| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[ f_{w} = \frac{\rho_{\text{cube}}}{\rho_{\text{water}}} \quad \Longrightarrow \quad \rho_{\text{cube}} = f_{w} \, \rho_{\text{water}} \quad \text{with} \quad f_{w}=0.6 \] | In water, the fraction of the cube’s volume submerged (\(f_{w}\)) equals the ratio of the cube’s density to the density of water (\( \rho_{\text{water}} \)). Given \(60\%\) submersion, we find that \(\rho_{\text{cube}} = 0.6\,\rho_{\text{water}}\). |
| 2 | \[ f_{o} = \frac{\rho_{\text{cube}}}{\rho_{\text{oil}}} = \frac{0.6\,\rho_{\text{water}}}{\rho_{\text{oil}}} \] | For the cube to float in oil, the fraction of the cube submerged (\(f_{o}\)) is given by the ratio of the cube’s density to the oil’s density (\( \rho_{\text{oil}} \)). |
| 3 | \[ f_{o} = \frac{0.6 \times 1000 \, \text{kg/m}^3}{800 \, \text{kg/m}^3} = \frac{600}{800} \] | Assuming the density of water as \(1000 \, \text{kg/m}^3\), substitute \(\rho_{\text{water}}\) and \(\rho_{\text{oil}}=800 \, \text{kg/m}^3\) into the equation. |
| 4 | \[ f_{o} = 0.75 \] | Simplify the fraction \(600/800\) to obtain the portion of the cube’s volume that is submerged in oil. |
| 5 | \[\boxed{75\%}\] | This is the final answer; when floating in oil, \(75\%\) of the cube’s volume is submerged. |
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.
Water flows from point \( A \) to points \( D \) and \( E \) as shown. Some of the flow parameters are known, as shown in the table. Determine the unknown parameters. Note the diagram above does not show the relative diameters of each section of the pipe.
| Section | Diameter | Flow Rate | Velocity |
|---|---|---|---|
| \( \text{AB} \) | \( 300 \) \( \text{mm} \) | \(\textbf{?}\) | \(\textbf{?}\) |
| \( \text{BC} \) | \( 600 \) \( \text{mm} \) | \(\textbf{?}\) | \( 1.2 \) \( \text{m/s} \) |
| \( \text{CD} \) | \(\textbf{?}\) | \( Q_{CD} = 2Q_{CE} \) \( \text{m}^3/\text{s} \) | \( 1.4 \) \( \text{m/s} \) |
| \( \text{CE} \) | \( 150 \) \( \text{mm} \) | \( Q_{CE} = 0.5Q_{CD} \) \( \text{m}^3/\text{s} \) | \(\textbf{?}\) |
In a carbonated drink dispenser, bubbles flow through a horizontal tube that gradually narrows in diameter. Assuming the change in height is negligible, which of the following best describes how the bubbles behave as they move from the wider section of the tube to the narrower section?
A sphere of mass \(0.5\) \(\text{kg}\) is dropped into a column of oil. At the instant the sphere becomes completely submerged in the oil, the sphere is moving downward at \(8\) \(\text{m/s}\), the buoyancy force on the sphere is \(4.0\) \(\text{N}\), and the fluid frictional force is \(4.0\) \(\text{N}\). Which of the following describes the motion of the sphere at this instant?
A spherical balloon of mass \( 226 \) \( \text{kg} \) is filled with helium gas until its volume is \( 325 \) \( \text{m}^3 \). Assume the density of air is \( 1.29 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \) and the density of helium is \( 0.179 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \).
An ideal fluid flows through a pipe with radius \( Q \) and flow speed \( V \). If the pipe splits up into three separate paths, each with radius \( \frac{Q}{2} \), what is the flow speed through each of the paths?
A trash compactor pushes down with a force of \( 500 \) \( \text{N} \) on a \( 3 \) \( \text{cm}^2 \) input piston, causing a force of \( 30,000 \) \( \text{N} \) to crush the trash. What is the area of the output piston that crushes the trash?
In the laboratory, you are given a cylindrical beaker containing a fluid and you are asked to determine the density \( \rho \) of the fluid. You are to use a spring of negligible mass and unknown spring constant \( k \) that is attached to a vertical stand.
Ben’s favorite ride at the Barrel-O-Fun Amusement Park is the Flying Umbrella, which is lifted by a hydraulic jack. The operator activates the ride by applying a force of \( 72 \) \( \text{N} \) to a \( 3.0 \) \( \text{cm} \) wide cylindrical piston, which holds the \( 20,000 \) \( \text{N} \) ride off the ground. What is the diameter of the piston that holds the ride?
The \( 70 \) \( \text{kg} \) student in the figure balances a \( 1200 \) \( \text{kg} \) elephant on a hydraulic lift. Assume that it is filled with oil, which is incompressible and has a density \( \rho = 900 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \). What is the diameter of the piston the student is standing on? Assume each piston has a cylindrical shape, i.e., a circular cross-sectional area. Note: The two pistons are at the same height. Also, the diameter of the wider piston is given in the figure to be \( 2.0 \) \( \text{m} \).
A geologist suspects that her rock specimen is hollow, so she weighs the specimen in both air and water. When completely submerged, the rock weighs twice as much in air as it does in water.
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.
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
