| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[\alpha = \frac{\omega_x – \omega_i}{\Delta t}\] | Compute angular acceleration as change in angular velocity over the time interval. |
| 2 | \[\omega_i = 1\, \text{rad/s}, \; \omega_x = 3\, \text{rad/s}, \; \Delta t = 0.5\, \text{s}\] | List the given angular velocities and time. |
| 3 | \[\alpha = \frac{3 – 1}{0.5} = 4\, \text{rad/s}^2\] | Substitute the values to find \(\alpha\). |
| 4 | \[a_t = r\alpha\] | Relate tangential acceleration to angular acceleration. |
| 5 | \[r = 0.20\, \text{m}\] | Convert the radius from centimeters to meters. |
| 6 | \[a_t = 0.20 \times 4 = 0.8\, \text{m/s}^2\] | Calculate tangential acceleration. |
| 7 | \[\boxed{a_t = 0.8\, \text{m/s}^2}\] | Final boxed answer. |
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A discus is held at the end of an arm that starts at rest. The average angular acceleration of \(54 \, \text{rad/s}^2 \) lasts for 0.25 s. The path is circular and has radius 1.1 m.
Note: A discuss is a heavy, flattened circular object for throwing.
A turntable rotates through \( 6 \) \( \text{rad} \) in \( 3 \) \( \text{s} \) as it accelerates uniformly from rest. What is its angular acceleration in \( \text{rad/s}^2 \)?

A light string is attached to a massive pulley of known rotational inertia \( I_P \), as shown in the figure. A student must determine the relationship between the torque exerted on the pulley and the change in the pulley’s angular velocity when the torque is applied for \( 2.0 \) \( \text{s} \). In addition to a stopwatch to measure the time interval, what two measurements could the student make in order to determine the relationship? Select two answers.
A windmill blade with a rotational inertia of \( 6.0 \) \( \text{kg} \cdot \text{m}^2 \) has an initial angular velocity of \( 8 \) \( \text{rad/s} \) in the clockwise direction. It is then given an angular acceleration of \( 4 \) \( \text{rad/s}^2 \) in the clockwise direction for \( 10 \) seconds. What is the change in rotational kinetic energy of the blade over this time interval?

A point on the edge of a disk rotates around the center of the disk with an initial angular velocity of 3 rad/s clockwise. The graph shows the point’s angular acceleration as a function of time. The positive direction is considered to be counterclockwise. All frictional forces are considered to be negligible.
A pulley has an initial angular speed of \( 12.5 \) \( \text{rad/s} \) and a constant angular acceleration of \( 3.41 \) \( \text{rad/s}^2 \). Through what angle does the pulley turn in \( 5.26 \) \( \text{s} \)?
A centrifuge rotor rotating at \( 9200 \) \( \text{rpm} \) is shut off and is eventually brought uniformly to rest by a frictional torque of \( 1.20 \) \( \text{N} \cdot \text{m} \). If the mass of the rotor is \( 3.10 \) \( \text{kg} \) and it can be approximated as a solid cylinder of radius \( 0.0710 \) \( \text{m} \), through how many revolutions will the rotor turn before coming to rest? The moment of inertia of a cylinder is given by \( \frac{1}{2} m r^2 \).
A high-speed drill rotating counterclockwise at \( 2400 \) \( \text{rpm} \) comes to a halt in \( 2.5 \) \( \text{s} \).
A motorcycle has tires with a diameter of \( 44.0 \) \( \text{cm} \). Cruising down the highway, they are rotating at \( 1150 \) \( \text{rpm} \) (revolutions per minute).
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)?
\(0.8\, \text{m/s}^2\)
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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] | 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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