| Step | Derivation / Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[a = \pi r_s^2\] | The area of the small piston is the area of a circle with radius \(r_s = 0.12\,\text{m}\). |
| 2 | \[A = \pi r_L^2\] | The area of the large piston is the area of a circle with radius \(r_L = 0.65\,\text{m}\). |
| 3 | \[\frac{f}{a} = \frac{F}{A}\] | For equilibrium the pressure transmitted through the incompressible fluid is the same on both pistons (Pascal’s principle). |
| 4 | \[\frac{\Delta f}{a} = \frac{\Delta F}{A}\] | We compare only the changes in force while the pistons remain in equilibrium, so the pressure change must also match. |
| 5 | \[\Delta F = \frac{A}{a}\,\Delta f\] | Solving the proportionality from Step 4 for the required change in \(F\). |
| 6 | \[\frac{A}{a} = \left(\frac{r_L}{r_s}\right)^2 = \left(\frac{0.65}{0.12}\right)^2 = 29.34\] | The ratio of the areas is the square of the ratio of the radii since \(A \propto r^2\). |
| 7 | \[\Delta F = 29.34 \times 14\,\text{N} = 4.11 \times 10^2\,\text{N}\] | Multiply the area ratio by the given increment \(\Delta f = 14\,\text{N}\) to find the needed increase in \(F\). |
| 8 | \[\boxed{\Delta F \approx 4.1 \times 10^2\,\text{N}}\] | Rounded to two significant figures. |
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.
A sample of an unknown material appears to weigh \( 285 \) \( \text{N} \) in air and \( 195 \) \( \text{N} \) when immersed in alcohol of specific gravity \( 0.700 \).
A cylindrical tank of water (height \( H \)) is punctured at a height \( h \) above the bottom. How far from the base of the tank will the water stream land (in terms of \( h \) and \( H \))? What must the value of \( h \) be such that the distance at which the stream lands will be equal to \( H \)?
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?
The large piston in a hydraulic lift has a radius of \( 250 \) \( \text{cm}^2 \). What force must be applied to the small piston with a radius of \( 25 \) \( \text{cm}^2 \) in order to raise a car of mass \( 1500 \) \( \text{kg} \)?
The radius of the aorta is about \( 1 \) \( \text{cm} \) and the blood flowing through it has a speed of about \( 30 \) \( \frac{\text{cm}}{\text{s}} \). Calculate the average speed of the blood in the capillaries given the total cross section of all the capillaries is about \( 2000 \) \( \text{cm}^2 \).
The experimental diving rig is lowered from rest at the ocean’s surface and reaches a maximum depth of \(80\) \(\text{m}\). Initially it accelerates downward at a rate of \(0.10\) \(\text{m/s}^2\) until it reaches a speed of \(2.0\) \(\text{m/s}\), which then remains constant. During the descent, the pressure inside the bell remains constant at \(1\) atmosphere. The top of the bell has a cross-sectional area \(A = 9.0\) \(\text{m}^2\). The density of seawater is \(1025\) \(\text{kg/m}^3\).
Water flowing in a horizontal pipe speeds up as it goes from a section with a large diameter to a section with a small diameter. Which of the following can explain why the speed of the water increases?
Water circulates throughout a house in a hot water heating system. If the water is pumped at a speed of \( 0.5 \) \( \frac{\text{m}}{\text{s}} \) through a \( 2 \) \( \text{cm} \) diameter pipe in the basement under a pressure of \( 3 \) \( \text{atm} \), what will be the flow speed and pressure in a \( 1.3 \) \( \text{cm} \) diameter pipe on the second floor \( 5 \) \( \text{m} \) above?
Two blocks of the same size are floating in a container of water. The first block is submerged \( 80\% \) while the second block is submerged by \( 20\% \) beneath the water. Which of the following is a correct statement about the two blocks?
The diagram above shows a hydraulic chamber with a spring \( (k_s = 1250 \, \text{N/m}) \) attached to the input piston and a rock of mass \( 55.2 \, \text{kg} \) resting on the output plunger. The input piston and output plunger are at about the same height, and each has negligible mass. The chamber is filled with water.
\(4.11\times10^{2}\,\text{N}\)
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] | |
Nano- | n | [katex]10^{-9}[/katex] | |
Micro- | µ | [katex]10^{-6}[/katex] | |
Milli- | m | [katex]10^{-3}[/katex] | |
Centi- | c | [katex]10^{-2}[/katex] | |
Deci- | d | [katex]10^{-1}[/katex] | |
(Base unit) | – | [katex]10^{0}[/katex] | |
Deca- or Deka- | da | [katex]10^{1}[/katex] | |
Hecto- | h | [katex]10^{2}[/katex] | |
Kilo- | k | [katex]10^{3}[/katex] | |
Mega- | M | [katex]10^{6}[/katex] | |
Giga- | G | [katex]10^{9}[/katex] | |
Tera- | T | [katex]10^{12}[/katex] |
One price to unlock most advanced version of Phy across all our tools.
per month
Billed Monthly. Cancel Anytime.
We crafted THE Ultimate A.P Physics 1 Program so you can learn faster and score higher.
Try our free calculator to see what you need to get a 5 on the 2026 AP Physics 1 exam.
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
