| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(\tau = FR\) | The torque (\(\tau\)) exerted on the cylinder is due to the force \(F\) applied at a radius \(R\). The formula for torque is the force times the perpendicular distance (radius in this case) from the axis of rotation. |
| 2 | \(\tau = I\alpha\) | Newton’s second law for rotation states that the torque is equal to the moment of inertia (\(I\)) times the angular acceleration (\(\alpha\)). |
| 3 | \(I = \frac{1}{2}MR^2\) | The moment of inertia for a solid cylinder about its axis is given by this formula, where \(M\) is the mass and \(R\) is the radius of the cylinder. |
| 4 | \(FR = \frac{1}{2}MR^2 \alpha\) | Substitute the moment of inertia of the cylinder into the torque equation. |
| 5 | \(\alpha = \frac{2F}{MR}\) | Solve for the angular acceleration (\(\alpha\)) by isolating \(\alpha\) on one side of the equation. |
| 6 | \(\omega^2 = \omega_0^2 + 2\alpha \theta\) | Use the kinematic equation for rotational motion to relate the angular displacement (\(\theta\)) to the final angular velocity (\(\omega\)). Here, \(\omega_0\) (initial angular velocity) is zero as the cylinder starts from rest. |
| 7 | \(\omega^2 = 2\alpha \theta\) | Substitute \(\omega_0 = 0\) into the equation because the cylinder starts from rest. |
| 8 | \(\omega = \sqrt{2\alpha \theta} = \sqrt{\frac{4F\theta}{MR}}\) | Substitute the value of \(\alpha\) from Step 5 into the equation to find \(\omega\). |
| 9 | \(K = \frac{1}{2}I\omega^2\) | The total kinetic energy (\(K\)) of the rotating cylinder is given by the formula for rotational kinetic energy, where \(I\) is the moment of inertia and \(\omega\) is the angular velocity. |
| 10 | \(K = \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{1}{2}MR^2 \times \left(\frac{4F\theta}{MR}\right)\) | Substitute the expressions for \(I\) and \(\omega\) into the kinetic energy formula. |
| 11 | \(K = \frac{F\theta R}{2}\) | Simplify the equation to get the final expression for the kinetic energy. |
| 12 | \(K = \frac{F\theta R}{2}\) | Conclude with the neat, simplified expression for the kinetic energy of the cylinder after it has rotated through an angle \(\theta\). |
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A disk, a hoop, and a solid sphere are released at the same time at the top of an inclined plane. They are all uniform and roll without slipping. In what order do they reach the bottom?
\( \text{Solid sphere: } I = \frac{2}{5}mR^2, \quad \text{Solid disk: } I = \frac{1}{2}mR^2, \quad \text{Hoop: } I = mR^2 \)
A rotating, rigid body makes 10 complete revolutions in 10 seconds. What is its average angular velocity?

In both cases, a massless rod is supported by a fulcrum, and a \(200 \, \text{kg}\) hanging mass is suspended from the left end of the rod by a cable. A downward force \(F\) keeps the rod in rest. The rod in Case A is \(50 \, \text{cm}\) long, and the rod in Case B is \(40 \, \text{cm}\) long (each rod is marked at \(10 \, \text{cm}\) intervals). The magnitude of each vertical force \(F\) exerted on the rod will be
A \(5\)-meter long ladder is leaning against a wall, with the bottom of the ladder \(3\) meters from the wall. The ladder is uniform and has a mass of \(20 \, \text{kg}\). A person of mass \(80 \, \text{kg}\) is standing on the ladder at a distance of \(4\) meters from the bottom of the ladder. What is the force exerted by the wall on the ladder?
In a town’s water system, pressure gauges in still water at street level read \( 150 \) \( \text{kPa} \). If a pipeline connected to the system breaks and shoots water straight up, how high above the street does the water shoot?

A disk is initially rotating counterclockwise around a fixed axis with angular speed \( \omega_0 \). At time \( t = 0 \), the two forces shown in the figure above are exerted on the disk. If counterclockwise is positive, which of the following could show the angular velocity of the disk as a function of time?
Four systems are in rotational motion. Which of the following combinations of rotational inertia and angular speed for each of the systems corresponds to the greatest rotational kinetic energy?
| System | Rotational Inertia | Angular Speed |
|---|---|---|
| A | \( I_0 \) | \( \omega_0 \) |
| B | \( I_0 \) | \( 4\, \omega_0 \) |
| C | \( 2 I_0 \) | \( 2\, \omega_0 \) |
| D | \( 6 I_0 \) | \( \omega_0 \) |

A meter stick with a uniformly distributed mass of \(0.5 \, \text{kg}\) is supported by a pivot placed at the \(0.25 \, \text{m}\) mark from the left. At the left end, a small object of mass \(1.0 \, \text{kg}\) is placed at the zero mark, and a second small object of mass \(0.5 \, \text{kg}\) is placed at the \(0.5 \, \text{m}\) mark. The meter stick is supported so that it remains horizontal, and then it is released from rest. Find the change in the angular momentum of the meter stick, one second after it is released.
A 0.72-m-diameter solid sphere can be rotated about an axis through its center by a torque of 10.8 N·m which accelerates it uniformly from rest through a total of 160 revolutions in 15.0 s. What is the mass of the sphere?
A disk of radius 35 cm rotates at a constant angular velocity of 10 rad/s. How fast does a point on the rim of the disk travel (in m/s)?
\(K = \frac{F\theta R}{2}\)
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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] | 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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