| Step | Formula Derivation | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \( f_s \leq \mu_s n \) | Static friction is less than or equal to the product of the static friction coefficient and the normal force. |
| 2 | \( F = m_{\text{total}} \cdot a \) | Total force equals total mass times acceleration. |
| 3 | \( a = \frac{F}{m_{\text{total}}} \) | Acceleration of the system. |
| 4 | \( f_s = m_{1} \cdot a \) | Frictional force must equal the force required to accelerate block 1. |
| 5 | \( n = m_{1} \cdot g \) | Normal force on block 1 is its weight. |
| 6 | \( \mu_s = \frac{f_s}{n} \) | Coefficient of static friction formula. |
| 7 | \( m_{\text{total}} = 3m \) | Total mass is the sum of all three blocks. |
| 8 | \( a = \frac{F}{3m} \) | Substitute total mass into acceleration formula. |
| 9 | \( \mu_s = \frac{m \cdot \frac{F}{3m}}{m \cdot g} \) | Combine steps 4, 5, and 8. |
| 10 | \( \mu_s = \frac{F}{3mg} \) | Simplify the equation. |
\( \boxed{\mu_s = \frac{F}{3mg}} \)
The minimum coefficient of static friction that ensures block 1 accelerates at the same rate as block 2 is \( \frac{F}{3mg} \), which corresponds to option (D).
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A net force of \( 8.0 \) \( \text{N} \) accelerates a \( 4.0 \) \( \text{kg} \) body from rest to a speed of \( 5.0 \) \( \text{m s}^{-1} \). Which of the following is equal to the work done by the force?
Find the downward acceleration of an elevator, given that the ratio of a person’s stationary weight to their weight in the elevator is \(5:4\).
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 skateboarder coasts to a stop on a flat sidewalk. The net force acting on the skateboarder must be ____.
A truck of mass 3500 kg hits the back of a small car of mass 1400 kg. Which car exerted more force on the other and why?
The alarm at a fire station rings and a 79.34-kg fireman, starting from rest, slides down a pole to the floor below (a distance of 4.20 m). Just before landing, his speed is 1.36 m/s. What is the magnitude of the kinetic frictional force exerted on the fireman as he slides down the pole?

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 car is driving at \(25 \, \text{m/s}\) when a light turns red \(100 \, \text{m}\) ahead. The driver takes an unknown amount of time to react and hit the brakes, but manages to skid to a stop at the red light. If \(\mu_s = 0.9\) and \(\mu_k = 0.65\), what was the reaction time of the driver?

A \( 0.20 \) \( \text{kg} \) object moves along a straight line. The net force acting on the object varies with the object’s displacement as shown in the graph above. The object starts from rest at displacement \( x = 0 \) and time \( t = 0 \) and is displaced a distance of \( 20 \) \( \text{m} \). Determine each of the following.
A student presses a \( 0.5 \) \( \text{kg} \) book against the wall. If the \( \mu_s \) between the book and the wall is \( 0.2 \), what force must the student apply to hold the book in place?
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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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