| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[v_x = v\cos\theta,\qquad v_{y_i} = v\sin\theta\] | Resolve the launch speed \(v=12\,\text{m/s}\) at angle \(\theta=35^\circ\) into horizontal and vertical components. |
| 2 | \[t = \frac{\Delta x}{v\cos\theta}\] | Horizontal motion is uniform, so time equals horizontal distance divided by constant horizontal speed. |
| 3 | \[\Delta y = y_{\text{hoop}} – y_{\text{release}} = 3.05 – 2.40 = 0.65\,\text{m}\] | The vertical displacement is the hoop height minus the release height. |
| 4 | \[\Delta y = v_{y_i}t – \tfrac{1}{2}gt^2\] | Vertical motion under constant acceleration due to gravity. |
| 5 | \[0.65 = (v\sin\theta)\Big(\tfrac{\Delta x}{v\cos\theta}\Big) – \tfrac{1}{2}g\Big(\tfrac{\Delta x}{v\cos\theta}\Big)^2\] | Substitute time from Step 2 and vertical velocity from Step 1 into the vertical displacement equation. |
| 6 | \[0.65 = \Delta x\tan\theta – \frac{g\,\Delta x^2}{2v^2\cos^2\theta}\] | Simplify the equation using \(\tan\theta = \frac{\sin\theta}{\cos\theta}\). |
| 7 | \[-\tfrac{g}{2v^2\cos^2\theta}\,\Delta x^2 + \tan\theta\,\Delta x – 0.65 = 0\] | Rearrange into standard quadratic form. |
| 8 | \[A = -\tfrac{g}{2v^2\cos^2\theta} \approx -0.0507\] | Coefficient of \(\Delta x^2\). |
| 9 | \[B = \tan\theta \approx 0.700\] | Coefficient of \(\Delta x\). |
| 10 | \[C = -0.65\] | Constant term from the vertical displacement difference. |
| 11 | \[\Delta = B^2 – 4AC \approx 0.358\] | Discriminant is positive, so there are two real intersection points with the hoop height. |
| 12 | \[\Delta x = \frac{-B \pm \sqrt{\Delta}}{2A}\] | Quadratic formula to solve for horizontal distance. |
| 13 | \[\Delta x_1 \approx 1.00\,\text{m},\quad \Delta x_2 \approx 12.8\,\text{m}\] | Two solutions: one on the upward path, one on the downward path. |
| 14 | \[\boxed{\Delta x \approx 12.8\,\text{m}}\] | The descending solution is the realistic shot distance from the player to the hoop. |
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Two cannonballs, A and B, are fired from the ground with identical initial speeds, but with \( \theta_A \) larger than \( \theta_B \).
A diver springs upward from a diving board. At the instant she contacts the water, her speed is \( 8.90 \, \text{m/s} \), and her body is extended at an angle of \( 75.0^\circ \) with respect to the horizontal surface of the water. At this instant, her vertical displacement is \( -3.00 \, \text{m} \), where downward is the negative direction. Determine her initial velocity, both magnitude and direction.
A ball is launched horizontally from a height. At the same time, another ball is dropped vertically from the same height. Which hits the ground first?
A drinking fountain projects water at an initial angle of \( 50^ \circ \) above the horizontal, and the water reaches a maximum height of \( 0.150 \) \( \text{m} \) above the point of exit. Assume air resistance is negligible.
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 \( H \)?
An airplane with a speed of \( 97.5 \, \text{m/s} \) is climbing upward at an angle of \( 50.0^\circ \) with respect to the horizontal. When the plane’s altitude is \( 732 \, \text{m} \), the pilot releases a package.

A ball of mass \(m\) is released from rest at a distance \(h\) above a frictionless plane inclined at an angle of \(45^\circ\) to the horizontal as shown above. The ball bounces horizontally off the plane at point \(P_1\) with the same speed with which it struck the plane and strikes the plane again at point \(P_2\). In terms of \(g\) and \(h\), determine each of the following quantities:
Three identical rocks are launched with identical speeds from the top of a platform of height \( h_0 \).
Which of the following correctly relates the magnitude \( v_y \) of the vertical component of the velocity of each rock immediately before it hits the ground?
Person A throws a ball horizontally from a cliff \( 20 \) \( \text{m} \) tall at \( 12 \) \( \text{m/s} \). Person B is running to the right on the ground and catches the ball at the same height it would’ve landed after running \( 15 \) \( \text{m} \). How fast was Person B running?
A cat chases a mouse across a \(1.0 \, \text{m}\) high table. The mouse steps out of the way, and the cat slides off the table and strikes the floor \(2.2 \, \text{m}\) from the edge of the table. When the cat slid off the table, what was its speed?
\(\Delta x \approx 12.8\,\text{m}\)
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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] | 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 |
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