| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[ p = \frac{F}{A} \] | Pressure in a hydraulic system is given by the force divided by the area over which the force is applied. |
| 2 | \[ A_{\text{small}} = \frac{\pi d_{\text{small}}^2}{4} \] | The area of a circular piston is found using the formula with the diameter. Here, \(d_{\text{small}} = 3.0\,\text{cm} = 0.03\,\text{m}\). |
| 3 | \[ p = \frac{72}{\frac{\pi (0.03)^2}{4}} \] | This expresses the pressure produced by the \(72\,\text{N}\) applied on the small piston. |
| 4 | \[ A_{\text{big}} = \frac{\pi d_{\text{big}}^2}{4} \quad \text{and} \quad p = \frac{20000}{A_{\text{big}}} \] | The larger piston supports the ride with a force of \(20000\,\text{N}\), and its area relates to its diameter by the same formula. |
| 5 | \[ \frac{72}{\frac{\pi (0.03)^2}{4}} = \frac{20000}{\frac{\pi d_{\text{big}}^2}{4}} \] | Since the pressure is identical throughout the hydraulic fluid, we equate the pressures exerted on both pistons. |
| 6 | \[ \frac{72}{(0.03)^2} = \frac{20000}{d_{\text{big}}^2} \] | The common factor \(\frac{\pi}{4}\) cancels out from both sides. |
| 7 | \[ d_{\text{big}}^2 = \frac{20000 \times (0.03)^2}{72} \] | We isolate \(d_{\text{big}}^2\) by cross-multiplying. |
| 8 | \[ d_{\text{big}}^2 = \frac{20000 \times 0.0009}{72} = \frac{18}{72} = 0.25 \] | Calculating \((0.03)^2 = 0.0009\); then \(20000 \times 0.0009 = 18\) and finally \(\frac{18}{72} = 0.25\). |
| 9 | \[ d_{\text{big}} = \sqrt{0.25} = 0.5 \;\text{m} \] | Taking the square root of both sides provides the diameter of the large piston. |
| 10 | \[ \boxed{0.50\,\text{m}} \] | This is the final answer for the diameter of the piston that holds the ride. |
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 fluid flows through the two sections of cylindrical pipe shown in the figure. The narrow section of the pipe has radius \( R \) and the wide section has radius \( 2R \). What is the ratio of the fluid’s speed in the wide section of pipe to its speed in the narrow section of pipe, \( \dfrac{v_{\text{wide}}}{v_{\text{narrow}}} \)?

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?
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 \( 2000 \) \( \text{cm}^2 \).
A cube of unknown material and uniform density floats in a container of water with \(60\%\) of its volume submerged. If this same cube were placed in a container of oil with density \(800\) \(\text{kg/m}^3\), what portion of the cube’s volume would be submerged while floating?
A drinking fountain projects water at an initial angle of \( 50^ \circ \) above the horizontal, and the water reaches a maximum height of \( 0.150 \) \( \text{m} \) above the point of exit. Assume air resistance is negligible.
Two paper cups are suspended by strings and hung near each other. They are separated by about \( 10 \) \( \text{cm} \). Explain what happens to the cups when you blow air between them. Hint: Do they remain still, moves away from each other or move towards each other?
A student designs an experiment to determine the density of an unknown fluid. The student pours the fluid into a graduated cylinder and attaches an object to a force probe. The object has a density greater than the density of the fluid. The student partially submerges the object into the fluid and records both the volume of fluid displaced in the graduated cylinder and the reading on the force probe. The student then submerges the object further and, at each trial, records the new values of displaced volume and force probe reading until the object is fully submerged. The student constructs a graph of force probe reading (vertical axis) as a function of volume of fluid displaced (horizontal axis). Which of the following statements correctly describes how a feature of this graph is related to the density of the fluid?
An air mattress pump blows air above a beach ball at \( 8 \) \( \text{m/s} \). The air below the beach ball is moving at \( \approx 0 \) \( \text{m/s} \). Assuming the beach ball diameter is \( 0.1 \) \( \text{m} \), meaning the areas for the top \& bottom are each \( \approx 0.03 \) \( \text{m}^2 \), and the density of air is \( 1 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \), what is the lift force on the beach ball?
A spherical balloon of mass \( 226 \) \( \text{kg} \) is filled with helium gas until its volume is \( 325 \) \( \text{m}^3 \). Assume the density of air is \( 1.29 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \) and the density of helium is \( 0.179 \) \( \text{kg/m}^3 \).
\(0.50\,\text{m}\)
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.
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.
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?