| Derivation/Formula | Reasoning |
|---|---|
| \[v_y^2 = v_i^2 + 2a\Delta y\] | The kinematic relation connects the square of the velocity \(v_y\) at height \(\Delta y\) with the initial velocity \(v_i\) and constant acceleration \(a\). |
| \[v_y^2 = (20.0)^2 + 2(-9.8)(12.0)\] | Substitute \(v_i = 20.0\,\text{m/s}\), upward positive; thus acceleration is \(a = -g = -9.8\,\text{m/s}^2\), and \(\Delta y = 12.0\,\text{m}\). |
| \[v_y^2 = 400 – 235.2 = 164.8\] | Calculate the right-hand side to find \(v_y^2\). |
| \[v_y = \sqrt{164.8} = 12.8\,\text{m/s}\] | Take the positive square root because the stone is still moving upward at this height; speed is the magnitude. |
| \[\boxed{v_y = 12.8\,\text{m/s}}\] | Final speed when the stone reaches \(12.0\,\text{m}\). |
A Major Upgrade To Phy Is Coming Soon — Stay Tuned
We'll help clarify entire units in one hour or less — guaranteed.
An object of unknown mass is acted upon by multiple forces:
The coefficients of friction are \(\mu_s = 0.6\) and \(\mu_k = 0.2\). Starting from rest, the object travels \(10 \, \text{m}\) in \(4.5 \, \text{s}\). What is the mass of the unknown object?
An object travels along a path shown above, with changing velocity as indicated by vectors \( A \) and \( B \). Which vector best represents the net acceleration of the object from time \( t_A \) to \( t_B \)?

The motions of a car and a truck along a straight road are represented by the velocity–time graphs in the figure. The two vehicles are initially alongside each other at time \(t = 0\). At time \(T\), what is true of the distances traveled by the vehicles since time \(t = 0\)?
A ranger in a national park is driving at \( 56 \, \text{km/h} \) when a deer jumps onto the road \( 65 \, \text{m} \) ahead of the vehicle. After a reaction time of \( t \, \text{s} \), the ranger applies the brakes to produce an acceleration of \( -3 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). What is the maximum reaction time allowed if the ranger is to avoid hitting the deer?

On another planet, a ball is in free fall after being released from rest at time \( t = 0 \). A graph of the height of the ball above the planet’s surface as a function of time \( t \) is shown. The acceleration due to gravity on the planet is most nearly
A girl, standing still, tosses a ball vertically upwards. One second later, she tosses up another ball at the same velocity. The balls collide \( 0.5 \) \( \text{s} \) after the second ball is tossed. With what velocity were they tossed? The acceleration due to gravity is \( 9.8 \) \( \text{m/s}^2 \).
A car accelerates from rest with an acceleration of \( 4.3 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) for a time of \( 6.8 \, \text{s} \). The car then slows to a stop with an acceleration of \( 5.1 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). What is the total distance traveled by the car?
Toy car W travels across a horizontal surface with an acceleration of \( a_w \) after starting from rest. Toy car Z travels across the same surface toward car W with an acceleration of \( a_z \), after starting from rest. Car W is separated from car Z by a distance \( d \). Which of the following pairs of equations could be used to determine the location on the horizontal surface where the two cars will meet, and why?
A ball is dropped off a high cliff, and \( 2 \) \( \text{s} \) later another ball is thrown vertically downward with an initial speed of \( 30 \) \( \text{m/s} \). How long will it take the second ball to overtake the first?
A ball is thrown straight up. What are the velocity and acceleration of the ball at the highest point in its path?
\(12.8\,\text{m/s}\) or \(\pm 12.8\,\text{m/s}\)
By continuing you (1) agree to our Terms of Use and Terms of Sale and (2) consent to sharing your IP and browser information used by this site’s security protocols as outlined in our Privacy Policy.
| 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 |
One price to unlock most advanced version of Phy across all our tools.
per month
Billed Monthly. Cancel Anytime.
We crafted THE Ultimate A.P Physics 1 Program so you can learn faster and score higher.
Try our free calculator to see what you need to get a 5 on the 2026 AP Physics 1 exam.
A quick explanation
Credits are used to grade your FRQs and GQs. Pro users get unlimited credits.
Submitting counts as 1 attempt.
Viewing answers or explanations count as a failed attempts.
Phy gives partial credit if needed
MCQs and GQs are are 1 point each. FRQs will state points for each part.
Phy customizes problem explanations based on what you struggle with. Just hit the explanation button to see.
Understand you mistakes quicker.
Phy automatically provides feedback so you can improve your responses.
10 Free Credits To Get You Started
By continuing you agree to nerd-notes.com Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and our usage of user data.
Feeling uneasy about your next physics test? We'll boost your grade in 3 lessons or less—guaranteed
NEW! PHY AI accurately solves all questions
🔥 Get up to 30% off Elite Physics Tutoring
🧠 NEW! Learn Physics From Scratch Self Paced Course
🎯 Need exam style practice questions?