ANGULAR MOTION

Many motions occurring in nature can be divided into translational, rotational, and simple harmonic
motion.

Angular Motion

The motions of an object turning angularly or moving in a circular path are studied here.

Angular motion is of two types.

Rotational motion Circular motion

The object rotates about an axis about itself.

E.g.:-
• The rotation of the fan.
• The rotation of the earth. An object rotates around a point outside itself.
E.g.:-
• The rotation of the earth around the sun.
• A car traveling on a circular road.
Here, the whole object is described as a particle
gathered to its center of gravity.

Angular Displacement

Expressing the value of an angle in radians.

The radian value of the angle subtended by an arc segment of a circle at the center
is equal to the ratio of that arc segment to the radius of the circle.

If the angle 𝜃 subtended by an arc segment PQ of length 𝑆 in a circle of radius 𝑅,

then the radian value of that angle is presented as follows.

𝐴𝑟𝑐 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑄 (𝑆)

𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 (𝜃 𝑟𝑎𝑑) =
𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑙𝑒 (𝑅)

𝑆 = 𝑅𝜃

𝐶𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 2𝜋𝑟
𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 = = = 2𝜋
𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑟

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Angle around a point = 360°

∴ 2𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 360°

360° 2𝜋
1 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 1° = 360° 𝑟𝑎𝑑 1 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 57.3°, 1 𝑟𝑎𝑑 ≫ 1°
2𝜋

In angular motion, the radian is commonly used to measure angular displacement because of the direct
relationship between the radian angle and the length of the arc segment.

When this circular disc undergoes an angular displacement of 𝜃 𝑟𝑎𝑑, particle

A moves from A to A1 and particle B moves from B to B1.

𝑆 = 𝑟𝜃

AA1= 𝑟1 𝜃

BB1= (𝑟1 + 𝑟2 )𝜃

• While angle is a scalar, the angle of rotation or angular displacement is a vector. Its direction is given by
the right hand rule.
• When the right hand is flexed, the thumb represents the vector direction of angular displacement while
the bent fingers indicate the direction of rotation.
• Angular displacement has no dimensions. The unit is 𝑟𝑎𝑑.

Angular Velocity

The rate of change of angle of an object in rotational motion is called the angular velocity of the motion.

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒
𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒

When an object undergoes rotational motion, in a small time interval ∆𝑡, if the angle changes by ∆𝜃, the
angular velocity,

∆𝜃
𝜔=
∆𝑡

Every particle in a rotating object has the same angular velocity.

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 EXERCISE 01

1) A circular disk rotating about a fixed axis shows the following motions in 10 𝑠.
i. Moves 4 rounds. Find the total angle turned and the angular velocity.
ii. Moves 5 rounds. Find the total angle turned and the angular velocity.
iii. Turns by 450°. Then find the angle of rotation in radians and the angular velocity.
iv. Turns by 720°. Then find the angle of rotation in radians and the angular velocity.
3
v. Turns by 2 𝜋. Find the angular velocity.

Relationship between the Angular Velocity and Linear Velocity

An object moves in a circular path of radius 𝑟 with a constant speed 𝑉. The angular velocity of the object is
𝜔. Let the time taken by this object to travel from A to B be 𝑡 and it turns by angle 𝜃.

By definition of radian,

𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑐
= 𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒
𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠

𝑆
= 𝜃 → ∴ 𝑆 = 𝑟𝜃
𝑟
𝑆 𝑟𝜃 𝜃 𝑆
Divide both sides by the time. 𝑡 = , where 𝑡 = 𝜔 and 𝑡 = 𝑉.
𝑡

∴ 𝑉 = 𝑟𝜔

1) 𝑉 is the velocity of the object. It represents the instantaneous velocity of the

object at a given moment.
𝑟 = radius 𝜔 = angular velocity

2) The graphs on the right show the variation of angular velocity (𝜔) and
velocity (𝑣) of this particle with distance from the center of rotation.
i. Angular velocity does not depend on the distance from the axis of
rotation.
ii. Speed depends on the distance from the axis of rotation.
As 𝑟 increases, 𝑉 increases.
As 𝑟 decreases, 𝑉 decreases.

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 EXERCISE 02

1) In a car race, 3 cars A, B, C are moving with the same angular velocity of 10 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1. If 𝐴 = 50 𝑚, 𝐵 =
60 𝑚, 𝐶 = 80 𝑚 from the center of the track, find their speeds.

2) What is the distance traveled by an object rotating 30° on a path of radius 10 𝑚?

Relationship between Time Period and Angular Velocity

The time taken by an object to complete one revolution in a circular path is called periodic time. It is
denoted by 𝑇.

𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 2𝜋 2𝜋

𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 = →𝜔 = →𝑇 =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑇 𝜔
2𝜋 1 1
Here, 𝜔 = → 𝜔 = 2𝜋 × 𝑇 → 𝑇 = 𝑓
𝑇

(Here 𝑓 is the number of revolutions per second / revolution frequency.)

𝜔 = 2𝜋𝑓

When the unit of 𝑓 is given in revolutions per minute (𝑟𝑝𝑚 – revolutions per minute), it should be replaced
by revolutions per second (𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑠 −1 ).

EXERCISE 03

1) A fan rotating with uniform angular velocity rotates at i) 5 ii) 10 iii) 20 revolutions per second. Find the
angular velocity of the fan corresponding to each case.

2) An object rotating at 3 revolutions per second accelerates to 5 revolutions per second. What is the
angular velocity difference of the object here?

