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| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[\text{Forces: }\; mg,\; N_f,\; f_f,\; N_w\] | The ladder is in static equilibrium and experiences its weight \(mg\), an upward normal force from the floor \(N_f\), a horizontal static friction force at the floor \(f_f\), and a horizontal normal force from the wall \(N_w\). |
| 2 | \[\sum F_x = 0 \; \Longrightarrow \; f_f – N_w = 0\] | Because the ladder does not accelerate horizontally, the net horizontal force must be zero, giving \(f_f = N_w\). |
| 3 | \[f_f = N_w\] | This shows the magnitude of the floor’s frictional force equals the magnitude of the wall’s normal force. |
| 4 | \[\sum F_y = 0 \; \Longrightarrow \; N_f – mg = 0\] | Vertical equilibrium gives \(N_f = mg\), which is unrelated to \(f_f\) in magnitude. |
| 5 | \[\boxed{\text{Only (d) satisfies } f_f = N_w}\] | The normal force from the wall (option (d)) must match the floor’s friction by step 2. |
| 6 | \[\text{(a) } mg \neq f_f\] | Weight acts vertically; it balances \(N_f\), not \(f_f\). |
| 7 | \[\text{(b) } N_f \neq f_f\] | \(N_f\) is vertical while \(f_f\) is horizontal; their magnitudes are independent. |
| 8 | \[\text{(c) } f_{\text{wall}} \neq f_f\] | If the wall were rough, this vertical friction would affect vertical balance, not horizontal. |
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A block is given a brief push so that it slides up a ramp. After the block reaches its highest point, it slides back down, but the magnitude of its acceleration is less on the descent than on the ascent. Why?
A box rests on the (frictionless) bed of a truck. The truck driver starts the truck and accelerates forward. The box immediately starts to slide toward the rear of the truck bed.
A \(6 \, \text{kg}\) cube rests against a compressed spring with a force constant of \(1{,}800 \, \text{N/m}\), initially compressed by \(0.3 \, \text{m}\). Upon release, the cube slides on a horizontal surface with a kinetic friction coefficient of \(\mu_k = 0.12\) for \(3 \, \text{m}\), then ascends a \(12^\circ\) slope, stopping after \(4.5 \, \text{m}\). Determine the coefficient of kinetic friction on the slope.

During the experiment, students collect data about the angular momentum of a rigid, uniform spinning wheel about an axle as a function of time, which was used to create the graph that is shown. A frictional torque is exerted on the wheel. A student makes the following statement about the data. “The frictional torque exerted on the wheel is independent of the wheel’s angular speed.” Does the data from the graph support the student’s statement? Justify your selection.

A conical pendulum is formed by attaching a ball of mass \( m \) to a string of length \( \ell \), then allowing the ball to move in a horizontal circle of radius \( r \). The following figure shows that the string traces out the surface of a cone, hence the name.

Two blocks, A and B, are connected by a light string that passes over a frictionless pulley. Block A, of mass \( 10 \) \( \text{kg} \), rests on a rough plane that makes an angle of \( 45^{\circ} \) with the horizontal, while block B, of mass \( 17 \) \( \text{kg} \), hangs vertically. Starting from rest, what is the minimum coefficient of static friction between block A and the plane required to keep the system in static equilibrium?
A boy and a girl are balanced on a massless seesaw. The boy has a mass of \(60 \, \text{kg}\) and the girl’s mass is \(50 \, \text{kg}\). If the boy sits \(1.5 \, \text{m}\) from the pivot point on one side of the seesaw, where must the girl sit on the other side for equilibrium?
The occupants of a car traveling at a speed of \( 30 \) \( \text{m/s} \) note that on a particular part of a road their apparent weight is \( 15\% \) higher than their weight when driving on a flat road.
A \( 25.0 \) \( \text{kg} \) block is placed at the top of an inclined plane set at an angle of \( 35 \) degrees to the horizontal. The block slides down the \( 1.5 \) \( \text{m} \) slope at a constant rate. How much work did friction do on the block?
A student kicks a soccer ball. The ball exerts a force back on the student’s foot. Why doesn’t the student’s foot accelerate backward as much as the ball accelerates forward?
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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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