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ModPhy1/Unit1/Special Relativity/Inertial Frame/Law of Inertia/

7/12/01

 

 

Isolated Object


An Isolated Object is an object completely free of all external forces. Since there are only four forces known to exist in nature (gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear), an object can be isolated simply by eliminating all four of these forces.

Since all of the forces on an isolated object are zero, the total, net, or resultant force on an isolated object is also zero. Such an object is said to be in equilibrium.

Another way to obtain equilibrium is to balance one force against another such that the vector sum of all the forces acting on the object equals zero. For example, you could use an upward normal force (electromagnetic) to oppose the downward weight (gravitational) of an object, and a forward string tension (electromagnetic) to balance the backward surface friction (electromagnetic). Although such an object would not be isolated in the strictest sense (external forces would still be acting on the object), its motion would be the same as an isolated object because the net force in both cases would be the same (namely zero). Since the net force on an object determines its motion, the motion of an object in equilibrium is indistinguishable from that of an isolated object.
 

Questions:

Q1.    Eliminating Nuclear Forces.
Which of the following methods would be most practical for isolating an object from external nuclear forces (whether it be the strong nuclear force or the weak nuclear force)? (A) Place the object more than one atomic diameter from the source of the nuclear force. (B) Make the object out of material insensitive to nuclear forces. (C) Introduce additional opposing nuclear fields to cancel out the effect of the original nuclear field. (D) Introduce additional opposing electromagnetic fields to cancel out the effect of the original nuclear field. (E) Introduce an additional opposing gravitational field to cancel out the effect of the original nuclear field.
A 51111

Q2.    Eliminating Electromagnetic Forces.
Which of the following methods would be most practical for isolating an object from an external electromagnetic force. (A) Place the object more than a few atomic diameters from the source of the electromagnetic force. (B) Make the object out of material insensitive to electromagnetic force. (C) Introduce additional opposing nuclear fields to cancel out the effect of the original electromagnetic field. (D) Introduce additional opposing electromagnetic fields to cancel out the effect of the original electromagnetic field. (E) Introduce an additional opposing gravitational field to cancel out the effect of the original electromagnetic field.
B 51111

Q3.    Eliminating Gravitational Forces.
Which of the following methods would be most practical for isolating an object from an external gravitational force. (A) Make the object out of material insensitive to gravitational forces. (B) Introduce additional opposing nuclear fields to cancel out the effect of the original gravitational field. (C) Introduce additional opposing electromagnetic fields to cancel out the effect of the original gravitational field. (D) Introduce an additional opposing gravitational field to cancel out the effect of the original gravitational field. (E) Simply ignore the gravitational force, treating it as an inertial or fictitious force.
E 51111

Q4.      An object can be isolated from which of the following forces by placing it more than a few atomic diameters away from the source of the force? (A) Gravitational Force (B) Electromagnetic Force (C) Both Strong and Weak Nuclear Forces (D) More than one of these. (E) None of these.
D 51111

 

ModPhy1/Unit1/Special Relativity/Inertial Frame/Law of Inertia/