| 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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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?
Why are doorknobs located on the side of the door opposite the hinges?
A solid sphere is rotating about an axis through its center at a constant rotation rate. Another hollow sphere of the same mass and radius is rotating about its axis through the center at the same rotation rate. Which sphere has a greater rotational kinetic energy?
A race car travels in a circular track of radius \( 200 \) \( \text{m} \). If the car moves with a constant speed of \( 80 \) \( \text{m/s} \),
A high-speed flywheel in a motor is spinning at \( 500 \) \( \text{rpm} \) when a power failure suddenly occurs. The flywheel has a mass of \( 40 \) \( \text{kg} \) and a diameter of \( 75 \) \( \text{cm} \). The power is off for \( 30 \) \( \text{s} \) and during this time the flywheel slows due to friction in its axle bearings. During this time the flywheel makes \( 200 \) complete revolutions.
A mechanical wheel initially at rest on the floor begins rolling forward with an angular acceleration of \( 2\pi \, \text{rad/s}^2 \). If the wheel has a radius of \( 2 \, \text{m} \), what distance does the wheel travel in \( 3 \) seconds?
A \( 0.72 \) \( \text{m} \)-diameter solid sphere can be rotated about an axis through its center by a torque of \( 10.8 \) \( \text{Nm} \) which accelerates it uniformly from rest through a total of \( 160 \) revolutions in \( 15.0 \) \( \text{s} \). What is the mass of the sphere?
You try to open a door, but you are unable to push at a right angle to the door. So, you push the door at an angle of \( 35^{\circ} \) from the horizontal. How much harder would you have to push to open the door just as fast as if you were to push it at \( 90^{\circ} \)?
To increase the moment of inertia of a body about an axis, you must

A sphere starts from rest and rolls down an incline of height \( H = 1.0 \) \( \text{m} \) at an angle of \( 25^\circ \) with the horizontal, as shown above. The radius of the sphere \( R = 15 \) \( \text{cm} \), and its mass \( m = 1.0 \) \( \text{kg} \). The moment of inertia for a sphere is \( \frac{2}{5}mR^2 \). What is the speed of the sphere when it reaches the bottom of the plane?
\(+14.7\,\text{N·m}\)
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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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