IPhO 1996 · Theory problem 1

Five unrelated short problems (resistor network, skier on a hill, heat capacity of a metal, radiation heat shield, magnetic field between two conductors)

(The five parts of this problem are unrelated)

a) Five \(1\Omega\) resistances are connected as shown in the figure. The resistance in the conducting wires (fully drawn lines) is negligible.

Figure 1

Determine the resulting resistance \(R\) between A and B. (1 point)

b)

Figure 2

A skier starts from rest at point A and slides down the hill, without turning or braking. The friction coefficient is \(\mu\). When he stops at point B, his horizontal displacement is \(s\). What is the height difference \(h\) between points A and B?
(The velocity of the skier is small so that the additional pressure on the snow due to the curvature can be neglected. Neglect also the friction of air and the dependence of \(\mu\) on the velocity of the skier.) (1.5 points)

c) A thermally insulated piece of metal is heated under atmospheric pressure by an electric current so that it receives electric energy at a constant power \(P\). This leads to an increase of the absolute temperature \(T\) of the metal with time \(t\) as follows:

\[ T(t)=T_0\left[1+a(t-t_0)\right]^{1/4}. \]

Here \(a\), \(t_0\) and \(T_0\) are constants. Determine the heat capacity \(C_p(T)\) of the metal (temperature dependent in the temperature range of the experiment). (2 points)

d) A black plane surface at a constant high temperature \(T_h\) is parallel to another black plane surface at a constant lower temperature \(T_l\). Between the plates is vacuum.

In order to reduce the heat flow due to radiation, a heat shield consisting of two thin black plates, thermally isolated from each other, is placed between the warm and the cold surfaces and parallel to these. After some time stationary conditions are obtained.

Figure 3

By what factor \(\xi\) is the stationary heat flow reduced due to the presence of the heat shield? Neglect end effects due to the finite size of the surfaces. (1.5 points)

e) Two straight and very long nonmagnetic conductors \(C_+\) and \(C_-\), insulated from each other, carry a current \(I\) in the positive and the negative \(z\) direction, respectively. The cross sections of the conductors (hatched in the figure) are limited by circles of diameter \(D\) in the \(x\)-\(y\) plane, with a distance \(D/2\) between the centres. Thereby the resulting cross sections each have an area \(\left(\frac{1}{12}\pi+\frac{1}{8}\sqrt{3}\right)D^2\). The current in each conductor is uniformly distributed over the cross section.

Figure 4

Determine the magnetic field \(B(x,y)\) in the space between the conductors. (4 points)

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • a) \(\displaystyle R=\frac12\,\Omega=0.5\,\Omega.\)
  • b) \(\displaystyle h=\mu s\), with A higher than B.
  • c) \(\displaystyle C_p(T)=\frac{4PT^3}{aT_0^4}\), in \(\mathrm{J\,K^{-1}}\) when SI units are used.
  • d) \(\displaystyle \dot Q_{\mathrm{shield}}=\frac{\dot Q_0}{3}\): a threefold reduction, \(\displaystyle \xi=\frac{\dot Q_0}{\dot Q_{\mathrm{shield}}}=3.\)
  • e) Throughout the lens-shaped gap, \[ \boxed{\mathbf B(x,y)=\frac{6\mu_0 I}{(2\pi+3\sqrt3)D}\,\hat{\mathbf y}.} \] The field is uniform and points in the positive \(y\) direction.

Solution

a)

Let each resistance be \(r=1\,\Omega\), and label the four interior junctions \(N_1,N_2,N_3,N_4\) from left to right. The ideal connecting wires identify the following nodes:

\[ A=N_2,\qquad N_1=N_4=X,\qquad N_3=B. \]

Consequently, the first and second resistors both connect A to X and are in parallel. The fourth and fifth both connect X to B and are also in parallel:

\[ R_{AX}=R_{XB}=\frac r2. \]

These two equivalent resistances form a series branch from A to B, of resistance \(r/2+r/2=r\). The third resistor connects A directly to B, providing another branch of resistance \(r\). Thus

\[ \frac1R=\frac1r+\frac1r, \qquad \boxed{R=\frac r2=0.5\,\Omega.} \]

b)

Let \(\theta\) be the local angle of the skier’s path to the horizontal and \(d\ell\) an element of path length. Neglecting the additional normal force due to curvature, as instructed, gives

\[ N=mg\cos\theta. \]

The friction force has magnitude \(\mu N\) and opposes the motion. The energy dissipated over the path is therefore

\[ E_{\mathrm{fr}} =\int_A^B \mu mg\cos\theta\,d\ell. \]

For the path shown, the horizontal coordinate increases throughout the motion, and

\[ dx=\cos\theta\,d\ell. \]

It follows that

\[ E_{\mathrm{fr}}=\mu mg\int_A^B dx=\mu mgs. \]

The skier starts and ends at rest, so the loss of gravitational potential energy equals the energy dissipated by friction. Writing \(h=y_A-y_B\),

\[ mgh=\mu mgs, \qquad \boxed{h=\mu s.} \]

