| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[ R = \frac{d}{2}=\frac{30\,\text{cm}}{2}=15\,\text{cm}=0.15\,\text{m} \] | The geometric radius \(R\) of the disk is half its diameter. |
| 2 | \[ a = \frac{R}{2}=\frac{0.15\,\text{m}}{2}=0.075\,\text{m} \] | The axle (black dot) is halfway from the centre to the rim, so its horizontal displacement from the centre is \(a\). |
| 3 | \[ \begin{aligned} \ell_{\text{L}} &= R-a = 0.15-0.075 = 0.075\,\text{m}\\[4pt] \ell_{\text{R}} &= R+a = 0.15+0.075 = 0.225\,\text{m}\\[4pt] \ell_{\text{disk}} &= a = 0.075\,\text{m} \end{aligned} \] | With the axle as the pivot, the perpendicular (horizontal) distances to each vertical force are: • left rope: \(R − a\) • right rope: \(R + a\) • disk weight (acting at the centre): \(a\). |
| 4 | \[ \begin{aligned} \tau_{\text{L}} &= (+)\,m_{\text{L}} g\, \ell_{\text{L}} = (15\,\text{kg})(9.8\,\text{m/s}^2)(0.075\,\text{m}) = +11.025\,\text{N·m}\\[4pt] \tau_{\text{R}} &= (-)\,m_{\text{R}} g\, \ell_{\text{R}} = (10\,\text{kg})(9.8\,\text{m/s}^2)(0.225\,\text{m}) = -22.05\,\text{N·m}\\[4pt] \tau_{\text{disk}} &= (-)\,m_{\text{disk}} g\, \ell_{\text{disk}} = (5.0\,\text{kg})(9.8\,\text{m/s}^2)(0.075\,\text{m}) = -3.675\,\text{N·m} \end{aligned} \] | Take counter-clockwise (CCW) as positive. • The left hanging mass tends to rotate the disk CCW. • The right hanging mass and the disk’s own weight both tend to rotate it clockwise (negative). |
| 5 | \[ \tau_{\text{ext}} = \tau_{\text{L}} + \tau_{\text{R}} + \tau_{\text{disk}} = 11.025 – 22.05 – 3.675 = -14.70\,\text{N·m} \] | Sum of all external torques about the axle (excluding the axle itself). |
| 6 | \[ \tau_{\text{axle}} + \tau_{\text{ext}} = 0 \;\;\Rightarrow\;\; \boxed{\tau_{\text{axle}} = +14.7\,\text{N·m}} \] | For rotational equilibrium the net torque must vanish; therefore the axle must supply an equal and opposite torque. The positive sign indicates a counter-clockwise torque supplied by the axle. |
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Five forces act on a rod that is free to pivot at point \( P \), as shown in the figure. Which of these forces is producing a counter-clockwise torque about point \( P \)?
What condition(s) are necessary for static equilibrium?
A 0.72-m-diameter solid sphere can be rotated about an axis through its center by a torque of 10.8 N·m which accelerates it uniformly from rest through a total of 160 revolutions in 15.0 s. What is the mass of the sphere?
When the speed of a rear-drive car is increasing on a horizontal road, what is the direction of the frictional force on the tires?
A pulley system consists of two blocks of mass \( 5 \) \( \text{kg} \) and \( 10 \) \( \text{kg} \), connected by a rope of negligible mass that passes over a pulley of radius \( 0.1 \) \( \text{m} \) and mass \( 2 \) \( \text{kg} \). The pulley is free to rotate about its axis. The system is released from rest, and the block of mass \( 10 \) \( \text{kg} \) starts to move downwards. Assume the pulley has a frictional force of \(5.7\) Newtons acting on the outer edge of the pulley.

A point on the edge of a disk rotates around the center of the disk with an initial angular velocity of 3 rad/s clockwise. The graph shows the point’s angular acceleration as a function of time. The positive direction is considered to be counterclockwise. All frictional forces are considered to be negligible.
A solid ball of mass \( M \) and radius \( R \) has rotational inertia \( \frac{2}{5} M R^{2} \) about its center. It rolls without slipping along a level surface at speed \( v \) just before it begins rolling up an inclined plane. Which of the following expressions correctly represents the maximum vertical height the solid ball can ascend to when it rolls up the incline without slipping?
Two uniform solid balls, one of radius \( R \) and mass \( M \), the other of radius \( 2R \) and mass \( 8M \), roll down a high incline. They start together from rest at the top of the incline. Which one will reach the bottom of the incline first?
In a demonstration, a teacher holds the axle of a wheel that is spinning with constant angular speed. The teacher then releases the axle and the wheel begins to fall toward the ground. As the wheel falls, its angular speed remains constant. Which of the following correctly describes how the rotational kinetic energy \( K_{\text{rot}} \) of the wheel and the total kinetic energy \( K_{\text{tot}} \) of the wheel change, if at all, after the wheel is released but before it reaches the ground?
| \( K_{\text{rot}} \) | \( K_{\text{tot}} \) | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Constant | Constant |
| B | Constant | Increasing |
| C | Increasing | Constant |
| D | Increasing | Increasing |
Two masses, \( m_y = 32 \) \( \text{kg} \) and \( m_z = 38 \) \( \text{kg} \), are connected by a rope that hangs over a pulley. The pulley is a uniform cylinder of radius \( R = 0.311 \) \( \text{m} \) and mass \( 3.1 \) \( \text{kg} \). Initially, \( m_y \) is on the ground and \( m_z \) rests \( 2.5 \) \( \text{m} \) above the ground.
\(+14.7\,\text{N·m}\)
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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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