MODULE 08: ROTATION

(Dr. Rubaiyet I. Haque)

LECTURE 11
OUTLINE:
▪ Rotation
▪ Rotational equation of motion
▪ The relation between linear and angular or rotational variables.
▪ The kinetic energy of rotation.

ROTATION
Rotation refers to the circular movement or spinning of an object around a central axis or point.
- A two-dimensional rotating object has only one possible central axis and can rotate in either a
clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
- A three-dimensional object has an infinite number of central axes and rotational directions.
- If the rotation axis passes internally through the body's own center of mass, then the body is said
to be auto rotating or spinning, and the surface intersection of the axis is called a pole.
- A rotation around an external axis, e.g., the Earth around the Sun, is called revolving or orbiting,
typically is produced by gravity, and the ends of the rotation axis is called the orbital poles.

ROTATING VARIABLE
A rigid body is defined as the one that can rotate with all its parts locked together, and without any
change of its shape. A fixed axis means that the object rotates about an axis that does not move. Figure
shows a rigid body of arbitrary shape in rotation about a fixed axis, called the axis of rotation or the
rotation axis.
- In pure rotation (angular motion), every point of the body moves in a circle whose center lies on
the axis of rotation, and every point moves through the same angle during a particular time interval.

Fig 1: (a) A rigid body of arbitrary shape in pure rotation about the z axis of a coordinate system. The position of the
reference line with respect to the rigid body is arbitrary, but it is perpendicular to the rotation axis. It is fixed in the body
and rotates with the body. (b) The rotating rigid body of in cross section, viewed from above. The plane of the cross
section is perpendicular to the rotation axis, which now extends out of the page, toward you. In this position of the body,
the reference line makes an angle u with the x axis. (c) The reference line of the rigid body is at angular position 𝜃1 at

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time 𝑡1 and at angular position 𝜃2 at a later time 𝑡2 .The quantity ∆𝜃(= 𝜃2 − 𝜃1 ) is the angular displacement that occurs
during the interval ∆𝑡(= 𝑡2 − 𝑡1 ).The body itself is not shown.
Angular Position
Angular position refers to the orientation or angle at which an object or point is located relative to a
reference axis or point.
- It describes how an object is oriented at a specific
moment in time from its initial reference position.
- It is denoted by theta (𝜃).
- Figure (a) shows a reference line, fixed in the body,
perpendicular to the rotation axis and rotating with
the body. The angular position of this line is the
angle of the line relative to a fixed direction, which
we take as the zero angular position.
- Angular position is commonly measured in radians
(𝑟𝑎𝑑) or degrees (°), depending on the chosen unit of
measurement.
2𝜋𝑟
1 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 360° = = 2𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑
𝑟
1 𝑟𝑒𝑑 = 57.3° = 0.159 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

Angular Displacement
Angular displacement describes the change in orientation or angular position of an object or point as
it moves from one position to another in a circular or rotational path. It is denoted by ∆θ.
- Angular displacement is typically measured in
radians (rad) or degrees (°), depending on the chosen
unit of measurement.
Thus, angular displacement of a body is the measure of
angle through which a point revolves around a center or
a specified axis with respect to its initial angular position.
Changing the angular position of the reference line from
θ1 to θ2 , the body undergoes an angular displacement ∆θ
given by,
∆θ = θ2 − θ1
- Direction: An angular displacement in the counterclockwise direction is positive, and in the
clockwise direction is negative.

Angular Velocity
The angular velocity is the rate of change of angular position with respect to time. It is denoted by ω
(the lowercase omega). The average angular velocity of the body in the time interval Δt from t1 to t 2
to be,
θ2 − θ1 ∆θ
ω= =
t 2 − t1 ∆t
Here ∆θ is the angular displacement during ∆t. The SI unit for angular velocity is radian/second.
The instantaneous angular velocity is defined as the limit of the average speed as the time interval
approaches zero. Therefore, instantaneous angular velocity,

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 ∆θ dθ
ω = lim =
Δt→0 ∆t dt
The magnitude of an angular velocity is called the angular speed, which is also represented with ω.

