| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[a_c = \frac{v^2}{r}\] | When the car turns right, you require a centripetal acceleration \(a_c\) directed to the right toward the center of curvature. |
| 2 | \[F_c = m a_c\] | By Newton’s 2nd law, this rightward acceleration demands a rightward net force \(F_c\) on you. |
| 3 | \[F_{\text{door}\to\text{you}} = F_c\] | Your inertia makes you keep moving straight. The door pushes rightward on you, supplying the needed centripetal force. |
| 4 | \[F_{\text{“centrifugal”}} = 0\] | There is no real outward (centrifugal) force; it is a fictitious effect felt only in the non‑inertial car frame. Hence option (a) is incorrect. |
| Incorrect Options Explained: (a) invokes a non‑existent real force; (c) includes that same error; (d) ignores the necessary rightward door force. | ||
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.
Riders in a carnival ride stand with their backs against the wall of a circular room of diameter \(8.0 \, \text{m}\). The room is spinning horizontally about an axis through its center at a rate of \(45 \, \text{rev/min}\) when the floor drops so that it no longer provides any support for the riders. What is the minimum coefficient of static friction between the wall and the rider required so that the rider does not slide down the wall?
A ball is attached to the end of a string. It is swung in a vertical circle of radius \( 0.33 \) \( \text{m} \). What is the minimum velocity that the ball must have to make it around the circle?
A point P is at a distance \( R \) from the axis of rotation of a rigid body whose angular velocity and angular acceleration are \( \omega \) and \( \alpha \) respectively. The linear speed, centripetal acceleration, and tangential acceleration of the point can be expressed as:
| Linear speed | Centripetal acceleration | Tangential acceleration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| \( (a) \) | \( R\omega \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) | \( R\alpha \) |
| \( (b) \) | \( R\omega \) | \( R\alpha \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) |
| \( (c) \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) | \( R\alpha \) | \( R\omega \) |
| \( (d) \) | \( R\omega \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) | \( R\omega \) |
| \( (e) \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) | \( R\alpha \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) |
An Olympic bobsled team goes through a horizontal curve at a speed of \( 120 \) \( \text{km/hr} \). If the radius of curvature is \( 10.0 \) \( \text{m} \), what is the apparent weight the crew experiences—express in terms of \( mg \)?
On a harsh winter day, a \( 1500 \) \( \text{kg} \) vehicle takes a circular banked exit ramp (radius \( R = 150 \) \( \text{m} \); banking angle of \( 10^\circ \)) at a speed of \( 30 \) \( \text{mph} \), since the speed limit is \( 35 \) \( \text{mph} \). However, the exit ramp is completely iced up (frictionless). To make matters worse, a wind is blowing parallel to the ramp in a downward direction. The wind exerts a force of \( 3000 \) \( \text{N} \). Under these conditions, can the driver continue to follow a safe horizontal circle on the exit ramp and stay below the speed limit?
To convert \( \text{mph} \) into \( \text{m/s} \), use \( 1 \) \( \text{mi} = 1607 \) \( \text{m} \) and \( 1 \) \( \text{hr} = 3600 \) \( \text{s} \).
Are astronauts really “weightless” while in orbit?
A compressed spring mounted on a disk can project a small ball. When the disk is not rotating, as shown in the top view above, the ball moves radially outward. The disk then rotates in a counterclockwise direction as seen from above, and the ball is projected outward at the instant the disk is in the position shown above. Which of the following best shows the subsequent path of the ball relative to the ground?
A car is going through a dip in the road whose curvature approximates a circle of radius \( 200 \) \( \text{m} \). At what velocity will the occupants of the car appear to weigh \( 20\% \) more than their normal weight \( (1.2\,W) \)?
A communications satellite orbits the Earth at an altitude of \(35{,}000 \, \text{km}\) above the Earth’s surface. Take the mass of Earth to be \(6 \times 10^{24} \, \text{kg}\) and the radius of Earth to be \(6.4 \times 10^6 \, \text{m}\). What is the satellite’s velocity?
A satellite circling Earth completes each orbit in \(132 \, \text{minutes}\).
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
