| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Understand action-reaction: \( \vec{F}_{\text{on ball by pavement}} = – \vec{F}_{\text{on pavement by ball}} \) | Determine the interaction between the basketball and the pavement using Newton’s third law of motion, which states every action has an equal and opposite reaction. |
| 2 | Determine force during bounce: \( \vec{F} = m \vec{a} \) | Apply Newton’s second law of motion to express the force in terms of the basketball’s mass (\( m \)) and acceleration (\( \vec{a} \)). |
| 3 | Identification of force source | Recognize that the force causing the basketball to bounce up is exerted by the pavement. The pavement pushes against the ball upwards as a reaction to the ball pushing down on it while hitting the pavement. |
| 4 | Conclusion: Yes, a force is needed. | The force to make the ball bounce back up is provided by the ground/pavement, according to Newton’s laws of motion, particularly the third law (reaction force). |
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Two objects, \( A \) and \( B \), move toward one another. Object \( A \) has twice the mass and half the speed of object \( B \). Which of the following describes the forces the objects exert on each other when they collide and provides the best explanation?
A \(10 \, \text{kg}\) box is pushed to the right by an unknown force at an angle of \(25^\circ\) below the horizontal while a friction force of \(50 \, \text{N}\) acts on the box as well. The box accelerates from rest and travels a distance of \(4 \, \text{m}\) where it is moving at \(3 \, \text{m/s}\).
Describe two examples in which the force of friction exerted on an object is in the direction of motion of the object.
Consider a neutron star with a mass equal to the sun, a radius of 10 km, and a rotation period of 1.0 s. What is the radius of a geosynchronous orbit about the neutron star? The mass of the sun can be found in the formula sheet above.
A linear spring of negligible mass requires a force of \( 18.0 \, \text{N} \) to cause its length to increase by \( 1.0 \, \text{cm} \). A sphere of mass \( 75.0 \, \text{g} \) is then attached to one end of the spring. The distance between the center of the sphere \( M \) and the other end \( P \) of the un-stretched spring is \( 25.0 \, \text{cm} \). Then the sphere begins rotating at constant speed in a horizontal circle around the center \( P \). The distance \( P \) and \( M \) increases to \( 26.5 \, \text{cm} \).

The elliptical orbit of a comet is shown above. Positions \(1\) and \(2\) are, respectively, the farthest and nearest positions to the Sun, and at position \(1\) the distance from the comet to the Sun is \(10\) times that at position \(2\). What is the ratio \(\dfrac{F_1}{F_2}\), the force on the comet at position \(1\) to the force on the comet at position \(2\)?
A \( 1000 \) \( \text{kg} \) car is traveling east at \( 20 \) \( \text{m/s} \) when it collides perfectly inelastically with a northbound \( 2000 \) \( \text{kg} \) car traveling at \( 15 \) \( \text{m/s} \). If the coefficient of kinetic friction is \( 0.9 \), how far, and at what angle do the two cars skid before coming to a stop?
A forward horizontal force of \(12 \, \text{N}\) is used to pull a \(240 \, \text{N}\) crate at constant velocity across a horizontal floor. The coefficient of friction is
A block of weight \( W \) is pulled along a horizontal surface at constant speed by a force \( F \), which acts at an angle of \( \theta \) with the horizontal. The normal force exerted on the block by the surface has magnitude:
When a skier skis down a hill, the normal force exerted on the skier by the hill is
Yes. It’s the normal force from the ground on the ball.
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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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