Direction of Angular velocity vector:

For rotations of rigid bodies about a fixed axis, the
angular velocity can be described accurately by
assigning an algebraic sign.
- Positive for counterclockwise rotation.
- And negative for clockwise direction.

Rotational motion can be described using vector

notation. The angular velocity vector is defined as
follows:
- The direction of angular velocity (𝜔) is along the rotation axis, and perpendicular to the plane of
rotation.
o Thus, the angular velocity vector is perpendicular to both the velocity vector and the vector 𝑟⃗.
- The sense of 𝜔
⃗⃗ is defined by the right-hand rule.

Right hand rule: Curl the right hand so that the fingers point in the direction of the rotation. The
thumb of the right hand gives the sense of 𝜔
⃗⃗.
1
We know, 𝑣⃗ = 𝑟⃗ × 𝜔
⃗⃗ ⇒𝜔
⃗⃗ = 𝑟 2 (𝑟⃗ × 𝑣⃗)

Angular Acceleration
Angular acceleration refers to the time rate of change of angular velocity. Let ω2 and ω1 be its angular
velocities at times 𝑡2 and 𝑡1 , respectively. The average angular acceleration of the rotating body in
the interval from 𝑡1 to 𝑡2 is defined as
ω2 − ω1 ∆ω
𝛼𝑎𝑣𝑔 = =
𝑡2 − 𝑡1 ∆𝑡
in which ∆ω is the change in the angular velocity that occurs during the time interval ∆𝑡.
The instantaneous angular acceleration 𝛼, is the limit of angular acceleration as ∆𝑡 approaches zero.
Thus,
∆ω dω
𝛼 = lim =
Δt→0 ∆t dt
Direction:
- If an object is rotating and its angular velocity is increasing (e.g., speeding up), the angular
acceleration is in the same direction as the angular velocity.
- If the object is slowing down (e.g., decreasing its angular speed), the angular acceleration is in
the opposite direction to the angular velocity.
- The direction of angular acceleration can be determined using the right-hand rule.

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PROBLEM: A child’s top is spun with angular acceleration 𝛼 = 5𝑡 3 − 4𝑡, with 𝑡 in seconds and
𝛼 in radians per second squared. At 𝑡 = 0, the top has angular velocity 5 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠, and a reference
line on it is at angular position 𝜃 = 2 𝑟𝑎𝑑. (a) Obtain an expression for the angular velocity 𝜔(𝑡)
of the top. That is, find an expression that explicitly indicates how the angular velocity depends on
time. (We can tell that there is such a dependence because the top is undergoing an angular
acceleration, which means that its angular velocity is changing). (b) Obtain an expression for the
angular position 𝜃(𝑡) of the top.
ANSWER: (a) We know,
𝑑𝜔
𝛼= ⇒ 𝑑𝜔 = 𝛼 𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑡
Therefore, total angular momentum, 𝜔 = ∫ 𝑑𝜔 = ∫ 𝛼 𝑑𝑡
5 4 5
𝜔 = ∫(5𝑡 3 − 4𝑡) 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑡 4 − 𝑡 2 + 𝐶 = 𝑡 4 − 2𝑡 2 + 𝐶
4 2 4
To evaluate the constant of integration C, we note that 𝜔 = 5 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 at 𝑡 = 0. Substituting these
values in our expression for 𝑣 yields
𝑟𝑎𝑑
𝜔=5 =0−0+𝐶
𝑠
5
So, 𝐶 = 5 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠. Then, 𝜔 = 4 𝑡 4 − 2𝑡 2 + 5.
𝑑𝜃
(b) We know, 𝜔 = ⇒ 𝑑𝜃 = 𝜔 𝑑𝑡. Thus, we can write,
𝑑𝑡
5 1 2 1 2
𝜃 = ∫ 𝑑𝜃 = ∫ 𝜔 𝑑𝑡 = ∫ ( 𝑡 4 − 2𝑡 2 + 5) 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑡 5 − 𝑡 3 + 5𝑡 + 𝐶 ′ = 𝑡 5 − 𝑡 3 + 5𝑡 + 2
4 4 3 4 3
where 𝐶′ has been evaluated by noting that 𝜃 = 2 rad at 𝑡 = 0.

