| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(KE_{\text{initial}} = \frac{1}{2} m v^2\) | Calculate the initial kinetic energy of the vehicle using its speed before it halts. Here \(v = 12.3 \text{ m/s}\). |
| 2 | \(W_{\text{friction}} = f_k \cdot d = \mu_k \cdot m \cdot g \cdot \cos(\theta) \cdot d\) | The work done by friction, where \( \mu_k = 0.650\) is the coefficient of kinetic friction, \( g = 9.8 \text{ m/s}^2\) is acceleration due to gravity, \( \theta = 18^\circ\), and \(d\) is the distance the vehicle slides. |
| 3 | \(W_{\text{gravity}} = m \cdot g \cdot \sin(\theta) \cdot d\) | The work done by gravity while the vehicle moves down the incline. |
| 4 | \(KE_{\text{initial}} = W_{\text{friction}} + W_{\text{gravity}}\) | By the work-energy principle, the initial kinetic energy is converted into work done against friction plus the work done by gravity. |
| 5 | \(\frac{1}{2} m v^2 = \mu_k mg\cos(\theta)d + mg\sin(\theta)d\) | Substitute expressions from steps 1, 2, and 3 into the work-energy equation. |
| 6 | \(d = \frac{\frac{1}{2} v^2}{\mu_k g \cos(\theta) + g \sin(\theta)}\) | Solve for \(d\), distance the vehicle slides. Notice that mass \(m\) cancels out. |
| 7 | \(d = \frac{\frac{1}{2} (12.3)^2}{0.650 \times 9.8 \times \cos(18^\circ) + 9.8 \times \sin(18^\circ)}\) | Substitute numerical values for \(v\), \(\mu_k\), \(g\), and \(\theta\) to find the value of \(d\) that represents the distance the vehicle slides until it stops. |
| 8 | \(d = 8.32 \,\text{m}\) | Calculated value. |
To solve part b, look at the equation derived in step 6 of part a. Notice that the angle and distance traveled up the incline are inversely proportional. This means the greater the angle \( \theta \) the shorter the distance traveled.
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(d’ = \frac{\frac{1}{2} v^2}{\mu_k g \cos(27^\circ) + g \sin(27^\circ)}\) | Recalculate the distance with the increased angle of \(1.5 \times 18^\circ = 27^\circ\). |
| 2 | \(d’ = \frac{d}{\cos(27^\circ) + \tan(27^\circ) \cdot \sin(27^\circ)}\) | Using the previous formula of \(d\), we express the new sliding distance \(d’\) in terms of the old distance \(d\). |
| 3 | \(d’ = 7.41 \, \text{meters}\) | At an angle of \(27^\circ\) the vehicale would slide up 7.41 meters, which is less than the orginal dsitance of 8.32 meters. |
| 3 | \(\frac{d’}{d}\) | The ratio \(\frac{d’}{d}\) shows how much further the vehicle would slide relative to \(d\). |
| 4 | \(\frac{7.41}{8.32} = .89\) | Thus the new distance \(d’ = .89d\) |
Part (c):
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(W_{\text{gravity,up}} = -m \cdot g \cdot \sin(\theta) \cdot d\) | The work done by gravity as the vehicle slides up the incline is negative since gravity opposes the motion. |
| 2 | \(\frac{1}{2} m v^2 = \mu_k m g \cos(\theta) d – m g \sin(\theta) d\) | Work-energy principle applied while moving up. The kinetic energy has to overcome both friction and an upward gravity force. |
| 3 | \(d_{\text{up}} = \frac{\frac{1}{2} v^2}{\mu_k g \cos(\theta) – g \sin(\theta)}\) | Solve for the distance the vehicle would slide up the incline. |
| 4 | \(d_{\text{up}} < d\) | The distance \(d_{\text{up}}\) will be lesser than \(d\) since gravity now acts against the motion, reducing the sliding distance relative to sliding down. |
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.
A person whose weight is \(4.92 \times 10^2 \, \text{N}\) is being pulled up vertically by a rope from the bottom of a cave that is \(35.2 \, \text{m}\) deep. The maximum tension that the rope can withstand without breaking is \(592 \, \text{N}\). What is the shortest time, starting from rest, in which the person can be brought out of the cave?
A space probe far from the Earth is travelling at \( 14.8 \) \( \text{km s}^{-1} \). It has mass \( 1\,312 \) \( \text{kg} \). The probe fires its rockets to give a constant thrust of \( 156 \) \( \text{kN} \) for \( 220. \) \( \text{s} \). It accelerates in the same direction as its initial velocity. In this time it burns \( 150. \) \( \text{kg} \) of fuel.
Calculate the final speed of the space probe in \( \text{km s}^{-1} \).
You are standing on a bathroom scale in an elevator. The elevator starts from rest on the first floor and accelerates up to the third floor, \(12 \, \text{m}\) above, in a time of \(6 \, \text{s}\). The scale reads \(800 \, \text{N}\). What is the mass of the person?
A rescue helicopter lifts a 79 kg person straight up by means of a cable. The person has an upward acceleration of 0.70 m/s2 and is lifted through a distance of 11 m.
The efficiency of a pulley system is 55%. The
pulleys are used to raise a mass of 90.0 kg to a height of
5.60 m. What force is exerted on the rope of the pulley
system if the rope is pulled for 22 m in order to raise
the mass to the required height?
The Moon does not crash into the Earth because:
From the top of a \( 74.0 \) \( \text{m} \) high building, a \( 1.00 \) \( \text{kg} \) ball is dropped in the presence of air resistance. The ball reaches the ground with a speed of \( 31.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \), indicating that drag was significant. How much energy was lost in the form of air resistance/drag during the fall?
What would your bathroom scale read if you weighed yourself on an inclined plane? Assume the mechanism functions properly, even at an angle.
A \(0.5 \, \text{mm}\) wire made of carbon and manganese can just barely support the weight of a \(70.0 \, \text{kg}\) person that is holding on vertically. Suppose this wire is used to lift a \(45.0 \, \text{kg}\) load. What maximum vertical acceleration can be achieved without breaking the wire?
Why is more fuel required for a spacecraft to travel from the Earth to the Moon than to return from the Moon to the Earth?
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.
We crafted THE Ultimate A.P Physics 1 Program so you can learn faster and score higher.
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
