AP Physics Unit

Unit 3 - Circular Motion

Intermediate

Mathematical

GQ

A 5.0 g coin is placed 15 cm from the center of a turntable. The coin has coefficients of static and kinetic friction of µs = 0.80 and µk = 0.50. The turntable slowly speeds up to 60 rpm. Does the coin slide off the turntable?

No.

Step Formula and Calculations Reasoning
1 F_{\text{static max}} = \mu_s \times m \times g Maximum static friction force (F_static max) is the product of the coefficient of static friction (μs), mass of the coin (m), and acceleration due to gravity (g).
2 m = 5.0 , \text{g} = 0.005 , \text{kg} Convert the mass of the coin from grams to kilograms.
3 F_{\text{static max}} = 0.80 \times 0.005 \times 9.81 Substitute the values of μs, m, and g (9.81 m/s²) into the static friction formula.
4 \omega = \frac{60 \times 2 \pi}{60} Convert the angular velocity from rpm to radians per second (rad/s).
5 F_{\text{centripetal}} = m \times r \times \omega^2 Centripetal force (F_centripetal) is calculated using the mass of the coin, radius (r), and square of the angular velocity (ω).
6 r = 15 , \text{cm} = 0.15 , \text{m} Convert the radius from centimeters to meters.
7 F_{\text{centripetal}} = 0.005 \times 0.15 \times (\frac{60 \times 2 \pi}{60})^2 Substitute the values of m, r, and ω into the centripetal force formula.
8 F_{\text{centripetal}} , \text{vs} , F_{\text{static max}} Compare the centripetal force with the maximum static friction force to determine if the coin slides off.

The coin does not slide off the turntable, as the required centripetal force to keep the coin on the turntable is less than the maximum static friction force. The maximum static friction force is approximately 0.03924 N, while the required centripetal force is .0296 N.

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Nerd-Notes.com
KinematicsForces
\Delta x = v_i \cdot t + \frac{1}{2} a \cdot t^2F = m \cdot a
v = v_i + a \cdot tF_g = \frac{G \cdot m_1 \cdot m_2}{r^2}
a = \frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}f = \mu \cdot N
R = \frac{v_i^2 \cdot \sin(2\theta)}{g} 
Circular MotionEnergy
F_c = \frac{m \cdot v^2}{r}KE = \frac{1}{2} m \cdot v^2
a_c = \frac{v^2}{r}PE = m \cdot g \cdot h
 KE_i + PE_i = KE_f + PE_f
MomentumTorque and Rotations
p = m \cdot v\tau = r \cdot F \cdot \sin(\theta)
J = \Delta pI = \sum m \cdot r^2
p_i = p_fL = I \cdot \omega
Simple Harmonic Motion
F = -k \cdot x
T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{l}{g}}
T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{m}{k}}
ConstantDescription
gAcceleration due to gravity, typically 9.8 , \text{m/s}^2 on Earth’s surface
GUniversal Gravitational Constant, 6.674 \times 10^{-11} , \text{N} \cdot \text{m}^2/\text{kg}^2
\mu_k and \mu_sCoefficients of kinetic (\mu_k) and static (\mu_s) friction, dimensionless. Static friction (\mu_s) is usually greater than kinetic friction (\mu_k) as it resists the start of motion.
kSpring constant, in \text{N/m}
VariableSI Unit
s (Displacement)\text{meters (m)}
v (Velocity)\text{meters per second (m/s)}
a (Acceleration)\text{meters per second squared (m/s}^2\text{)}
t (Time)\text{seconds (s)}
m (Mass)\text{kilograms (kg)}
VariableDerived SI Unit
F (Force)\text{newtons (N)}
E, PE, KE (Energy, Potential Energy, Kinetic Energy)\text{joules (J)}
P (Power)\text{watts (W)}
p (Momentum)\text{kilogram meters per second (kg·m/s)}
\omega (Angular Velocity)\text{radians per second (rad/s)}
\tau (Torque)\text{newton meters (N·m)}
I (Moment of Inertia)\text{kilogram meter squared (kg·m}^2\text{)}
f (Frequency)\text{hertz (Hz)}

General Metric Conversion Chart

Example of using unit analysis: Convert 5 kilometers to millimeters. 

  1. Start with the given measurement: \text{5 km}

  2. Use the conversion factors for kilometers to meters and meters to millimeters: \text{5 km} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{m}}{1 \, \text{km}} \times \frac{10^3 \, \text{mm}}{1 \, \text{m}}

  3. Perform the multiplication: \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}

  4. Simplify to get the final answer: \boxed{5 \times 10^6 \, \text{mm}}

Prefix

Symbol

Power of Ten

Equivalent

Pico-

p

10^{-12}

Nano-

n

10^{-9}

Micro-

µ

10^{-6}

Milli-

m

10^{-3}

Centi-

c

10^{-2}

Deci-

d

10^{-1}

(Base unit)

10^{0}

Deca- or Deka-

da

10^{1}

Hecto-

h

10^{2}

Kilo-

k

10^{3}

Mega-

M

10^{6}

Giga-

G

10^{9}

Tera-

T

10^{12}

  1. Some answers may be slightly off by 1% depending on rounding, etc.
  2. Answers will use different values of gravity. Some answers use 9.81 m/s2, and other 10 m/s2 for calculations.
  3. Variables are sometimes written differently from class to class. For example, sometime initial velocity v_i is written as u ; sometimes \Delta x is written as s .
  4. Bookmark questions that you can’t solve so you can come back to them later. 
  5. Always get help if you can’t figure out a problem. The sooner you can get it cleared up the better chances of you not getting it wrong on a test!
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