MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, DESIGN, ART AND TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
END OF SEMESTER I 2020/2021 EXAMINATIONS
EMT1101: Engineering Mathematics I
Monday September 13th 2021
Duration: 3 Hours (0900 – 1200 hours)
Instructions:
1. The Final Year exam is a Take-Home exam. Read all submission guidelines on MUELE
2. The examination paper contains seven questions.
3. Attempt any five questions of your choice.
4. Each question carries 20 marks
5. Marks for individual sections are indicated in parentheses.
6. Indicate the attempted questions on the top page of the answer booklet.
1
Question 1 [20 Marks]
1.1 In the analysis of many engineering problems, functions that have different formulae
on different parts of the domain are frequently used. Consider a beam of length 𝑙 that
is freely hinged at both ends and carries a concentrated load 𝑊 at 𝑥 = 𝑎.
a) Sketch the shear force and bending moment distribution for a freely hinged
beam [4 Marks]
b) With the aid of appropriate sketches, determine the shear force 𝐹 and bending
moment 𝑀 representation over the entire length of the beam [5 Marks]
c) Discuss the continuity of shear force and bending moment functions [2 Marks]
1.2 A lightweight beam of length 𝑙 is clamped horizontally at both ends. It carries a
concentrated load 𝑊 at a distance 𝑎 from one end (𝑥 = 0). The shear force and
bending moment 𝑀 at the point 𝑥 on the beam are given by:
𝑊(𝑙 − 𝑎)2 (𝑙 + 2𝑎)
(0 < 𝑥 < 𝑎)
𝐹= 𝑙3
2 (3𝑙
−𝑊𝑎 − 2𝑎)
(𝑎 < 𝑥 < 𝑙)
{ 𝑙 3
𝑊(𝑙 − 𝑎)2 [𝑎𝑙 − 𝑥(𝑙 + 2𝑎)]
(0 < 𝑥 < 𝑎)
𝑀= 𝑙3
𝑊𝑎2 [𝑎𝑙 − 2𝑙 2 + 𝑥(3𝑙 − 2𝑎)]
{ (𝑎 < 𝑥 < 𝑙)
𝑙3
a) Draw the graphs of these functions [4 Marks]
b) Use Heaviside functions to obtain single formulae for 𝑀 and 𝐹 [5 Marks]
Question 2 [20 Marks]
2.1 Find the roots of (−14 + 3𝑖)−2⁄5 in polar form [6 Marks]
2.2 Express cos 4𝜃 and sin 4𝜃 in terms of powers of cos 𝜃 and sin 𝜃 [4 Marks]
2.3 The impedance 𝑍 in a cable of a transmission line is given by
1
𝑍 = cosh (0.5 + j 𝜋)
4
a) Express 𝑍 in the forms:
i. 𝑥 + j𝑦 [3 Marks]
ii. 𝑟𝑒 j𝜃 [3 Marks]
j0.7
b) The current in the cable is equal to the real part of the expression 𝑒 ⁄𝑍. Calculate
the current [4 Marks]
2
Question 3 [20 Marks]
3.1 Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is one of the most useful techniques used for
biomass characterization in an inert or oxidative atmosphere. TGA enables us to
study the combustion properties and kinetics of any given biomass material or solid
fuel. Table 1 gives % mass loss and corresponding mass loss rate (DTG) for specific
temperature readings for a biomass sample.
Table 1: Mass loss (%) and DTG (%/min) for a biomass solid fuel
Temperature Mass DTG
(deg C) loss (%) (%/min)
25 100 0
86 100 0
116 95 0
369 90 -1
537 50 -8
650 42 -2
762 40 -0.75
866 39 -0.5
920 38 -0.4
a) Plot a graph of Mass loss (%) and DTG (%/min) vs temperature on the same
plot/graph [4 Marks]
b) What are the ignition and burnout temperatures for this fuel? [6 Marks]
The ignition temperature and burnout temperature are determined as follows from
your graph:
i. Draw a vertical line through the peak point of the DTG curve to meet the
TG (mass loss vs temperature) curve
ii. Draw a tangent line at the point of intersection (of the DTG and TG curves)
iii. Draw a horizontal line across the graph at the 100 % mass loss point parallel
to the temperature scale (it is the point where the TG curve shows the start
of mass loss).
iv. Read the temperature where tangent line (see ii) crosses this upper
horizontal line. This is the ignition temperature.
v. Draw another horizontal line at the point where the TG curve shows an end
to mass loss.
vi. Read the temperature where the tangent line (see ii) crosses the lower
horizontal line. This is the burnout temperature.
c) What is the combustion index for this particular solid fuel? [3 Marks]
The combustion index 𝑆𝑁 is an important combustion performance parameter
given by:
(𝑑𝛼 ⁄𝑑𝑡)𝑚𝑎𝑥 (𝑑𝛼 ⁄𝑑𝑡)𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛
𝑆𝑁 =
𝑇𝑖2 𝑇𝑓
3
where, (𝑑𝛼 ⁄𝑑𝑡)𝑚𝑎𝑥 (%/min) is the maximum burning rate; (𝑑𝛼 ⁄𝑑𝑡)𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑚 (%/min) is the
average burning rate; 𝑇𝑖 and 𝑇𝑓 are the ignition and burnout temperatures,
respectively.
