Rotational Motion

Chapter Goal: To understand the physics of rotating objects.

Rotational Kinematics
• The spinning roulette wheel isn’t going anywhere, but it is
moving. This is rotational motion.

• You learned about angular velocity and other quantities

we use to describe rotational motion.
Looking Ahead: Torque
• To start something moving, apply a force. To start something
rotating, apply a torque, as the sailor is doing to the wheel.

• You’ll see that torque depends on how hard you push and also
on where you push. A push far from the axle gives a large
torque.
Looking Ahead: Rotational Dynamics
• The girl pushes on the outside edge of the merry-go-
round, gradually increasing its rotation rate.

• You’ll learn a version of Newton’s second law for

rotational motion and use it to solve problems.
Circular Motion
• You have learned to describe
circular motion in terms of
period, frequency, velocity, and
centripetal acceleration.
• In this chapter, you’ll learn to use
angular velocity, angular
acceleration, and other quantities
that describe rotational motion.
Describing Circular and Rotational
Motion
Describing Circular and Rotational
Motion
• Rotational motion is the motion of objects that spin
about an axis.
Angular Position (1 of 4)
• We use the angle  from the
positive x-axis to describe the
particle’s location.
• Angle  is the angular position
of the particle.
•  is positive when measured
counterclockwise from the
positive x-axis.

• An angle measured clockwise from the positive x-axis has a

negative value.
Linear and Circular Motion
The variables and equations for linear motion have
analogs for circular motion.
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.
Dynamics of Rotation: Torque
Torque (1 of 5)
• Forces with equal strength will have
different effects on a swinging door.
• The ability of a force to cause
rotation depends on
– The magnitude F of the force.
– The distance r from the pivot—the axis about which the
object can rotate—to the point at which force is applied.
– The angle at which force is applied.
• These three factors are incorporated into a single quantity
called torque  .
Torque (2 of 5)
• Torque ( ) is the rotational equivalent of force.

 rF
Torque due to a force with perpendicular component
F acting at a distance r from the pivot

• Torque units are newton-meters, abbreviated Nm.

• Note the units of torque are not Joules.
Torque (3 of 5)
• The radial line is the line starting
at the pivot and extending through
the point where force is applied.

• The angle  is measured from

the radial line to the direction
of the force.
• Torque is dependent on the
perpendicular component of
the force being applied.
Torque (4 of 5)
• An alternate way to calculate
torque is in terms of the
moment arm.
• The moment arm (or lever
arm) is the perpendicular
distance from the line of
action to the pivot.
• The line of action is the line
that is in the direction of the
force and passes through the
point at which the force acts.
Torque (5 of 5)
• The equivalent expression for
torque is
 rF
Torque due to a force F with
moment arm r

• For both methods for calculating

torque, the resulting expression
is the same:

 rF sin
QuickCheck (1 of 2)

• The four forces shown have the same strength. Which

force would be most effective in opening the door?

A. Force F
1

B. Force F
2

C. Force F3
D. Force F
4

E. Either F1 or F3
QuickCheck (2 of 2)

• The four forces shown have the same strength. Which

force would be most effective in opening the door?

A. Force F1

Your intuition likely led you to choose F1.

The reason is that F1 exerts the largest
torque about the hinge.
A weekend plumber
Suppose, that an amateur plumber, unable to loosen a pipe fitting, slips a
piece of scrap pipe (sometimes called a “cheater”) over the handle of his
wrench. He then applies his full weight of 900 N to the end of the cheater by
standing on it. The distance from the center of the fitting to the point where
the weight acts is 0.80 m, and the wrench handle and cheater make an angle
of with the horizontal. Find the magnitude and direction of the torque of his
weight about the center of the pipe fitting.
Torque
• A torque that tends to rotate the object in a counter-
clockwise direction is positive, while a torque that
tends to rotate the object in a clockwise direction is
negative.
Net Torque
• The net torque is the
sum of the torques due
to the applied forces:

 net  1   2   3   4    
QuickCheck (1 of 2)

Which third force on the wheel, applied at point P, will make

the net torque zero?
QuickCheck (2 of 2)

