#AP Physics 1: Rotational Motion - The Night Before 🚀

Hey! Let's get you prepped for the exam with a super-focused review of rotational motion. This unit is all about applying what you already know about linear motion to things that spin. You got this!

#🔄 Introduction to Rotational Motion

#Why Rotational Motion Matters

• Real-World Relevance: Think wheels, gears, and planets – rotation is everywhere! This unit connects directly to Big Ideas 3, 4, and 5 from the AP curriculum.
• Exam Weight: Expect ~10-16% of the exam to cover these topics. It's worth your time!
• Building on the Basics: We're taking familiar concepts like force, velocity, and energy and applying them to a rotational context.

#Key Concepts Overview

• Angular Displacement ($\theta$): How much something has rotated (in radians).
• Angular Velocity ($\omega$): How fast something is rotating (rad/s).
• Angular Acceleration ($\alpha$): How quickly the rotation is changing (rad/s²).
• Period (T): The time it takes for one full rotation.
• Torque ($\tau$): The rotational equivalent of force (N·m or J).
• Moment of Inertia (I): Resistance to rotational motion (kg·m²).
• Rotational Kinetic Energy (K_rot): Energy of rotation (J).
• Angular Momentum (L): Measure of rotational motion (kg·m²/s).

#Key Equations (Don't Panic!)

# 7.1 Rotational Kinematics

#The Basics

• What It Is: The study of how things rotate, without worrying about why they rotate.
• Analogy: Like linear kinematics, but with angles instead of distances.

#Key Quantities

• Angular Displacement ($\Delta\theta$):
  • Change in angular position, measured in radians.
  • $\Delta\theta = s/r$, where s is arc length and r is the radius.