3) An object is rotating at a speed of 120 𝑟𝑝𝑚.

i. Find the time period.
ii. Find the angular velocity.

4) A fan rotates with a period of 10 𝑠.

i. Find the angular velocity.
ii. Find the frequency.

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Angular Acceleration

If an object pivoted at a point rotates with increasing speed, the angular velocity of the object also
changes. As a result, the object has an angular acceleration. Then the rate of change of angular velocity is
taken as angular acceleration.

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
𝜔 − 𝜔0
𝛼=
𝑡

Here 𝜔 − Final angular velocity and 𝜔0 − Initial angular velocity

• Units of angular acceleration − 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −2

• Angular acceleration is a vector quantity.
• Dimensions of angular acceleration − 𝑇 −2

Relationship between Angular Acceleration and Linear Acceleration

Consider a particle moving with increasing velocity in a path of radius 𝑟. If its angular acceleration is 𝛼,

𝜔 − 𝜔0
𝛼=
𝑡

Since 𝑣 = 𝑟𝜔, 𝑢 = 𝑟𝜔0

𝑣 𝑢
−
𝛼=𝑟 𝑟
𝑡

1 (𝑣 − 𝑢) 𝑎
𝛼= → 𝛼=
𝑟 𝑡 𝑟

∴ 𝑎 = 𝑟𝛼

As the distance from the rotational point increases, the linear acceleration of the object also increases. But
the angular acceleration is the same everywhere.

EXERCISE 04

1) What is the angular acceleration of an object when its angular velocity increases from 100 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 to
200 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 in 5 𝑠?

2) What is the angular acceleration required for the angular velocity to change from 71 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 to
50 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 in 3 𝑠?

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3) If the speed of a car traveling on a track of radius 5 m changes from 8 𝑚𝑠 −1 to 28 𝑚𝑠 −1 , what is its
angular acceleration (time taken = 4 𝑠)?

4) What is the angular velocity of an object starting from rest and moving with an acceleration of
10 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −2 in 5 𝑠? If radius = 3 𝑚, what is its speed in 5 𝑠?

5) If the frequency of a fan is increased from 60 𝑟𝑝𝑚 to 180 𝑟𝑝𝑚 in 4 𝑠, what is its angular acceleration?

Relationship between Linear Motion and Angular Motion

Linear Motion Angular Motion Relationship

Displacement = 𝑆 Angular displacement = 𝜃 𝑆 = 𝑟𝜃
Final velocity = 𝑉 Final angular velocity = 𝜔 𝑉 = 𝑟𝜔
Initial velocity = 𝑢 Initial angular velocity = 𝜔0 𝑢 = 𝑟𝜔0
Acceleration = 𝑎 Angular acceleration = 𝛼 𝑎 = 𝑟𝛼

Time = 𝑡 Time = 𝑡
𝑆 = 𝑉𝑡 𝜃 = 𝜔𝑡
In uniform acceleration, In uniform angular acceleration,
𝑉 = 𝑢 + 𝑎𝑡 𝜔 = 𝜔0 + 𝛼𝑡
1 1
𝑆= (𝑢 + 𝑣)𝑡 𝜃= (𝜔 + 𝜔)𝑡
2 2 0
1 1
𝑆 = 𝑢𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡 2 𝜃 = 𝜔0 𝑡 + 𝛼𝑡 2
2 2
𝑉 2 = 𝑢2 + 2𝑎𝑠 𝜔2 = 𝜔0 2 + 2𝛼𝜃

• And as in linear motion graphs,

o Gradient of angular displacement time graph = Angular velocity
o Gradient of angular velocity time graph = Angular acceleration
o Area of angular acceleration time graph = Angular velocity difference
o Area of the angular velocity time graph = Angular displacement

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 EXERCISE 05

1) A man starting motion from rest in a circular path acquires an angular velocity of 100 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 in 10 𝑠
with uniform angular acceleration.
i. Find the angular acceleration of man.
ii. Find the angle through which the man turns in 10 𝑠.
iii. Find the number of rounds the man turns in 5 𝑠.
iv. If the radius of the track is 10 𝑚, find the time taken to attain a speed of 25 𝑚𝑠 −1.

2) A fan rotating with an angular velocity of 5 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 acquires a new angular velocity by rotating through
an angle of 42 𝑟𝑎𝑑 in 3 𝑠.
i. Find its angular acceleration.
ii. Find the angular velocity acquired in 3 𝑠.
iii. If a blade of the fan is 2 𝑚 long, find the speed of a point on its edge after 3 𝑠.

3) A wheel of radius 10 𝑐𝑚 starts rotating about its axis with constant angular acceleration. After 20 𝑠 its
speed is 800 𝑟𝑝𝑚.
i. What is its angular velocity?
ii. What is the acceleration of a point on its circumference?
iii. What is the angle turned in the above 20 𝑠?
iv. What is the number of laps (turns) traveled during that time?

4) The radius of the cylinder of a motor is 10 𝑐𝑚. During 5 𝑠 it decreases from 50 𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛d to
20 𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑.
i. Find the angular acceleration of the motor.
ii. Find the number of revolutions the motor makes in that time.
iii. How far does the transmission belt connected to the motor travel during that time?

5) The rotating cylinder of a washing machine travels 50 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 while uniformly reducing it from
900 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒 to 300 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒.
i. Find its angular acceleration.
ii. Find the time taken for this.

