Understanding Rigid Body Rotation & Angular Acceleration

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In summary, When a rigid body rotates about a fixed axis, all points in the body have the same angular acceleration due to the application of torque. This is because the torque is given by a formula that is constant for all particles in the body, resulting in the body as a whole having the same angular acceleration. This is a common approach used in mechanics, where the properties of a body are considered as a whole rather than individual particles.
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Sucks@Physics
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When a rigid body rotates about a fixed axis al the points in the body have the same angular acceleration. But why does the body as a whole have the same angular acceleration. just kinda of trying to understand

thanks
 
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  • #2
But why does the body as a whole have the same angular acceleration. Body rotates when a torque is applied to it. A torque is given by rXmi*a = mi*ri^2*alpha where mi is the mass of a particle at a distance ri from the axis.And alpha is the angular acceleration which is constant for all paricals. Total torque = sigma(mi*ri^2*)alpha = I*alpha
 
  • #3
If I understand your question correctly: that's the name we give it. If all points in a body have the same angular acceleration (such that no deformations etc. occur) we say that the body (as a whole) has a certain angular acceleration. It's what we often do in (classical) mechanics: we speak of properties of a body or its center of mass (velocity, angular momentum, etc) considering it as an atomic object, forgetting it is actually built out of smaller particles which all have that property (technically, I should add "on average" here, but that's outside the point I'm making).
 

1. What is rigid body rotation?

Rigid body rotation is a type of motion in which an object moves without changing its shape. This means that all points of the object move in circles around a fixed axis, and the distance between any two points on the object remains constant.

2. What is angular acceleration?

Angular acceleration is the rate of change of angular velocity, which is the speed at which an object rotates around a fixed axis. It is measured in radians per second squared (rad/s²).

3. How is angular acceleration different from linear acceleration?

Angular acceleration and linear acceleration are both measures of how quickly an object is changing its velocity. However, angular acceleration is specific to rotational motion, while linear acceleration is specific to linear motion.

4. What are the factors that affect rigid body rotation?

The factors that affect rigid body rotation include the mass, shape, and distribution of mass of the object, as well as the applied torque or force causing the rotation.

5. How is angular acceleration related to torque?

Angular acceleration is directly proportional to the applied torque, according to the equation α = τ/I, where α is the angular acceleration, τ is the applied torque, and I is the moment of inertia of the object. This means that a greater torque will result in a greater angular acceleration, and vice versa.

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