Real math help.
Intro-Physics
This is a list of all
Virtual Nerd tutorials in Intro-Physics, organized by topic.
Intro-Physics
Tutorial Browser
{{tutorial.title}}
Sorry, no matching tutorial titles
Expand All
Switch to Slider View
Mathematical Basics and Background
Symbols and Vocabulary
Definitions
What does the delta symbol mean?
What does the word 'conservation' mean when it comes to physics?
Vectors
Understanding Vectors
Definition
What is a vector?
Vector Addition and Subtraction
Parallel Vectors
How do you add two parallel vectors?
How do you subtract two parallel vectors?
Opposite Vectors
How do you add opposing vectors?
How do you subtract opposing vectors?
Adding and Subtracting Vectors
How do you add vectors with the parallelogram rule?
How do you subtract vectors with the parallelogram rule?
Examples with More than Two Vectors
How do you add 2 vectors and subtract a third using head-to-tail addition?
How do you add 2 vectors and subtract a third using the Parallelogram Rule?
How do you add 3 vectors using head-to-tail addition?
Vector Components
Visualize Vector Components
How do you visualize rotated perpendicular components of a vector?
How do you visualize the vertical and horizontal components of a vector?
Combining Vector Components
How do you combine perpendicular vector components into a total vector?
Motion Problems With Constant Velocity
Distance and Displacement
Definitions
What is displacement?
What is distance?
What is position and positive and negative direction?
What is the difference between distance and displacement?
Problems
How do you convert meters to miles and yards?
How do you find the displacement of an object that moves up and down, given initial and final position?
How do you find the total displacement for a round trip?
How do you find the total displacement for a trip that involves turn arounds?
How do you find the total distance for a round trip?
How do you find the total distance for a trip that involves turn-arounds?
Speed and Velocity
Basic Definitions and Skills
How do you convert meters per second to miles per hour?
How do you convert miles per hour to meters per second?
What is speed?
What is velocity?
Instantaneous vs Average Definitions
What is instantaneous speed?
What is instantaneous velocity?
Constant vs Changing Velocity Definitions
How do you tell if velocity is changing?
What is constant velocity and why does it matter?
The Distance Equals Speed Times Time Equation
Definitions and Strategies
How do you isolate speed in the distance, speed, time equation (d=st)
How do you isolate time in the distance, speed, time equation (d=st)
What is the distance equals speed times time (d=st) equation?
Solving For Distance
How do you find the distance travelled given constant speed and time?
How do you solve for distance given speed and time?
Solving For Time
How do you convert hours to days, minutes, and seconds?
How do you find the time that an object travels given distance and constant speed?
Solving For Speed
How do you find the constant speed of an object given distance and time?
Problems With Average Speed and Velocity
Examples with Round-Trips
How do you find the average speed for a circular round trip?
How do you find the average velocity for a circular round trip?
Examples without Round-Trips
How do you find the average speed and average velocity for a trip with a turn-around?
How do you solve for the average velocity given positions and times?
Two Part Trips and Collisions
Example Problems
How do you find the total distance of a 2-part trip using the speed vs time graph?
Motion Problems With Acceleration
Understanding Acceleration
Definitions and Concepts
How does positive and negative acceleration relate to speeding up and slowing down?
What is acceleration?
When do you have constant speed but non-zero acceleration?
Working With Equations
Equation Missing Displacement
How do you isolate acceleration in the kinematic equation containing acceleration, time, final velocity, and initial velocity?
How do you isolate initial velocity in the kinematic equation containing acceleration, time, final velocity, and initial velocity?
How do you isolate time in the kinematic equation containing acceleration, time, final velocity, and initial velocity?
Equation Missing Final Velocity
How do you isolate acceleration in the kinematic equation containing displacement, initial velocity, time, and acceleration?
How do you isolate initial velocity in the kinematic equation containing displacement, initial velocity, time, and acceleration?
Equations where Final or Initial Velocity is Equal to Zero
How do you isolate acceleration in the kinematic equation containing displacement, acceleration, and time?
How do you isolate time in the kinematic equation containing displacement, acceleration, and time?
Algebraic Problems
Picking Equations
How do you know which kinematic motion equation to pick when solving problems?