6) A record player makes 36 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒. It rests after 10 𝑠 when the power supply is cut
off. What is its angular acceleration, the angle it turns and the number of revolutions it makes?
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7) The transmission belt (chain) running around the rim of sprockets A and B is shown in the figure. The
radii of A and B are 40 𝑐𝑚 and 5 𝑐𝑚 respectively.
i. If the angular velocity of A is 100 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1, what is the speed
of the chain and the angular velocity of B?
ii. If the angular velocity of B is 100 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1, what is the speed
of the chain and the angular velocity of A?
iii. If the speed of the chain is 100 𝑚𝑠 −1 , what are the angular
velocities of A and B?
iv. If B increases its angular velocity by 2 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −2 , what is the acceleration of A?

8) The angle through which a rotating object turns with time for motion is shown in the graph below. Find
the values of the angular velocities.

9) The graphs show the change of angular velocity with time of a disk rotating about a fixed axis.
i. Find the angular accelerations of these.
ii. Find the total angular displacements and the number of revolutions.

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 Inertia
The reluctance of an object to change its current state of motion.

o Linear motion o Rotational motion

o Linear inertia o Rotational inertia
o Inertial mass o Moment of inertia

Moment of inertia

The figure shows a rigid body rotating with constant angular velocity about a fixed point O. Every particle in
the object moves with that constant angular velocity.

Consider a particle A of mass m at a distance r from O. Its rotational speed, 𝑢 = 𝑟𝜔

1
Kinetic energy of particle A = 2 𝑚𝑢2

1
= 2 𝑚(𝑟𝜔)2

1
= 2 (𝑚𝑟 2 )𝜔2

1
= 2 𝐼𝜔2

Here 𝐼 = 𝑚𝑟 2 which is called the moment of inertia of a particle A of mass m about an axis perpendicular
to the plane of the object passing through O.

1
The kinetic energy of a particle of mass 𝑚 moving with speed 𝑢 is 2 𝑚𝑢2. The rotational kinetic energy of
1
an object of mass 𝑚 in rotational motion is 2 𝐼𝜔2 .

Therefore, where mass is used in linear motion equations, moment of

inertia is used for angular motion equations.

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Factors on which moment of inertia depends
1) The mass of the object
2) Distance from the axis of rotation to the object

• If the mass of an object is spread away from the axis of rotation, the moment of inertia about that axis
increases. If the object's mass is concentrated around the axis of rotation, the object's moment of
inertia decreases.
• Moment of inertia is involved in rotational motion just as mass is involved in linear motion.

Moment of inertia is a scalar quantity. Its units is 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 .

Radius of Gyration

The distance from the axis of rotation to the point where the mass of all the particles of an object rotating
around an axis can be considered to be concentrated is called its radius of gyration. That is, a point particle
with a mass equal to the total mass of the object must remain from the axis to create the moment of
inertia of the object. Therefore, the moment of inertia of an object of mass m and radius of gyration 𝑘 is
𝐼 = 𝑚𝑘 2 .

𝐼
𝑘=√
𝑚

Moment of inertia of several objects

Object Rotational Axis Diagram Moment of Inertia Radius of Gyration
The axis passing
A circular ring of through the center
𝑀𝑅 2 𝑅
radius 𝑅 perpendicular to
the plane

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 Axis through the
A circular disk of center 1 𝑅
𝑀𝑅 2
radius 𝑅 perpendicular to 2 √2
the disk

A hollow cylinder
Axis of the cylinder 𝑀𝑅 2 𝑅
of radius 𝑅

A solid cylinder of 1 𝑅
Axis of the cylinder 𝑀𝑅 2
radius 𝑅 2 √2

A solid sphere of The axis passing 2 2

𝑀𝑅 2 √ 𝑅
radius 𝑅 through the radius 5 5

A hollow sphere of The axis passing 2 2

𝑀𝑅 2 √ 𝑅
radius 𝑅 through the radius 3 3

The axis passing

through the center 𝑀𝐿2 𝐿
A rod of length 𝐿
perpendicular to 12 √12
the rod

The axis passing

through the center 𝑀𝐿2 𝐿
A rod of length 𝐿
perpendicular to 3 √3
the rod

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 EXERCISE 06

1) Three wheels A, B and C of equal mass and equal outer radius are made as shown in figure using
uniform plates made of different materials. These three wheels are released at the same time from rest
from the same height at the top of an inclined plane. The wheels roll down without slipping. The order
in which they reach the bottom of the inclined plane first, second and third is,

2) A ring, a disc, and a sphere roll without slipping along an inclined plane from a given height. The masses
and radii are equal, and the inertial moments of each other's axes are 𝐼𝑅 , 𝐼𝐷 and 𝐼𝑆 (𝐼𝑅 > 𝐼𝐷 > 𝐼𝑆 )
respectively. If 𝑡𝑟 , 𝑡𝑑 and 𝑡𝑠 are the times taken by the ring, disc and sphere to reach the lower edge of
the inclined plane,
i) 𝑡𝑟 < 𝑡𝑑 < 𝑡𝑠 ii) 𝑡𝑟 = 𝑡𝑑 = 𝑡𝑠 iii) 𝑡𝑟 > 𝑡𝑑 > 𝑡𝑠
iv) 𝑡𝑟 > 𝑡𝑑 = 𝑡𝑠 v) 𝑡𝑟 > 𝑡𝑑 < 𝑡𝑠

3) Find the moment of inertia about the 𝑥𝑥1 and 𝑦𝑦1 axes of the below particle system.

