Part A – Buoyant force
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (a) 1 | \(B = W_{\text{air}} – W_{\text{water}}\) | The buoyant force \(B\) equals the difference between the weight of the object measured in air and the apparent weight when submerged. |
| (a) 2 | \(B = 17.8\,N – 16.2\,N = 1.6\,N\) | Substitute the given readings to calculate the buoyant force. |
| (a) 3 | \(\boxed{B = 1.6\,N}\) | This is the final buoyant force acting on the object in water. |
Part B – Volume of the object
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (b) 1 | \(B = \rho_{w} g V\) | According to Archimedes’ principle, the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the displaced water where \(\rho_{w}\) is the density of water, \(g\) is gravitational acceleration, and \(V\) is the volume displaced. |
| (b) 2 | \(V = \frac{B}{\rho_{w} g}\) | Rearrange the formula to solve for the volume of the object. |
| (b) 3 | \(V = \frac{1.6}{1000 \times 9.8}\) | Substitute \(B = 1.6\,N\), \(\rho_{w} = 1000\,kg/m^3\), and \(g = 9.8\,m/s^2\). |
| (b) 4 | \(V \approx 1.63 \times 10^{-4}\,m^3\) | Compute the division \(1.6/(9800)\) to obtain the object’s volume. |
| (b) 5 | \(\boxed{V \approx 1.63 \times 10^{-4}\,m^3}\) | This is the final volume of the object. |
Part C – Density of the object
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (c) 1 | \(W = m g\) | The weight of the object in air is the product of its mass \(m\) and gravitational acceleration \(g\). |
| (c) 2 | \(m = \frac{W}{g} = \frac{17.8}{9.8}\) | Solve for the mass by rearranging the weight formula using \(W = 17.8\,N\) and \(g = 9.8\,m/s^2\). |
| (c) 3 | \(m \approx 1.82\,kg\) | Performing the division gives the mass of the object. |
| (c) 4 | \(\rho = \frac{m}{V}\) | Density is defined as mass divided by volume. |
| (c) 5 | \(\rho = \frac{1.82}{1.63 \times 10^{-4}}\) | Substitute \(m \approx 1.82\,kg\) and \(V \approx 1.63 \times 10^{-4}\,m^3\) into the density formula. |
| (c) 6 | \(\rho \approx 1.12 \times 10^4\,kg/m^3\) | The division yields the density of the object. |
| (c) 7 | \(\boxed{\rho \approx 1.12 \times 10^4\,kg/m^3}\) | This is the final density of the object. |
Part D – Absolute pressure when object is removed
| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (d) 1 | \(p = p_{\text{atm}} + \rho_{w} g h\) | The absolute pressure at the bottom of a water column is given by the sum of atmospheric pressure \(p_{\text{atm}}\) and the hydrostatic pressure \(\rho_{w} g h\), where \(h\) is the water depth. |
| (d) 2 | Removing the object | Upon removal of the object, the water can now fill the space the ball occupied. This reduces the overall water depth \(h\). |
| (d) 4 | \(\boxed{p \text{ decreases}}\) | Thus, the hydrostatic pressure (\(\rho gh\)) decreases, due to the decrease in height of the water. Since hydrostatic pressure drops so will the absolute pressure, as given by the equation in (d) 1 |
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Caleb is filling up water balloons for the Physics Olympics balloon toss competition. Caleb sets a \( 0.50 \text{-kg} \) spherical water balloon on the kitchen table and notices that the bottom of the balloon flattens until the pressure on the bottom is reduced to \( 630 \frac{\text{N}}{\text{m}^2} \). What is the area of the flat spot on the bottom of the balloon?
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A pump, submerged at the bottom of a well that is \( 35 \) \( \text{m} \) deep, is used to pump water uphill to a house that is \( 50 \) \( \text{m} \) above the top of the well, as shown to the right. The density of water is \( 1000 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \). All pressures are gauge pressures. Neglect the effects of friction, turbulence, and viscosity.
A \(2\)-N force is used to push a small piston \(10\) \(\text{cm}\) downward in a simple hydraulic machine. If the opposite large piston rises by \(0.5\) \(\text{cm}\), what is the maximum weight the large piston can lift?

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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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