derived from energy conservation.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Mechanics 1

Warm-Up questions

Kinematics (Chapter 2.2)

i. Alice throws a ball vertically upwards. She wants the ball to reach the
height of the school wall, which a classmate tells her is 7 m tall. Alice throws
the ball from 1 m above the ground. We neglect all friction.

a) Alice throws the ball upwards with an initial velocity of 18 km/h. Does
the ball reach the top of the school wall?

b) Which minimal initial velocity does the ball need to have so that it reaches
the top of the school wall?

c) In this case, what would the final velocity of the ball upon impact with
the ground?

a) The ball raises up to the height h = −0.5gt2 +v0 t+x0 with x0 = 1 m, v0 = 18 km/h =
5 m/s, g = 9.81 m/s2 and t the time taken by the ball to reach its maximal height.
To find t we have to remember that the speed of the ball at the top of its trajectory
is zero. So vtop = v0 − gt = 0 m/s and t = v0 /g.
Putting this result into the first equation, we get h = 2.27 m < 7 m. So, the ball
doesn’t reach the top of the wall.

b) As before t = v0 /g and h = −0.5gt2 + v0 t + x0p

, this time v0 is unknown and h = 7 m.
Solving the system of equation, we get v0 = 2g(h − x0 ) = 10.8 m/s.

c) After it reaches the top of its trajectory, the ball will move downwards. We again
have both equations x1 = −0.5gt2 − vtop t + h and v1 = vtop + gt with x1 = 0 m,
vtop = 0 m/s and h = 7 m.
√
With the first equation, we find t = 2h/g. Hence v1 = 2gh = 11.7 m/s.
p

ii. While Denis is using his salad spinner, he wonders at what speed the
leaves are rotating at the perimeter of the salad spinner. The salad spinner
has a diameter of 30 cm and completes 9 rotations in 2 s.

a) At what speed do the leaves rotate at the perimeter of the salad spinner?

b) What is their acceleration?

Upon opening the salad spinner, Denis discovers that there are more leaves
at the perimeter of the spinner than before. However, Denis has learned
in school that the acceleration vector is opposed to the position vector, and
should therefore be pointing to the center.

c) Explain why the leaves have moved to the perimeter of the salad spinner.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

a) At the boundary, the salad moves a distance d = N · 2πr in t = 2 s, with r = 0.15 m

being the radius and N = 9 the number of rotations during the time interval t.
Thus, the speed is v = d/t = 4.24 m/s.

b) The speed is constant, but the velocity not since the salad doesn’t always move in
the same direction. The acceleration is perpendicular to the movement, towards the
centre of the circular motion. Its magnitude is a = v 2 /r = 120 m/s2 .

c) The acceleration’s vector is due to the force applied by the boundary to the salad.
This force does not let the salad escape the salad dryer. In the other hand, the salad
placed in the middle of the dryer can continue its motion in a straight line, until it
reaches the dryer’s boundary.

Dynamics (Chapter 2.3)

iii. A wooden block is placed on a ramp. The coefficient of static friction is
µs is 0.6 and the coefficient of kinetic friction is µk is 0.4. The block weighs
2 kg.

a) What is the maximal angle of inclination of the ramp so that the block
doesn’t slide down the ramp?

b) Assume the ramp is at the maximal angle of inclination calculated above.

We lightly push the block. Describe the velocity of the block over time.

a) Three forces act on the block: the gravitational force, the support N exercised
by the ramp and the friction. Their projection on an axis parallel to the ramp
gives ma∥ = mg sin(θ) − µs N and their projection on a perpendicular axis gives
ma⊥ = N − mg cos(θ) where θ is unknown.
Since the block is at rest both a∥ and a⊥ are zero and we obtain: µs = tan(θ). So,
the maximal angle is θ = arctan(µs ) = 31.0°.

b) Since the bloc is now moving, the dynamical friction coefficient µd should be used.
It is lower than µs , so the friction force will not be big enough to counteract the
gravitational force and the block will accelerate down the ramp.

iv. Fred is driving 60 km/h along a country road. Suddenly, a deer crosses
the road and Fred slows down. After 1.5 s, he is now driving at 10 km/h and
the deer disappears. We know that the combined mass of Fred and the car
are 800 kg. What is the average applied force during the deceleration?