4) Mass of a solid sphere of radius 10 𝑐𝑚 is 2 𝑘𝑔, 5 𝑘𝑔. Find the moment of inertia about its diameter.

5) Two circular discs of radii 10 𝑐𝑚 and 20 𝑐𝑚 are placed concentrically (in the same axis – coaxial). Their
masses are 4 𝑘𝑔 and 6 𝑘𝑔. What is the moment of inertia about the center of this composite?

𝑅 𝑅
6) The moment of inertia about the center of a sphere is 𝐼. The radius of the sphere is reduced to i) ii) 4
2

without changing the mass of the sphere. Find the ratio of the new inertial moment to the original
value.

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Applications of Moment of Inertia

• A circus performer carries a large stick while walking along a tightrope. Then the mass of the system is
spread far, so the moment of inertia of the system increases. Due to this, the man's ability to rotate
around the wire is reduced. (Increases reluctance.) Therefore, the vertical stability of the man on the
rope increases without rotation.
• By bending the leg when a person runs, the moment of inertia of the leg around
the hip bone is reduced. Due to this, the ability to rotate the foot is increased, so
it can be rotated faster.
• The iron plate of a bicycle wheel is attached to the wheel's rotation axis with
wire rods, so its moment of inertia increases. Because of this, even if the bike
stops riding at a high speed, the rotation of the wheel decreases very slowly.
• The moment of inertia of the feet is less because the ends of the feet of fast running animals such as
deer, elk, and leopards are thin. Because of this, they can run faster by rotating their legs faster.
• A pen can be held with two fingers and rotated. Although it is difficult to rotate the pen by its end, it is
easier to rotate it by holding it in the middle because the moment of inertia of the pen around the
center point is less.
• A stationary man begins to rotate. Rotating with folded arms is easier than rotating with extended arms
because then the moment of inertia is reduced.
• Animals that jump between trees have large tails, so their moment of inertia increases. Due to this,
when jumping to a different branch, there is a rotation and the possibility of breaking the balance is
reduced.
• Application of power wheels in a car engine.
o These wheels are built so that the moment of inertia (the mass of the wheel is centered as far
as possible from the axis of rotation) is increased. The power generated by the action of the
pistons is first given to these power wheels and they are rotated. Since the moment of inertia is
high, it is difficult to spin at the beginning, but it is also difficult to stop after spinning. Even
during periods when the pistons do not generate power, the wheels provide the necessary
power for the movement of the vehicle, so the movement can be maintained smoothly and
continuously.

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Torque or Moment

When an external force acts on an object (Pivot on axis) from a certain point, a moment is created on the
object. This moment is called torque. This torque or moment can cause an object to rotate.

A force 𝐹 acts on a mass 𝑚 at a distance 𝑟 from O, and it is rotated through the point O. The tangential
acceleration it undergoes at that instant is 𝑎.

𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑚 = 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 × 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝜏 = 𝐹×𝑟

𝜏 = 𝑚𝑎𝑟

𝜏 = 𝑚𝑟 2 𝛼

Since 𝑚𝑟 2 = 𝐼, 𝜏 = 𝐼𝛼

i) Units of 𝜏 − 𝑁𝑚 ii) Torque is a vector. iii) Its direction is given by the right hand rule.

• The unit of 𝜏 is not equal to 𝐽 because a torque cannot be used to determine there is a rotation.

Angular motion problems can be solved in the same way as linear motion problems by identifying the
angular motion equations corresponding to linear motion.

Linear Motion Angular Motion

Displacement − 𝑆 Displacement − 𝜃
Velocity − 𝑉 Angular velocity − 𝜔
Acceleration − 𝑎 Angular acceleration − 𝛼
Mass − 𝑚 Moment of Inertia – 𝐼
Force − 𝐹 Torque − 𝜏
1 1
Kinetic Energy 𝐸 = 2 𝑚𝑣 2 Kinetic Energy 𝐸 = 2 𝐼𝜔2

Momentum −𝑚𝑣 Angular momentum − 𝐼𝜔

𝑚𝑣 − 𝑚𝑢 𝐼𝜔 − 𝐼𝜔0
𝐹= 𝜏=
𝑡 𝑡
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 𝜏 = 𝐼𝛼
Work 𝑊 = 𝐹 × 𝑠 Work 𝑊 = 𝜏 × 𝜃
1 1 1 1
𝐹×𝑠 = 𝑚𝑣 2 − 𝑚𝑢2 𝜏 × 𝜃 = 𝐼𝜔2 − 𝐼𝜔02
2 2 2 2
Power 𝑃 = 𝐹 × 𝑉 Power 𝑃 = 𝜏 × 𝜔
Impulse 𝐼 = 𝐹 × 𝑡 Impulse 𝐼 = 𝜏 × 𝑡

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 EXERCISE 07

1) A wheel of radius 10 cm makes 5 revolutions around the center due to a force of 20 N acting along the
rim.
i. What is the torque of the wheel?
ii. What is the work done on the wheel due to torque?

2) If a force of 40 𝑁 acts on the circumference of a power wheel of radius 1 𝑐𝑚 at rest, what is its angular
acceleration and its angular velocity after 10 𝑠? (The moment of inertia of this wheel is 5 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 )

3) The disk shown in the figure has a radius of 15 𝑐𝑚 and a mass of 20 𝑘𝑔. The mass of the
axial rod attached to the disc is negligible and its radius is 1.5 𝑐𝑚. The disc and axial rod can
rotate without friction. When a force of 20 𝑁 is applied tangentially to the axial rod for
12 𝑠, calculate the angular velocity attained by the disk rotating from rest and the kinetic
energy of the disk at the end of this time.

