| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \(a_1 = 4.0 \, \text{m/s}^2, \, t_1 = 5.0 \, \text{s}\) | Given acceleration during the first phase and the time for which it lasts. |
| 2 | \(v_1 = u + a_1 t_1\) | Use the first equation of motion \(v = u + at\) to find the velocity at the end of the first phase. |
| 3 | \(v_1 = 0 + (4.0 \, \text{m/s}^2)(5.0 \, \text{s}) = 20.0 \, \text{m/s}\) | Substitute the initial velocity \(u = 0\), acceleration \(a_1\), and time \(t_1\) to calculate \(v_1\). |
| 4 | \(v_2 = v_1 = 20.0 \, \text{m/s}\) | In the second phase, the cart moves with constant velocity, so \(v_2\) is equal to \(v_1\). |
| 5 | \(a_3 = -2.0 \, \text{m/s}^2, \, t_3 = 4.0 \, \text{s}\) | Given deceleration during the third phase and the time for which it lasts. |
| 6 | \(v_f = v_2 + a_3 t_3\) | Use the first equation of motion \(v = u + at\) to find the final velocity \(v_f\) at the end of the third phase. |
| 7 | \(v_f = 20.0 \, \text{m/s} + (-2.0 \, \text{m/s}^2)(4.0 \, \text{s}) = 20.0 \, \text{m/s} – 8.0 \, \text{m/s} = 12.0 \, \text{m/s}\) | Substitute the initial velocity \(v_2 = 20.0 \, \text{m/s}\), acceleration \(a_3\), and time \(t_3\) to calculate \(v_f\). |
| 8 | \(v_f = 12.0 \, \text{m/s}\) | The final speed of the cart. |
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You throw a ball straight upward. It leaves your hand at \( 20 \) \( \text{m/s} \) and slows at a steady rate until it stops at the peak. The ball then comes back down, speeding up steadily until it hits the ground with the same speed it left your hand. Draw the velocity vs. time graph or explain it in terms of functions.
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?
A car is heading rightward but accelerating to the left. This means the car is:

Above is a graph of the \(distance\) vs. time for car moving along a road. According the graph, at which of the following times would the automobile have been accelerating positively?
A rocket, initially at rest, is fired vertically upward with an acceleration of \( 12.0 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). At an altitude of \( 1.00 \, \text{km} \), the rocket engine cuts off. Drag is negligible.
Mary and Sally are in a foot race. When Mary is \( 22 \) \( \text{m} \) from the finish line, she has a speed of \( 4.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \) and is \( 5.0 \) \( \text{m} \) behind Sally, who has a speed of \( 5.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \). Sally thinks she has an easy win and, during the remaining portion of the race, decelerates at a constant rate of \( 0.40 \) \( \text{m/s}^2 \) until she reaches the finish line. What constant acceleration must Mary maintain during the remaining portion of the race if she wishes to cross the finish line side-by-side with Sally?
An ice sled powered by a rocket engine starts from rest on a large frozen lake and accelerates at \( +13.0 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). At \( t_1 \), the rocket engine is shut down and the sled moves with constant velocity \( v \) until \( t_2 \). The total distance traveled by the sled is \( 5.30 \times 10^3 \, \text{m} \) and the total time is \( 90.0 \, \text{s} \).
You throw a rock straight up with an initial velocity of \( 5.0 \, \text{m/s} \).
An object is moving in the \( +x \) direction and begins to slow down. What must be true about its acceleration?
A car increases its forward velocity uniformly from \(40 ~ \text{m/s}\) to \(80 ~ \text{m/s}\) while traveling a distance of \(200 ~ \text{m}\). What is its acceleration during this time?
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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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