| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{I}{mg\,\Delta x}}\] | This is the period formula for a physical pendulum, where \(I\) is the moment of inertia and \(\Delta x\) is the distance from the pivot to the center of mass. |
| 2 | \[\Delta x = r\] | Since the ornament (a thin hollow sphere) is suspended by a wire attached at its top, the distance from the pivot to its center of mass is the radius \(r\) of the sphere. |
| 3 | \[T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{I}{mgr}}\] | Substitute \(\Delta x = r\) into the period formula. |
| 4 | \[I = \frac{5}{3}mr^2\] | The moment of inertia about the pivot is given. But you can also use the parallel axis theorem for a thin hollow sphere: \(I = I_{\text{cm}} + mr^2 = \frac{2}{3}mr^2 + mr^2 = \frac{5}{3}mr^2\). |
| 5 | \[T = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{\frac{5}{3}mr^2}{mgr}} = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{5r}{3g}}\] | Substitute \(I = \frac{5}{3}mr^2\) into the period expression and cancel the common factors \(m\) and \(r\). |
| 6 | \[T = \frac{1}{f}\] | Relate the period \(T\) with the frequency \(f\) using \(f = 1/T\). Given \(f = 2.50\;\text{Hz}\), \(T = \frac{1}{2.50}\). |
| 7 | \[\frac{1}{f} = 2\pi \sqrt{\frac{5r}{3g}}\] | Express the period in terms of the frequency and set it equal to the derived expression from step 5. |
| 8 | \[\left(\frac{1}{f}\right)^2 = 4\pi^2 \frac{5r}{3g}\] | Square both sides to eliminate the square root. |
| 9 | \[\frac{5r}{3g} = \frac{1}{4\pi^2 f^2}\] | Solve for the expression containing \(r\) by isolating it on one side. |
| 10 | \[r = \frac{3g}{5} \cdot \frac{1}{4\pi^2 f^2} = \frac{3g}{20\pi^2 f^2}\] | Solve for \(r\) by multiplying both sides appropriately. |
| 11 | \[r = \frac{3(9.80)}{20\pi^2 (2.50)^2}\] | Substitute \(g = 9.80\;\text{m/s}^2\) and \(f = 2.50\;\text{Hz}\) into the expression. |
| 12 | \[r \approx \frac{29.4}{1233.7} \approx 0.024\;\text{m}\] | Calculate the numerical value |
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.
An experimenter has a simple pendulum of length \( L \) and a mass–spring system with mass \( m \) and spring constant \( k \). Both are found to have the same period of oscillation \( T \) on Earth. If both systems are taken to the Moon, where the acceleration due to gravity is approximately \( \frac{1}{6} g \) of Earth, what will happen to their periods?

The object shown in the diagram below consists of a cylinder of mass \( 100 \) \( \text{kg} \) and radius \( 25.0 \) \( \text{cm} \) connected by four thin rods, each of mass \( 5.00 \) \( \text{kg} \) and length \( 0.75 \) \( \text{m} \), to a thin-outer ring of mass \( 20.0 \) \( \text{kg} \). A small chunk of metal of mass \( 1.00 \) \( \text{kg} \) is welded to the outer ring. Determine the moment of inertia of the entire assembly about the center of the inner cylinder, treating the metal chunk as a point mass. Hint: The moment of inertia of a disk about it center is \(\tfrac{1}{2} M R^2\), a thin rod about it center is \(\tfrac{1}{12}ML^2\), and a thin hoop about its center is \(I = MR^2\).
On Earth, a simple pendulum of length \(1.2 \, \text{meters}\), mass of \(3 \, \text{kg}\), and amplitude of \(10\) degrees oscillates back and forth. Calculate:

A wheel of radius \( R \) and negligible mass is mounted on a horizontal frictionless axle so that the wheel is in a vertical plane. Three small objects having masses \( m \), \( M \), and \( 2M \), respectively, are mounted on the rim of the wheel, as shown above. If the system is in static equilibrium, what is the value of \( m \) in terms of \( M \)?
A \(0.50 \, \text{kg}\) mass is attached to a spring constant \(20 \, \text{N/m}\) along a horizontal, frictionless surface. The object oscillates in simple harmonic motion and has a speed of \(1.5 \, \text{m/s}\) at the equilibrium position. What is the total energy of the system?
A rod of length \( L \) is rotated about its center with \( I = \frac{ML^{2}}{12} \). What is the moment of inertia at a point \( \frac{L}{4} \) away from the center?
A solid ball and a cylinder roll down an inclined plane. Which reaches the bottom first?
The moment of inertia of a uniform solid sphere (mass \( M \), radius \( R \)) about a diameter is \( \frac{2}{5}MR^2 \). The sphere is placed on an inclined plane (angle \( \theta \)) and released from rest.

A bullet (mass: \(0.05 \, \text{kg}\)) is fired horizontally (\(v = 200 \, \text{m/s}\)) at a block (mass: \(1.3 \, \text{kg}\)) initially at rest on a frictionless surface. The block is attached to a spring (\(k = 2500 \, \text{N/m}\)). The bullet becomes embedded. Calculate:
| Wagon | Wheel Structure | Moment of Inertia | Wheel Mass | Wheel Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wagon \(A\) | Solid disk | \[\frac{1}{2} M R^2\] | \[ 0.5 \, \text{kg} \] | \[ 0.1 \, \text{m} \] |
| Wagon \(B\) | Solid disk | \[\frac{1}{2} M R^2\] | \[ 0.2 \, \text{kg} \] | \[ 0.1 \, \text{m} \] |
| Wagon \(C\) | Hollow hoop | \[M R^2\] | \[ 0.1 \, \text{kg} \] | \[ 0.1 \, \text{m} \] |
Three wagons have identical total mass (including their wheels) and each has four wheels. However, the wheels on each wagon have different designs with varying mass distributions and radii as shown in a reference chart. When accelerating each wagon from a standstill to \( 10 \) \( \text{m/s} \), which wagon requires the most energy input?
\(\boxed{r \approx 0.024\;\text{m}}\)
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] | 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 |
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.
A quick explanation
Credits are used to grade your FRQs and GQs. Pro users get unlimited credits.
Submitting counts as 1 attempt.
Viewing answers or explanations count as a failed attempts.
Phy gives partial credit if needed
MCQs and GQs are are 1 point each. FRQs will state points for each part.
Phy customizes problem explanations based on what you struggle with. Just hit the explanation button to see.
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
NEW! PHY AI accurately solves all questions
🔥 Get up to 30% off Elite Physics Tutoring
🧠 NEW! Learn Physics From Scratch Self Paced Course
🎯 Need exam style practice questions?