Linear momentum ( p ) will be maximally conserved when two particles moving towards one another with a constant velocity ( v ) along a straight line collide: p1i + p2i = p’1f + p’2f Things become somewhat more complicated when some measurable entity is maximized or minimized when it passes through some other entityContinue reading “MATHEMATICS: The Unit Circle, Sine, Cosine, and Tangent Functions”
Tag Archives: cos
STATIC EQUILIBRIUM: Concurrent Force Systems
Q1: A 200 N force ( F ) is used to stabilize a system of pulleys within an industry’s weighing station. The system’s weighing receptacle is filled with a quantity of liquid that results in 150 N of force exerted in the vertical direction. If the pulley to the right is at a 20o angleContinue reading “STATIC EQUILIBRIUM: Concurrent Force Systems”
AP PHYSICS: The Unit Circle and Basic Trigonometric Functions
Imagine a bat hitting a baseball head on. The ball-to-bat force pair created upon impact is unbalanced; thus, after impact, the ball will sail outward in the opposite direction. What if, however, the bat-to-ball collision occurred at an angle? How would the magnitude of force imparted to the ball change? Answers to these types ofContinue reading “AP PHYSICS: The Unit Circle and Basic Trigonometric Functions”
ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: A Windy Day at the Lake
Q: Wind blows a 43.0 kg raft across a lake at 1.1 m/s northward relative to the water underneath. It carries a passenger whose mass is 38.0 kg. The passenger begins to walk westward at 0.71 m/s. What is the final velocity of the raft relative to the water? A: We first determine the momentumContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: A Windy Day at the Lake”
ENERGY and MOMENTUM: What is the Final Velocity of the Ball?
Q: A 10 kg iron ball moves in an Eastward direction at 5.0 m/s. It collides with a 5.0 kg rubber ball moving Northward at 10 m/s. After the collision, the iron ball moves 60° East of North with a speed of 4.0 m/s. What is the velocity of the rubber ball after the collision?Continue reading “ENERGY and MOMENTUM: What is the Final Velocity of the Ball?”
RADIANT ENERGY: Wavenumber, Angular Frequency, and the Wave Nature of Light
Trigonometric functions such as sin ( θ ) and cos ( θ ) are commonly used to model the oscillating motion of traveling waves. In the diagram above, a complete wave cycle occurs from crest-to-crest, trough-to-trough, or along the x-axis as indicated by the blue line. Since the diagram above can be modeled with theContinue reading “RADIANT ENERGY: Wavenumber, Angular Frequency, and the Wave Nature of Light”
RENAISSANCE PHYSICS 