Moment of inertia and torque problem

In summary, the final velocity of the plate is 1/2 the initial velocity of the cylinder and the torque is 2/5 the initial torque.
  • #1
bargain
3
0
The Question : A cylinder of mass M , and moment of inertia around its center Io, is initially rotating around its central axis with angular velocity wo. İt is gently placed on a homogeneous thin plate of mass m which rests on a smooth horizontal surface. Assume that the plate is sufficiently long that eventually the cylinder starts rolling on the plate without slipping due to the kinetic friction. What is the final velocity of the plate?
I could not write much for the solution since i am stucked in energy conservation.

1/2 Io wo2 = 1/2 mv2 + 1/2 M Vcm2

torque : 2/5 MR2 = RF(friction)

does anyone has the answer or have any ideas in which way should i go with this problem?
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
It's 'torque', not 'torgue', with a Q instead of a G.
 
  • #3
SteamKing said:
It's 'torque', not 'torgue', with a Q instead of a G.

ok i changed it. do you have any help other than spelling?
 
  • #4
bargain said:
I could not write much for the solution since i am stucked in energy conservation.

1/2 Io wo2 = 1/2 mv2 + 1/2 M Vcm2

torque : 2/5 MR2 = RF(friction)

does anyone has the answer or have any ideas in which way should i go with this problem?

Energy is not conserved in this problem . Think of some other conservation law.

First , find the speed of the cylinder v in terms of ω0 ,when it starts to roll without slipping .

Can you do that ?
 
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  • #5
v= wo.R then what?

but how about the torque equality of cylinder: Force of friction x Radius = Moment of inertia x alpha
 
  • #6
You could try using Newton's second law (F = ma and ##\tau = I\alpha##), but you're probably making things hard for yourself. The problem with using those equations is that you'll likely have to integrate with respect to time to get to the answer you want. The appeal of using conservation laws is that you don't have to worry how the system evolves from one state to another. You just look at the system in its initial and final states, and the conservation laws let you relate the relevant quantities to each other.

With this problem, you need to be careful. If you say V is the speed of the ball, are you talking about the speed of the ball relative to an observer at rest or are you talking about the speed of the ball relative to the plate? If you say V = ωR, which of those two speeds appears on the lefthand side of the equation?

Let's use the convention that all velocities are with respect to the observer at rest. Use ##V## to denote the velocity of the ball's center of mass and ##v## to denote the velocity of the plate.

What is ##V_i##, the initial velocity of the ball?
What is ##v_i##, the initial velocity of the plate?

What quantities are conserved? You've already been told energy isn't conserved. Why isn't it? What about momentum? How do you know? What about angular momentum? Again, how do you know?
 
  • #7
Vela ,

You have raised a fine point regarding whether the speed of the cylinder is with respect to the observer or plate .That made me rethink .

Are you getting the same answer under the assumption that the cylinder is hollow and is rotating clockwise ?

$$\frac{I^\frac{1}{2}M^\frac{3}{2}}{m^2+mM-M^2}ω_0$$
 

1. What is moment of inertia and how is it calculated?

Moment of inertia is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its rotational motion. It is calculated by multiplying the mass of the object by the square of its distance from the axis of rotation.

2. How does moment of inertia affect an object's rotational motion?

The larger the moment of inertia, the more difficult it is to change an object's rotational motion. This means that objects with a larger moment of inertia will require more torque to accelerate or decelerate their rotational motion.

3. What is torque and how is it related to moment of inertia?

Torque is a measure of the force that causes rotational motion. It is calculated by multiplying the force applied to an object by the distance from the axis of rotation. Torque is directly related to moment of inertia, as the greater the moment of inertia, the more torque is needed to change an object's rotational motion.

4. How can moment of inertia be changed?

Moment of inertia can be changed by altering the mass and/or the distribution of mass of an object. For example, if the mass of an object is increased or the mass is distributed farther from the axis of rotation, the moment of inertia will also increase.

5. What are some real-world applications of moment of inertia and torque?

Moment of inertia and torque have many practical applications, including in the design of machinery, vehicles, and sports equipment. They are also important in understanding and predicting the behavior of rotating objects, such as the motion of planets and satellites in space.

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