4) The engine of a vehicle supplies power to the crankshaft of the vehicle at a rate of 75 𝑘𝑊. Then it
rotates at a speed of 2000 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑚𝑖𝑛−1 . What is the torque on the crankshaft?

5) A wheel of mass 20 𝑘𝑔 has a radius of 1.20 𝑚. It is rotating around the center at a speed of
280 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑚𝑖𝑛−1 . It comes to rest with uniform deceleration over a period of 15 𝑠. [𝐼 = 𝑚𝑟 2 ]
i. How much work must be done to bring the wheel to rest?
ii. What is the mean power required?

6) A uniform rod of mass 𝑀 is smoothly deflected from point A. The

rod is kept horizontal by tying the B end with a string.
i. What is the rotation of the rod about point A? Let 𝑇 be the
tension in the string.
ii. What is the moment of inertia of the rod about end A?
iii. What is the angular acceleration at which the string is cut immediately, and the rod begins to
rotate?
iv. Find the linear acceleration of the end B of the rod.
v. After cutting the string, end B of the rod comes to a position vertically below A. What is the
angular velocity of the rod at that instant?
vi. Explain why the equations of angular motion cannot be applied to this motion.
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7) What is the rotational kinetic energy a sphere acquires when it is rotated 𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 by applying a torque of
5 𝑁𝑚?

8) The moment of inertia about the center of the pulley shown in the figure is 𝐼 and
radius is 𝑟. A string is wrapped around the edge of this pulley and a mass 𝑚 is
attached to its end and rotated. As the object moves down, the string relaxes
without slipping. This causes the pulley to rotate with the string. Find the linear
acceleration of this object.
Here 𝑚 has a linear motion. The pulley has a rotational motion. The downward
acceleration of 𝑚 is 𝑎 and the acceleration of the edge of the pulley is 𝛼.
As the string relaxes without slipping over the pulley,
• Linear displacement of the object = distance traveled by the edge of the
pulley
• Velocity of the object = Velocity of the edge of the pulley
• Acceleration of the object = acceleration of the edge of the pulley

9) An object 𝑚1 and 𝑚2 are attached to both ends of a string that goes around a rough pulley of mass 𝑀
and radius 𝑅 and rotates. What is the acceleration of the system (𝑚1 and 𝑚2 )? (𝐼 = 𝑀𝑅 2 of pulley)

10) Wrap the string around the cylinder of mass 𝑀 and radius 𝑅 and tie the free end
and release the cylinder. What is the acceleration of the cylinder moving down?
1
(𝐼 = 2 𝑀𝑅 2 of cylinder)

• Here the cylinder has two motions. That is, a linear motion and an angular
motion.
• The linear motion is due to the effect of 𝑀𝑔 and 𝑇.
• The rotation is obtained from the torque of the force 𝑇.

11) The moment of inertia of a power wheel rotating around its axis is 0.1 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 . A
rope is wrapped around the circumference of the power wheel of radius 0.2 𝑚 and
a 20 𝑘𝑔 object is tied to its end and dropped. Find the velocity of the object and
the angular velocity of the power wheel when the object falls 8 𝑚 from the original
position. (Consider energy conservation.)

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12) The moment of inertia of the water wheel is 20 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 and radius is 2 𝑚. It is
filled with 5 𝑘𝑔 of water at A and released. The water wheel rotates and reaches
position B. Then,
i. Find the linear velocity at A.
ii. Find the angular velocity of the wheel.

Angular Momentum

The angular momentum of a rotating object is expressed as follows.

• Angular Momentum = Moment of Linear Momentum = Linear Momentum × Perpendicular

distance

Let us find the angular momentum of a particle 𝑚 at a distance r from an object rotating about point 𝑂.

The instantaneous velocity of the object at the instant considered is 𝑉.

Angular momentum about O = Linear momentum torque (Moment of linear momentum)

= Linear momentum × Perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation to

the object

= 𝑚𝑉 × 𝑟

= 𝑚𝑟𝜔 × 𝑟 = 𝑚𝑟 2 𝜔

Since 𝐼 = 𝑚𝑟 2

= 𝐼𝜔

∴ 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = 𝑚𝑣𝑟

∴ 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = 𝐼𝜔

• The units of angular momentum are 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 𝑠 −1.

• Angular momentum is a vector.
• The direction of angular momentum is given by the right hand law.

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 EXERCISE 08

1) What is the momentum of the wheel when it rotates with an angular velocity of 3 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1? (Moment
of inertia of the wheel is 10 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 )

2) If an object with 𝐼 = 20 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 has an angular momentum of 100 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 𝑠 −1 , what is its angular
velocity?

3) What is the angular momentum about O when this particle moves with a velocity of 5 𝑚𝑠 −1 ?

4)

i. If 𝐼 = 𝑚𝑟 2 and angular velocity is 𝜔 of this top (බඹරය), what is the change in angular
momentum and the direction of change in angular momentum when it turns from position A to
position B?
ii. In what direction is the angular momentum difference ↓ 2𝑚𝑟 2 𝜔 turned from A?

Law of Conservation of Angular Momentum

The angular momentum of the system is conserved in a direction in which no external torque (moment of
force) is acting on the system.

