| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[\omega_i = 3600 \, \text{rev/min} \times \frac{2\pi \, \text{rad}}{1 \, \text{rev}} \times \frac{1 \, \text{min}}{60 \, \text{s}} = 120\pi \, \text{rad/s}\] | Convert the initial angular speed from revolutions per minute to radians per second. |
| 2 | \[\theta = 50.0 \, \text{rev} \times \frac{2\pi \, \text{rad}}{1 \, \text{rev}} = 100\pi \, \text{rad}\] | Convert the total number of additional revolutions into radians. |
| 3 | \[\omega_f = 0\] | The centrifuge comes to rest, so its final angular speed is zero. |
| 4 | \[\omega_f^2 = \omega_i^2 + 2\alpha\theta\] | Use the rotational kinematic equation that links angular displacement, angular speed, and angular acceleration under constant acceleration. |
| 5 | \[\alpha = -\frac{\omega_i^2}{2\theta}\] | Solve the equation in Step 4 for the angular acceleration \( \alpha \). |
| 6 | \[\boxed{\alpha = -72\pi \, \text{rad/s}^2 \; \approx \; -2.26 \times 10^{2} \, \text{rad/s}^2}\] | Substitute \( \omega_i = 120\pi \, \text{rad/s} \) and \( \theta = 100\pi \, \text{rad} \) into Step 5 to obtain the constant angular deceleration. |
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The tub of a washer goes into its spin-dry cycle, starting from rest and reaching an angular speed of \( 5.0 \) \( \text{rev/s} \) in \( 8.0 \) \( \text{s} \). At this point, the person doing the laundry opens the lid, and a safety switch turns off the washer. The tub slows to rest in \( 12.0 \) \( \text{s} \). Through how many revolutions does the tub turn during the entire \( 20 \)-s interval? Assume constant angular acceleration while it is starting and stopping.
A solid sphere, solid cylinder, and a hollow pipe all have equal masses and radii. If the three of them are released simultaneously at the top of an inclined plane and do not slip, which one will reach the bottom first? \( I_{sphere} = \frac{2}{5}MR^2\), \( I_{cylinder} = \frac{1}{2}MR^2\), \( I_{pipe} = MR^2\)
A pulley has an initial angular speed of \( 12.5 \) \( \text{rad/s} \) and a constant angular acceleration of \( 3.41 \) \( \text{rad/s}^2 \). Through what angle does the pulley turn in \( 5.26 \) \( \text{s} \)?
A 0.72-m-diameter solid sphere can be rotated about an axis through its center by a torque of 10.8 N·m which accelerates it uniformly from rest through a total of 160 revolutions in 15.0 s. What is the mass of the sphere?
A uniform stick has length \( L \). The moment of inertia about the center of the stick is \( I_0 \). A particle of mass \( M \) is attached to one end of the stick. The moment of inertia of the combined system about the center of the stick is

A point on the edge of a disk rotates around the center of the disk with an initial angular velocity of 3 rad/s clockwise. The graph shows the point’s angular acceleration as a function of time. The positive direction is considered to be counterclockwise. All frictional forces are considered to be negligible.
At time \( t = 0 \), a disk starts from rest and begins spinning about its center with a constant angular acceleration of magnitude \( \alpha \). At time \( t_f \), the disk has angular speed \( \omega_f \). Which of the following expressions correctly compares the final angular displacement \( \theta_f \) of the disk at time \( t_f \) to the angular displacement \( \theta_{1/2} \) at time \( \frac{t_f}{2} \)?
A \( 0.72 \) \( \text{m} \)-diameter solid sphere can be rotated about an axis through its center by a torque of \( 10.8 \) \( \text{Nm} \) which accelerates it uniformly from rest through a total of \( 160 \) revolutions in \( 15.0 \) \( \text{s} \). What is the mass of the sphere?
A centrifuge rotor rotating at \( 9200 \) \( \text{rpm} \) is shut off and is eventually brought uniformly to rest by a frictional torque of \( 1.20 \) \( \text{N} \cdot \text{m} \). If the mass of the rotor is \( 3.10 \) \( \text{kg} \) and it can be approximated as a solid cylinder of radius \( 0.0710 \) \( \text{m} \), through how many revolutions will the rotor turn before coming to rest? The moment of inertia of a cylinder is given by \( \frac{1}{2} m r^2 \).
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| \( (a) \) | \( R\omega \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) | \( R\alpha \) |
| \( (b) \) | \( R\omega \) | \( R\alpha \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) |
| \( (c) \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) | \( R\alpha \) | \( R\omega \) |
| \( (d) \) | \( R\omega \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) | \( R\omega \) |
| \( (e) \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) | \( R\alpha \) | \( R\omega^{2} \) |
\(-72\pi\,\text{rad/s}^2 \approx -226.19\,\text{rad/s}^2\)
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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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