PROBLEM 10-01: A good baseball pitcher can throw a baseball toward home plate at 85 𝑚𝑖/ℎ
with a spin of 1800 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑚𝑖𝑛. How many revolutions does baseball make on its way to home plate?
For simplicity, assume that the 60 𝑓𝑡 path is a straight line.

PROBLEM 10-02: What is the angular speed of (a) the second hand, (b) the minute hand, and (c)
the hour hand of a smoothly running analog watch? Answer in radians per second.

PROBLEM 10-03: When a slice of buttered toast is accidentally pushed over the edge of a counter,
it rotates as it falls. If the distance to the floor is 76 𝑐𝑚 and for rotation less than 1 𝑟𝑒𝑣, what are
the (a) smallest and (b) largest angular speeds that cause the toast to hit and then topple to be butter-
side down?

PROBLEM 10-04: The angular position of a point on a rotating wheel is given by 𝜃 = 2.0 +
4.0𝑡 2 + 2.0𝑡 3 , where 𝜃 is in radians and 𝑡 is in seconds. At 𝑡 = 0, what are (a) the point’s angular
position and (b) its angular velocity? (c) What is its angular velocity at 𝑡 = 4.0 𝑠? (d) Calculate its
angular acceleration at 𝑡 = 2.0 𝑠. (e) Is its angular acceleration constant?

PROBLEM 10-05: A diver makes 2.5 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 on the way from a 10 𝑚 high platform to the
water. Assuming zero initial vertical velocity, find the average angular velocity during the dive.

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 PROBLEM 10-08: The angular acceleration of a wheel is 𝛼 = 6.0𝑡 4 − 4.0𝑡 2 , with a in radians
per second-squared and 𝑡 in seconds. At time 𝑡 = 0, the wheel has an angular velocity of
+2.0 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 and an angular position of +1.0 𝑟𝑎𝑑. Write expressions for (a) the angular velocity
(𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠) and (b) the angular position (𝑟𝑎𝑑) as functions of time (𝑠).

Rotating with constant angular acceleration

Constant angular acceleration (𝛼 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡) is an important special case of rotational motion. The
appropriate kinematic equations are,
𝜔 = 𝜔0 + 𝛼𝑡
1
𝜃 − 𝜃0 = 𝜔0 𝑡 + 𝛼𝑡 2
2
𝜔2 = 𝜔02 + 2𝛼(𝜃 − 𝜃0 )
1
𝜃 − 𝜃0 = (𝜔 + 𝜔0 )𝑡
2
1
𝜃 − 𝜃0 = 𝜔𝑡 − 𝛼𝑡 2
2

CHECKPOINT: In four situations, a rotating body has angular position 𝜃(𝑡) given by (a) 𝜃 =
2 4
3𝑡 − 4, (b) 𝜃 = −5𝑡 3 + 4𝑡 2 + 6, (c) 𝜃 = 𝑡 2 − 𝑡 , and (d) 𝜃 = 5𝑡 2 − 3. To which situations do the
angular equations apply?
𝑑2 𝜃
ANSWER: (a) and (d) (𝛼 = must be a constant)
𝑑𝑡 2

PROBLEM: A grindstone (Fig.) rotates at constant angular acceleration 𝛼 = 0.35 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2 . At

time 𝑡 = 0, it has an angular velocity of 𝜔0 = −4.6 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 and a reference line on it is horizontal,
at the angular position 𝜃0 = 0.
(a) At what time after 𝑡 = 0 is the reference
line at the angular position 𝜃 = 5.0 𝑟𝑒𝑣?
(b) Describe the grindstone’s rotation
between 𝑡 = 0 and 𝑡 = 32 𝑠.
(c) At what time 𝑡 does the grindstone
momentarily stop?