Solving for Time
How do you find the time and convert units given acceleration, initial velocity, and final velocity in a motion problem?
Solve for Acceleration
How do you find the acceleration and convert units given time, a start at rest, and final velocity in a motion problem?
How do you find the acceleration given time, a start from rest, and displacement in a motion problem?
Solve for Displacement
How do you find the displacement and convert units given time, initial velocity, and acceleration in a motion problem?
How do you find the displacement given time, a start from rest, and acceleration in a motion problem?
Solve for Final Velocity
How do you find the final velocity given time, a start at rest, and acceleration in a motion problem?
Solve for Initial Velocity
How do you find the initial velocity and convert units given time, final velocity, and acceleration in a motion problem?
Motion Problems with Gravity and Free Fall
Understanding Gravitational Acceleration
Definitions
What is acceleration due to gravity?
Problems
Solve for Displacement of a Falling or Rising Object
How do you solve for displacement of a falling object near Earth, given a start at rest, and time?
How do you solve for the displacement of an object that rises and falls near Earth, given initial upward velocity, and time?
Solve for Time of a Falling or Rising Object
How do you solve for the time it takes an object near Earth to rise to its highest point, given initial upward velocity?
How do you solve for the time that an object near Earth falls, given a start at rest, final position, and initial position?
Solve for Initial Velocity of a Falling or Rising Object
How do you solve for the initial velocity of an object that rises and falls near Earth, given time, final position, and initial position?
Forces and Equilibrium
Understanding Forces and Equilibrium
Definitions
What is force?
What is mechanical equilibrium, and what types of equilibrium exist?
What is net force?
What is Newton's 1st Law (the law of inertia)?
Problems
Balanced Forces
How do you find the tension in vertical ropes that hold an object up on a platform?
Newton's 2nd Law
Concepts and Skills
Definitions and Concepts
How do you convert between pounds and kilograms, and why is it not really a unit conversion problem?
What is mass and why is it different from weight?
What is the definition and formula for weight?
What is the F=ma formula (Newton's 2nd Law) all about?
Working the Formula
How do you isolate acceleration (a) in the F=ma (Newton's 2nd Law) equation?
How do you isolate mass (m) in the F=ma (Newton's 2nd Law) equation?
Problems
Solving For Mass
How do you find the mass given the weight of an object on Earth?
Solving For Acceleration
How do you find the net acceleration of an object with known mass, given opposite horizontal forces acting on the object?
How do you find the net acceleration of an object with known mass, given parallel horizontal forces acting on the object?
Action And Reaction Forces
Understanding Newton's 3rd Law
Definitions
How do you define Newton's Third Law in words?
Momentum and Impulse
Understanding Momentum
Definitions
How do you compare the momentum of a massive object at rest, with a much less massive moving object?
What is the definition and formula for momentum?
Understanding Impulse
Definitions
What is the definition and formula for impulse?
Work and Energy
Understanding Work
Definitions
What is the equation for work when force and displacement point in the same or opposite direction?
What is work?
Basic Work Problems
Example Problems
How do you find the work done by gravity given the weight and distance that an object falls?
Defining Mechanical, Kinetic, and Potential Energy
Balancing Total Mechanical Energy
How do you find the kinetic energy of a ball before it hits the ground, given the potential energy that it has before it is dropped?
Basic Kinetic Energy Problems
Finding Kinetic Energy Examples
How do you find the kinetic energy of an object given mass and speed?
Finding Speed from Kinetic Energy Examples
How do you find the speed of an object given kinetic energy and mass?
Connecting Work and Kinetic Energy
Example Problems
How do you find the change in breaking distance of an object that brakes to a stop if the initial speed changes?
Basic Gravitational Potential Energy Problems
Example Problems
How do you find an object's gravitational potential energy given weight and height above a reference point?
How do you find the gravitational potential energy that an object gains given the work done against gravity to lift it?
Power
Example Problems
How do you find the change in time given constant work and increased power?
How do you find the power exerted by gravity on a falling object, given work, time, and displacement?
How do you find the power used by gravity to force an object down toward the ground given weight, displacement, and time?
Switch to Big List View