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VCE Stuff => VCE Mathematics => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Specialist Mathematics => Topic started by: Ken on October 31, 2008, 09:23:35 pm

Title: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: Ken on October 31, 2008, 09:23:35 pm
does anyone think that Q4 is a bit crazy?
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam
Post by: ed_saifa on October 31, 2008, 09:28:45 pm
which exam?
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam
Post by: Ken on October 31, 2008, 09:43:06 pm
oops forgot to put it in, it's exam 1
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam
Post by: ed_saifa on October 31, 2008, 09:44:09 pm
It could have been worse. I'm just glad they didn't put any complex terms into it.
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: Ken on October 31, 2008, 09:46:13 pm
so ur saying that it's possible for VCAA to put in such a question?
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: ed_saifa on October 31, 2008, 09:47:22 pm
Yeah, they've done it before
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: Ken on October 31, 2008, 10:00:08 pm
i dont understand the solutions properly, can someone pls explain it to me? thanks
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: ed_saifa on October 31, 2008, 10:08:06 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_conjugate_root_theorem
This explain the conjugate root theorem which makes this question a lot easier.
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: fredrick on October 31, 2008, 10:39:07 pm
Basically any polynomial with real coefficents has its complex roots occur in conjugate pairs.(ie if is a soln then so is )

Q)If one of the roots of is . Find all other roots.

--roots theorm. Notice the common term (z-1), let it equal a if you cant see it.



So is one quadratic factor.

Now

Equate coefficents:


and


So
Now just quadratic equation or CTS and you get

there the right answers i hope
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: shinny on October 31, 2008, 11:11:41 pm
Yeh this is a very likely style of question to be given by VCAA so make sure you know how to do it. It seems like a ridiculous question until you know the conjugate root theorem which makes things quite simple.
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: AppleXY on October 31, 2008, 11:24:31 pm
That's easy. Just long divide the polynomial lol

only takes a few minutes lool
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: fredrick on October 31, 2008, 11:31:29 pm
oh rite better fix that *slaps head*
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: Ken on October 31, 2008, 11:54:32 pm
i didn't understand the part where u equate the coefficients
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: shinny on October 31, 2008, 11:59:58 pm
Just use long division if you're not familiar with that technique.
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: quangiez on November 01, 2008, 12:27:23 pm
How about question 2.
It asks for the value of D if the box is 'not at the point of moving across the floor'. Should the answer be R \ {0.5g}?
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: shinny on November 01, 2008, 12:32:14 pm
Can't remember the question exactly but it definitely wouldn't be in that form. It'll be some sort of inequality...whatever the solutions have should be correct
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: quangiez on November 01, 2008, 12:38:11 pm
I thought it'd be like this:
'at the point of moving',  D = 0.5g
and because they ask you to find the value of D when it's not 'at the point of moving' you exclude 0.5g and include all other values. Or maybe im just making a fool out of myself -.-
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: shinny on November 01, 2008, 12:42:33 pm
But the question states the box is at rest also, so D can't be above that value either. Therefore it'd be D<0.5g i.e. (as is in the solutions), or even more correct possibly might be
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: dcc on November 01, 2008, 12:46:31 pm
But the question states the box is at rest also, so D can't be above that value either. Therefore it'd be D<0.5g i.e. (as is in the solutions), or even more correct possibly might be

A stronger inequality would be , as the box may be moving in the other direction.  A question similar to this has appeared in a VCAA exam, and (lots of) students forgot about the possibility of a force in the opposite direction.
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: polky on November 01, 2008, 01:00:54 pm
So is 0 < D < 4.9N wrong?
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: shinny on November 01, 2008, 01:02:29 pm
How could it move in the other direction o_O He's only PULLING one way, and you define where D is yourself; whether you say he's pulling left or right doesn't matter as it just horizontally flips the force diagram. You can't produce a negative force in the direction in which you are pulling by pulling something...
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: Mao on November 01, 2008, 01:27:56 pm
But the question states the box is at rest also, so D can't be above that value either. Therefore it'd be D<0.5g i.e. (as is in the solutions), or even more correct possibly might be

A stronger inequality would be , as the box may be moving in the other direction.  A question similar to this has appeared in a VCAA exam, and (lots of) students forgot about the possibility of a force in the opposite direction.

