| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Accelerarion of the particle when its displacement is 6 m | ||
| 1 | \[F = ma\] | Newton’s second law relates force \( F \), mass \( m \), and acceleration \( a \). |
| 2 | \[a = \frac{F}{m}\] | Rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration. |
| 3 | \[a = \frac{4\, \text{N}}{0.20\, \text{kg}}\] | Substitute the force from the graph (4 N) and the mass (0.20 kg). |
| 4 | \[a = 20\, \text{m/s}^2\] | Calculate the acceleration. |
| (b) Time taken for the object to be displaced the first 12 m | ||
| 1 | \[\Delta x = v_i t + \frac{1}{2} a t^2\] | Using the kinematic equation with initial velocity \( v_i = 0 \). |
| 2 | \[12 = \frac{1}{2} \cdot 20 \cdot t^2\] | Substitute \( \Delta x = 12 \) m and \( a = 20 \text{ m/s}^2 \). |
| 3 | \[12 = 10 t^2\] | Simplify the equation. |
| 4 | \[t^2 = 1.2\] | Divide both sides by 10. |
| 5 | \[t = \sqrt{1.2}\] | Solve for \( t \). |
| 6 | \[t \approx 1.095\, \text{s}\] | Calculate the time taken. |
| (c) The amount of work done by the net force in displacing the object the first 12 m | ||
| 1 | \[W = F \Delta x\] | Work done \( W \) is the product of force and displacement. |
| 2 | \[W = 4 \times 12\] | Substitute \( F = 4 \text{ N} \) and \( \Delta x = 12 \text{ m} \). |
| 3 | \[W = 48 \text{ J}\] | Calculate the work done. |
| (d) The speed of the object at displacement \( x = 12 \text{ m} \) | ||
| 1 | \[v_x^2 = v_i^2 + 2a \Delta x\] | Use the kinematic equation with initial velocity \( v_i = 0 \). |
| 2 | \[v_x^2 = 0 + 2 \cdot 20 \cdot 12\] | Substitute \( a = 20 \text{ m/s}^2 \) and \( \Delta x = 12 \text{ m} \). |
| 3 | \[v_x^2 = 480\] | Calculate \( v_x^2 \). |
| 4 | \[v_x = \sqrt{480}\] | Solve for \( v_x \). |
| 5 | \[v_x \approx 21.9 \, \text{m/s}\] | Calculate the velocity. |
| (e) The final speed of the object at displacement \( x = 20 \text{ m} \) | ||
| 1 | \[W_{total} = W_{1} + W_{2}\] | Calculate total work done by summing areas under the \( F \) vs. \( x \) graph. |
| 2 | \[W_{1} = F_{1} \times \Delta x_{1} = 4 \times 12 = 48 \, \text{J}\] | The work done on the first section (rectangle 0 to 12 m). |
| 3 | \[W_{2} = \frac{1}{2} \cdot 4 \cdot 8 = 16 \, \text{J}\] | The work done on the second section (triangular area from 12 m to 20 m). |
| 4 | \[W_{total} = 48 + 16 = 64 \, \text{J}\] | Total work done. |
| 5 | \[\text{K.E.} = \frac{1}{2}m v_x^2\] | Relate total work done to kinetic energy gain. |
| 6 | \[64 = \frac{1}{2} \cdot 0.20 \cdot v_x^2\] | Substitute \( m = 0.20 \, \text{kg} \). |
| 7 | \[v_x^2 = 640\] | Solve for \( v_x^2 \). |
| 8 | \[v_x = \sqrt{640}\] | Solve for \( v_x \). |
| 9 | \[\boxed{v_x \approx 25.3 \, \text{m/s}}\] | Calculate the final speed at \( x = 20 \text{ m} \). |
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A uniform solid cylinder of mass \( M \) and radius \( R \) is initially at rest on a frictionless horizontal surface. A massless string is attached to the cylinder and is wrapped around it. The string is then pulled with a constant force \( F \) , causing the cylinder to rotate about its center of mass. After the cylinder has rotated through an angle \( \theta \), what is the kinetic energy of the cylinder in terms of \( F \) and \( \theta \)?
Suppose an object is accelerated by a force of \( 100 \) \( \text{N} \). Suddenly a second force of \( 100 \) \( \text{N} \) in the opposite direction is exerted on the object, so that the forces cancel. The object
A ball falls straight down through the air under the influence of gravity. There is a retarding force \(F\) on the ball with magnitude given by \(F=bv\), where \(v\) is the speed of the ball and \(b\) is a positive constant. The ball reaches a terminal velocity after a time \(t\). The magnitude of the acceleration at time \(t/2\) is
A comet of mass \( m_c = 3.2 \times 10^{14} \) \( \text{kg} \) is orbiting a star with mass \( m_s = 1.8 \times 10^{30} \) \( \text{kg} \). The comet’s orbit is elliptical. At its closest point, the comet is a distance \( r_1 = 8.3 \times 10^{10} \) \( \text{m} \) from the star, and at its farthest point, the comet is a distance \( r_2 = 4.9 \times 10^{11} \) \( \text{m} \) from the star. What is the change in the kinetic energy of the comet as it moves along its orbit from distance \( r_2 \) to distance \( r_1 \) from the star?
The figure shows the velocity-versus-time graph for a basketball player traveling up and down the court in a straight-line path. Find the displacement of the player…

A satellite circling Earth completes each orbit in \(132 \, \text{minutes}\).
A car is going over the top of a hill whose curvature approximates a circle of radius \( 350 \) \( \text{m} \). At what velocity will the occupants of the car appear to weigh \( 10\% \) less than their normal weight?
An average adult elephant \( (5000 \, \text{kg}) \) is strapped to a spring, which is then pulled \( 2 \, \text{meters} \) away from its equilibrium position and released. The elephant starts oscillating back and forth with a period of \( 10 \) seconds.
A large beach ball is dropped from the ceiling of a school gymnasium to the floor about 10 meters below. Which of the following graphs would best represent its velocity as a function of time? (do not neglect air resistance)

A skateboarder, with an initial speed of \( 20.0 \, \text{m/s} \), rolls to the end of friction-free incline of length \( 25 \, \text{m} \). At what angle is the incline oriented above the horizontal?
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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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