| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[p_{\text{initial}} =\]
\[(1.0\,\text{kg}\cdot6.0\,\text{m/s}) + (2.0\,\text{kg}\cdot3.0\,\text{m/s}) =\] \[12.0\,\text{kg\,m/s}\] |
Calculate the total initial momentum by summing the momenta of both objects. Note that both are moving in the same direction. |
| 2 | \[v_x = \frac{p_{\text{initial}}}{1.0\,\text{kg} + 2.0\,\text{kg}} = \frac{12.0}{3.0} = 4.0\,\text{m/s}\] | Use conservation of momentum for an inelastic collision to find the final velocity \(v_x\) of the combined mass. |
| 3 | \[KE_{\text{initial}} =\]
\[\frac{1}{2}(1.0\,\text{kg}\cdot(6.0\,\text{m/s})^2) + \frac{1}{2}(2.0\,\text{kg}\cdot(3.0\,\text{m/s})^2) =\] \[ 18.0\,\text{J} + 9.0\,\text{J} = 27.0\,\text{J}\] |
Compute the total initial kinetic energy by summing the kinetic energies of both masses. |
| 4 | \[KE_{\text{final}} = \frac{1}{2}(3.0\,\text{kg}\cdot(4.0\,\text{m/s})^2) =\]
\[ \frac{1}{2}(3.0\,\text{kg}\cdot16.0\,\text{m}^2/\text{s}^2) = 24.0\,\text{J}\] |
Determine the final kinetic energy of the combined object moving at \(v_x = 4.0\,\text{m/s}\). |
| 5 | \[\Delta KE = KE_{\text{initial}} – KE_{\text{final}} = 27.0\,\text{J} – 24.0\,\text{J} = 3.0\,\text{J}\] | Calculate the kinetic energy lost in the collision by subtracting the final kinetic energy from the initial kinetic energy. |
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A mass \( m_1 \) traveling with an initial velocity \( v \) has an elastic collision with a mass \( m_2 \) that is initially at rest.

A ball of radius \( r \) rolls on the inside of a circular track of radius \( R \). If the ball starts from rest at the left vertical edge of the track, what will be its speed when it reaches the lowest point of the track, rolling without slipping? For a solid spherical ball, the moment of inertia is \(\frac{2}{5} m r^2\).
A pendulum consists of a mass \( M \) hanging at the bottom end of a massless rod of length \( \ell \) which has a frictionless pivot at its top end. A mass \( m \), moving with velocity \( v \), impacts \( M \) and becomes embedded. In terms of the given variables and constants, what is the smallest value of \( v \) sufficient to cause the pendulum (with embedded mass \( m \)) to swing clear over the top of its arc?
A baseball, mass \(0.5 \, \text{kg}\), is traveling to the right at \(32.2 \, \text{m/s}\) when it is hit by a bat and travels the opposite direction at \(72.2 \, \text{m/s}\). The bat hits the ball with a force of \(1,222 \, \text{N}\). What is the ball’s change in momentum and how long was the ball in contact with the bat?
A horizontal spring with spring constant 162 N/m is compressed 50 cm and used to launch a 3 kg box across a frictionless, horizontal surface. After the box travels some distance, the surface becomes rough. The coefficient of kinetic friction of the box on the rough surface is 0.2. Find the total distance the box travels before stopping.
A \(2 \, \text{kg}\) model rocket is launched with a thrust force of \(275 \, \text{N}\) and reaches a height of \(90 \, \text{m}\), at which point the thrust cuts out, but the rocket continues moving at \(150 \, \text{m/s}\). What is the average air resistance force acting on the rocket during its ascent?
Astronaut Jennifer’s lifeline to her spaceship comes loose and she finds herself stranded, “floating” \( 100 \) \( \text{m} \) from the mothership. She suddenly throws her \( 2.00 \) \( \text{kg} \) wrench at \( 20 \) \( \text{m/s} \) in a direction away from the ship. If she and her spacesuit have a combined mass of \( 200 \) \( \text{kg} \), how long does it take her to coast back to her spaceship?
A 75.0kg log floats downstream with a speed of 1.80 m/s. Eight frogs hop onto the log in a series of perfectly inelastic collisions. If each frog has a mass of 0.30 kg and an upstream speed of 1.3 m/s, what is the change in kinetic energy for this system?
A ski lift carries skiers along a \(695 \, \text{m}\) slope inclined at \(34^\circ\). To lift a single rider, it is necessary to move \(72 \, \text{kg}\) of mass to the top of the lift. Under maximum load conditions, five riders per minute arrive at the top. If \(65\%\) of the energy supplied by the motor goes to overcoming friction, what average power must the motor supply?
A \(4 \, \text{kg}\) mass is traveling at \(10 \, \text{m/s}\) to the right when it collides elastically with a stationary \(7 \, \text{kg}\) mass. The \(7 \, \text{kg}\) mass then travels at \(2 \, \text{m/s}\) at an angle of \(22^\circ\) below the horizontal. What is the velocity of the \(4 \, \text{kg}\) mass?
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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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