| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | N/A | Identify intervals where the curve has upward concavity (concave up) on the distance vs. time graph. Positive acceleration occurs where the curvature is upwards. |
| 2 | N/A | At about 5 minutes, the slope of the curve transitions from zero to a positive value, indicating a positive change in velocity, which corresponds to positive acceleration. |
| 3 | N/A | At about 29 minutes, the slope of the curve similarly changes positively, indicating positive acceleration. |
| 4 | N/A | At about 57 minutes, the curve becomes concave up again, indicating a change from a negative slope to zero, resulting in a positive change in velocity, hence positive acceleration. |
| 5 | N/A | From the intervals identified, there is positive acceleration at 5, 29, and 57 minutes. |
| 6 | \( \boxed{\text{5, 29, \& 57 min}} \) | Therefore, the car has positive acceleration at these times, corresponding to option (c). |
Note that instead of looking purely at the concavity, you can also mathematically determine where the change in slope is positive.
For example, at the \( 57 \)-minute mark, we see that the slope changes from a negative value to \( 0 \). To find the change in velocity apply:
\[\Delta v = v_f – v_i\]
So,
\[0 – \text{(negative slope value)} = \text{positive change in velocity} = \text{positive acceleration}.\]
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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.
A baseball is tossed from street level by a student straight up at a speed of \(25.3 \text{ m/s}\). After reaching maximum height, it is caught by another student on the roof of a building, \(17.4 \text{ m}\) above the street. How long did this take?
Mary and Sally are in a foot race. When Mary is \( 22 \) \( \text{m} \) from the finish line, she has a speed of \( 4.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \) and is \( 5.0 \) \( \text{m} \) behind Sally, who has a speed of \( 5.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \). Sally thinks she has an easy win and, during the remaining portion of the race, decelerates at a constant rate of \( 0.40 \) \( \text{m/s}^2 \) until she reaches the finish line. What constant acceleration must Mary maintain during the remaining portion of the race if she wishes to cross the finish line side-by-side with Sally?

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 block starts from rest at the top of a \(50^\circ\) incline. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the incline is \(0.4\). If the block reaches a velocity of \(7 \, \text{m/s}\) at the bottom of the incline, what is the length of the incline?
Will Clark throws a baseball with a horizontal component of velocity of \(25 \, \text{m/s}\). It takes \(3 \, \text{s}\) to come back to its original height. Calculate the baseball’s:
A stone is thrown vertically upward with a speed of \( 24.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \).
Police officers have measured the length of a car’s tire skid marks to be \( 23 \, \text{m} \). This particular car is known to decelerate at a constant \( 7.5 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). What was the car’s initial velocity?
A blue ball is thrown upward with a velocity of \( 9 \) \( \text{m/s} \) upward from the top of a high cliff. At the same time, a red ball is dropped from the same spot. The red ball is observed to hit the ground below exactly \( 1 \) \( \text{s} \) before the blue ball. How high is the cliff?
A car moving at 30 m/s makes a head-on collision with a stone wall. From what height would the car have to fall in order to make an equally hard collision with the ground?
\text{NA}
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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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