Which third force on the wheel, applied at point P, will make

the net torque zero?
A weekend plumber
Suppose, that an amateur plumber, unable to loosen a pipe fitting, slips a
piece of scrap pipe (sometimes called a “cheater”) over the handle of his
wrench. He then applies his full weight of 900 N to the end of the cheater by
standing on it. The distance from the center of the fitting to the point where
the weight acts is 0.80 m, and the wrench handle and cheater make an angle
of with the horizontal. Find the magnitude and direction of the torque of his
weight about the center of the pipe fitting.
Rotational Dynamics and Moment
of Inertia
Rotational Dynamics and Moment of
Inertia (1 of 2)
• A torque causes an angular
acceleration.
• The tangential acceleration is:
F
at 
m
• Tangential and angular
accelerations are related by
at  r so we can rewrite the
equation as:
F

mr
Rotational Dynamics and Moment of
Inertia (2 of 2)
• We can connect this angular
acceleration to torque because

force F, which is perpendicular
to the radial line, exerts torque:
 rF
• We now find the relationship
with angular acceleration:


mr 2
Newton’s Second Law for Rotational
Motion (1 of 4)
• For a rigid body rotating
about a fixed axis, we can
think of the object as
consisting of multiple
particles.
• We can calculate the
torque on each particle.
• Because the object
rotates together, each
particle has the same
angular acceleration.
Newton’s Second Law for Rotational
Motion (2 of 4)
• The torque for each
“particle” is
 1 m1r12
 2 m2r22
 3 m3 r32

• The net torque is

 net  1   2   3   m1r12  m2r2 2  m3 r3 2 

 2 2 2

 m1r1  m2 r2  m3 r3     mi ri
2
Newton’s Second Law for Rotational
Motion (3 of 4)
• The quantity  mr 2
in the
equation, which is the
proportionality constant
between angular acceleration
and net torque, is called the
object’s moment of inertia I:
I m1r12  m2r22  m3 r32    mi ri 2
Moment of inertia of a collection
of particles
• The units of moment of inertia are kg m2 
• The moment of inertia depends on the axis of rotation.
Newton’s Second Law for Rotational
Motion (4 of 4)
Newton’s second law for rotation An object that
experiences a net torque  net about the axis of rotation
undergoes an angular acceleration
 net

I

where I is the moment of inertia of the object about the

rotation axis.

A net torque is the cause of angular acceleration.

Interpreting the Moment of Inertia (1 of 2)
• The moment of inertia is
the rotational equivalent of
mass.
• An object’s moment of inertia
depends not only on the
object’s mass but also on
how the mass is distributed
around the rotation axis.
Interpreting the Moment of Inertia (2 of 2)
• The moment of inertia is
the rotational equivalent of
mass.
• It is more difficult to spin the
merry-go-round when people
sit far from the center
because it has a higher
inertia than when people sit
close to the center.
Example: Moment of Inertia for Dumbbells
Linear and Rotational Dynamics
The variables for linear dynamics have analogs for
rotational dynamics. Newton’s second law for rotational
dynamics is expressed in terms of these variables.
The Moments of Inertia of Common
Shapes (1 of 3)
Moments of inertia of objects with uniform density and total mass
M
Object and axis Picture I
Start fraction 1 over 12 end fraction M L squared.

Thin rod (of any cross 1

An illustration shows a thin rod being inserted at the center of a rectangular block with length, L.

ML2
section), about center 12

Thin rod (of any cross 1

section), about end
An illustration shows a thin rod being inserted at rear end a rectangular block with length, L.

ML2
Start fraction 1 over 3 end fraction M L squared.

Plane or slab, about 1

center
An illustration shows a thin rod being inserted at the center of a rectangular slab with length a and breadth b.

Ma2
Start fraction 1 over 12 end fraction M a squared.

12
The Moments of Inertia of Common Shapes (2 of 3)
Object and axis Picture I

Plane or slab, about 1

edge
An illustration shows a thin rod being inserted at an edge of a rectangular slab with length a and breadth b.

Ma2 Start fraction 1 over 3 end fraction M a squared.

Cylinder or disk, about 1

center
An illustration shows a thin rod being inserted at the center of a cylinder with a radius R.