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ANSWER: (a) We know, 𝜃 − 𝜃0 = 𝜔0 𝑡 + 2 𝛼𝑡 2
Substituting known values and setting 𝜃0 = 0 and 𝜃 = 5.0 𝑟𝑒𝑣 = 10𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 give us,
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10𝜋 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = (−4.6 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)𝑡 + (0.35 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2 )𝑡 2
2
Solving this quadratic equation for 𝑡, we find 𝑡 = 32 𝑠.
(b) The wheel is initially rotating in the negative (clockwise) direction with angular velocity 𝜔0 =
−4.6 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠, but its angular acceleration 𝛼 is positive.After the reference line comes back through
its initial orientation of 𝜃 = 0, the wheel turns an additional 5.0 𝑟𝑒𝑣 by time 𝑡 = 32 𝑠.
(c) Again, 𝜔 = 𝜔0 + 𝛼𝑡
𝜔−𝜔0 0−(−4.6 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)
Therefore, 𝑡 = = = 13 𝑠.
𝑎 (0.35 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠2 )

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PROBLEM: While you are operating a Rotor (a large, vertical, rotating cylinder found in
amusement parks), you spot a passenger in acute distress and decrease the angular velocity of the
cylinder from 3.40 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 to 2.00 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 in 20.0 𝑟𝑒𝑣, at constant angular acceleration. (The
passenger is obviously more of a “translation person” than a “rotation person.”)
(a) What is the constant angular acceleration during this decrease in angular speed?
(b) How much time did the speed decrease take?
𝑟𝑎𝑑
ANSWER: (a) The initial angular velocity is 𝜔0 = 3.40 𝑠
The angular displacement is 𝜃 − 𝜃0 = 20.0 𝑟𝑒𝑣, and the angular velocity at the end of that
displacement is 𝜔 = 2.00 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠.
𝜔−𝜔0
We know, 𝑡 = 𝛼
Which we then substitute into equation to write,
𝜔 − 𝜔0 1 𝜔 − 𝜔0 2
𝜃 − 𝜃0 = 𝜔0 ( )+ 𝛼( )
𝛼 2 𝛼
𝑟𝑎𝑑 2 𝑟𝑎𝑑 2
𝜔 2 −𝜔02 (2.00 ) −(3.40 )
Therefore, 𝛼 = 2(𝜃−𝜃 ) = 𝑠 𝑠
= −0.0301 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2
0 2(125.7 𝑟𝑎𝑑)
(b) Since we know 𝛼, we can solve 𝑡,
𝑟𝑎𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑑
𝜔 − 𝜔0 (2.00 𝑠 ) − (3.40 𝑠 )
𝑡= = = 46.5 𝑠
𝛼 (−0.0301 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2 )

PROBLEM 10-09: A drum rotates around its central axis at an angular velocity of 12.60 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠.
If the drum then slows at a constant rate of 4.20 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2 , (a) how much time does it take and (b)
through what angle does it rotate in coming to rest?

PROBLEM 10-10: Starting from rest, a disk rotates about its central axis with constant angular
acceleration. In 5.0 𝑠, it rotates 25 𝑟𝑎𝑑. During that time, what are the magnitudes of (a) the angular
acceleration and (b) the average angular velocity? (c) What is the instantaneous angular velocity of
the disk at the end of the 5.0 𝑠? (d) With the angular acceleration unchanged, through what
additional angle will the disk turn during the next 5.0 𝑠?

PROBLEM 10-12: The angular speed of an automobile engine is increased at a constant rate from
1200 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑚𝑖𝑛 to 3000 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑚𝑖𝑛 in 12 𝑠. (a) What is its angular acceleration in revolutions per
minute-squared? (b) How many revolutions does the engine make during this 12 𝑠 interval?

