Merry-go-round angular speed physics

In summary, I think you may have tried to use the moment of inertia, but if the child jumps directly towards the center, this has no impact on the rotational speed.
  • #1
beocom6000yello
10
0
A merry-go-round of radius R=2.0 m has a moment of inertia I=250 kg m2, and is rotating at 10 rpm. A child whose mass is 25 kg jumps onto the edge of the merry-go-round, by jumping directly toward the center at 6.0 m/s. The new angular speed (in rpm) of the merry-go-round is approximately
A) 7.1
B) 8.5
C) 9.2
D) 10
E) 6.4

this is what i did: the moment of a thick disk is I = 1/2 MR^2... I THINK you could use that to find the mass of the merry-goat-round...but...if he jumps directly towards the center...does that have any impact on the rotational speed? I don't think it does.

i would think the answer would be 10 but my friend got a different solution...is there anyway that someone can help telling what they got?
 
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  • #2
beocom6000yello said:
A merry-go-round of radius R=2.0 m has a moment of inertia I=250 kg m2, and is rotating at 10 rpm. A child whose mass is 25 kg jumps onto the edge of the merry-go-round, by jumping directly toward the center at 6.0 m/s. The new angular speed (in rpm) of the merry-go-round is approximately
A) 7.1
B) 8.5
C) 9.2
D) 10
E) 6.4

this is what i did: the moment of a thick disk is I = 1/2 MR^2... I THINK you could use that to find the mass of the merry-goat-round...but...if he jumps directly towards the center...does that have any impact on the rotational speed? I don't think it does.

i would think the answer would be 10 but my friend got a different solution...is there anyway that someone can help telling what they got?
You don't need to find the mass of the merry-go-round. Consider angular momentum.
 
  • #3
beocom6000yello said:
i would think the answer would be 10 but my friend got a different solution...is there anyway that someone can help telling what they got?

It's been a few days, but I'm just curious to know whether you at all tried to find the right answer, after following the advice given by Doc Al, seeing that you labeled the question urgent.
 
Last edited:

1. What is angular speed in the context of a merry-go-round?

Angular speed is a measure of how fast an object is rotating around a fixed axis. In the case of a merry-go-round, it refers to how quickly the platform is spinning around its central axis.

2. How is angular speed different from linear speed?

Angular speed is a measurement of rotational motion, while linear speed measures the rate of movement in a straight line. For example, a person standing on a merry-go-round will experience a constant angular speed, but their linear speed will vary depending on their distance from the center.

3. How is angular speed calculated?

Angular speed is calculated by dividing the angle of rotation by the time it takes to complete that rotation. It is typically measured in radians per second, but can also be measured in revolutions per minute (RPM) or degrees per second.

4. How does angular speed affect the motion of objects on a merry-go-round?

The greater the angular speed of a merry-go-round, the faster the objects on it will appear to move. This is because a higher angular speed means a greater number of rotations are completed in a given amount of time.

5. How does changing the distance from the center of a merry-go-round affect angular speed?

The farther an object is from the center of a merry-go-round, the greater its linear speed will be, but its angular speed will remain the same. This is because the circumference of a larger circle is longer, so it takes more time for an object on the outer edge to complete a full rotation compared to an object on the inner edge.

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