MR 2
Start fraction 1 over 2 end fraction M R squared.

Cylindrical hoop, about An illustration shows a thin rod being inserted at the center of a cylindrical hoop with a radius R.
MR 2 M R squared.

center
The Moments of Inertia of Common
Shapes (3 of 3)

Object and axis Picture I

Solid sphere, about 2

An illustration shows a thin rod being inserted about the diameter of a sphere with a radius R.

MR 2
Start fraction 2 over 5 end fraction M R squared.

diameter 5

Spherical shell, about An illustration shows a thin rod being inserted about the diameter of a spherical shell with a radius R.
2
MR 2
Start fraction 2 over 3 end fraction M R squared.

diameter 3
Using Newton’s Second Law for
Rotation
Problem-Solving Approach Rotational
Dynamics Problems (1 of 2)
We can use a problem-solving approach for rotational dynamics that is
very similar to the approach for linear dynamics.
Strategize Model the object as a simple shape. What is rotating, and
what point does it rotate around? Next, identify the forces that cause
the rotation, and draw a visual overview to clarify the situation.
Prepare Develop the visual overview by defining coordinates and
symbols and listing known information. Specifically:
• Identify the axis about which the object rotates.
• Identify the forces and determine their distances from the axis.
• Calculate the torques caused by the forces, and find the signs of the
torques.
Problem-Solving Approach: Rotational
Dynamics Problems (2 of 2)
Solve The mathematical representation is based on Newton’s second
law for rotational motion:


 net I or   net
I
• Find the moment of inertia either by direct calculation or from for
common shapes of objects.
• Use rotational kinematics to find angular positions and velocities.

Assess Check that your result has the correct units, is reasonable, and
answers the question.
Example: Angular Acceleration of a Falling
Pole
In the caber toss, a contest of strength
and skill that is part of Scottish games,
contestants toss a heavy uniform pole,
landing it on its end. A 5.9-m-tall pole with
a mass of 79 kg has just landed on its
end. It is tipped by 25 from the
vertical and is starting to rotate about the
end that touches the ground. Estimate the
angular acceleration.

If we assume that the angular acceleration stays at this same value

(an approximation, but it will give us a good sense of scale for this
problem), how long will it take the pole to rotate by 5 ?
Constraints Due to Ropes and Pulleys
• If the pulley turns without the rope
slipping on it then the rope’s
speed must exactly match the
speed of the rim of the pulley.
• The attached object must have the
same speed and acceleration as
the rope.
v obj R
aobj  R

Motion constraints for an object connected to a pulley of

radius R by a non-slipping rope
Time for a Bucket to Fall

Josh has just raised a 2.5 kg bucket of water using a well’s

winch when he accidentally lets go of the handle. The
winch consists of a rope wrapped around a 3.0 k g, 4.0-cm-
diameter cylinder, which rotates on an axle through the
center. The bucket is released from rest 4.0 m above the
water level of the well. How long does it take to reach the
water?
Dynamics of Rotation: Kinetic
Energy
Rotational Kinetic Energy (1 of 3)

• Since different parts of a rotating rigid object move at different speeds v, we cannot
simply use the formula K = ½ mv2 to determine its kinetic energy.
– Instead, we’ll divide the object into pieces, each small enough that the linear speed
is the same for the entire piece.
– The blade is rotating around a fixed axis, so its kinetic energy is purely due to
rotation.
Rotational Kinetic Energy (2 of 3)

• All of the pieces of the blade, which we label

i = 1, 2, 3,…, N, rotate at the same angular
speed ω, but the speed v is different for
each piece.
– The ith piece has mass mi and is a
distance ri from the rotation axis, so its
speed is vi = riω.
– If we measure ω in radians per second
and ri in meters, vi will be in meters per
second (m/s).
– The kinetic energy of the ith piece of
the blade is therefore

Ki = ½ mivi2 = ½ mi (riω)2 = ½ miri2ω2

Rotational Kinetic Energy (3 of 3)
• The total kinetic energy of the entire rotating turbine blade—that is, its rotational
kinetic energy—is the sum of the kinetic energies of all pieces of the blade.