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

We can use Newton’s law: F = ma = dp dt with p = mv the momentum. Since we are

P

interested in the average force, we must divide the variation of the momentum by the time
interval: ⟨F ⟩ = (mv1 − mv0 )/∆t = 7410 N with v0 and v1 the initial respectively final
velocities.
v. We assume that the moon moves around the Earth in a circular orbit.

a) What is the velocity of the moon?

b) What is the period of revolution of the moon around the Earth?

Some useful information: the distance between the Earth and moon is 3.84 ×
105 km and the mass of the Earth is 5.97 × 1024 kg.

a) The only force felt by the Moon is the gravitational force. Thus F = GmM/r2 = ma
with G the gravitational constant, m the mass of the Moon, M the mass of the Earth
and r the distance between them. The acceleration of the circular uniform motion
is a = v 2 /r, with v the speed of the Moon.
Using both equations, we get v = GM/r = 1020 m/s.
p

b) The revolution period is the time the Moon takes to make one revolution around the
Earth. T = d/v = 2πr/v = 2.37 · 106 s = 27.4 days.

Work and Energy (Chapter 2.4)

vi. Two balls are affixed to the ends of a long rod. The balls weigh 2 kg
and 3 kg and the length of the rod is 1 m. We assume the mass of the rod is
negligible. The rod rotates around its center of mass at a speed of 10 rotations
per minute.

a) What is the rotational energy of the system?

b) What is the moment of inertia of the system?
c) What is the angular momentum of the system?
d) How do these quantities change if the rod rotates around its geometric
center?

a) We first must find the centre of mass of the system. We place the x-axis along the
bar, with
P the origin on the lightest ball. Then, the position of the centre of mass
m i ri
xc = Pi m = m2 l
m1 +m2 = 0.6 m with l = 1 m the length of the bar m1 = 2 kg and
i i
m2 = 3 kg.
The rotation energy is due to the kinetics energy of the rotating body, so Erot =
ω2
2 (m1 v1 + m2 v2 ) = 2 m1 xc + m2 (l − xc ) = 0.658 J where ω = 2π10 min−1 =
1 2 2 2 2

1.05 s .
−1

b) The moment of inertia is I = 2 = x2c m1 + (l − xc )2 m2 = 1.2 m2 kg.

P
i ri mi

c) The angular momentum is L = Iω = 1.26 m2 kg/s.

d) All the computations are the same as before, with xc = l/2 = 0.5 m. Hence Erot =
0.685 J, I = 1.25 m2 kg and L = 1.31 m2 kg/s.

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Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Oscillations et Ondes

Warm-Up questions

(Chapitre 5.2)
i. Trouver la fonction qui décrit la position verticale de la masse m en
fonction du temps. Le ressort a une constante de ressort k et une longueur
initiale nulle.

Indice : Commencer par poser un système d’axe. Indiquer la position d’équilibre

x0 . Décrire le système avec un équation différentielle. La modifier pour la ren-
dre homogène (c.à.d. pour qu’elle n’ait plus de termes ne dépendant pas de
x ou de ses dérivées). Résoudre l’équation en substituant un Ansatz, comme
décrit dans le script.

As for all mechanical problems, we first must draw a system of coordinate. In the picture
below, the x-axis has its origin in the ceil and points towards the bottom. The equilibrium
position of the system x0 is also indicated.

We can now write the Newton’s law for this system:

m · ⃗a = F⃗i = F⃗g + F⃗k

X

Let project all the vectors along the x-axis:

m · a = Fg − Fk = mg − k · x

Finally, we remember that a = ẍ and get the differential equation.

m · ẍ + k · x = mg

To make the equation homogeneous, it it useful to find the equilibrium point. At equilib-
rium, the mass does not move anymore, so ẍ = 0 and x0 = mg/k.

¨.
We can now use this point to express x: x = x0 + x̃. Since x0 is constant, we have ẍ = x̃
Replacing x and ẍ by these expression in the differential equation gives:

¨ + k · (x0 + x̃) = mg
m · x̃

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Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

¨ + k · x̃ = 0
m · x̃
To obtain the last equation, we use the equation for the equilibrium point.

This differential equation is homogeneous, and we can solve it as described in the script.
First we take an Ansatz for x̃: x̃ = A sin(ωt + ϕ) and we put it in the differential equation:

−m · ω 2 A sin(ωt + ϕ) + k · A sin(ωt + ϕ) = 0

m · ω2 = k
s
k
ω=
m

Thus s 
k
x̃(t) = A sin  t + ϕ
m
s 
k
x(t) = x0 + A sin  t + ϕ
m

This is the general solution for this problem. If we had additional information about the
system (where the mass is at two given time), we would also be able to find the value for
the constants A and ϕ.

