| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \( h \) | Height from which both objects are dropped. |
| 2 | \( m_1 = 100 \text{ pounds} \) | Mass of the rock. |
| 3 | \( m_2 = 1 \text{ pound} \) | Mass of the metal arrow. |
| 4 | \( g = 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) | Gravitational acceleration acting on both objects. |
| 5 | \( t = \sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}} \) | Formula for the time taken to fall from height \( h \) under gravity (no air resistance). This formula does not depend on mass. |
| 6 | Both the rock and the arrow hit the ground at the same time. | Since the time to fall \( t \) is independent of mass, both objects will take the same time to reach the ground when dropped from the same height \( h \), assuming no air resistance. |
The final conclusion is that both the 100-pound rock and the 1-pound metal arrow will hit the ground at the same time because the time taken to fall depends only on the height from which they are dropped and the acceleration due to gravity, not on their masses.
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Which of the following graphs shows runners moving at the same speed? Assume the \(y\)-axis is measured in meters and the \(x\)-axis is measured in seconds.
An airplane is traveling \( 900. \) \( \text{km/h} \) in a direction \( 38.5^\circ \) west of north.
On another planet, a ball is in free fall after being released from rest at time \( t = 0 \). A graph of the height of the ball above the planet’s surface as a function of time \( t \) is shown. The acceleration due to gravity on the planet is most nearly
Which of the following statements about the acceleration due to gravity is TRUE?
You throw a rock straight up with an initial velocity of \( 5.0 \, \text{m/s} \).
Ball 1 is dropped from rest at time \( t = 0 \) from a tower of height \( h \). At the same instant, ball 2 is launched upward from the ground with the initial speed \( v_0 \). If air resistance is negligible, at what time \( t \) will the two balls pass each other?
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?
On Saturday, Ashley rode her bicycle to visit Maria. Maria’s house is directly east of Ashley’s. The graph shows how far Ashley was from her house after each minute of her trip. (Hint – Use the standard units of velocity \(\text{m/s}\) for all parts)
A cart starts from rest and accelerates uniformly at \(4.0 \, \text{m/s}^2\) for \(5.0 \, \text{s}\). It next maintains the velocity it has reached for \(10 \, \text{s}\). Then it slows down at a steady rate of \(2.0 \, \text{m/s}^2\) for \(4.0 \, \text{s}\). What is the final speed of the car?
Two balls are dropped off a cliff, 3 seconds apart. The first ball dropped is twice as heavy as the second ball dropped. Air resistance is negligible. While both balls are falling, the distance between the two balls is
It takes the same time since both objects experience the same acceleration \( 9.81 \, \text{m/s}^2 \).
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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] | |
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] |
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