| Derivation / Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|
| \[\Delta x_1 = v_{i1} t_1 + \frac{1}{2} g t_1^2\] | General kinematic displacement for the first ball with \(v_{i1}=0\). |
| \[t_1 = 2+T\] | The first ball has been falling \(2\) s longer than the second. |
| \[\Delta x_2 = v_{i2} T + \frac{1}{2} g T^2\] | Kinematic displacement of the second ball with \(v_{i2}=30\,\text{m/s}\). |
| \[\Delta x_1 = \Delta x_2\] | Overtaking occurs when both displacements are equal. |
| \[\tfrac{1}{2} g (2+T)^2 = v_{i2} T + \tfrac{1}{2} g T^2\] | Substitute the expressions from earlier steps. |
| \[T(v_{i2}-2g)=2g\] | Expand, cancel common terms, and isolate \(T\). |
| \[T=\frac{2g}{v_{i2}-2g}\] | Solve algebraically for \(T\). |
| \[T=\frac{2(9.8)}{30-2(9.8)}\approx1.9\,\text{s}\] | Insert \(g=9.8\,\text{m/s}^2\) and compute numerically. |
| \[\boxed{T\approx1.9\,\text{s}}\] | Time for the second ball to overtake the first. |
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When we refer to an object’s speed, we’re talking about:
A car is traveling 20 m/s when the driver sees a child standing on the road. She takes 0.8 s to react then steps on the brakes and slows at 7.0 m/s2. How far does the car go before it stops?
A car is heading rightward but accelerating to the left. This means the car is:
The graph above represents the motion of an object traveling in a straight line as a function of time. What is the average speed of the object during the first four seconds?
A car slows down uniformly from a speed of \( 28.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \) to rest in \( 8.00 \) \( \text{s} \). How far did it travel in that time?
A car moves forward at a steady \( 10 \) \( \text{m/s} \) for \( 5 \) \( \text{s} \). The driver slams the brakes and brings it to rest in \( 2 \) \( \text{s} \). Without waiting, the driver immediately accelerates backward (negative velocity) for \( 3 \) \( \text{s} \) until reaching \( 8 \) \( \text{m/s} \) in reverse. Draw the velocity vs. time graph.
The International Space Station travels at \( 7660 \, \text{m/s} \). Find the average velocity of the space station if it takes \( 90 \, \text{minutes} \) to make one full orbit around Earth.
A cart is initially moving at 0.5 m/s along a track. The cart comes to rest after traveling 1 m. The experiment is repeated on the same track, but now the cart is initially moving at 1 m/s. How far does the cart travel before coming to rest?
A ball is thrown straight up with a speed of \( 30 \) \( \text{m/s} \), and air resistance is negligible.
A body moving in the positive \( x \) direction passes the origin at time \( t = 0 \). Between \( t = 0 \) and \( t = 1 \, \text{second} \), the body has a constant speed of \( 24 \, \text{m/s} \). At \( t = 1 \, \text{second} \), the body is given a constant acceleration of \( 6 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) in the negative \( x \) direction. The position \( x \) of the body at \( t = 11 \, \text{seconds} \) is
\(T \approx 1.9\, \text{s}\)
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| Kinematics | Forces |
|---|---|
| \(\Delta x = v_i t + \frac{1}{2} at^2\) | \(F = ma\) |
| \(v = v_i + at\) | \(F_g = \frac{G m_1 m_2}{r^2}\) |
| \(v^2 = v_i^2 + 2a \Delta x\) | \(f = \mu N\) |
| \(\Delta x = \frac{v_i + v}{2} t\) | \(F_s =-kx\) |
| \(v^2 = v_f^2 \,-\, 2a \Delta x\) |
| Circular Motion | Energy |
|---|---|
| \(F_c = \frac{mv^2}{r}\) | \(KE = \frac{1}{2} mv^2\) |
| \(a_c = \frac{v^2}{r}\) | \(PE = mgh\) |
| \(T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{r}{g}}\) | \(KE_i + PE_i = KE_f + PE_f\) |
| \(W = Fd \cos\theta\) |
| Momentum | Torque and Rotations |
|---|---|
| \(p = mv\) | \(\tau = r \cdot F \cdot \sin(\theta)\) |
| \(J = \Delta p\) | \(I = \sum mr^2\) |
| \(p_i = p_f\) | \(L = I \cdot \omega\) |
