I'm lost on this angular acceleration problem

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a problem involving angular acceleration, specifically focusing on a car's wheel dynamics. The original poster presents the scenario of a car traveling at a certain speed and seeks to determine the angular speed of the wheels based on their dimensions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster questions whether the tangential speed of the wheels can be used to find the angular velocity. Some participants affirm this approach, indicating it aligns with the principles of rotational motion.

Discussion Status

The discussion is currently focused on confirming the relationship between tangential speed and angular velocity. Some guidance has been offered regarding the use of the given speed to calculate angular frequency, but no consensus on further steps has been reached.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working within the constraints of the problem as presented, with specific values for speed and wheel dimensions. There is an emphasis on understanding the relationship between linear and angular motion without delving into complete solutions.

falcon0311
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Okay, so there's a car traveling 97km/h (26.94 m/s). It's wheels have a diameter of 76cm (0.76 m), so the radius of the wheels are 0.38 m. I'm supposed to find the angular speed of the wheels about the axle.

Can I say the speed of a tangent from the wheels is 26.94 m/s and use that to find the angular velocity?
 
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Originally posted by falcon0311

Can I say the speed of a tangent from the wheels is 26.94 m/s and use that to find the angular velocity?

Yes, that's exactly what you should do. 26.94 m/s is the velocity of a point on the outer rim of the wheel, so you can use that to calculate the angular frequency of the wheel.
 
http://physics.about.com/cs/rotationalmotion/a/010703.htm
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks a bunch Chen!
 

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