| Step | Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | \[\tau_{90}=r\,F_{90}\sin 90^{\circ}=r\,F_{90}\] | Pushing perpendicular to the door surface makes the force vector \(\mathbf F_{90}\) perpendicular to the radius \(\mathbf r\); thus \(\sin 90^{\circ}=1\). |
| 2 | \[F_{\text{horizontal}}=F_{35}\cos 35^{\circ}\] | The force \(\mathbf F_{35}\) is applied \(35^{\circ}\) above the horizontal plane. Only its horizontal component lies in the plane of rotation and can produce torque about the vertical hinge axis. |
| 3 | \[\tau_{35}=r\,(F_{35}\cos 35^{\circ})\] | The horizontal component from Step 2 acts perpendicular to \(\mathbf r\), so the torque is the product of \(r\) and that component. |
| 4 | \[\tau_{35}=\tau_{90}\] | To “open the door just as fast,” the torques (and hence angular accelerations) must be equal. |
| 5 | \[r\,F_{35}\cos 35^{\circ}=r\,F_{90}\] | Substitute the expressions for \(\tau_{35}\) and \(\tau_{90}\) from Steps 1 and 3. |
| 6 | \[F_{35}=\frac{F_{90}}{\cos 35^{\circ}}\] | Cancel \(r\) on both sides and solve for \(F_{35}\). |
| 7 | \[\frac{F_{35}}{F_{90}}=\frac{1}{\cos 35^{\circ}}\] | Express the result as a ratio to show how many times harder one must push. |
| 8 | \[\frac{F_{35}}{F_{90}}\approx\frac{1}{0.819}\approx1.22\] | Since \(\cos35^{\circ}\approx0.819\), you need about \(1.22\) times the force (≈22 % more) when pushing at \(35^{\circ}\) above horizontal. |
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A \(5\)-meter long ladder is leaning against a wall, with the bottom of the ladder \(3\) meters from the wall. The ladder is uniform and has a mass of \(20 \, \text{kg}\). A person of mass \(80 \, \text{kg}\) is standing on the ladder at a distance of \(4\) meters from the bottom of the ladder. What is the force exerted by the wall on the ladder?
Two forces produce equal torques on a door about the door hinge. The first force is applied at the midpoint of the door; the second force is applied at the doorknob. Both forces are applied perpendicular to the door. Which force has a greater magnitude?

A uniform meter stick has a mass of \( 45.0 \) \( \text{g} \) placed at the \( 20 \) \( \text{cm} \) mark. If a pivot is placed at the \( 42.5 \) \( \text{cm} \) mark and the meter stick remains horizontal in static equilibrium, what is the mass of the meter stick?
A grinding wheel is in the form of a uniform solid disk of radius \( 7.00 \) \( \text{cm} \) and mass \( 2.00 \) \( \text{kg} \). It starts from rest and accelerates uniformly under the action of the constant torque of \( 0.600 \) \( \text{N m} \) that the motor exerts on the wheel.
A ladder at rest is leaning against a wall at an angle. Which of the following forces must have the same magnitude as the frictional force exerted on the ladder by the floor?
Two workers are holding a thin plate with length \(5 \, \text{m}\) and height \(2 \, \text{m}\) at rest by supporting the plate in the bottom corners. The workers are standing at rest on a slope of \(10^\circ\). Treat these supporting forces as vertical normal forces and calculate their magnitudes and state if both workers are sharing “the job” fairly.
A meter stick of mass 200 grams is balanced at the 40-cm mark when a 100-gram mass is suspended from the 10-cm mark. What is the distance from the pivot point to the center of mass of the meter stick? Give your answer in centimeters.

An object weighing 120 N is set on a rigid beam of negligible mass at a distance of 3 m from a pivot, as shown above. A vertical force is to be applied to the other end of the beam a distance of 4 m from the pivot to keep the beam at rest and horizontal. What is the magnitude F of the force required?
When the speed of a rear-drive car is increasing on a horizontal road, what is the direction of the frictional force on the tires?

A rod is initially at rest on a rough horizontal surface. Three forces are exerted on the rod with the magnitudes and directions shown in the figure. The force exerted in the center of the rod is an equidistant 0.5 m from both ends of the rod. If friction between the rod and the table prevents the rod from rotating, what is the magnitude of the torque exerted on the rod about its center from frictional forces?
\(1.22\)
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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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