Objective: Calculate the tension in the couplings of a 50-car train (each car has mass \(m = 6.1\times10^{3}\,\text{kg}\)) accelerating at \(a = 8.0\times10^{-2}\,\text{m/s}^2\). Friction is neglected.
Tension between the 30th and 31st cars
| Step | Derivation / Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[ F = ma \] | Newton’s second law. |
| 2 | \[ m_{\text{behind}} = 20\,m = 20\,(6.1\times10^{3}\,\text{kg}) = 1.22\times10^{5}\,\text{kg} \] | Cars 31–50 are behind the coupling, i.e. 20 cars. |
| 3 | \[ F = (1.22\times10^{5}\,\text{kg})(8.0\times10^{-2}\,\text{m/s}^2) \] | Apply \(F = ma\) to the mass found in Step 2. |
| 4 | \[ F = 9.76\times10^{3}\,\text{N} \] | Multiply: \(1.22\times10^{5}\times8.0\times10^{-2}=9.76\times10^{3}\). |
Final tension between the 30th and 31st cars: \[\boxed{9.76\times10^{3}\,\text{N}}\]
Tension between the 49th and 50th cars
| Step | Derivation / Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[ F = ma \] | Newton’s second law. |
| 2 | \[ m_{\text{behind}} = 1\,m = 6.1\times10^{3}\,\text{kg} \] | Only the 50th car is behind this coupling. |
| 3 | \[ F = (6.1\times10^{3}\,\text{kg})(8.0\times10^{-2}\,\text{m/s}^2) \] | Apply \(F = ma\) to the single car. |
| 4 | \[ F = 4.88\times10^{2}\,\text{N} \] | Multiply: \(6.1\times10^{3}\times8.0\times10^{-2}=4.88\times10^{2}\). |
Final tension between the 49th and 50th cars: \[\boxed{4.88\times10^{2}\,\text{N}}\]
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.
If an object is moving, is it possible for the net force acting on it to be zero? Explain.
When a golf ball is dropped to the pavement, it bounces back up.
Why do you push down harder on the pedals of a bicycle when first starting out than when moving at constant speed? Why do you need to pedal at all when cycling at constant speed?
An object is moving at constant velocity. Which of the following could be the free-body diagram representing the forces acting on the object?
A pulley system consists of two blocks of mass \( 5 \) \( \text{kg} \) and \( 10 \) \( \text{kg} \), connected by a rope of negligible mass that passes over a pulley of radius \( 0.1 \) \( \text{m} \) and mass \( 2 \) \( \text{kg} \). The pulley is free to rotate about its axis. The system is released from rest, and the block of mass \( 10 \) \( \text{kg} \) starts to move downwards. Assume the pulley has a frictional force of \(5.7\) Newtons acting on the outer edge of the pulley.
A \(3300 \, \text{m}\)-high mountain is located on the equator. How much faster does a climber on top of the mountain move than a surfer at a nearby beach? The Earth’s radius is \(6400 \, \text{km}\) and the Earth’s mass is \(5.97 \times 10^{24} \, \text{kg}\).
The figure shows a truck pulling three crates across a rough road. Which of the following best describes the directions of all the horizontal forces acting on crate 2?
The steepest street in the world is Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand. It has an inclination angle of \( 38.0^\circ \) with respect to the horizontal. Suppose a wooden crate with a mass of \( 25.0 \) \( \text{kg} \) is placed on Baldwin Street. An additional force of \( 59 \) \( \text{N} \) must be applied to the crate perpendicular to the pavement in order to hold the crate in place. If the coefficient of static friction between the crate and the pavement is \( 0.599 \), what is the magnitude of the frictional force?
A spring stretches \( 8.0 \) \( \text{cm} \) when a \( 13 \) \( \text{N} \) force is applied. How far does it stretch when a \( 26 \) \( \text{N} \) force is applied?
A spring in a pogo-stick is compressed \( 12 \) \( \text{cm} \) when a \( 40. \) \( \text{kg} \) girl stands on it. What is the spring constant for the pogo-stick spring?
\(9.76 \times 10^{3}\,\text{N}\)
\(4.88 \times 10^{2}\,\text{N}\)
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] | |
Nano- | n | [katex]10^{-9}[/katex] | |
Micro- | µ | [katex]10^{-6}[/katex] | |
Milli- | m | [katex]10^{-3}[/katex] | |
Centi- | c | [katex]10^{-2}[/katex] | |
Deci- | d | [katex]10^{-1}[/katex] | |
(Base unit) | – | [katex]10^{0}[/katex] | |
Deca- or Deka- | da | [katex]10^{1}[/katex] | |
Hecto- | h | [katex]10^{2}[/katex] | |
Kilo- | k | [katex]10^{3}[/katex] | |
Mega- | M | [katex]10^{6}[/katex] | |
Giga- | G | [katex]10^{9}[/katex] | |
Tera- | T | [katex]10^{12}[/katex] |
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.
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