(Chapitre 6.4)
ii. Explique avec tes propres mots, pourquoi la sirène d’une ambulance est
plus aiguë quand elle s’approche.

The emergency car generates a sound in a frequency f . This is a periodic signal i.e. its
intensity varies with time and after a time T = 1/f it repeats the same pattern. The
bigger T is, the deeper we perceive the sound.

Once generated, the sound travels from the emergency car to our ears. The closer the
emergency car is, the less time the sound takes to reach us.

When the emergency car is moving towards us, the sound generated at time t + T will take
less time to reach us than the sound generated at time t. Thus, the period we perceive is
smaller, so the sound is higher pitched.

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Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

iii. Maxime veut mesurer la vitesse maximale de son train électrique. Pour ce
faire, il place une petite alarme générant un son à f1 = 1 kHz sur la locomotive.
Il place également un petit capteur permettant de mesurer la fréquence au
bord des rails. Lorsque la locomotive s’éloigne du capteur, ce dernier détecte
une fréquence de f2 = 994 Hz. Quelle est la vitesse du train ?

La vitesse du son dans l’air est v = 340 m/s.

The shift in frequency is due to the Doppler effect. We can rewrite the formula in the
following way:
f1 − f2
vtrain = v = 2.05 m · s−1
f2

(Chapitre 6.5)
iv. Alice regarde dans l’eau selon un angle ϕ = 25° par rapport à l’horizontale.
Auparavant, elle a placé un objet à 84 cm sous l’eau et à 5 m du bord.

a) Si il n’y a pas d’eau, Alice regarde-t-elle dans la bonne direction pour

voir l’objet ?

b) Et quand il y a de l’eau ?

c) Si elle ne regarde pas dans la bonne direction, doit-elle lever (ϕ plus petit)
ou baisser la tête pour voir l’objet ?

a) Without water, we don’t have to take care of the refraction and the line of sight stay
straight. The direction to look at the object is:
1.5 m + 0.84 m
 
ϕ = arctan = 25.1°
5m
This is close enough to 25°. So, Alice will be able to see the object.

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Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

b) With the water, the line of sight will be bended at the interface air-water. Since the
refraction index of water is bigger than the refraction index of air, the line of sight
is more vertical in water and Alice will not see the object.

c) The point that Alice see on the bottom is not far enough. So, Alice must raise her
head to be able to see the object.

(Chapitre 6.6)
v. Calculer la période du signal suivant :

y(t) = cos(10πt) − sin(15πt) + sin(20πt + π/2)

y(t) is the sum of 3 sinusoidals with frequencies f1 = 5, f2 = 7.5 and f3 = 10. For this
exercise we do not have to take care about the phase, since it has no influence on the
frequency. The frequency of y(t) is the greatest common divider of f1 , f2 and f3 . Thus
fy = 2.5 and the period of the signal is T = 0.4.

vi. Quelles sont les fréquences auxquelles une corde de guitare de longueur
L = 90 cm peut vibrer ?

Et pour l’air se trouvant dans un tuyau même longueur, ouvert d’un côté et
fermé de l’autre ?

Indice: Dans les deux cas, on est en présence d’ondes stationnaires : l’onde
semble osciller sur place, sans se propager. Ceci est dû à la présence d’ondes
identiques se propageant dans le sens opposé.

Pour la corde de guitare, les deux extrémités sont fixées et ne peuvent pas
bouger. Pour le tube, la pression à l’extrémité ouverte est fixée (pression
atmosphérique), tandis que l’oscillation est maximale à l’extrémité fermée (à
cause de la manière dont l’onde est réfléchie).

Because it is fixed, the string cannot oscillate at its ends i.e. any standing wave on the
string must have nodes there. So, on the string’s length we can put either 0.5 or 1 or 1.5
... wavelengths: L = n2 λ where n is an integer. We want now to find the corresponding
frequencies f = λv = v 2Ln
. Where v is the propagation speed of the wave in the string.
This value depends on the width of the string and on how it is stretched.

In the tube, oscillations are allowed at one end (let say the right one) and not at the other.
This time we can place either 0.25 or 0.75 or 1.25 ... wavelengths: L = (0.25 + n2 )λ where
n is an integer. Thus, f = λv = Lv (0.25 + n2 ). This time v = 340 m/s, it is the speed of
sound in air.

