Rotational vs Translational Kinetic Energy of a Baseball

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the comparison of rotational and translational kinetic energy of a baseball, specifically analyzing the ratio of these energies given the ball's mass, radius, linear speed, and angular speed.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the calculation of the moment of inertia for a uniform sphere and its application in determining the kinetic energies. Questions arise regarding the correctness of the ratios derived from their calculations.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided calculations and expressed agreement on the results, while others question the relative magnitudes of translational versus rotational kinetic energy, indicating a productive exploration of the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the assumption that the baseball can be treated as a uniform sphere and are discussing the implications of this assumption on their calculations.

UrbanXrisis
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The center of mass of a pitched base ball (radius=3.8cm) moves at 38m/s. The ball spins about an axis through its center of mass with an angular speed of 125 rad/s. Calculate the ratio of the rotational energy to the translational kinetic energy. Treat the ball as a uniform sphere.

[tex]0.5Iw^2:0.5mv^2[/tex]
[tex]I=mr^2=m(.038m)^2=m0.001444[/tex]
[tex]0.5m0.001444(125rad/s)^2:0.5m(39m/s)^2[/tex]
[tex]22.5625:1444[/tex]
[tex]1:64[/tex]

is this correct?
 
Last edited:
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The moment of inertia for a uniform sphere is as follows:

[tex]I = \frac{2}{5}m\,r^{2}[/tex]
 
thanks:

[tex]0.5Iw^2:0.5mv^2[/tex]
[tex]I=(2/5)mr^2=m(2/5)(.038m)^2=m5.776E-4[/tex]
[tex]0.5m(5.776E-4)(125rad/s)^2:0.5m(39m/s)^2[/tex]
[tex]9.025:1444[/tex]
[tex]1:160[/tex]

is this correct?
 
Looks good to me..
 
why is the kinetic energy so much larger than the rotational energy?
 

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