d) The mass loss of the biomass sample is used to calculate the conversion rates 𝛼
defined as:
𝑚 𝑇 − 𝑚𝑓
𝛼 =1−
𝑚0 − 𝑚𝑓
where 𝑚0 and 𝑚𝑓 are the initial and final mass, respectively. 𝑚 𝑇 is the mass at any
given temperature. Plot the graph of 𝛼 versus temperature. [5 Marks]
e) Discuss some observations about this biomass fuel [2 Marks]
Question 4 [20 Marks]
4.1 Thin films are applied on engineering surfaces to reduce their frictional coefficients
and increase resistance to wear. One method used in thin film development is closed
field unbalanced magnetron sputtering with ion plating. In this method a magnetic
field is established in a vacuum environment in which ions are able to impinge on a
target resulting in a thin film being deposited on a substrate.
a) According to the inverse square law, the force on a particle of mass 𝑚1 at a point
𝑃1 due to a particle of mass 𝑚2 at the point 𝑃2 is given by:
𝑚1 𝑚2
𝛾 𝒓̂
𝑟2
where 𝒓 = ⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗
𝑃1 𝑃2. Particles of masses 3𝑚, 3𝑚, and 𝑚 are fixed at the points 𝐴(1, 0, 1),
𝐵(0, 1, 2), and 𝐶(2, 1, 2) respectively. What is the force on the particle 𝐴 due to the
presence of 𝐵 and 𝐶. [6 Marks]
b) The magnetic field at a point having position vector 𝑟 due to a charge 𝑒 at 𝑅 is
(𝑟−𝑅)
|𝑟−𝑅|3
. Find the magnetic field 𝐸 at the point 𝑃(2, 1, 1) given that there is a charge
𝑒 at each of the points (1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0) and (0, 0, 1). [6 Marks]
4.2 As a road safety engineer, you determine that it is necessary to drill an underground
pipeline in order to undertake repairs. You decide that it is best to aim for the nearest
point from the measuring point. Relative to the axes 𝑥, 𝑦 in the horizontal ground and
with 𝑧 vertically downwards, remote measuring instruments locate two points on the
pipeline at (20, 20, 30) and (0, 15, 32) with distances in meters. Find the nearest point
on the pipeline from the origin. [8 Marks]
Question 5 [20 Marks]
5.1 A beam of length 𝑙 is freely hinged at both ends and carries a distributed load 𝑤(𝑥)
where:
4𝑊𝑥 𝑙
2
0≤𝑥≤
𝑤(𝑥) = { 𝑙 2
4𝑊(𝑙 − 𝑥) 𝑙
≤𝑥≤𝑙
𝑙2 2
4
a) Find the shear force at a point on the beam [7 Marks]
b) Show that the total load is W [3 Marks]
5.2 Parabolic reflectors are used to collect and project light, sound and radio waves for
many engineering applications. The reflective surface of a parabolic reflector is
directly related to its performance efficiency. A parabolic reflector is formed by
rotating the part of the curve 𝑦 = √𝑥 between 𝑥 = 0 and 𝑥 = 1 about the x-axis. What
is the surface area of the reflector? [5 Marks]
5.3 Find the area enclosed between the ellipse 3𝑥 2 + 4𝑦 2 = 3 and the parabola 8𝑦 2 = 9𝑥
[5 Marks]
Question 6 [20 Marks]
6.1 The inverse matrix is very important in engineering because it provides a method for
uncoupling a system of coupled equations.
a) Use the inverse method to solve the following set of equations [9 Marks]
3𝑥1 + 2𝑥2 − 𝑥3 = 4
2𝑥1 − 𝑥2 + 2𝑥3 = 10
𝑥1 − 3𝑥2 − 4𝑥3 = 5
b) For this system show that 𝑨 ∙ adj. 𝑨 = det. 𝑨 ∙ 𝑰 [2 Marks]
6.2 In an industrial process water flows through three tanks in succession as illustrated in
Figure 1. The tanks have unit cross-section and have heads of water 𝑥, 𝑦 and 𝑧,
respectively. The rate of inflow into the first tank is 𝑢, the flow rate in the tube
connecting tanks 1 and 2 is 6(𝑥 − 𝑦), the flow rate in the connecting tanks 2 and 3 is
5(𝑦 − 𝑧) and the outflow from tank 3 is 4.5𝑧.
Figure 1: Flow through three tanks
5
a) Write 3 equations of the system in steady flow situation [3 Marks]
b) Hence, find 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧. [6 Marks]
Question 7 [20 Marks]
7.1 List 5 engineering applications of the eigenvalue problem [5 Marks]
7.2 Find the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the matrix [15 Marks]
2 2 1
𝑨 = [1 3 1]
1 2 2
~END~
