Recent content by Jon Drake

Someone please help.

Homework Statement Light is incident from glass (n=1.5) to water (n=1.33). Find out the range of angle of deviation for which there are two angles of incidence. Homework Equations Snell's Law The Attempt at a Solution [/B] The lowest value of angle of deviation would be 0° when i = 0. But, I...

Suppose we are asked to find the time period of vertical oscillations of this system. Then should we find the component of displacement along each spring and then add the forces by vector method or should we simplify the diagram into series and parallel connection like in electrical circuits and...

Suppose there is an extended block lying on a frictionless surface. The surface will exert a normal force on block. Will the normal force act at one particular point on the block, or will it act along the entire length of block?

Yes, you are right. I now understand. Thanks for the explanation.

Alright, my final question is, can conservative forces in any case increase the P.E. of a system?

''Where? It might help if we could see the precise statement and its context.'' It actually came as a question :- Which of the following can increase the P.E. of a system? a. Conservative Force b. Nonconservative Force c. Both d. None The answer was (a).

Yes, and I still cannot understand the logic behind the statement.

Anyway, do conservative forces increase the potential energy? Gravitational force pulls the objects towards the Earth's centre, and that only decreases the gravitational potential energy mgh.

I just read a statement somewhere that only conservative forces can increase the potential energy of a system. So I wanted to clarify my doubt.

Can a nonconservative force cause any change in an object's potential energy?

It's not an internal force, is it?

Are conservative forces always taken as internal forces?

Suppose that a bob is suspended by a light string, and the position of the bob is somewhere between its mean and extreme position. Then it does have a velocity and it moves in a circular arc, so (mv^2/r) should act outward. At the same time in angular SHM we take very small angular amplitude...

Does centrifugal force (mv^2/r) act in any position of angular SHM? Please explain.