Part (a): Minimum coefficient
| Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|
| \[x_2 = \tfrac{L}{2}\cos\theta,\quad x_1 = d\cos\theta,\quad y_{\text{top}} = L\sin\theta\] | Set geometry: horizontal lever arms to the weights are \( \tfrac{L}{2}\cos\theta \) for the ladder’s center (mass \( m_2 \)) and \( d\cos\theta \) for the person (mass \( m_1 \)); the top contact is at height \( L\sin\theta \). |
| \[N_1(L\sin\theta) – m_2 g\left(\tfrac{L}{2}\cos\theta\right) – m_1 g(d\cos\theta) = 0\] | Torque about the bottom with \( \)counterclockwise positive: wall normal \( N_1 \) gives a positive moment \( N_1(L\sin\theta) \); weights \( m_2 g \) and \( m_1 g \) at offsets \( \tfrac{L}{2}\cos\theta \) and \( d\cos\theta \) give clockwise (negative) moments. |
| \[N_1 = \frac{g\cos\theta\left(\tfrac{m_2 L}{2} + m_1 d\right)}{L\sin\theta}\] | Solve the torque equation algebraically for \( N_1 \). |
| \[f – N_1 = 0\] | Horizontal force balance: the floor friction \( f \) (to the right) balances the wall’s leftward normal \( N_1 \), so \( f = N_1 \). |
| \[N_2 – (m_1 + m_2)g = 0\] | Vertical force balance: the ground normal \( N_2 \) supports the total weight \( (m_1+m_2)g \). |
| \[f = \mu_{\min} N_2\] | Impending slip condition at the threshold of motion defines \( \mu_{\min} \) via \( f = \mu_{\min} N_2 \). With \( f = N_1 \), one has \( \mu_{\min} = \tfrac{N_1}{N_2} \). |
| \[\mu_{\min} = \frac{\left(\tfrac{m_2 L}{2} + m_1 d\right)\cos\theta}{(m_1+m_2)L\sin\theta}\] | Substitute \( N_1 = \tfrac{g\cos\theta\left(\tfrac{m_2 L}{2} + m_1 d\right)}{L\sin\theta} \) and \( N_2 = (m_1+m_2)g \); the \( g \) cancels, yielding the simplified ratio. |
| \[\boxed{\mu_{\min} = \frac{\left(\tfrac{m_2 L}{2} + m_1 d\right)\cos\theta}{(m_1+m_2)L\sin\theta}}\] | Final expression for the minimum coefficient ensuring no slip. |
Part (b): Friction magnitude
| Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|
| \[\mu_s = \tfrac{3}{2}\,\mu_{\min}\] | Given that the available static friction coefficient \( \mu_s \) exceeds the minimum \( \mu_{\min} \) by a factor of \( \tfrac{3}{2} \). |
| \[f = N_1\] | In static equilibrium, the actual friction adjusts to balance horizontal forces; thus \( f \) equals the wall normal \( N_1 \), not \( \mu_s N_2 \) unless at the threshold. |
| \[N_1 = \frac{g\cos\theta\left(\tfrac{m_2 L}{2} + m_1 d\right)}{L\sin\theta}\] | Use the same torque result from part (a); it does not depend on \( \mu_s \). |
| \[\boxed{f = \frac{g\cos\theta\left(\tfrac{m_2 L}{2} + m_1 d\right)}{L\sin\theta}}\] | Substitute to obtain the friction magnitude; since \( \mu_s > \mu_{\min} \), this satisfies \( f \le \mu_s N_2 \) with margin. |
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.
Suppose a solid uniform sphere of mass M and radius R rolls without slipping down an inclined plane starting from rest. The angular velocity of the sphere at the bottom of the incline depends on
A ladder at rest is leaning against a wall at an angle. Which of the following forces must have the same magnitude as the frictional force exerted on the ladder by the floor?
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 person’s center of mass is easily found by having the person lie on a reaction board. A horizontal, \( 2.3 \) \( \text{m} \)-long, \( 6.1 \) \( \text{kg} \) reaction board is supported only at the ends, with one end resting on a scale and the other on a pivot. A \( 64 \) \( \text{kg} \) woman lies on the reaction board with her feet over the pivot. The scale reads \( 27 \) \( \text{kg} \). What is the distance from the woman’s feet to her center of mass? Express your answer with the appropriate units.
Two workers are holding a thin plate with length \(5 \, \text{m}\) and height \(2 \, \text{m}\) at rest by supporting the plate in the bottom corners. The workers are standing at rest on a slope of \(10^\circ\). Treat these supporting forces as vertical normal forces and calculate their magnitudes and state if both workers are sharing “the job” fairly.
The object shown in the diagram below consists of a cylinder of mass \( 100 \) \( \text{kg} \) and radius \( 25.0 \) \( \text{cm} \) connected by four thin rods, each of mass \( 5.00 \) \( \text{kg} \) and length \( 0.75 \) \( \text{m} \), to a thin-outer ring of mass \( 20.0 \) \( \text{kg} \). A small chunk of metal of mass \( 1.00 \) \( \text{kg} \) is welded to the outer ring. Determine the moment of inertia of the entire assembly about the center of the inner cylinder, treating the metal chunk as a point mass. Hint: The moment of inertia of a disk about it center is \(\tfrac{1}{2} M R^2\), a thin rod about it center is \(\tfrac{1}{12}ML^2\), and a thin hoop about its center is \(I = MR^2\).
Which of the following must be zero if an object is spinning at a constant rate? There may be more than one right answer.
A meter stick with a uniformly distributed mass of \(0.5 \, \text{kg}\) is supported by a pivot placed at the \(0.25 \, \text{m}\) mark from the left. At the left end, a small object of mass \(1.0 \, \text{kg}\) is placed at the zero mark, and a second small object of mass \(0.5 \, \text{kg}\) is placed at the \(0.5 \, \text{m}\) mark. The meter stick is supported so that it remains horizontal, and then it is released from rest. Find the change in the angular momentum of the meter stick, one second after it is released.
To increase the moment of inertia of a body about an axis, you must
To increase the moment of inertia of a body about an axis, you must
\(\mu_{\min} = \frac{\left(\tfrac{m_2 L}{2} + m_1 d\right)\cos\theta}{(m_1+m_2)L\sin\theta}\)
\(f = \frac{g\cos\theta\left(\tfrac{m_2 L}{2} + m_1 d\right)}{L\sin\theta}\)
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] | |
Nano- | n | [katex]10^{-9}[/katex] | |
Micro- | µ | [katex]10^{-6}[/katex] | |
Milli- | m | [katex]10^{-3}[/katex] | |
Centi- | c | [katex]10^{-2}[/katex] | |
Deci- | d | [katex]10^{-1}[/katex] | |
(Base unit) | – | [katex]10^{0}[/katex] | |
Deca- or Deka- | da | [katex]10^{1}[/katex] | |
Hecto- | h | [katex]10^{2}[/katex] | |
Kilo- | k | [katex]10^{3}[/katex] | |
Mega- | M | [katex]10^{6}[/katex] | |
Giga- | G | [katex]10^{9}[/katex] | |
Tera- | T | [katex]10^{12}[/katex] |
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.
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