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚
𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑞𝑢𝑒 =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

𝐼1 𝜔1 − 𝐼2 𝜔2
𝜏=
𝑡

When 𝜏 = 0,

𝐼1 𝜔1 − 𝐼2 𝜔2
0=
𝑡

0 = 𝐼1 𝜔1 − 𝐼2 𝜔2

∴ 𝐼1 𝜔1 = 𝐼2 𝜔2

Since this law is a law involving vectors, its direction must be indicated.

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Examples

1. The figure shows a man on a rotating disc. When the man

extends his arms to the sides, his moment of inertia around the
axis of rotation increases. Then the angular velocity decreases.
When he gets his hands closer to his body (contracted) the
angular velocity around the axis of rotation increases.
Thus, it appears that the product of moment of inertia and
angular velocity is constant. That is, angular momentum is
constant.

2. The figure shows a man jumping from a swing, spinning in the

air. In the first position, the man's moment of inertia around the
axis of rotation is high, so his angular velocity is low. As in the
second position, when the man is bent, the moment of inertia
around the axis of rotation is less, so he rotates with a higher
angular velocity. This shows that the product of the moment of
inertia and the angular velocity is constant. That is, the angular
momentum is constant.

3. The mass of the earth is increased due to the meteors hitting the earth. Because of this, the earth's
moment of inertia increases. Since there is no external 𝜏, 𝜔 decreases as 𝐼 increases so that 𝐼𝜔 is
constant. That is, the angular velocity of the earth decreases.

4. When the rotor of a helicopter rotates in one direction, the other parts must rotate in the opposite
direction. It is prevented by rotating the small rotors at its end and pushing the air. If the small rotor is
broken, the aircraft cannot be controlled by spinning the other way around.

5. The man's 𝐼 decreases when the man, who is rotating with his arms
stretched, suddenly brings his arms closer together (Figure a). 𝜔
increases to keep 𝐼𝜔 constant. Then the man rotates rapidly (Figure
B).

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6. When the man is stationary on the rotating chair, the
anticlockwise rotating disc is handed to him. Then the
system has angular momentum in the upward direction ↑.
When the axis of rotation of the disc is pointed downwards,
the angular momentum in the ↑ direction is constant, and
the man gets an anticlockwise rotation.
In this case, if the disc is rotated by 90°, the person should
roll over in the direction opposite to the rotation direction
of the disc, but because of the perpendicular reaction applied by the chair, the rollover is prevented.
But the man rotates anticlockwise with the chair to maintain the angular momentum in the ↑ direction.

EXERCISE 09

1) A disk whose moment of inertia is 40 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 rotates with a velocity of 10 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 . The following disks
are dropped so that they are coaxial. Find the angular velocities of the composite.
i. A disc rotating in the same direction with an angular velocity of 5 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 has a moment of
inertia of 15 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 .
ii. A disc rotating in the opposite direction with an angular velocity of 4 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 has a moment of
inertia of 30 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 .
iii. A disc rotating in the opposite direction with an angular velocity of 20 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 has a moment of
inertia of 30 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 .
2) A spacecraft B of moment of inertia 𝐼2 and angular velocity 𝜔2 is in smooth contact
with a spacecraft A of moment of inertia 𝐼1 and angular velocity 𝜔1 along the
common axis as shown in the figure. Neglect the motion of both objects. After the
two objects come into contact, the angular velocity of the system about the axis
will be,

3) The string is held so that the object on the smooth surface moves with angular velocity 𝜔 in a circular
path of radius 𝑟.
𝑟
i. The radius of the path travelling due to pulling of the string is 2. Now

what is the angular velocity of the object?

ii. The radius of the path travelling due to the relaxation of the string is
2𝑟. Now what is the angular velocity of the object?

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4) When an ice skater rotates with arms stretched, her angular velocity is 3.0 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 and moment of
inertia is 50 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 . When the arms are folded the moment of inertia is 45 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 . What is her angular
velocity now?

5) A man stands at the center of a turntable holding a small object of mass 5 𝑘𝑔 in his hands. When he
extends his arms horizontally, he takes 2 𝑠 to complete one revolution. Here the distance between the
two small masses is 2 𝑚. Calculate the number of revolutions per second when he lowers his arms. At
this time, the distance between the two objects is 0.4 𝑚. Note that the moment of inertia of the man
around the axis of rotation is constant, equal to 6 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 , and that the moment of inertia of the
turntable is negligible. Neglect friction on the turntable.

6) As shown in the figure, a 4 𝑘𝑔 object comes in a linear path with a velocity of

5 𝑚𝑠 −1 and strikes the end of a rod of length 4 𝑚 and mass 0.75 𝑘𝑔 placed at O
and comes in contact with it. What is the angular velocity of rotation of the rod and
the object just after the collision?

7) A meteorite of mass 1 × 1010 𝑘𝑔 will fall on the surface of the earth as expected. As a result of this, the
time of one day on earth increases by how much? Consider that Earth is a sphere with a radius of
6400 𝑘𝑚 and its mass is 6 × 1024 𝑘𝑔.

Motion of a Rolling Body

When rolling without slipping,

Distance the wheel moves in a straight line = Distance a point on the edge rotates

Speed corresponding to the translational motion of the wheel = Tangential speed corresponding to the
rotational motion of a point on the edge

𝑉 = 𝑉 1 = 𝑟𝜔

The speed of the center of an object rolling without slipping is equal to the speed of the edge.