| Simple Harmonic Motion | Fluids |
|---|---|
| \(F = -kx\) | \(P = \frac{F}{A}\) |
| \(T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{l}{g}}\) | \(P_{\text{total}} = P_{\text{atm}} + \rho gh\) |
| \(T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{m}{k}}\) | \(Q = Av\) |
| \(x(t) = A \cos(\omega t + \phi)\) | \(F_b = \rho V g\) |
| \(a = -\omega^2 x\) | \(A_1v_1 = A_2v_2\) |
| Constant | Description |
|---|---|
| [katex]g[/katex] | Acceleration due to gravity, typically [katex]9.8 , \text{m/s}^2[/katex] on Earth’s surface |
| [katex]G[/katex] | Universal Gravitational Constant, [katex]6.674 \times 10^{-11} , \text{N} \cdot \text{m}^2/\text{kg}^2[/katex] |
| [katex]\mu_k[/katex] and [katex]\mu_s[/katex] | Coefficients of kinetic ([katex]\mu_k[/katex]) and static ([katex]\mu_s[/katex]) friction, dimensionless. Static friction ([katex]\mu_s[/katex]) is usually greater than kinetic friction ([katex]\mu_k[/katex]) as it resists the start of motion. |
| [katex]k[/katex] | Spring constant, in [katex]\text{N/m}[/katex] |
| [katex] M_E = 5.972 \times 10^{24} , \text{kg} [/katex] | Mass of the Earth |
| [katex] M_M = 7.348 \times 10^{22} , \text{kg} [/katex] | Mass of the Moon |
| [katex] M_M = 1.989 \times 10^{30} , \text{kg} [/katex] | Mass of the Sun |
| Variable | SI Unit |
|---|---|
| [katex]s[/katex] (Displacement) | [katex]\text{meters (m)}[/katex] |
| [katex]v[/katex] (Velocity) | [katex]\text{meters per second (m/s)}[/katex] |
| [katex]a[/katex] (Acceleration) | [katex]\text{meters per second squared (m/s}^2\text{)}[/katex] |
| [katex]t[/katex] (Time) | [katex]\text{seconds (s)}[/katex] |
| [katex]m[/katex] (Mass) | [katex]\text{kilograms (kg)}[/katex] |
| Variable | Derived SI Unit |
|---|---|
| [katex]F[/katex] (Force) | [katex]\text{newtons (N)}[/katex] |
| [katex]E[/katex], [katex]PE[/katex], [katex]KE[/katex] (Energy, Potential Energy, Kinetic Energy) | [katex]\text{joules (J)}[/katex] |
| [katex]P[/katex] (Power) | [katex]\text{watts (W)}[/katex] |
| [katex]p[/katex] (Momentum) | [katex]\text{kilogram meters per second (kgm/s)}[/katex] |
| [katex]\omega[/katex] (Angular Velocity) | [katex]\text{radians per second (rad/s)}[/katex] |
| [katex]\tau[/katex] (Torque) | [katex]\text{newton meters (Nm)}[/katex] |
| [katex]I[/katex] (Moment of Inertia) | [katex]\text{kilogram meter squared (kgm}^2\text{)}[/katex] |
| [katex]f[/katex] (Frequency) | [katex]\text{hertz (Hz)}[/katex] |
Metric Prefixes
Example of using unit analysis: Convert 5 kilometers to millimeters.
Start with the given measurement: [katex]\text{5 km}[/katex]
Use the conversion factors for kilometers to meters and meters to millimeters: [katex]\text{5 km} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{m}}{1 \, \text{km}} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{mm}}{1 \, \text{m}}[/katex]
Perform the multiplication: [katex]\text{5 km} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{m}}{1 \, \text{km}} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{mm}}{1 \, \text{m}} = 5 \times 10^3 \times 10^3 \, \text{mm}[/katex]
Simplify to get the final answer: [katex]\boxed{5 \times 10^6 \, \text{mm}}[/katex]
Prefix | Symbol | Power of Ten | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
Pico- | p | [katex]10^{-12}[/katex] | |
Nano- | n | [katex]10^{-9}[/katex] | |
Micro- | µ | [katex]10^{-6}[/katex] | |
Milli- | m | [katex]10^{-3}[/katex] | |
Centi- | c | [katex]10^{-2}[/katex] | |
Deci- | d | [katex]10^{-1}[/katex] | |
(Base unit) | – | [katex]10^{0}[/katex] | |
Deca- or Deka- | da | [katex]10^{1}[/katex] | |
Hecto- | h | [katex]10^{2}[/katex] | |
Kilo- | k | [katex]10^{3}[/katex] | |
Mega- | M | [katex]10^{6}[/katex] | |
Giga- | G | [katex]10^{9}[/katex] | |
Tera- | T | [katex]10^{12}[/katex] |
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