I am under the impression that D in this question refers to the magnitude.
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: dcc on November 01, 2008, 01:29:51 pm
How could it move in the other direction o_O He's only PULLING one way, and you define where D is yourself; whether you say he's pulling left or right doesn't matter as it just horizontally flips the force diagram. You can't produce a negative force in the direction in which you are pulling by pulling something...

Are you saying if you push it in the opposite direction, it will never move?  Because you can't say that a positive force denotes a direction to both the left and the right.

If you provided a force of , the box would be on the point of moving.
Simiarly, if you provided a force of (the same magnitude, but opposite direction), the box would also be on the point of moving.


Clearly the force must lie between these two bounds, otherwise, taking your argument to its logical conclusion, you are suggesting that causes the box to move.

But the question states the box is at rest also, so D can't be above that value either. Therefore it'd be D<0.5g i.e. (as is in the solutions), or even more correct possibly might be

A stronger inequality would be , as the box may be moving in the other direction.  A question similar to this has appeared in a VCAA exam, and (lots of) students forgot about the possibility of a force in the opposite direction.

I am under the impression that D in this question refers to the magnitude.

If it is the magnitude, then the answer will suffice.  I trust VCAA would be more specific.
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: Mao on November 01, 2008, 01:46:33 pm
the question was worded as the following:



A box of mass 5kg rests on a rough horizontal floor. The coefficient of friction between the box and the floor is 0.1. A boy applies a horizontal dragging force of D newtons to the box in an attempt to move it.

Find values of D if the box is not at the point of moving across the floor.



now, D newtons suggests to me that D is magnitude.

the question also did not specify a direction [nor any sense of it, other than force is parallel to the direction of motion], and that it was a pulling/dragging force. I believe shinjitsuzx is somewhat correct in saying that since the kid is pulling it in one way, we would naturally assume that is the positive direction. Thus he cannot exert a negative force as that would be "pushing", not pulling. Though a negative force could potentially move it, it is not plausible to assume that the kid can actually exert a negative force on the box.

had the question been worded "A boy applies a horizontal force", we may argue that it could both be pull and push, though that can itself be dismissed by stating "let the direction of force exerted by the boy on the box be the positive direction"
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: dcc on November 01, 2008, 01:57:23 pm
now, D newtons suggests to me that D is magnitude.

That suggests to me that they would like the answer in Newtons, more then anything.  VCAA sometimes represents forces using vector notation, and even then, they do not neglect to include the fact the force is in Newtons.  If they meant magnitude, they would of said 'a dragging force of magnitude D newtons'.

the question also did not specify a direction [nor any sense of it, other than force is parallel to the direction of motion], and that it was a pulling/dragging force. I believe shinjitsuzx is somewhat correct in saying that since the kid is pulling it in one way, we would naturally assume that is the positive direction. Thus he cannot exert a negative force as that would be "pushing", not pulling. Though a negative force could potentially move it, it is not plausible to assume that the kid can actually exert a negative force on the box.
But what if this assumption is not made?  What if I were to define positive to the right, and assume the boy was applying a force to the left.  I would have an entirely different set of inequalities, which would be just as correct as the ones provided above.

The safest, most correct way to answer this question would be to make no assumptions about the direction of the force, and care only about the magnitude of said force.  That way, there are no problems with the plausibility of a "negative pushing force", as all directions are rendered equal.
Title: Re: Heffernan 2008 trial exam 1
Post by: shinny on November 01, 2008, 02:17:30 pm
But what if this assumption is not made?  What if I were to define positive to the right, and assume the boy was applying a force to the left.  I would have an entirely different set of inequalities, which would be just as correct as the ones provided above.

The safest, most correct way to answer this question would be to make no assumptions about the direction of the force, and care only about the magnitude of said force.  That way, there are no problems with the plausibility of a "negative pushing force", as all directions are rendered equal.

Ah right so that's what you meant. I thought you were talking about fixing the i-j system, and changing the direction of the force itself (which wouldn't be possible as he's pulling). If you mean in terms of changing the i-j directions, then yeh I guess that is true, but I doubt VCAA tends to care over technicalities such as that since like Mao said, people just tend to define the direction of movement as the positive direction.