| Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|
| \[I = \frac{1}{2} M R^2\] | Moment of inertia for a uniform solid cylinder of mass \(M\) and radius \(R\). |
| \[\tau = T R\] | The tension \(T\) in the cord exerted at radius \(R\) produces torque \(\tau\). |
| \[\tau = I \alpha\] | Rotational form of Newton’s second law, relating torque to angular acceleration \(\alpha\). |
| \[\alpha = \frac{a}{R}\] | No slipping: linear acceleration \(a\) of the cord equals tangential acceleration \(R\alpha\). |
| \[T = \frac{I \alpha}{R}\] | Substitute \(\tau = T R\) into \(\tau = I\alpha\) and solve for tension. |
| \[T = \frac{1}{2} M a\] | Insert \(I = \tfrac{1}{2} M R^2\) and \(\alpha = a/R\); the \(R\) terms cancel. |
| \[m g – T = m a\] | Newton’s second law for the descending block; downward direction is positive. |
| \[m g – \tfrac{1}{2} M a = m a\] | Replace \(T\) with \(\tfrac{1}{2} M a\). |
| \[a = \frac{m g}{m + \tfrac{1}{2} M}\] | Solve the previous expression algebraically for \(a\). |
| \[a = \frac{(10)(9.8)}{10 + 50} = 1.633\, \text{m/s}^2\] | Insert \(m = 10\,\text{kg}\), \(M = 100\,\text{kg}\), and \(g = 9.8\,\text{m/s}^2\). |
| \[\boxed{a \approx 1.63\, \text{m/s}^2}\] | Final acceleration of the block. |
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Consider a rigid body that is rotating. Which of the following is an accurate statement?

A hoop with a mass \(m\) and unknown radius is rolling without slipping on a flat surface with an angular speed \(\omega\). The hoop encounters a hill and continues to roll without slipping until it reaches a maximum height \(h\).
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?
Find the following three values using just rotational kinematics.
A high-speed drill rotating counterclockwise at \( 2400 \) \( \text{rpm} \) comes to a halt in \( 2.5 \) \( \text{s} \).
A race car travels in a circular track of radius \( 200 \) \( \text{m} \). If the car moves with a constant speed of \( 80 \) \( \text{m/s} \),
A rod of length \( L \) is rotated about its center with \( I = \frac{ML^{2}}{12} \). What is the moment of inertia at a point \( \frac{L}{4} \) away from the center?
A windmill blade with a rotational inertia of \( 6.0 \) \( \text{kg} \cdot \text{m}^2 \) has an initial angular velocity of \( 8 \) \( \text{rad/s} \) in the clockwise direction. It is then given an angular acceleration of \( 4 \) \( \text{rad/s}^2 \) in the clockwise direction for \( 10 \) seconds. What is the change in rotational kinetic energy of the blade over this time interval?

A system consists of a disk rotating on a frictionless axle and a piece of clay moving toward it, as shown in the figure above. The outside edge of the disk is moving at a linear speed \( v \), and the clay is moving at speed \( \frac{v}{2} \). The clay sticks to the outside edge of the disk. How does the angular momentum of the system after the clay sticks compare to the angular momentum of the system before the clay sticks, and what is an explanation for the comparison?
The moment of inertia of a uniform solid sphere (mass \( M \), radius \( R \)) about a diameter is \( \frac{2}{5}MR^2 \). The sphere is placed on an inclined plane (angle \( \theta \)) and released from rest.
\(1.63\, \text{m/s}^2\)
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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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