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Olympiades de Physique: Entraînement d’automne 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Figure 1: The first oscillations’ modes on the string (left) and in the half-opened tube
(right).

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Thermodynamics

Warm-Up questions

Basic vocabulary (Chapter 4.1-4.3,4.7,4.8)

i. Given 55 g of oxygen gas, find the total number of oxygen molecules as well
as the moles of oxygen molecules. What is the advantage of using the unit of
moles?

Oxygen has a molar mass of M = 32 g · mol−1 . This gives the amount of moles for the
oxygen gas n = M
m
= 1.7 mol. With the Avogadro constant one can find the absolute
number N = nNA = 1.04 · 1024 .

ii. A box contains a gas at 20 °C. The box is heated until the gas’s internal
energy doubles. What is the temperature of the gas now?

The internal energy is proportional to the temperature. But we have to convert the
temperature to Kelvin scale first. We get

T = 2(20 + 273.15)K = 586 K = 313 °C

iii. Determine which of the following things can influence the internal energy
of a gas:

a) kinetic translational energy of the gas molecules

b) heat energy of the gas molecules

c) potential energy due to the attractions between the gas molecules

d) rotational energy of the gas molecules

Which of the following contribute to the internal energy of an ideal gas?

In general translation, rotation and potential energy contribute to the internal energy.
Altough transfering heat changes the internal energy it is not a part of the internal en-
ergy. In the ideal gas model the molecules are assumed to be point-like particles without
molecular forces. Therefore only the translation energy contributes to the internal energy.

Heat capacity and phase changes (Chapter 4.4,4.13)

iv. You have water at room temperature (20 °C) and want to make a block
of ice that will have a temperature of -18 °C.

a) Sketch the change in temperature as time passes.

b) You are using liquid nitrogen to cool the water. How much liquid nitrogen
do you need to cool 100 grams of water into ice? Helpful quantities:
specific heat capacity of water cw = 4.18 J · g−1 · K−1 , specific heat capacity
of ice ci = 2.05 J · g−1 · K−1 , enthalpy of fusion / heat of fusion of water Lw =
333.5 J · g−1 , enthalpy of vaporization / heat of vaporization of nitrogen
Ln = 199 J · g−1 .

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

a) The important thing is that the water stays at 0 °C during the phase transition from
water to ice, so the temperatur curve will look something like

T
20 °C

0 °C

−18 °C

b) We first calculate how much heat per gram one needs to make the iceblock. We add
all the contributions

ctot = cw ∆Tw + Lw + ci ∆Ti = 454 J · g−1

with ∆Tw = 20 °C and ∆Ti = 18 °C. We can compare this to latent heat of nitrogen
to get the mass of liquid nitrogen needed to make the iceblock.
ctot
mn = mw = 228 g
Ln

Ideal gas law (Chapter 4.5)

v. An air bubble is going up from the bottom of a water tank with height
of 1 m. The initial volume is 5 cm3 . Considering that the water temperature is
constant. What is its volume at the surface?

The pressure at the bottom is p = ρgh + patm at the surface p = patm . By the ideal gas
law we get
ρgh + patm
Vsur = V0
patm
We plug in the values and get

1000 kg · m−3 · 9.81 m · s−2 · 1 m + 1 × 105 N · m−2

Vsur = · 5 cm3 = 5.5 cm3
1 × 105 N · m−2

vi. We have an ideal gas with molar mass M.

a) What is the relationship between the density and the temperature T?

What is the relationship between the density and the pressure p?

b) As we know from experience, warm air rises. Does this also apply to ideal
gases? If yes, why?

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

a) The density ist ρ = nM

V with n the numbers of particle in moles und V the volume
of the gas. From the ideal gas law we get
nM pM
ρ= =
V RT

b) We seet that with higher temperature the gas becomes less dense. This means it
experiences a buoyant force and ascends.

Processes and heat engines (Chapter 4.9-4.11)

vii. Which thermodynamic processes (isobaric, isochoric, isothermal, adia-
batic) best describes the following phenomena:

a) the heating of a hot air balloon

b) Internal combustion of a diesel engine

c) the inflation of a soccer ball

a) The ballon is open so pressure and volume stays constant. This means the process
is isochoric and isobaric. Note, this doesn’t mean that the temperature remains
constant, because the system is open and the amount of particles can change as
well.

b) The fuel burns so fast, that it cannot exchange heat with the environment. Therefore
this is an adiabtic process.

c) The shape of the football remains more or less the same and also the tempature
stays constant. Therefore the process is isochoric and isothermic. As in subquestion
a) this system is open, which means the pressure can change even tough the volume
and the temperature remain constant.

viii. The following thermodynamic cycle is described in a P-V diagram

(Process 1 is isotherm bei Temperature T1 ).