N N
1 2 2 1 N 
K rotational  K1  K 2  K 3  K N K i  mi ri    mi ri 2   2
i 1 i 1 2 2  i1 

You’ll recognize the term in parentheses in as the moment of inertia of

the blade for the rotation axis shown.
 Example: Rotational Kinetic Energy for
Dumbbells
We considered a rotating dumbbell
made up of two small, identical 50.0-kg
spheres connected by a lightweight rod
2.40 m in length. You give the dumbbell
an angular speed of 2.00 rad/s.

What is the rotational kinetic energy of

the dumbbell if it rotates around the
midpoint of the dumbbell? If it rotates
around the center of one of the
spheres?
Rolling Motion (1 of 5)
• Rolling is a combination motion in which an object
rotates about an axis that is moving along a straight-line
trajectory.
Rolling Motion (2 of 5)

• The figure above shows exactly one revolution for a

wheel or sphere that rolls forward without slipping.
• The overall position is measured at the object’s center.
Rolling Motion (3 of 5)

• In one revolution, the center moves forward by exactly

one circumference  x  2 R  So we can compute the
velocity of the object’s center as:
x 2 R
v  
T T
Rolling Motion (4 of 5)

• Since 2 / T is the angular velocity, we find:

v R
• This is the rolling constraint, the basic link between
translation and rotation for objects that roll without
slipping.
Rolling Motion (5 of 5)

• The point at the bottom of the wheel has a translational

velocity and a rotational velocity in opposite directions,
which cancel each other.
• The point on the bottom of a rolling object is
instantaneously at rest.
• This is the idea behind “rolling without slipping.”
Conservation of Mechanical Energy in
Rotational Motion

• We learned in that the mechanical energy of a system—the sum of kinetic

energy and potential energy—is conserved if no nonconservative forces do
work on that system.
• Does conservation of energy still hold true if we include rotational kinetic energy?
• And in particular does it hold true for objects that are both translating (moving through
space) and rotating, like a ball rolling downhill or the spinning wheels of a car?

• The answer to both questions is “yes” because rotational kinetic energy isn’t
really a new kind of energy.
• The rotational kinetic energy of a rigid body is just the combined translational kinetic
energy of all of its component pieces due to the motion of those pieces around the
rotation axis.
• So the principle of conservation of energy also holds if we include rotational kinetic
energy.

55
Conservation of Mechanical Energy in
Rotational Motion

• If the object has mass M and its center of mass is moving with speed vCM, its
translational kinetic energy is Ktranslational = ½ MvCM2; if the object’s moment of
inertia for an axis through its center of mass is ICM and it rotates with angular
speed ω, its rotational kinetic energy is Krotational = ½ ICMω2.

• Total kinetic energy for a rigid object undergoing both translation and rotation
Conservation of Mechanical Energy in Rotational
Motion
If only conservative forces do work, mechanical energy (the sum of kinetic energy K and
potential energy U) is conserved, so the value of K + U is the same at any two times during
the motion.

Ki + Ui = Kf + Uf

(if only conservative forces do work)

• If non-conservative forces also do work, the final mechanical energy Kf + Uf is equal to
the initial mechanical energy Ki + Ui plus Wnonconservative, the amount of non-conservative
work that is done during the motion is

Ki + Ui + Wnonconservative = Kf + Uf

(if nonconservative forces do work)

• In both equations the kinetic energy K is the total kinetic energy and the potential
energy U includes a term for each conservative force that acts (for example, the
gravitational force or a spring force).
Flying Disc Energy

A flying disc with mass 0.175 kg and diameter 0.266 m is used in the team
sport called Ultimate. A player takes a disc at rest and does 1.00 J of work on it,
causing the disc to fly off in a horizontal direction. When the disc leaves the
player’s hand, nine-tenths of its kinetic energy is translational and one-tenth is
rotational. Find (a) the speed of the flying disc’s center of mass and (b) the
angular speed of the rotating disc. Treat the disc as uniform.
Rolling without slipping: Is mechanical energy
conserved?
Rolling Without Slipping Revisited

• As the object in (a) rolls down the ramp the

gravitational potential energy Ugrav
decreases; in addition, both vCM and ω
increase as the object rolls, so the
translational kinetic energy Ktranslational and
rotational kinetic energy Krotational both
increase.

