| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[F_{\text{probe}}=W-F_B\] | The force probe reads the apparent weight of the object. Since the object has density greater than the fluid, it does not float, and the upward buoyant force \(F_B\) reduces the force probe reading from the true weight \(W\). |
| 2 | \[F_B=\rho_{\text{fluid}}gV_{\text{displaced}}\] | By Archimedes’ principle, the buoyant force equals the weight of the displaced fluid. Here, \(\rho_{\text{fluid}}\) is the fluid density, \(g\) is gravitational acceleration, and \(V_{\text{displaced}}\) is the displaced volume. |
| 3 | \[F_{\text{probe}}=W-\rho_{\text{fluid}}gV_{\text{displaced}}\] | Substitute the buoyant force expression into the force probe equation. As \(V_{\text{displaced}}\) increases, the buoyant force increases, so the probe reading decreases linearly. |
| 4 | \[y=b+mx\] | The graph has force probe reading on the vertical axis and displaced volume on the horizontal axis, so \(y=F_{\text{probe}}\) and \(x=V_{\text{displaced}}\). |
| 5 | \[F_{\text{probe}}=W+\left(-\rho_{\text{fluid}}g\right)V_{\text{displaced}}\] | Writing the equation in linear form shows that the vertical intercept is \(W\), the object’s weight, not the fluid density. |
| 6 | \[m=-\rho_{\text{fluid}}g\] | The slope \(m\) of the graph is related to the fluid density, but it is not equal to the density because it also includes the factor \(-g\). |
| 7 | \[\rho_{\text{fluid}}=-\frac{m}{g}\] | The fluid density can be found from the slope by dividing the negative of the slope by \(g\). Therefore, the correct statement is that the density is related to but not equal to the slope of the graph. |
| 8 | \[\boxed{\text{D}}\] | Choice \(\text{A}\) is incorrect because the vertical intercept is the object’s weight \(W\), not the fluid density. Choice \(\text{B}\) is incorrect because the vertical intercept depends on the object, not the fluid density. Choice \(\text{C}\) is incorrect because the slope is \(-\rho_{\text{fluid}}g\), not just \(\rho_{\text{fluid}}\). Choice \(\text{D}\) is correct because the density is related to but not equal to the slope. |
A Major Upgrade To Phy Is Coming Soon — Stay Tuned
We'll help clarify entire units in one hour or less — guaranteed.
A self paced course with videos, problems sets, and everything you need to get a 5. Trusted by over 15k students and over 200 schools.

Three identical reservoirs, \(A\), \(B\), and \(C\), are represented above, each with a small pipe where water exits horizontally. The pipes are set at the same height above a pool of water. The water in the reservoirs is kept at the levels shown. Which of the following correctly ranks the horizontal distances \( d \) that the streams of water travel before hitting the surface of the pool?
Which of the following statements is an expression of the equation of continuity?
The radius of the aorta is about \( 1 \) \( \text{cm} \) and the blood flowing through it has a speed of about \( 30 \) \( \frac{\text{cm}}{\text{s}} \). Calculate the average speed of the blood in the capillaries given the total cross section of all the capillaries is about \( 2000 \) \( \text{cm}^2 \).
A student places a wooden block of mass \( m \) in a container of water. The block floats with half of its volume above the surface of the water. The student then begins to stack small objects on top of the block until the wooden block is completely submerged but none of the objects stacked on top are submerged. What is the buoyant force acting on the block now?

A fluid flows through the two sections of cylindrical pipe shown in the figure. The narrow section of the pipe has radius \( R \) and the wide section has radius \( 2R \). What is the ratio of the fluid’s speed in the wide section of pipe to its speed in the narrow section of pipe, \( \dfrac{v_{\text{wide}}}{v_{\text{narrow}}} \)?
A cylindrical tank of water (height \( H \)) is punctured at a height \( h \) above the bottom. How far from the base of the tank will the water stream land (in terms of \( h \) and \( H \))? What must the value of \( h \) be such that the distance at which the stream lands will be equal to \( H \)?
A \(2\)-N force is used to push a small piston \(10\) \(\text{cm}\) downward in a simple hydraulic machine. If the opposite large piston rises by \(0.5\) \(\text{cm}\), what is the maximum weight the large piston can lift?
A geologist suspects that her rock specimen is hollow, so she weighs the specimen in both air and water. When completely submerged, the rock weighs twice as much in air as it does in water.

A helium-filled balloon is attached by a string of negligible mass to a small \(0.015 \ \text{kg}\) object that is just heavy enough to keep the balloon from rising. The total mass of the balloon, including the helium, is \(0.0050 \ \text{kg}\). The density of air is \(\rho_{\text{air}} = 1.29 \ \text{kg/m}^3\), and the density of helium is \(\rho_{\text{He}} = 0.179 \ \text{kg/m}^3\). The buoyant force on the \(0.015 \ \text{kg}\) object is small enough to be negligible.
Diamond has a density of \( 3500 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \). During a physics lab, a diamond drops out of Virginia’s necklace and falls into her graduated cylinder filled with \( 5.00 \times 10^{-5} \) \( \text{m}^3 \) of water. This causes the water level to rise to the \( 5.05 \times 10^{-5} \) \( \text{m}^3 \) mark. What is the mass of Virginia’s diamond?
By continuing you (1) agree to our Terms of Use and Terms of Sale and (2) consent to sharing your IP and browser information used by this site’s security protocols as outlined in our Privacy Policy.
| 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] | 0.000000000001 |
Nano- | n | [katex]10^{-9}[/katex] | 0.000000001 |
Micro- | µ | [katex]10^{-6}[/katex] | 0.000001 |
Milli- | m | [katex]10^{-3}[/katex] | 0.001 |
Centi- | c | [katex]10^{-2}[/katex] | 0.01 |
Deci- | d | [katex]10^{-1}[/katex] | 0.1 |
(Base unit) | – | [katex]10^{0}[/katex] | 1 |
Deca- or Deka- | da | [katex]10^{1}[/katex] | 10 |
Hecto- | h | [katex]10^{2}[/katex] | 100 |
Kilo- | k | [katex]10^{3}[/katex] | 1,000 |
Mega- | M | [katex]10^{6}[/katex] | 1,000,000 |
Giga- | G | [katex]10^{9}[/katex] | 1,000,000,000 |
Tera- | T | [katex]10^{12}[/katex] | 1,000,000,000,000 |
One price to unlock most advanced version of Phy across all our tools.
per month
Billed Monthly. Cancel Anytime.
Try our free calculator to see what you need to get a 5 on the 2026 AP Physics 1 exam.
A quick explanation
Credits are used to grade your FRQs and GQs. Pro users get unlimited credits.
Submitting counts as 1 attempt.
Viewing answers or explanations count as a failed attempts.
Phy gives partial credit if needed
MCQs and GQs are are 1 point each. FRQs will state points for each part.
Phy customizes problem explanations based on what you struggle with. Just hit the explanation button to see.
Understand you mistakes quicker.
Phy automatically provides feedback so you can improve your responses.
10 Free Credits To Get You Started
By continuing you agree to nerd-notes.com Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and our usage of user data.
Feeling uneasy about your next physics test? We'll boost your grade in 3 lessons or less—guaranteed
NEW! PHY AI accurately solves all questions
🔥 Get up to 30% off Elite Physics Tutoring
🧠 NEW! Learn Physics From Scratch Self Paced Course
🎯 Need exam style practice questions?