1
3
T1

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Qualitatively describe how the thermodynamic cycle would look in a T-V as

well as a P-T diagram.

From the ideal gas law one can deduce how dependencies look like for the isobaric in the
T-V diagram
p
 
V =T
nR
similarly we get for the isochoric process in the T-p diagram
V
 
p=T
nR
The processes where one of the variables p, V, T remains constant is perpendicular to the
corresponding axis. With this one finds how the process looks like in the p-T and T-V
diagram

T p

T1 1 4
4
3
1
2
3 2

V T1 T

ix. A heat engine that is filled with one mole of an ideal gas goes through
the following thermodynamic cycle.

p
A
5 bar
3
1

2 bar B C
2

1 dm3 5 dm3 V

a) What type of processes are described by paths 1 and 2?

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

b) In which paths of the cycle is work done by the heat engine and in which
paths is work done on the heat engine (from outside)? Calculate the
amount (with the correct sign) for each path.

c) What is the net work done by the heat engine after one full cycle?

d) Calculate the external heat that is supplied to paths 1 and 3. What is

the net heat flow after one full cycle?

a) process 1 is isochoric, process 2 isobaric

b) When the gas expands the machine gives mechanical work (process 2). When it
contracts the machine consumes mechanical work (process 3). For process 1 the
volume stays constant and therefore the machine neither gives nor consumes work.
The quantitive number can be found by calculating the area below the curve of each
subprocess
W1 = 0, W2 = −800 J, W3 = 1400 J.

c) The netto work is just the sum of the work of all subprocesses

W = W1 + W2 + W3 = 600 J.

d) By the first law of thermodynamics we have

∆U = W + Q

in each process. For an ideal gas the change in internal energy is related to change
in temperature
3
∆U = nR∆T,
2
which can also be related to the pressure and volume with the ideal gas law
pi Vi
Ti = .
nR
Combining all the formulas together we get
3
Qi = ∆Ui − Wi = (pf,i Vf,i − pi,i Vi,i ) − Wi ,
2
where pi,i , Vi,i and pf,i , Vf,i are the initial respectively the final pressure and volume
of each process. The numerical values are

Q1 = −450 J, Q2 = 2000 J, W3 = −2150 J.

The netto heat is

Q = Q1 + Q2 + Q3 = −600 J.
as expected, because we need to have Q + W = ∆U = 0 for a cyclic process.

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Waves and Oscillations

Warm-Up questions

Harmonic oscillations (Chapter 5.2)

i. A mass is hung from the ceiling with a spring. Find a function that
describes the vertical position of the mass m as a function of time. The spring
has a spring constant k and is initially unstretched.

Hint: Begin by drawing a coordinate system and choosing your axes. Des-
ignate the equilibrium position of the spring with x0 . Describe the system
using a differential equation and modify the equation to obtain a homogeneous
differential equation (meaning that the equation only contains terms that are
dependent on x or derivatives of x). Solve the equation using the approach
described in the script.

As for all mechanical problems, we first must draw a system of coordinate. In the picture
below, the x-axis has its origin in the ceil and points towards the bottom. The equilibrium
position of the system x0 is also indicated.

We can now write the Newton’s law for this system:

m · ⃗a = F⃗i = F⃗g + F⃗k

X

Let project all the vectors along the x-axis:

m · a = Fg − Fk = mg − k · x

Finally, we remember that a = ẍ and get the differential equation.

m · ẍ + k · x = mg

To make the equation homogeneous, it it useful to find the equilibrium point. At equilib-
rium, the mass does not move anymore, so ẍ = 0 and x0 = mg/k.
¨.
We can now use this point to express x: x = x0 + x̃. Since x0 is constant, we have ẍ = x̃
Replacing x and ẍ by these expression in the differential equation gives:
¨ + k · (x0 + x̃) = mg
m · x̃

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Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

¨ + k · x̃ = 0
m · x̃
To obtain the last equation, we use the equation for the equilibrium point.

