| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \( \Delta x = 100 \, \text{m} \) | The total distance from the car’s position when the light turns red to the stop point is 100 meters. |
| 2 | \( v_i = 25 \, \text{m/s} \) | The initial velocity of the car is 25 meters per second. |
| 3 | \( v_x = 0 \, \text{m/s} \) | The final velocity of the car is 0 meters per second (the car comes to a halt). |
| 4 | \( \mu_k = 0.65 \) | The coefficient of kinetic friction between the car’s tires and the road is 0.65. |
| 5 | \( f_k = \mu_k \cdot m \cdot g \) | The kinetic friction force is equal to the coefficient of kinetic friction multiplied by the car’s mass and gravitational acceleration. |
| 6 | \( a = -\mu_k \cdot g \) | The acceleration due to friction is the friction force divided by mass (mass cancels out). Here \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity. Using \( g = 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). |
| 7 | \( a = -0.65 \cdot 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 = -6.37 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) | Substitute the values into the acceleration formula to find the deceleration. |
| 8 | \( v_x^2 = v_i^2 + 2a \Delta x_{braking} \) | Use the kinematic equation to relate the distances and velocities during braking. |
| 9 | \( 0 = (25 \, \text{m/s})^2 + 2(-6.37 \, \text{m/s}^2) \Delta x_{braking} \) | Set the final velocity to zero and substitute the initial velocity and acceleration to solve for \(\Delta x_{braking}\). |
| 10 | \( 0 = 625 \, \text{m}^2/\text{s}^2 – 12.74 \, \text{m/s}^2 \Delta x_{braking} \) | Simplify the equation. |
| 11 | \( \Delta x_{braking} = \frac{625}{12.74} \approx 49.06 \, \text{m} \) | Solve for the braking distance \(\Delta x_{braking}\). |
| 12 | \( \Delta x_{reaction} = 100 \, \text{m} – 49.06 \, \text{m} = 50.94 \, \text{m} \) | Subtract the braking distance from the total distance to find the distance covered during reaction time. |
| 13 | \( \Delta x_{reaction} = v_i t_{reaction} \) | During the reaction time, the car travels with a constant velocity of 25 m/s. |
| 14 | \( 50.94 \, \text{m} = 25 \, \text{m/s} \cdot t_{reaction} \) | Substitute the known values into the reaction time equation. |
| 15 | \( t_{reaction} = \frac{50.94 \, \text{m}}{25 \, \text{m/s}} \approx 2.04 \, \text{s} \) | Solve for the reaction time. |
| 16 | \( t_{reaction} \approx 2.04 \, \text{s} \) | The reaction time of the driver is approximately \(\boxed{2.04 \, \text{s}}\). |
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 traffic light hangs from a pole as shown in the diagram. The uniform aluminum pole AB is of length \( 7.20 \) \( \text{m} \) and has a mass of \( 12.0 \) \( \text{kg} \). The mass of the traffic light is \( 21.5 \) \( \text{kg} \). The point C is located \( 3.80 \) \( \text{m} \) vertically above the pivot A. A massless horizontal cable CD is attached at C and connects to the pole at point D, where the pole makes an angle of \( 37^{\circ} \) with the cable.

Block \(m_2\) is stacked on top of block \(m_1\). Block \(m_1\) is connected by a light cord to block \(m_3\), which is pulled along a frictionless surface with a force \(F\) as shown in the diagram above. Block \(m_1\) is accelerated at the same rate as block \(m_2\) because of the frictional forces between the two blocks. If all three blocks have the same mass \(m\), what is the minimum coefficient of static friction between block \(m_1\) and block \(m_2\)?
A car travels east at a steady \( 30 \) \( \text{m/s} \) for \( 5 \) \( \text{s} \). What is its acceleration during this motion?
A point \( P \) is subjected to three simultaneous forces of magnitudes \( F_A > F_B > F_C \). Point \( P \) is in equilibrium. Which of the following statements is not always true about the magnitudes of the forces?
A driver is driving at \( 40 \, \text{m/s} \) when the light turns red in front of her. It takes the driver \( 0.9 \, \text{s} \) to react and hit the brakes. After this, the car slows with an acceleration of \( 3.5 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). What is the total distance traveled by the car?
At time \( t = 0 \), a cart is at \( x = 10 \, \text{m} \) and has a velocity of \( 3 \, \text{m/s} \) in the \( -x \) direction. The cart has a constant acceleration in the \( +x \) direction with magnitude \( 3 \, \text{m/s}^2 < a < 6 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). Which of the following gives the possible range of the position of the cart at \( t = 1 \, \text{s} \)?
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?
A car decelerates from \( 25 \, \text{m/s} \) to \( 5 \, \text{m/s} \) at \( 10 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). How far does the car travel during this deceleration?
A block rests on a frictionless incline. Which statement is correct?
A forward horizontal force of \(12 \, \text{N}\) is used to pull a \(240 \, \text{N}\) crate at constant velocity across a horizontal floor. The coefficient of friction is
2.04 s
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?