Physics 4B, Spring 2026, Homeworks

This page has problem assignments and solutions from the text University Physics volume 1 (I) or 2 (II), and problems from Shankar's book (S) (that also has solutions)
Please don't look at solutions until after you make a serious effort to solve the problems on your own.

First week (3/30):
Shankar 8.2, 8.3, 8.29. 8.30, 8.32, 9.1, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.9, 9.11, 9.21, 9.22, 9.24
Prove that for a critically damped harmonic oscillator Eq. (17.76) of Shankar holds
Prove that for a damped oscillator equilibrium is approached fastest for critical damping

Second week (4/6):
material included in quiz 1: Shankar 9.2, 9.7, 9.10 (plus all of first week)
material not included in quiz 1: Shankar 9.14, 9.15, 9.16, 9.18, 9.20, 9.27, 9.28, 9.29, 9.30, 9.31

Third week (4/13):
Shankar 10.1, 10.2, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.10, 10.11, 10.12, 10.14, 10.18, 10.19, 10.20
(Note: for quiz 2, only problems 10.1, 10.2, 10.10, 10.12, 10.14, 10.18)
Understand why 194 dB is the loudest possible sound in Earth's atmosphere
Additional sound wave problems
Solutions to additional sound wave problems

For quiz 3: Shankar problems 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.11, 10.19, 10.20
Shankar problems that were part of quiz 2 are also relevant to quiz 3: 10.1, 10.2, 10.10, 10.12, 10.14, 10.18
and everything below this line

Fourth week (4/20):
Shankar 10.3, 10.4, 10.8, 10.9, 10.13, 10.15, 10.16, 10.17
Additional problem
Solution
More additional problems
Solutions

Fifth week (4/27):
Shankar 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7
Note: the answer given in Shankar for problem 11.4 assumes latent heat of vaporization of water is 540 Kcal/Kg. In the text he says "It is around 500 Kcal/kg. That's information I don't carry in my head". Indeed. See what you get if you use 500 instead of 540.
Note 2: for problem 11.7 you need to look up the specific heat of copper

Sixth week (5/4):

Seventh week (5/11):

Eighth week (5/18):

Ninth week (5/25):

Tenth week (6/1):