• Is the total mechanical energy

E = Ktranslational + Krotational + Ugrav conserved as
the object rolls downhill?
Rolling Without Slipping Revisited

• There must be a friction force acting on the

object as it rolls downhill, as (b) shows.
– (If there were no friction force, there
would be no torque on the object
around its center of mass. In this case
the object would not start to rotate if it
were released from rest, and so would
slide rather than roll.)
– So you might be inclined to think that
mechanical energy is lost due to
friction as the object rolls.
– It’s true that if an object slides over a
surface, the kinetic friction force does
work on the object and changes its
mechanical energy.
Rolling Without Slipping Revisited

• But there is no sliding if the object rolls

without slipping, and the force of friction in
(b) is static friction.
– As the object rolls, each part of its rim
sets down on the ramp and then lifts off
again.
– Since there is no sliding, the friction
force does not act over any distance
and the work done by friction (force
times distance) is zero.
– Hence mechanical energy is
conserved in rolling without slipping.
– The friction force still plays an
important role: It’s what makes the
object roll.

62
Rolling Without Slipping Revisited

• So as the object shown rolls downhill and

gravitational potential energy is converted to
kinetic energy, the friction force ensures that
a portion of the kinetic energy goes into the
rotational form.

• Rolling friction will also be present if either

the object shown or the ramp on which it
rolls can deform.

• In this case mechanical energy will be lost

as the object rolls.
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

A uniform disk and a hoop are both allowed to

roll without slipping down a ramp of height H
(shown). Both objects have the same radius R
and the same mass M. If both objects start from
rest at the same time, which one reaches the
bottom of the ramp first?
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• Both objects roll without slipping, so

mechanical energy is conserved as they
move.

• The only real difference between the two

objects is their moment of inertia:
– ICM = MR2/2 for the uniform disk while
ICM = MR2 for the hoop.
– To decide which one wins the race,
we’ll calculate vCM,f (the speed at the
bottom of the ramp) for a general
object that rolls down the ramp starting
from rest.
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• We’ll then plug in the value of ICM for the disk

and hoop.

• The one with the faster speed will get to the

bottom first and be declared the winner.

• Conservation of mechanical energy :

Ki + Ui = Kf + Uf

• Condition for rolling without slipping:

vCM = Rω
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• Kinetic energy for an object that undergoes

both translation and rotation:

1 1
2
K  MvCM  I CM 2
2 2

Initially the object is at rest with zero kinetic

energy, so Ki = 0.

The initial gravitational potential energy is Ui =

Mgyi, and the final gravitational potential energy
is Uf = Mgyf.

The figure shows that yi − yf = H − 0 = H, so we

can solve for the object’s final kinetic energy Kf
at the bottom of the ramp.
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• Conservation of energy equation:

0  Mgyi K f  Mgyf , or
K f Mgyi  Mgyf
Mg ( yi  yf )
• Since yi = H and yf = 0,
Kf = MgH
• The kinetic energy is part translational
and part rotational.
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• Kinetic energy at the bottom of the ramp:

Kf = ½ MvCM,f2 + ½ ICMωf2

• Rolling without slipping:

vCM,f Rf , so
vCM,f
f 
R

Substitute into kinetic energy equation:

2
1 1 v  1 1 I  2
2
K f  MvCM,f  I CM  CM,f   MvCM,f
2
  CM2  vCM,f
2 2  R  2 2 R 
1 I  2
  M  CM2  vCM,f
2 R 
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• We now have two expressions for Kf.

• Set them equal to each other and solve for vCM,f.