PROBLEM 10-14: A disk rotates about its central axis starting from rest and accelerates with
constant angular acceleration. At one time it is rotating at 10 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠; 60 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 later, its
angular speed is 15 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠. Calculate (a) the angular acceleration, (b) the time required to complete
the 60 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, (c) the time required to reach the 10 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠 angular speed, and (d) the number
of revolutions from rest until the time the disk reaches the 10 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠 angular speed.

PROBLEM 10-16: A merry-go-round rotates from rest with an angular acceleration of

1.50 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2 . How long does it take to rotate through (a) the first 2.00 𝑟𝑒𝑣 and (b) the next
2.00 𝑟𝑒𝑣?

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RELATION BETWEEN LINEAR AND ANGULAR VARIABLES
Position: The linear distance refers to motion along a straight-line path, while the angular distance
refers to motion along a curved or circular path.
- A point in a rigid rotating body, at a perpendicular distance 𝑟 from the rotation axis, moves in a
circle with radius 𝑟.
If the body rotates through an angle 𝜃, the point moves along an arc with a length 𝑠 given by,
𝑠 = 𝜃𝑟
where 𝜃 is in radians.

Fig. The rotating rigid body shown in cross section viewed from above. Every point of the body (such as P) moves in a
circle around the rotation axis. (a) The linear displacement 𝑠. (b) The linear velocity of every point is tangent to the circle
in which the point moves. (c) The linear acceleration of the point has (in general) two components: tangential at and
radial ar.

Speed: The linear speed describes the speed of an object's linear motion, whereas the angular speed
describes the speed of an object's rotational or angular motion about a fixed axis. The linear velocity
of the point is tangent to the circle; the point’s linear speed v is given by,
𝑑𝑠 𝑑𝜃
𝑣 = 𝜔𝑟 = [∵
𝑟]
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
where 𝜔 is the angular speed (in radians per second) of the body, and thus also the point.

Acceleration: The linear acceleration relates to changes in an object's straight-line motion, while
angular acceleration relates to changes in an object's rotational motion. The linear acceleration of the
point has both tangential and radial components. The tangential component is,
𝑑𝑣 𝑑𝜔
𝑎𝑡 = 𝛼𝑟 = [∵
𝑟]
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
where 𝛼 is the magnitude of the angular acceleration (in radians per second-squared) of the body.
𝑣2
The radial component of 𝑎⃗ is, 𝑎𝑟 = = 𝜔2 𝑟.
𝑟

The magnitude of the total acceleration is given by,

|𝑎⃗| = √𝑎𝑡2 + 𝑎𝑟2

𝑎
And the direction is given by, 𝜑 = tan−1 (𝑎𝑡 )
𝑟

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Period of revolution: The period of revolution refers to the time it takes for an object to complete
one full revolution or orbit around another object. If the point moves in uniform circular motion, the
period 𝑇 of the motion for the point and the body is,
1 2𝜋𝑟 2𝜋
𝑇= = = [∵ 𝑠 = 𝑣𝑡; 𝑓 = 2𝜋𝜔]
𝑓 𝑣 𝜔

NOTE: Tangential and radial (or centripetal) acceleration are two components of acceleration that
describe the motion of an object moving along a curved path, such as a circle.
Tangential acceleration: Tangential acceleration is the component of acceleration that is tangent
to the path of the motion. It indicates how quickly the linear speed of the object is changing along
its circular path.
- Tangential acceleration is directed along the path of motion, either in the direction of
rotation (if the object is speeding up) or opposite to it (if slowing down).
Radial acceleration: Radial acceleration, also known as centripetal acceleration, is directed toward
the center of the circular path. It is responsible for changing the direction of the object's velocity,
allowing it to follow a curved path.
- Radial acceleration always points inward toward the center of the circle.
Total acceleration: The total acceleration of an object moving in a curved path can be found by
combining the tangential and radial (centripetal) acceleration components. The magnitude of the
𝑎
total acceleration is given by, |𝑎⃗| = √𝑎𝑡2 + 𝑎𝑟2 . And direction is given by, tan 𝜑 = 𝑎𝑡 .
𝑟

