Phys101 Lectures 16, 17, 18

Rotational Motion

Key points:
• Rotational Kinematics   I
• Rotational Dynamics; Torque and Moment of Inertia
• Rotational Kinetic Energy 1 2
K R  I
2
• Angular Momentum and Its Conservation
L  I
Ref: 8-1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9. dL

dt
Page 1
 Angular Quantities

In purely rotational motion, all

points on the object move in circles
around the axis of rotation (―O‖).
The radius of the circle is R. All
points on a straight line drawn
through the axis move through the
same angle in the same time. The
angle θ in radians is defined:
l
,
R
where l is the arc length.

Sign convention: + CCW

2 rad   360 1 rev 
- CW  rad   180
Angular Quantities
Angular displacement:

The average angular velocity is

defined as the total angular
displacement divided by time:

The instantaneous angular

velocity:
 Angular Quantities
The angular acceleration is the rate at which the
angular velocity changes with time:

The instantaneous acceleration:

 Angular Quantities
Every point on a rotating body has an angular
velocity ω and a linear velocity v.
They are related:
dl
d 
R
dl  R d
dl d
R
dt dt
v  R

Only if we use radians!

Angular Quantities

Objects farther
from the axis of
rotation will move
faster.
 Angular Quantities
If the angular velocity of a
rotating object changes, it
has a tangential
acceleration:

Even if the angular velocity is constant,

each point on the object has a centripetal
acceleration:
 Angular Quantities
Here is the correspondence between linear
and rotational quantities:

x represents
arc length
 Example: Angular and linear velocities and
accelerations.
A carousel is initially at rest. At t = 0 it is given
a constant angular acceleration α = 0.060
rad/s2, which increases its angular velocity for
8.0 s. At t = 8.0 s, determine the magnitude of
the following quantities: (a) the angular
velocity of the carousel; (b) the linear velocity
of a child located 2.5 m from the center; (c) the
tangential (linear) acceleration of that child; (d)
the centripetal acceleration of the child; and (e)
the total linear acceleration of the child.
(a)   0   t  0.060  8.0  0.48 rad / s
(b) v  R  0.48  2.5  1.2 m / s
(c) atan  R  0.060  2.5  0.15 m / s 2
v 2 1.22
(d) aR    0.58m / s 2
R 2.5
(e) a  aR2  at2  0.582  0.152  0.60 m / s 2
 Angular Quantities

The frequency is the number of complete

revolutions per second:

Frequencies are measured in hertz:

The period is the time one revolution takes:

 Constant Angular Acceleration
The equations of motion for constant angular
acceleration are the same as those for linear
motion, with the substitution of the angular
quantities for the linear ones.
Example: Centrifuge acceleration.
A centrifuge rotor is accelerated from rest to 20,000 rpm in 30 s. (a)
What is its average angular acceleration? (b) Through how many
revolutions has the centrifuge rotor turned during its acceleration
period, assuming constant angular acceleration?

(a) rev 2 rad 1 min

  20000  2100 rad / s
min 1 rev 60 s
  0 2100
   70 rad / s 2
t 30

(b) 1 2 1 2 1
   0  0 t   t   t  ( 70 ) 302  31500 rad
2 2 2
1 rev
  31500 rad  5000 rev
2 rad
 Torque
To make an object start rotating, a force is needed;
both the position and direction of the force matter.
The perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation to
the line along which the force acts is called the lever
arm.

Axis of rotation
In a FBD, don’t shift the forces sideways!
Torque

A longer lever
arm is very
helpful in
rotating objects.
 Torque
Here, the lever arm for FA is the distance from
the knob to the hinge; the lever arm for FD is
zero; and the lever arm for FC is as shown.
 Torque
The torque is defined
as:

R  R sin 
  RF sin 

Also:
  R F
That is,
F  F sin 
 
 is the angle between F and R.   R F sin 
 Example: Torque on a compound wheel.
Two thin disk-shaped wheels, of radii
RA = 30 cm and RB = 50 cm, are attached
to each other on an axle that passes
through the center of each, as shown.
Calculate the net torque on this
compound wheel due to the two forces
shown, each of magnitude 50 N.
[Solution]

