Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Tips for solving problems with variable angles or forces.

  1. Make sure you understand what's going on.

  2. Draw a picture. A big one.

  3. Pick a point somewhere in the middle of the motion.

  4. Look closely at the effect of a tiny change in position; draw a closeup picture, if that helps.

  5. Express the result of the tiny change of motion as an expression with a dx or dt or dtheta.

  6. Write an integral equation to sum up the effects of the entire motion.

  7. Solve the integral.

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.