1 I CM  2
 M  v
2  CM,f
MgH
2 R 
2 2 MgH
vCM,f 
I
M  CM2
R
2 MgH
vCM,f 
I
M  CM2
R
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• Finally, substitute ICM = MR2/2 for the disk and ICM = MR2 for the hoop and
find the final speed for each object.
• The speed of the disk at the bottom of the ramp is faster than that of the hoop.
• Both objects will accelerate down the ramp, but at any given position down the ramp,
the disk will be moving faster than the hoop.
• In a race the disk would win.
MR 2
I CM 
• For the uniform disk: 2
I CM M 3M
M 2
M  
R 2 2
2 MgH  2  4 gH
vCM,f     (2MgH ) 
3M / 2  3M  3

I CM MR 2
For the hoop: I CM
M 2
M  M 2M
R
2 MgH
vCM,f   gH
2M
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• Why does the disk win?

• Both objects have the same mass and descend the same distance, so they both
convert the same amount of gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy.
• But since the uniform disk has a smaller moment of inertia (MR2/2) than does the
hoop (MR2), a smaller fraction of its kinetic energy is rotational and a larger fraction
is translational.
• This means that the disk travels faster down the ramp and wins the race.

• We can verify this by calculating the ratio of rotational kinetic energy

Krotational to translational kinetic energy Ktranslational for a rolling object.
• This ratio is ICM/MR2, so the smaller the moment of inertia ICM for a given mass M and
radius R—like the uniform disk compared to the hoop—the smaller the rotational
kinetic energy and the more energy is available for translation.
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• Ratio of rotational kinetic energy to translational kinetic energy:

1
K rotational I CM  2
I  2
2  CM 2
K translational 1 Mv 2 MvCM
CM
2
• If the object is rolling without slipping,
vCM
vCM R and   , so
R
2
K rotational I CM 2 I CM  vCM  I CM
 2
 2   
K translational MvCM MvCM  R  MR 2
Downhill Race: Disk versus Hoop

• For the uniform disk:

K rotational I CM MR 2 / 2 1
  
K translational MR 2 MR 2 2
• For the hoop:
K rotational I CM MR 2
  1
K translational MR 2 MR 2
Summary
Summary: General Principles
Newton’s Second Law for Rotational Motion

If a net torque  net acts on an object, the object will

experience an angular acceleration given by   net  Ι,
where I is the object’s moment of inertia about the rotation
axis.
This law is analogous to Newton’s second law for linear
 
motion, a  Fnet  m
Summary: Important Concepts (1 of 5)
Describing Circular Motion
We define new variables for circular motion. By convention,
counterclockwise is positive.
Angular displacement:   f  i

Angular velocity:  
t

Angular acceleration:  
t
Angles are measured in radians: 1rev 360 2 rad
The angular velocity depends 2
 2 f
on the frequency and period: T
Summary: Important Concepts (2 of 5)
Relating Linear and Circular Notion Quantities
Linear and angular speeds are related by: v  r
If the particle’s speed is increasing, it
will also have a tangential acceleration

at directed tangent to the circle and
an angular acceleration  .
Angular and tangential accelerations
are related by: at  r
Summary: Important Concepts (3 of 5)
Torque
A force causes an object to undergo a linear acceleration; a
torque causes an object to undergo an angular acceleration.
There are two interpretations of torque:
Interpretation 1:  rF Interpretation 2:  rF

Both interpretations give the

same expression for the
magnitude of the torque:
 rF sin 
Summary: Important Concepts (4 of 5)
The moment of inertia is the rotational equivalent of mass.
For an object made up of particles of masses m1, m2 
at distances r1, r2  from the axis, the moment of inertia is

I m1 r12  m2 r22  m3 r32   mr 2

Summary: Important Concepts (5 of 5)
Center of Gravity
The center of gravity of an
object is the point at which
gravity can be considered to
be acting.

The position of the center of gravity depends on the

distance x1 x2  of each particle of mass m1 m2 
from the origin: x  x1m1  x2m2  x3 m3  
cg
m1  m2  m3  
Summary: Applications (1 of 3)
Moments of Inertia of Common Shapes
Summary: Applications (2 of 3)
Rotation about a Fixed Axis
When a net torque is applied to an object that rotates
about a fixed axis, the object will undergo an angular
acceleration given by
 net
 
I
If a rope unwinds from a pulley of radius R, the linear
motion of an object tied to the rope is related to the angular
motion of the pulley by
aobj  R v obj R
Summary: Applications (3 of 3)
Rolling Motion
For an object that rolls without slipping,
v R