A particle of unit mass is moving along the x-axis under the influence of a force and its total energy is conserved. Four possible forms of the potential energy of the particle are given in column I (a and are constants). Match the potential energies in column I to the corresponding statement(s) in column II.
| Column-I | Column-II | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| (A) | (P) | the force acting on the particle is zero at . | |
| (B) | (Q) | the force acting on the particle is zero at . | |
| (C) | (R) | the force acting on the particle is zero at . | |
| (D) | (S) | The particle experiences an attractive force towards in the region | |
| (T) | The particle with total energy can oscillate about the point . |
Answer: A → I, A → II, A → III, A → V, B → II, B → IV, C → I, C → II, C → III, C → IV, D → I, D → III, D → V
Solution
Force is . Equilibrium (F=0) occurs at extrema of U.
(A) . Zero at x = 0, ±a. At x = -a, U = 0 (minimum, stable). Particle with E = U₀/4 can oscillate about x = -a. → (P)(Q)(R)(T)
(B) . Zero at x = 0. Force always towards x = 0 (attractive) for |x| < a. → (Q)(S)
(C) . Zero at x = 0, ±a. Force towards x = 0 in region |x| < a. → (P)(Q)(R)(S)
(D) . Zero at x = ±a. At x = -a, U is minimum (stable equilibrium). Particle with appropriate energy can oscillate about x = -a. → (P)(R)(T)
(A) . Zero at x = 0, ±a. At x = -a, U = 0 (minimum, stable). Particle with E = U₀/4 can oscillate about x = -a. → (P)(Q)(R)(T)
(B) . Zero at x = 0. Force always towards x = 0 (attractive) for |x| < a. → (Q)(S)
(C) . Zero at x = 0, ±a. Force towards x = 0 in region |x| < a. → (P)(Q)(R)(S)
(D) . Zero at x = ±a. At x = -a, U is minimum (stable equilibrium). Particle with appropriate energy can oscillate about x = -a. → (P)(R)(T)
JEE Advanced · 2015 · 24 May 2015 · Paper 1 · Match the columns