| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \( F = ma \) | Using Newton’s Second Law, the force applied on an object is equal to the mass of the object times its acceleration. |
| 2 | \( 4.5 \, \text{N} = m \times 2.5 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) | Substitute the given force and acceleration to find the mass of the initial block. |
| 3 | \( m = \frac{4.5 \, \text{N}}{2.5 \, \text{m/s}^2} \) | Rearranging the equation to solve for mass \( m \) of the first block. |
| 4 | \( m = 1.8 \, \text{kg} \) | Calculate to find the mass of the first block. The mass is \( 1.8 \, \text{kg} \). |
| 5 | \( m_{\text{total}} = 1.8 \, \text{kg} + 4.0 \, \text{kg} \) | Sum the two masses since the second block is placed on top of the first block without sliding. |
| 6 | \( m_{\text{total}} = 5.8 \, \text{kg} \) | Calculate the total mass of the system with both blocks. |
| 7 | \( a_{\text{new}} = \frac{F}{m_{\text{total}}} \) | Using Newton’s Second Law again, solve for the new acceleration \( a_{\text{new}} \) with the total mass. |
| 8 | \( a_{\text{new}} = \frac{4.5 \, \text{N}}{5.8 \, \text{kg}} \) | Substitute the force and total mass to find the new acceleration. |
| 9 | \( a_{\text{new}} = 0.78 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) | Calculate the new acceleration of the system, boxed as the final answer. |
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The International Space Station has a mass of \(4.2 \times 10^{5} \, \text{kg}\) and orbits Earth at a distance of \(4.0 \times 10^{2} \, \text{km}\) above the surface. Earth has a radius of \(6.37 \times 10^{6} \, \text{m}\) and a mass of \(5.97 \times 10^{24} \, \text{kg}\). Calculate the following:
A sled glides across ice and eventually stops. This stopping is best explained by ____.

The figure above shows a cart of mass \( M \) accelerating to the right with acceleration \( a \). A block of mass \( m \) is pressed against the cart’s front vertical surface and is held there only by friction. The coefficient of friction between the block and the cart is \( \mu \). What is the minimum acceleration \( a \) of the cart such that the block will not fall?
The coefficient of static friction between hard rubber and normal street pavement is about \(0.85\). On how steep a hill (maximum angle) can you leave a car parked?

Find the tension in each cable supporting the gymnast who weighs \( 600 \) \( \text{N} \). The gymnast is at rest, holding a junction point where two cables are attached: one cable is horizontal, and the second cable is attached to the ceiling making an angle of \( 37^{\circ} \) above the horizontal, as shown in the diagram.
A 0.035 kg bullet moving horizontally at 350 m/s embeds itself into an initially stationary 0.55 kg block. Air resistance is negligible.
A box is sliding down an incline at a constant speed of \( 2 \, \text{m/s} \). The angle of the incline is \( \theta \). The magnitude of the total of the opposing forces is \( 16 \, \text{N} \). Derive an equation for the force of gravity acting on the box.
Two balls have their centers \( 2.0 \) \( \text{m} \) apart. One ball has a mass of \( 8.0 \) \( \text{kg} \). The other has a mass of \( 6.0 \) \( \text{kg} \). What is the gravitational force between them?
Three identical blocks are being pulled or pushed across a rough horizontal surface by force of identical magnitude F, as shown in the drawing below. Rank the kinetic frictional forces that act on the blocks from smallest to greatest.

Only \( 1 \) non-zero force acts on an object. Can the object have \( 0 \) acceleration? Can it have \( 0 \) velocity? Explain.
\( .78 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)
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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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