7.1 Linear momentum When Isaac Newton was formulating his famous laws of motion, he was not thinking in terms of position, velocity, and acceleration. Instead, he worked with what he called the “quantity of motion.” This was a particular quantity Continue Reading
6.5 Problem solving steps 6.5.1 Problem solving in general We now have several different ways of determining the energy of some physical system—how do we actually use this knowledge to solve problems? Solving physics problems is not about simply memorizing formulas. Instead, Continue Reading
6.6 “Waste” When an object’s energy is converted from kinetic to potential (or vice versa), the object itself does not lose any energy. However, we know from experience that objects can lose energy. For example, when you apply brakes on Continue Reading
6.4 Potential energy While kinetic energy is energy that is associated with motion, potential energy is associated with an object’s position. It can be thought of as stored energy that has the potential to gain kinetic energy. We will focus on two Continue Reading
6.3 Kinetic energy The energy associated with motion is called kinetic energy. Since there are two kinds of motion (translational and rotational), there are two kinds of kinetic energy. 6.3.1 Translational kinetic energy For an object with a mass \(m\), traveling Continue Reading
One of the most valuable tools that physicists use to understand the universe is to analyze what is happening to the energy of an object. Let’s start by looking at an example. If you set a coffee mug down your desk, you Continue Reading
5.2 Connecting translation & rotation 5.2.1 Tangential speed Consider an object traveling at some speed \(v\) in a circular path, such as a ball being swung around on a string. At any given instant, an object moving along a circular Continue Reading
5.1 Angular position, velocity, and acceleration When we described the motion of an object moving in a straight line, we defined a coordinate system to refer to. We used the Cartesian system for translational motion. If you want to describe the motion Continue Reading
4.4 Acceleration If you closed your eyes and were transported to another location, you would not know what your new position is; we do not have a sense of position. If you closed your eyes and were moved at a Continue Reading
4.3 Position vs. time graphs Let’s look at an object whose motion along a single dimension (for example, only moving forward/backwards) is described by the graph on the left in the figure below. What does this graph tell us? It Continue Reading