CHECKPOINT: A cockroach rides the rim of a rotating merry-go-round. If the angular speed of
this system (merry-go-round + cockroach) is constant, does the cockroach have (a) radial
acceleration and (b) tangential acceleration? If 𝑣 is decreasing, does the cockroach have (c) radial
acceleration and (d) tangential acceleration?
ANSWER: (a) yes; (b) no; (c) yes; (d) yes

PROBLEM: We are given the job of designing a large horizontal

ring that will rotate around a vertical axis and that will have a radius
of 𝑟 = 33.1 𝑚 (matching that of Beijing’s The Great Observation
Wheel, the largest Ferris wheel in the world). Passengers will enter
through a door in the outer wall of the ring and then stand next to
that wall (Fig. a). We decide that for the time interval 𝑡 = 0 to 𝑡 =
2.30 𝑠, the angular position 𝜃(𝑡) of a reference line on the ring will
be given by, 𝜃 = 𝑐𝑡 3 , with 𝑐 = 6.39 × 10−2 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 3 .

After 𝑡 = 2.30 𝑠, the angular speed will be held constant until the end of the ride. Once the ring
begins to rotate, the floor of the ring will drop away from the riders but the riders will not fall—
indeed, they feel as though they are pinned to the wall. For the time 𝑡 = 2.20 𝑠, let’s determine a
rider’s angular speed 𝜔, linear speed 𝑣, angular acceleration 𝛼, tangential acceleration 𝑎𝑡 , radial
acceleration 𝑎𝑟 , and acceleration 𝑎⃗.
ANSWER: The angular velocity is the time derivative of the given angular position function and
then substituting the given time of 𝑡 = 2.20 𝑠, we get,

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 𝑑𝜃 𝑑
𝜔= = (𝑐𝑡 3 ) = 3𝑐𝑡 2 = 3(6.39 × 10−2 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 3 )(2.20 𝑠)2 = 0.928 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
The linear speed is then, 𝑣 = 𝜔𝑟 = (0.928 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠)(33.1 𝑚) = 30.7 𝑚/𝑠
the angular acceleration by taking the time derivative of angular velocity, we get,
𝑑𝜔 𝑑
𝛼= = (3𝑐𝑡 2 ) = 6𝑐𝑡 = 6(6.39 × 10−2 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 3 )(2.20 𝑠) = 0.843 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
The tangential acceleration then follows,
𝑚 𝑚
𝑎𝑡 = 𝛼𝑟 = 6𝑐𝑡𝑟 = (0.843 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 2 )(33.1 𝑚) = 27.91 2 = 28 2 ≈ 2.8𝑔
𝑠 𝑠
The radial acceleration is given,
𝑟𝑎𝑑 2 𝑚 28.5𝑚
𝑎𝑟 = 𝜔2 𝑟 = 9𝑐 2 𝑡 4 𝑟 = (0.928 ) (33.1 𝑚) = 28.49 2 ≈ = 2.9 𝑔
𝑠 𝑠 𝑠2
The radial and tangential accelerations are perpendicular to each other and form the components of
the rider’s acceleration (Fig.b). The magnitude of 𝑎 is given by,

𝑚 2 𝑚 2 𝑚
𝑎 = √𝑎𝑟2 + 𝑎𝑡2 = √(28.49 ) + (27.91 ) ≈ 39.9 = 4.9 𝑔
𝑠2 𝑠2 𝑠2
The orientation of 𝑎⃗, is given by,
𝑎𝑡 28
𝜃 = tan−1 ( ) = tan−1 ( ) = 44.4°
𝑎𝑟 28.49

PROBLEM 10-19: What are the magnitudes of (a) the angular velocity, (b) the radial acceleration,
and (c) the tangential acceleration of a spaceship taking a circular turn of radius 3220 𝑘𝑚 at a speed
of 29 000 𝑘𝑚/ℎ?