Within the stated approximation, the result depends only on the horizontal displacement.

c)

The metal is thermally insulated, but electrical work supplies energy at rate \(P\). At constant atmospheric pressure \(p\), the first law gives

\[ dU=P\,dt-p\,dV. \]

Since the enthalpy is \(H=U+pV\), and \(dp=0\),

\[ dH=P\,dt. \]

Using the total heat capacity of the piece at constant pressure,

\[ C_p(T)=\left(\frac{\partial H}{\partial T}\right)_p, \]

we obtain

\[ P=C_p(T)\frac{dT}{dt}. \]

Raise the given temperature law to the fourth power:

\[ T^4=T_0^4\left[1+a(t-t_0)\right]. \]

Differentiating,

\[ 4T^3\frac{dT}{dt}=aT_0^4. \]

Hence

\[ \boxed{C_p(T)=\frac{4PT^3}{aT_0^4} =\frac{4P}{aT_0}\left(\frac{T}{T_0}\right)^3.} \]

Thus the heat capacity is proportional to \(T^3\) over the experimental temperature range. Since \(a\) has units \(\mathrm{s^{-1}}\), the expression has units \(\mathrm{J\,K^{-1}}\).

d)

For two black parallel surfaces with negligible edge effects, the Stefan–Boltzmann law gives the net radiative heat flux

\[ q_0=\sigma\left(T_h^4-T_l^4\right) \]

before the shield is inserted.

Let \(T_1\) and \(T_2\) be the temperatures of the thin shield plates, ordered from the hot side to the cold side. Each thin plate has a common temperature on its two faces. At steady state, neither plate accumulates energy, so the net heat flux \(q\) is the same across all three vacuum gaps:

\[ q=\sigma(T_h^4-T_1^4) =\sigma(T_1^4-T_2^4) =\sigma(T_2^4-T_l^4). \]

Adding the three temperature differences gives

\[ 3q=\sigma(T_h^4-T_l^4)=q_0. \]

The same ratio applies to total heat flow:

\[ \boxed{\frac{\dot Q_{\mathrm{shield}}}{\dot Q_0}=\frac13.} \]

Therefore the heat flow is reduced by a factor

\[ \boxed{\xi=3.} \]

e)

Let the area of either actual conductor’s cross section be

\[ A_c=\left(\frac{\pi}{12}+\frac{\sqrt3}{8}\right)D^2. \]

The magnitude of the uniform current density is

\[ J=\frac{I}{A_c}. \]

The circles have radius \(D/2\). With the origin shown in the figure, their centres are

\[ \mathbf r_+=-\frac D4\,\hat{\mathbf x}, \qquad \mathbf r_-=\frac D4\,\hat{\mathbf x}. \]

Use superposition to represent the actual current distribution by two complete circular cylinders:

  • a left cylinder carrying uniform current density \(+J\hat{\mathbf z}\);
  • a right cylinder carrying uniform current density \(-J\hat{\mathbf z}\).

In their overlap, the two current densities cancel. In each crescent, the remaining current density is exactly that of the actual conductor. Thus this construction reproduces the physical current distribution.

For a very long circular cylinder carrying uniform current density \(J\hat{\mathbf z}\), cylindrical symmetry and Ampère’s law give, at an interior radius \(\rho\),

\[ B(\rho)\,2\pi\rho=\mu_0J\pi\rho^2, \qquad B(\rho)=\frac{\mu_0J\rho}{2}. \]

In vector form, for a cylinder centred at \(\mathbf r_c\),

\[ \mathbf B(\mathbf r) =\frac{\mu_0J}{2}\, \hat{\mathbf z}\times(\mathbf r-\mathbf r_c). \]

Every point in the lens-shaped gap is inside both fictitious cylinders. Their fields there are

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathbf B_+(x,y) &=\frac{\mu_0J}{2} \left[-y\,\hat{\mathbf x} +\left(x+\frac D4\right)\hat{\mathbf y}\right],\\ \mathbf B_-(x,y) &=\frac{\mu_0J}{2} \left[y\,\hat{\mathbf x} -\left(x-\frac D4\right)\hat{\mathbf y}\right]. \end{aligned} \]

Adding them cancels every coordinate-dependent term:

\[ \mathbf B(x,y) =\frac{\mu_0JD}{4}\,\hat{\mathbf y}. \]

Substituting \(J=I/A_c\),

\[ \boxed{ \mathbf B(x,y) =\frac{\mu_0 I D}{4A_c}\,\hat{\mathbf y} =\frac{6\mu_0 I}{(2\pi+3\sqrt3)D}\,\hat{\mathbf y}. } \]

This uniform field applies throughout the gap defined by the simultaneous inequalities

\[ \left(x+\frac D4\right)^2+y^2<\frac{D^2}{4}, \qquad \left(x-\frac D4\right)^2+y^2<\frac{D^2}{4}. \]

Its direction is upward in the figure, consistent with the right-hand rule for both currents.

The solution was checked against the official solution.