| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(v_f = v_i + at \) | Use the first equation of motion to relate the initial velocity, final velocity, and time. |
| 2 | \(0 \, \text{m/s} = 5.0 \, \text{m/s} – 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \cdot t \) | At maximum height, the final velocity \(v_f\) is zero, the initial velocity \(v_i\) is \(5.0 \, \text{m/s}\), and the acceleration \(a\) is \(-9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2\) (due to gravity). |
| 3 | \( t = \frac{5.0 \, \text{m/s}}{9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2} \approx 0.51 \, \text{s} \) | Calculate the time interval for the rock to reach its maximum height. This is only the time to reach the maximum height, so the total time to fall back to the original location is double this time. |
| 4 | \( t_{\text{total}} = 2 \cdot 0.51 \, \text{s} \approx 1.02 \, \text{s} \) | Multiply by 2 to get the total time interval for the rock to return to its original location. |
| 5 | \(\boxed{1.02 \, \text{s}}\) | Final answer for part (a) |
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(v_f = v_i + at \) | Use the first equation of motion to relate the initial velocity, final velocity, and time. |
| 2 | \(v_f = 5.0 \, \text{m/s} – 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \cdot 1.02 \, \text{s} \) | The initial velocity \(v_i\) is \(5.0 \, \text{m/s}\), the acceleration \(a\) is \(-9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2\) (due to gravity), and the total time \(t\) is \(1.02 \, \text{s}\). |
| 3 | \(v_f \approx 5.0 \, \text{m/s} – 10.0 \, \text{m/s} = -5.0 \, \text{m/s} \) | Calculate the final velocity when the rock returns to the same height. Note the negative sign indicates the direction is downward. |
| 4 | \(\boxed{-5.0 \, \text{m/s}}\) | Final answer for part (b). |
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(a = -g\) | Acceleration due to gravity is always acting downward. |
| 2 | \(a = -9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2\) | Even at maximum height, the acceleration due to gravity remains \(-9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2\). |
| 3 | \(\boxed{-9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2}\) | Final answer for part (c). |
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(v_f = 0 \, \text{m/s}\) | At maximum height, the velocity of the rock is zero as it changes direction. |
| 2 | \(\boxed{0 \, \text{m/s}}\) | Final answer for part (d) |
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(v_f^2 = v_i^2 + 2a\Delta x\) | Use the third equation of motion to relate initial velocity, final velocity, acceleration, and displacement. |
| 2 | \(0 = (5.0 \, \text{m/s})^2 + 2(-9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2)\Delta x\) | At maximum height, the final velocity \(v_f\) is zero. The initial velocity \(v_i\) is \(5.0 \, \text{m/s}\), and acceleration \(a\) is \(-9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2\). |
| 3 | \(0 = 25 – 19.6 \Delta x \) | Simplify the equation. |
| 4 | \( 19.6 \Delta x = 25 \) | Rearrange the equation to solve for height \( \Delta x \). |
| 5 | \( \Delta x = \frac{25}{19.6} \approx 1.28 \, \text{m} \) | Calculate the maximum height using the final value obtained from the rearranged equation. |
| 6 | \( \boxed{1.28 \, \text{m}} \) | Final answer for part (e). |
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 rock is dropped from the top of a tall tower. Half a second later another rock, twice as massive as the first, is dropped. Ignoring air resistance what is the correct choice?
The International Space Station travels at \( 7660 \, \text{m/s} \). Find the average velocity of the space station if it takes \( 90 \, \text{minutes} \) to make one full orbit around Earth.
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?
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?
A rock is dropped from a sea cliff, and the sound of it striking the ocean is heard \( 3.4 \) \( \text{s} \) later. If the speed of sound is \( 340 \) \( \text{m/s} \), how high is the cliff?
A cart with an initial velocity of \(5.0 ~ \text{m/s}\)to the right experiences a constant acceleration of \(2.0 ~ \text{m/s}^2\) to the right. What is the cart’s displacement during the first \(6.0 ~ \text{s}\) of this motion?
At time \( t = 0 \) an object is traveling to the right along the \( +x \) axis at a speed of \( 10.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \) with acceleration \( -2.0 \) \( \text{m/s}^2 \). Which statement is true?
Why is the stopping distance of a truck much shorter than for a train going the same speed? Hint: try deriving a formula or stopping distance.
A car slows down uniformly from a speed of \( 28.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \) to rest in \( 8.00 \) \( \text{s} \). How far did it travel in that time?
A) \( 1.02 \, \text{s} \)
B) \( -5 \, \text{m/s} \)
C) \( -9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)
D) \( 0 \, \text{m/s} \)
E) \( 1.28 \, \text{m} \)
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] | 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 |
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.
A quick explanation
Credits are used to grade your FRQs and GQs. Pro users get unlimited credits.
Submitting counts as 1 attempt.
Viewing answers or explanations count as a failed attempts.
Phy gives partial credit if needed
MCQs and GQs are are 1 point each. FRQs will state points for each part.
Phy customizes problem explanations based on what you struggle with. Just hit the explanation button to see.
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
NEW! PHY AI accurately solves all questions
🔥 Get up to 30% off Elite Physics Tutoring
🧠 NEW! Learn Physics From Scratch Self Paced Course
🎯 Need exam style practice questions?