PROBLEM 10-21: Between 1911 𝑎𝑛𝑑 1990, the top of the leaning bell tower at Pisa, Italy,
moved toward the south at an average rate of 1.2 𝑚𝑚/𝑦. The tower is 55 𝑚 tall. In radians per
second, what is the average angular speed of the tower’s top about its base?

PROBLEM 10-22: An astronaut is tested in a centrifuge with radius 10 𝑚 and rotating according
to 𝜃 = 0.30𝑡 2 . At 𝑡 = 5.0 𝑠, what are the magnitudes of the (a) angular velocity, (b) linear velocity,
(c) tangential acceleration, and (d) radial acceleration?

PROBLEM 10-24: A vinyl record is played by rotating the record so that an approximately circular
groove in the vinyl slides under a stylus. Bumps in the groove run into the stylus, causing it to
oscillate. The equipment converts those oscillations to electrical signals and then to sound. Suppose
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that a record turns at the rate of 33 3 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑚𝑖𝑛 , the groove being played is at a radius of 10.0 𝑐𝑚,
and the bumps in the groove are uniformly separated by 1.75 𝑚𝑚. At what rate (hits per second)
do the bumps hit the stylus?

PROBLEM 10-32: A car starts from rest and moves around a circular track of radius 30.0 𝑚. Its
speed increases at the constant rate of 0.500 𝑚/𝑠 2 . (a) What is the magnitude of its net linear

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 acceleration 15.0 𝑠 later? (b) What angle does this net acceleration vector make with the car’s
velocity at this time?

KINETIC ENERGY OF ROTATION

The kinetic energy of rotation, also known as rotational kinetic energy, is a type of kinetic energy
associated with the spinning or rotational motion of an object. It is defined as the energy an object
possesses due to its rotation about an axis.
- For example, rapidly rotating blade of a table saw, rotating fan, have kinetic energy due to that
rotation.

Formulation of kinetic energy of rotation:

The formula to calculate the kinetic energy of rotation depends on the object's shape and mass
distribution.
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- As we know, the formula for the kinetic energy is given by 𝑘 = 2 𝑚𝑣 2 . However, center of mass
of the rotating saw does not move. Therefore, the kinetic energy of the center of mass (COM) of
the rotating saw is zero.

This problem can be solved by considering the saw as a collection of particles with different speed.
The kinetic energies of all the particles can be added up to find the kinetic energy of the body as a
whole.
1 1 1 1 1
𝑘= 𝑚1 𝑣12 + 𝑚2 𝑣22 + 𝑚3 𝑣32 + ⋯ + 𝑚𝑛 𝑣𝑛2 = ∑ 𝑚𝑖 𝑣𝑖2
2 2 2 2 2
𝑡ℎ
Here, 𝑚𝑖 is the mass of the 𝑖 particle and 𝑣𝑖 is its speed (𝑣𝑖 = 𝜔 𝑟𝑖 ). The sum is taken over all
the particles in the body.

But the linear velocity (𝑣𝑖 ) for all the particles is not same. However, the angular velocity (𝜔) for all
the particles of a rotating object remain constant. Therefore, substituting 𝑣𝑖 = |𝑣⃗𝑖 | = |𝜔
⃗⃗ × 𝑟⃗| = 𝜔 𝑟𝑖 ,
we get,
1 1 1
𝑘 = ∑ 𝑚𝑖 (𝜔𝑟𝑖 )2 = (∑ 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 ) 𝜔2 = 𝐼𝜔2
2 2 2
Here, 𝜔 refers to the angular velocity which is the same for all particles. 𝐼 (= ∑ 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 ) is the
rotational inertia (or moment of inertia) of the body with respect to the axis of rotation.

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