  FA RA  FB RB sin 60
 50( 0.30 )  50( 0.50 ) sin 60
 6.7 m  N

CCW: +
CW: -
 Rotational Dynamics; Torque and
Rotational Inertia
Knowing that , we see that
  FR  maR  mR2
(sin ce a  R )
This is for a single point
mass; what about an
R extended object?
As the angular acceleration
is the same for the whole
object, we can write:
Newton's Law for rotation
   I where I   
mR 2
I – moment of inertia.
 Rotational Dynamics; Torque and
Rotational Inertia
The quantity is called the rotational
inertia (moment of inertia) of an object.
The distribution of mass matters here—these two
objects have the same mass, but the one on the
left has a greater rotational inertia, as so much of
its mass is far from the axis of rotation.
 Rotational
Dynamics; Torque
and Rotational
Inertia
The rotational inertia of an
object depends not only on
its mass distribution but also
the location of the axis of
rotation—compare (f) and
(g), for example.

I   mR 2

Newton's Law for rotation
  I
Example: Atwood’s machine.
An Atwood machine consists of two masses, mA and
mB, which are connected by a cord of negligible mass
that passes over a pulley. If the pulley has radius R0
and moment of inertia I about its axle, determine the
acceleration of the masses mA and mB.
[Solution] FBD for each object
• Don’t use a point to represent a rotating object;
• Don’t shift forces sideways.
  
TA FP TB x
mA g  TA  mA a x
TB  mB g  mB a x
TA R0  TB R0  I
   ax  R0
x mA g  mP g  mB g
TA TB 4 unknowns : ax ,  , TA , TB .
 mA g  TA  mA a x (1)
TB  mB g  mB a x (2)
TA R0  TB R0  I (3)
ax  R0 (4)
Iax Iax
subs (4) into (3) : R0 ( TA  TB )   TA  TB  2 (5)
R0 R0
(1)  (2) : ( mA  mB )g  TA  TB  ( mA  mB )ax (6)
Iax
(5)  (6) : ( mA  mB )g  ( mA  mB )ax  2
R0
( mA  mB )g
Solve for a x : a x 
I
( mA  mB )  2
R0

 , TA , and TB can be determined using (4) and then (1) and (2).
 Rotational Kinetic Energy
The kinetic energy of a rotating object is given by

By substituting the rotational quantities, we find that the

rotational kinetic energy can be written as:

1 2 1
 1 2
 1 2
K    mv    mR     mR   I
2 2 2
 
2  2 2 2

An object in both translational and rotational motion has

both translational and rotational kinetic energy:
Example (Old final exam, #19):
A pencil, 16 cm long (l=0.16m), is released from a vertical position
with the eraser end resting on a table. The eraser does not slip. Treat
the pencil like a uniform rod.
(a) What is the angular acceleration of the pencil when it makes a 30°
angle with the vertical?
(b) What is the angular speed of the pencil when it makes a 30°angle
with the vertical?
(a) Rotational dynamics (about o)
 1 2 l 
  I ,  I  ml ,   mg sin 30 
 3 2  CM
l 1
mg  sin 30  ml 2
2 3
30
3g sin 30 3  9.8  0.5
   46 (rad/s 2 )
2l 2  0.16
o
(b) Mechanical energy is conserved because there is no non-
conservative work (friction does not do work here).

Ei  E f l l l
h   cos 30  ( 1  cos 30 )
1 2 2 2 2
mgh  I
2 1
I  ml 2
2mgh 3

I y

2mgl( 1  cos 30 ) / 2

 CM
ml 2 / 3 h
CM
3 g ( 1  cos 30 )

l
30
3( 9.8 )( 1  cos 30 ) 30

0.16
4.96 (rad/s)
 Rotational Work
The torque does work as it moves the wheel
through an angle θ:

