| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[P = P_{0} + \rho g h\] | Here, \(P\) is the absolute pressure at a depth \(h\), \(P_{0}\) is the atmospheric pressure at the surface, \(\rho\) is the density of water, and \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity. |
| 2 | \[\Delta P = \rho g h = 1000 \;\text{kg/m}^3 \times 9.8 \;\text{m/s}^2 \times 0.300 \;\text{m}\] | This step calculates the additional (gauge) pressure due to the water column above the catfish. |
| 3 | \[\Delta P = 2940 \;\text{Pa}\] | The product gives the gauge pressure contribution from the water height. |
| 4 | \[P = P_{0} + \Delta P = 101325 \;\text{Pa} + 2940 \;\text{Pa}\] | Since the tank is open to the atmosphere, we add the standard atmospheric pressure \(P_{0} \approx 101325 \;\text{Pa}\) to obtain the absolute pressure at the catfish’s depth. |
| 5 | \[P = 104265 \;\text{Pa}\] | This is the total pressure experienced by the catfish at the bottom of the tank. |
| 6 | \[\boxed{P \approx 1.04 \times 10^5 \;\text{Pa}}\] | The final answer is rounded to three significant figures. |
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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?
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?
Nancy is using a turkey baster (a kitchen tool with a rubber bulb on one end and a tube on the other) to collect juices from a roasting turkey. When she squeezes and then releases the rubber bulb, it creates suction with a pressure of \( 99{,}800 \) \( \text{Pa} \). This suction causes the turkey juice to rise \( 9 \) \( \text{cm} \) up the tube. Based on this information, what is the density of the turkey juice?
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 objects labeled K and L have equal mass but densities \( 0.95D_o \) and \( D_o \), respectively. Each of these objects floats after being thrown into a deep swimming pool. Which is true about the buoyant forces acting on these objects?

The radius of the left piston is \( 0.12 \) \( \text{m} \) and the radius of the right piston is \( 0.65 \) \( \text{m} \). If \( f \) were raised by \( 14 \) \( \text{N} \), how much would \( F \) need to be increased to maintain equilibrium?
In the lab, a student is given a glass beaker filled with water with an ice cube of mass \( m \) and volume \( V_c \) floating in it.
The downward force of gravity on the ice cube has magnitude \( F_g \). The student pushes down on the ice cube with a force of magnitude \( F_P \) so that the cube is totally submerged. The water then exerts an upward buoyant force on the ice cube of magnitude \( F_B \). Which of the following is an expression for the magnitude of the acceleration of the ice cube when it is released?
A fountain with an opening of radius \( 0.015 \) \( \text{m} \) shoots a stream of water vertically from ground level at \( 6.0 \) \( \text{m/s} \). The density of water is \( 1000 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \).
A spherical balloon has a radius of \(7.15\) \(\text{m}\) and is filled with helium. How large a cargo can it lift, assuming that the skin and structure of the balloon have a mass of \(930\) \(\text{kg}\)?
Take the density of helium and air to be \(0.18\) \(\text{kg/m}^3\) and \(1.24\) \(\text{kg/m}^3\), respectively.
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 \(1025\) \(\text{kg/m}^3\).
\(\boxed{1.04 \times 10^5 \;\text{Pa}}\)
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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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