Mechanics 2
Rotation, gravitation, oscillations and fluids — the second half of AP Physics 1.
Unit 1 · Rotation
Torque
Open a heavy door: push at the handle vs near the hinges
Rotational inertia
Spin up two rotors: same mass, balls near the axle vs far out
Angular acceleration
Spin up a bicycle wheel to a target speed
Rolling down a ramp
Race a solid ball, a disc, a hoop and a sliding box down the same ramp
Angular momentum
Pull your arms in on a spinning stool
Static equilibrium
Balance a seesaw with up to three weights
Toppling and center of gravity
Tilt a tall box until it tips
Rotational kinetic energy
Charge a flywheel and use it to launch a cart
Angular momentum in collisions
Throw a lump of clay at a hanging rod
Unit 2 · Gravitation
Unit 3 · Oscillations
Mass on a spring
Bounce a mass on a vertical spring and time it
Pendulum period
Swing a light and a heavy bob on the same string
Resonance
Push a swing: timing vs strength
Damped oscillations
Tune a car’s shock absorber over a bump
Energy in oscillations
Catch the fastest moment of a spring oscillator
Pendulum on the Moon
Take a pendulum clock to the Moon (and Mars, and Jupiter)
Springs in series and parallel
Hang a weight on two springs side by side, then end to end
Tuned mass damper
Stop a skyscraper from swaying with a tuned mass damper
Unit 4 · Fluids
Density and floating
Drop wood, ice, steel and a steel hull into water
Archimedes' principle
Test the king’s crown: weigh it in air and in water
Pressure and depth
Poke holes at three heights in a tall water tank
Hydraulic lift
Lift a car with one hand using a hydraulic jack
Flow and continuity
Put your thumb over a garden hose
Bernoulli's principle
Read the pressure in a Venturi tube
Draining a tank
Drain a tank of water through a small hole
Loading a boat
Load cargo into a barge until the waterline hits the Plimsoll line