- #1
nhmllr
- 185
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Homework Statement
A spaceborne energy storage device consists of two equal masses connected by a tether and rotating about their center of mass. Additional energy is stored by reeling in the tether; no external forces are applied. Initially the device has kinetic energy E and rotates at angular velocity ω. Energy is added until the device rotates at angular velocity 2ω. What is the new kinetic energy of the device?
(The answer is 2E but I don't see how)
Homework Equations
kinetic energy = 1/2*mv^2
momentum = mv = mωr
initial momentum = final momentum
The Attempt at a Solution
I don't see how this "energy storage" works. If I real the tether in, the radius r of the device decreases but the angular velocity ω of the device increases because of the conservation of momentum. The kinetic energy of the device is 1/2*m(ωr)^2, but the quantity ωr does not change. So I don't see how the potential energy of the device can be converted.