Acceleration corresponding to the translational motion of the wheel = Tangential acceleration

corresponding to the rotational motion of a
point on the edge

𝑎 = 𝑎1 = 𝑟𝛼

The acceleration at the center of an object rolling without slipping is equal to the acceleration at the edge.
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Velocity of a rolling object

A rolling motion can be considered as the sum of a translational motion and a rotational motion.

Acceleration of a rolling object

• An object rolling without slipping has zero displacement relative to the ground at the point of contact
with the ground because the velocity at the point of contact is 0.
o Since 𝑊 = 0 when 𝑠 = 0 in 𝑊 = 𝐹 × 𝑠, there is a frictional force, but no work is done against
the frictional force.
• Here, work is done against the frictional force only if there is slipping.
• A rolling object has translational and rotational motion, so it has translational kinetic energy and
rotational kinetic energy.

Total Energy = Translational Kinetic Energy + Rotational Kinetic Energy

1 1
𝑇𝐸 = 𝑚𝑣 2 + 𝐼𝜔2
2 2

When there is no slipping,

𝑣
𝜔=
𝑟

1 2
1 𝑣 2
∴ 𝑇𝐸 = 𝑚𝑣 + 𝐼 ( )
2 2 𝑟

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 EXERCISE 10

1) A wheel rolls without slipping. The acceleration of the wheel is 10 𝑚𝑠 −1 . Give the
instantaneous velocity and direction at points P, Q, R, S and T.

2) Rolling requires frictional force. But no work is done against the force of friction. Explain the reason.

3) The radius of the wheel is 0.5 𝑚 and the mass is 10 𝑘𝑔. What is the total kinetic energy of the wheel?
1
[𝐼 = 2 𝑚𝑟 2 ] Note that the angular velocity of the wheel = 10 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1 , the wheel rolls without slipping.

4) A solid cylinder whose moment of inertia is 4𝑜 𝑘𝑔𝑚2 has a radius of 50 𝑐𝑚. This allows rolling motion
at speeds of 20 𝑚𝑠 −1 , 30 𝑚𝑠 −1 , 50 𝑚𝑠 −1 on a rough horizontal plane. Then what is the total kinetic
energy of the object?

1
5) A cylinder of mass 25 𝑘𝑔 and radius 40 𝑐𝑚 is rolling with a speed of 50 𝑚𝑠 −1. (𝐼 = 2 𝑚𝑟 2 of cylinder)

i. What is the moment of inertia of the cylinder?

ii. What is the angular velocity of the cylinder?
iii. What is the rotational kinetic energy and linear kinetic energy of the cylinder?
iv. What is the total kinetic energy of the cylinder?

How forces work in rolling

When pedaling a bicycle, the rear wheel tries to move backwards relative
to the ground. In contrast, the ground exerts a forward frictional force on
the wheel. (𝐹1 ) Due to that frictional force, the front wheel tries to move
forward relative to the ground during the forward motion of the bicycle.
Then there is a backward frictional force (𝐹2 ) on it.

When a rough plane rests on a sphere and is released, the component of the
weight exerts a downward force on the sphere along the inclined plane. Then
when the sphere tries to move down relative to the inclined plane, frictional
force is created up along the inclined plane. The frictional force acts as a
torque, so the sphere begins to rotate anticlockwise.

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 EXERCISE 11

1) A ring of mass 𝑚 and radius 𝑟 is released from rest on a rough inclined plane of inclination 𝜃. (Ring 𝑖 +
𝑘𝑚𝑟 2) (Assume that the frictional force is sufficient to initiate rolling.)
i. Find the linear acceleration at which the ring starts moving.
ii. Find the angular acceleration at which the ring starts moving.

2) An object of mass 𝑀 is tied with a light string and the object is placed on a
smooth inclined plane and wrapped around a pulley with a free end. The
pulley has mass 𝑚 and radius 𝑟. What is the downward acceleration of the
1
object when it is released as shown in the figure? (In pulley 𝐼 = 2 𝑚𝑟 2)

3) A string wrapped in a cylinder of mass 𝑀 and radius 𝑅 placed on a rough

inclined plane moves over a smooth pulley and an object of mass 𝑚 is
attached to the free end. The cylinder rolls down without slipping. What
1
is the acceleration of the cylinder? (𝐼 = 2 𝑚𝑟 2 of cylinder)

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Circular Motion

If an object moves in a circular path, it is said to be in circular motion. Circular motion is a special case of
angular motion. In circular motion, the axis of rotation is external to the object.

All the particles of an object in circular motion are assumed to have equal velocities. Here the mass of the
object is considered to be concentrated at its center of gravity. Because of this, the object is treated as a
point particle.

EXERCISE 12

1) An object of mass 4 𝑘𝑔 moves with a velocity of i) 2 𝑚𝑠 −1 ii) 5 𝑚𝑠 −1 iii) 10 𝑚𝑠 −1 on a horizontal path

of radius 1 𝑚. Find the centripetal force exerted on the object.

2) An object moves with a speed of 20 𝑚𝑠 −1 in a path of radius 5 𝑚.

i. What is the radius of the path obtained at the original speed when the centripetal force acting
on the object is doubled?
ii. When the centripetal force is doubled, what is the speed achieved in the original path?
iii. What is the radius of the path obtained under the original force when the speed is doubled?

3) An object of mass 2 𝑘𝑔 is tied with a string and moves with constant speed in a
horizontal circular path of radius 4 𝑚 inclined at 30° to the vertical. Find the speed
of the object and the tension in the string.