This differential equation is homogeneous, and we can solve it as described in the script.
First we take an Ansatz for x̃: x̃ = A sin(ωt + ϕ) and we put it in the differential equation:

−m · ω 2 A sin(ωt + ϕ) + k · A sin(ωt + ϕ) = 0

m · ω2 = k
s
k
ω=
m

Thus s 
k
x̃(t) = A sin  t + ϕ
m
s 
k
x(t) = x0 + A sin  t + ϕ
m

This is the general solution for this problem. If we had additional information about the
system (where the mass is at two given time), we would also be able to find the value for
the constants A and ϕ.

Waves propagation (Chapter 6.4)

ii. In your own words, explain why the pitch of an ambulance siren increases
as the ambulance approaches you?

The emergency car generates a sound in a frequency f . This is a periodic signal i.e. its
intensity varies with time and after a time T = 1/f it repeats the same pattern. The
bigger T is, the deeper we perceive the sound.

Once generated, the sound travels from the emergency car to our ears. The closer the
emergency car is, the less time the sound takes to reach us.

When the emergency car is moving towards us, the sound generated at time t + T will take
less time to reach us than the sound generated at time t. Thus, the period we perceive is
smaller, so the sound is higher pitched.

2
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

iii. Maxime wants to measure the maximal speed of his electric train. To do
this, he places a small alarm on his train that generates a tone of frequency f1 =
1 kHz. He also places a small sensor on the train tracks that can measure the
frequency. While the train moves away from the sensor, the sensor measures
a frequency of f2 = 994 Hz. How fast is the train moving? The speed of sound
in air is v = 340 m/s.

The shift in frequency is due to the Doppler effect. We can rewrite the formula in the
following way:
f1 − f2
vtrain = v = 2.05 m · s−1
f2

Waves propagation at interfaces (Chapter 6.5)

iv. Alice is standing at the edge of a pool and looks at the water at an angle
of ϕ = 25° below the horizon. She has previously placed an object 84 cm below
the water and 5 m away from the edge where she is standing.

a) Assuming there was no water, is Alice looking in the right direction (and
at the right angle) to see the object?

b) How does your answer to part a change if we consider that there is water
in the pool?

c) Assume that Alice is not looking in the right direction, should she raise
her head (the angle below the horizon becomes smaller) or lower her head
to see the object?

a) Without water, we don’t have to take care of the refraction and the line of sight stay
straight. The direction to look at the object is:
1.5 m + 0.84 m
 
ϕ = arctan = 25.1°
5m
This is close enough to 25°. So, Alice will be able to see the object.

3
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

b) With the water, the line of sight will be bended at the interface air-water. Since the
refraction index of water is bigger than the refraction index of air, the line of sight
is more vertical in water and Alice will not see the object.

c) The point that Alice see on the bottom is not far enough. So, Alice must raise her
head to be able to see the object.

Multi-Waves phenomena (Chapter 6.6)

v. Calculate the period of the following wave:

y(t) = cos(10πt) − sin(15πt) + sin(20πt + π/2)

y(t) is the sum of 3 sinusoidals with frequencies f1 = 5, f2 = 7.5 and f3 = 10. For this
exercise we do not have to take care about the phase, since it has no influence on the
frequency. The frequency of y(t) is the greatest common divider of f1 , f2 and f3 . Thus
fy = 2.5 and the period of the signal is T = 0.4.

vi. At what frequencies can a guitar string of length L = 90 cm vibrate? How

does your answer change if we consider a pipe of the same length that is closed
on one end and open on the other?

Hint: In both cases, we are dealing with stationary waves, meaning waves that
seem to oscillate in place without propagating forwards. This is due to the
presence of two identical waves that are propagating in opposite directions.
For the guitar string, assume that the two ends of the string are fixed and
cannot move. For the pipe, assume that the pressure at the open end of the
pipe is constant

Because it is fixed, the string cannot oscillate at its ends i.e. any standing wave on the
string must have nodes there. So, on the string’s length we can put either 0.5 or 1 or 1.5
... wavelengths: L = n2 λ where n is an integer. We want now to find the corresponding
frequencies f = λv = v 2Ln
. Where v is the propagation speed of the wave in the string.
This value depends on the width of the string and on how it is stretched.

In the tube, oscillations are allowed at one end (let say the right one) and not at the other.
This time we can place either 0.25 or 0.75 or 1.25 ... wavelengths: L = (0.25 + n2 )λ where
n is an integer. Thus, f = λv = Lv (0.25 + n2 ). This time v = 340 m/s, it is the speed of
sound in air.

4
Physics Olympiad: Autumn Training 22.10 - 06.12.2021

Figure 1: The first oscillations’ modes on the string (left) and in the half-opened tube
(right).