W  Fl  F R    
 Rotational Plus Translational Motion; Rolling

(a) In (a), a wheel is rolling without

slipping. The point P, touching
the ground, is instantaneously
at rest, and the center moves
with velocity v.
In (b) the same wheel is seen
(b) from a reference frame where C
is at rest. Now point P is
moving with velocity – v .
The linear speed of the wheel is
related to its angular speed:
 Demo: Which one reaches the bottom first? Why?
Wnc=0, ME is conserved
(ignore energy loss due to
rolling friction). y
For each object,
1 2 1 2
mgH  mvCM  I
2 2
and vCM  v  r 0
The hoop:
1 2 1 v 1 2 I  2
• mass is distributed away
 mgH  mv  I 2  mv 1  2 
2 2 r 2  mr  from the axis of rotation
(large I).
2 gh 1  hoop • Large I means large
v I 
I 2 
1 / 2  solid cylinder rotational KE,
1 2 mr  • which means small
mr 2 / 5  solid sphere
translational KE (since
I
The smaller the , the faster the v. KER+KET=mgH=const.),
mr 2
• which means slow v.
 Solid sphere1st, then solid cylinder, and the hoop is the last.
Angular Momentum—Objects Rotating
About a Fixed Axis
The rotational analog of linear momentum
is angular momentum, L:

Then the rotational analog of Newton’s

second law is:

This form of Newton’s second law is valid

even if I is not constant.
Conservation of Angular Momentum

In the absence of an external torque,

angular momentum is conserved:

dL
 0 and L  I   constant.
dt

The total angular momentum of a system

remains constant if the net external
torque is zero.
This means:
I ii  I f  f  cons tan t
Therefore, a figure skater can increase her
angular speed by reducing her moment of
inertia.

Ii
 f  i
If

Demo
i-clicker question 18-1
The condition for angular momentum to be conserved is
(A) It’s a closed system.
(B) The net external force is zero.
(C) No non-conservative work.
(D) The net external torque is zero.
(E) The angular momentum is always conserved.
Example: Object rotating on a string of changing length.
A small mass m attached to the end of a string revolves in a circle on
a frictionless tabletop. The other end of the string passes through a
hole in the table. Initially, the mass revolves with a speed v1 = 2.4 m/s
in a circle of radius R1 = 0.80 m. The string is then pulled slowly
through the hole so that the radius is reduced to R2 = 0.48 m. What is
the speed, v2, of the mass now?
[Solution] Net torque = 0. Angular
momentum is conserved.

I i i  I f  f

mR
v1
1
2

R1
 2 v2
 mR2
R2
 
Given: v1, R1, R2;
R1v1  R2 v2 Want: v2.

R1v1 0.80  2.4

v2    4.0 m / s
R2 0.48
 Angular Momentum of a Moving Particle
You could open a door by throwing a large piece of play-
doh at the door.
  
When p  R , R 
p
L  pR  mvR  m( R )R  mR2  I
 
When p is not perpendicular to R , 
 p
only the perpendicular component of p p
contributes to L : 

L  p R  pR sin  R
p //

That is equivalent to R
L  pR  pR sin 
i.e., L  mvR sin
Example: A bullet of mass m moving with velocity v strikes and
becomes embedded at the edge of a cylinder of mass M and radius R0.
The cylinder, initially at rest, begins to rotate about its symmetry axis,
which remains fixed in position. Assuming no frictional torque, what is
the angular velocity of the cylinder after this collision? Is kinetic energy
conserved?
[Solution] Net external torque = 0.
Angular momentum is conserved.
Li  L f
 1 
mvR0   mR0  MR02 
2

 2 
mvR0 2mv
 
mR02  MR02 2m  M R0
1 Kinetic energy is not
2 conserved. As the bullet being
1 2 embedded into the cylinder,
KE : K i  mv some kinetic energy is
2 converted into heat.
1 2 1 1  Internal forces can change the
K f  I   mR0  MR02   2
2

2 2 2  kinetic energy of the system!

 Vector Nature of Angular Quantities*
The angular velocity vector points along the axis of
rotation, with the direction given by the right-hand rule. If
the direction of the rotation axis does not change, the
angular acceleration vector points along it as well.