4) This wheel of radius 4 𝑚 rotates clockwise with an angular acceleration of

3 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −2. Find the accelerations and directions at points A,B,C,D when its angular
velocity is 5 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑠 −1.

5) A female athlete is shown while rotating a certain game equipment (Giant Swing)
in a show ground. The mass of the athlete is 40 𝑘𝑔. If the athlete is in position as
shown in the figure, find her angular velocity, tension force and period of the
string.

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6) Objects 𝑚1 and 𝑚2 are tied by two strings of length ℓ1 and ℓ2
and placed on a smooth horizontal surface and rotated about O
with constant angular velocity such that O, 𝑚1 and 𝑚2 are in the
same line. What is the ratio between 𝑇1 and 𝑇2 ? 𝑇1 and 𝑇2 are
tension in the strings.

7) A toy car attached to a fixed point by an elastic string moves in a horizontal circle of
radius 2𝑟 as shown in the figure. The initial unstretched length of the elastic string is 𝑟.
The rotational period of the car is 𝑇. The car then increases its speed until it travels in a
circle of radius 3𝑟. Assuming that the string obeys Hooke's law and that resistive forces
are negligible, the new period of rotation of the car will be,

EXERCISE 13

1) A particle of mass 100 𝑔 is tied to the end of a string 1 𝑚 long and rotated so that the particle travels in
a vertical circle. What is the horizontal speed that must be given to the particle at the lowest point of
the path in order for it to move in a circular path? What is the tension in the string when the particle is
at the lowest point of the trajectory and the string makes an angle of 60° with the vertical?

2) An object of mass 0.5 𝑘𝑔 is tied to a string of radius 3 𝑚 and is given a velocity of 5 𝑚𝑠 −1 at its lowest
point and rotated so that the object moves in a vertical circle.
i. What is the tension in the string when the object is at the lowest point in the path?
ii. What is the tension in the string when the object is inclined 30° downwards from the vertical?
iii. What is the tension force when the string is horizontal?
iv. What is the tension in the string when the object is at the highest point of the path?

3) A small remote control car of mass 1.6 𝑘𝑔 travels in a vertical circular path of
radius 5 𝑚 with a uniform velocity of 12 𝑚𝑠 −1. What is the thrust force acting on
the surface when the car is at A, B?

4) What is the maximum speed a vehicle can travel without being thrown over a circular bridge of radius
60 𝑚? (Mass 2000 𝑘𝑔)

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 EXERCISE 14

1) A large mass 𝑀 and a small mass 𝑚 are attached to both ends of a string
passing through a smooth hollow tube. The object 𝑚 is moving in a
horizontal circular path and the system is in equilibrium. What is the angular
velocity of 𝑚 and its period of time when it is in equilibrium? The distance to
𝑚 from the upper end of the cylinder at equilibrium is 𝑙.

2) A man hangs from a hollow cylinder of radius 𝑟 and the cylinder rotates. What is the minimum
angular velocity the edge of the cylinder must have in order to maintain vertical equilibrium
even if the man drops the cylinder at a certain instant? (Coefficient of friction = 𝜇)

3) An Eskimo Child is on top of an igloo. Its radius is 𝑅. He slides from the top at a speed
so small as to be negligible. What angle does the boy make with the vertical when he
leaves this surface?

4) A string tied to the vertical rod AB is passed through a smooth ring. The mass of the
ring is 0.2 𝑘𝑔. The ring is rotated at constant angular velocity as it travels in a
horizontal plane. If the radius of the track is 0.4 𝑚, what is the angular velocity?

5) The figure shows a track on which a toy car travels. It consists of an inclined plane loop and a horizontal
section. The radius of the loop is 0.25 𝑚.
i. Describe the transformation of energy between X, P, Y
and Z in moving from X to Z.
ii. What is the minimum speed the toy car must have at Y
to travel through P?
iii. What should be the minimum value of ℎ for the car to
travel in a circular path? (Neglect the effect of friction.
𝑔 = 10 𝑚𝑠 −2 )

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6)
i. A car of mass 1200 𝑘𝑔 is to drive at a maximum speed of 20 𝑚𝑠 −1 on a bend in a road.
Calculate the angle at which the road of the curve must be inclined to the horizontal in order to
make the car run safely on a circular track of radius 100 𝑚, neglecting the effects of friction. At
this point, what is the value of the perpendicular reaction between the car's tires and the road?
ii. What is the minimum value of the coefficient of friction between the tires of the car and the
road in order to safely drive the car through the curve at a maximum speed of 20 𝑚𝑠 −1 if the
road on the curve is not inclined?

Centrifugal Force

When a vehicle is traveling in a circular path, the people inside the vehicle feel as if they are thrown out of
the vehicle. It is thought to be caused by a force that pulls away from the track when traveling in a circular
path. It is also known as centrifugal force.

But this kind of force does not exist in practice. That is, centrifugal force is not a real force. It is a virtual
force felt by a man moving in a circular path.

When a vehicle traveling in a straight line enters a circular path, the force required to go on the circular
path is generated by the friction (F) between the road and the wheel. Passengers inside the vehicle create
that force by pushing against the wall of the vehicle (R). Since the man is stationary relative to the vehicle,
he feels thrown out of the vehicle. Or that there is a force out of the vehicle. This is called centrifugal force.

The centrifugal force is away from the vehicle relative to the vehicle. It is equal and opposite in magnitude
to centripetal force. It is never the reaction of centripetal force.

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