AP PHYSICS: Force and Deceleration

Q: A vehicle weighing ( Fw ) 17.08 kN moves at a constant velocity ( v ) of 35.8 m/s. At some point, the driver decides to let the vehicle coast in neutral, during which air drag causes it to decelerate to 22.4 m/s in 24 s. ( a ) What is the magnitude ofContinue reading “AP PHYSICS: Force and Deceleration”

FLUIDS: Potential Energy, Kinetic Energy, Momentum, and Torricelli’s Theorem

Q: A 0.2 m container is full of a fluid of unknown density ( ρ ). A spigot at the bottom of the container is opened to allow fluid to flow at an unknown velocity ( v ) onto the ground. With what velocity will the fluid flow through the spigot? A: In a separateContinue reading “FLUIDS: Potential Energy, Kinetic Energy, Momentum, and Torricelli’s Theorem”

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Energy and Power ( Part 1 )

Although, energy and power are interrelated concepts, they possess distinct identities of their own. Consider the relatively simple task of inflating a balloon. Blowing a small puff of air into a balloon over a short time-interval will cause the balloon to expand slightly before recoiling to its previous state. Breathing more forcefully into a balloonContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Energy and Power ( Part 1 )”

ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: What is the final velocity of the hovering disk?

Q: A disk of mass 0.5 kg slides with a constant velocity of 2.4 m/s over an air table before colliding with an elastic band. If the band exerts an average force of 1.4 Newtons on the disk for 1.5 seconds, what is the final velocity of the disc? A1: The disc will experience aContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: What is the final velocity of the hovering disk?”

ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Moment of Inertia and the Parallel Axis Theorem

Inertia is a measure of a system’s ability to resist a change in motion, and it is directly proportional to a system’s massiveness. Such a system or object could be stationary with respect to an observer, or it could move with a constant velocity. When a system moves with constant velocity with respect to anContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Moment of Inertia and the Parallel Axis Theorem”

FORCE AND ACCELERATION: What is the mass of the climbing acrobat?

Q: Two acrobats, a pulley, and a rope are used in a circus act. Acrobat 1 rapidly climbs one of the suspended lengths of rope at a distance of 16ft in 2 seconds with a constant acceleration. On the opposite length of rope, acrobat 2 is suspended in an attached chair that remains motionless aboveContinue reading “FORCE AND ACCELERATION: What is the mass of the climbing acrobat?”

ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Stacked Ball Drop, Impulse, and the Galilean Transformation

Q: Three balls of mass m1, m2, and m3 fall together towards the earth. They accelerate until impact, and once the three-ball system collides elastically with the earth’s surface, the balls within the system approach one another with an instantaneous velocity ( v ). The momentum ( p = mv ) = ( m1 +Continue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Stacked Ball Drop, Impulse, and the Galilean Transformation”

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?”

ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Subatomic Collisions, Billiard Balls, and the 90-Degree Rule ( Part 1 )

An elastic collision, within which kinetic energy ( KE ) and momentum ( p ) are conserved, is mathematically modeled in terms of momentum as follows:  pi = pf , and m1v1i + m2v2i = m1v1f + m2v2f  where p = mv, and m = mass in kilograms ( kg ), and velocity ( vContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Subatomic Collisions, Billiard Balls, and the 90-Degree Rule ( Part 1 )”

ELASTIC COLLISIONS: Kinetic Energy, Momentum, Two Equations, and Two Unknown Variables

If a + b = c, and if b = e + f, then it’s also true that a + e + f = c. Any time a variable is common to two or more similar equations, solving one of the two equations will enable us to substitute the common variable into the remaining equation.Continue reading “ELASTIC COLLISIONS: Kinetic Energy, Momentum, Two Equations, and Two Unknown Variables”