| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[p_{\text{initial}} = 0\] | Astronaut and wrench are initially at rest relative to the mothership, so the total momentum is \(0\). |
| 2 | \[m_w v_w + m_J v_J = 0\] | Apply conservation of linear momentum after the wrench is thrown. Here \(m_w\) and \(v_w\) are the wrench’s mass and velocity, while \(m_J\) and \(v_J\) are Jennifer’s mass and velocity. |
| 3 | \[v_J = -\frac{m_w v_w}{m_J}\] | Algebraically solve for Jennifer’s velocity \(v_J\). The negative sign indicates she moves toward the ship (opposite the wrench). |
| 4 | \[v_J = -\frac{(2.00\,\text{kg})(20\,\text{m/s})}{200\,\text{kg}}\] | Insert \(m_w = 2.00\,\text{kg}\), \(v_w = 20\,\text{m/s}\), and \(m_J = 200\,\text{kg}\). |
| 5 | \[v_J = -0.20\,\text{m/s}\] | Calculate Jennifer’s speed. The magnitude is \(0.20\,\text{m/s}\) toward the ship. |
| 6 | \[\Delta x = v t\] | Use uniform motion because no external forces act horizontally. Here \(\Delta x = 100\,\text{m}\) and \(v = 0.20\,\text{m/s}\). |
| 7 | \[t = \frac{\Delta x}{|v|} = \frac{100\,\text{m}}{0.20\,\text{m/s}}\] | Solve for the time \(t\), using the magnitude of Jennifer’s velocity. |
| 8 | \[t = 500\,\text{s}\] | Compute the time required for Jennifer to reach the ship. |
| 9 | \[\boxed{500\,\text{s}}\] | Final boxed answer. |
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A child (\(m = 32 \, \text{kg}\)) in a boat (\(m = 71 \, \text{kg}\)) throws a \(7.1 \, \text{kg}\) package out horizontally with a speed of \(12.2 \, \text{m/s}\). Calculate the velocity of the boat immediately after, assuming it was initially at rest. Ignore water resistance.
A \(15 \, \text{g}\) marble moves to the right at \(3.5 \, \text{m/s}\) and makes an elastic head-on collision with a \(22 \, \text{g}\) marble. The final velocity of the \(22 \, \text{g}\) marble is \(2.0 \, \text{m/s}\) to the right, and the final velocity of the \(15 \, \text{g}\) marble is \(5.4 \, \text{m/s}\) to the left. What was the initial velocity of the \(22 \, \text{g}\) marble?
A boy of mass \( m \) and a girl of mass \( 2m \) are initially at rest at the center of a frozen pond. They push each other so that she slides to the left at speed \( v \) across the frictionless ice surface and he slides to the right. What is the total work done by the children?
On a frictionless horizontal air table, puck A (with mass \( 0.249 \) \( \text{kg} \)) is moving toward puck B (with mass \( 0.375 \) \( \text{kg} \)), which is initially at rest. After the collision, puck A has velocity \( 0.115 \) \( \text{m/s} \) to the left, and puck B has velocity \( 0.645 \) \( \text{m/s} \) to the right.
Block 2 initially is at rest. Block 1 travels towards block 2 and collides with Block 2 as shown above. Find the final velocities of both blocks assuming the collision is elastic.
In a controlled experiment, engineers test a firecracker. The firecracker has mass \( m \) and is placed at rest on a horizontal surface. When the firecracker is lit, it explodes and breaks apart into two pieces. In the first trial, one piece with mass \( \frac{m}{2} \) moves to the left with speed \( v_L \) and the other piece moves to the right with speed \( v_R \). A second trial is performed with an identical firecracker, and one piece with mass \( \frac{3m}{4} \) moves to the left, again with speed \( v_L \). What will the speed of the other piece be in this second trial?
Two identical blocks are connected to the opposite ends of a compressed spring. The blocks initially slide together on a frictionless surface with velocity \( v \) to the right. The spring is then released by remote control. At some later instant, the left block is moving at \( \frac{v}{2} \) to the left, and the other block is moving to the right. What is the speed of the center of mass of the system at that instant?
You are lying in bed and want to shut your bedroom door. You have a bouncy “superball” and a blob of clay, both with the same mass \( m \). Which one would be more effective to throw at your door to close it?
A \( 1.0 \, \text{kg} \) lump of clay is sliding to the right on a frictionless surface with a speed of \( 2 \, \text{m/s} \). It collides head-on and sticks to a \( 0.5 \, \text{kg} \) metal sphere that is sliding to the left with a speed of \( 4 \, \text{m/s} \). What is the kinetic energy of the combined objects after the collision?
A small block of mass \( M \) is released from rest at the top of the curved frictionless ramp shown above. The block slides down the ramp and is moving with a speed \( 3.5v_0 \) when it collides with a larger block of mass \( 1.5M \) at rest at the bottom of the incline. The larger block moves to the right at a speed \( 2v_0 \) immediately after the collision.
Express your answers to the following questions in terms of the given quantities and fundamental constants.
\(500\,\text{s}\)
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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] | |
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] |
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