Calculating moment of inertia about a door hinge.à

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the moment of inertia of a solid door about its hinges, given its dimensions and mass. Additionally, it requires determining the rotational kinetic energy based on a specified tangential speed.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to find the moment of inertia using the center of mass and the formula I = Σmr². Some participants suggest modeling the door as a series of thin rods to simplify the calculation.
  • Questions arise regarding the conversion of tangential speed to angular speed, with participants discussing the relationship between linear and angular velocities.
  • There is confusion about the application of the rotational kinetic energy formula, particularly regarding the correct value of angular speed.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively exploring different methods to calculate the moment of inertia and clarify the relationship between tangential and angular speed. Some guidance has been provided on the conversion process, but there is no explicit consensus on the correct approach or final values.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working within the constraints of the problem statement and are questioning assumptions about the setup and calculations. There is an emphasis on ensuring correct unit conversions and understanding the physical concepts involved.

Becca93
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Homework Statement
A solid door of mass 39.30 kg is 2.34 m high, 1.68 m wide, and 3.23 cm thick.

What is the moment of inertia of the door about the axis through its hinges?

If the edge of the door has a tangential speed of 76.5 cm/s, what is the rotational kinetic energy of the door?


The attempt at a solution

I don't really know where to start. Should I find the center of mass of the door? Because I = Ʃmr^2?

I know how to solve for the second half (Ek = (1/2)Iω^2), but I'm not sure how to calculate I.
 
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The moment of inertia of a thin rod of mass m and length L about an axis at one of its ends and perpendicular to the rod is given by
I = \frac{mL^{2}}{3}

Now let us imagine the door to be a set of thin rods parallel to the axis passing through the hinges.
 
grzz said:
The moment of inertia of a thin rod of mass m and length L about an axis at one of its ends and perpendicular to the rod is given by
I = \frac{mL^{2}}{3}

Now let us imagine the door to be a set of thin rods parallel to the axis passing through the hinges.

I have the answer to the first question, but I'm not nearly as well off with the second question as I had assumed.

I got 37 kgm^2 for the first question.

I assumed you would take that value and take 76.5 cm/s (.765 m/s) as ω and plug it into
E = (1/2)Iω^2

I get 10.8 when I do that (I used m/s and I'm assuming the units are joules), but that's incorrect.

Any advice?
 
\omega is the ANGULAR speed i.e. measured in ANGLE per second i.e. rad/s and so you have the convert the TANGENTIAL speed given to ANGULAR speed.
 
grzz said:
\omega is the ANGULAR speed i.e. measured in ANGLE per second i.e. rad/s and so you have the convert the TANGENTIAL speed given to ANGULAR speed.

Oh! Okay. How do I calculate angular speed from tangential speed?
 
angle (in radians) rotated = distance along the arc / radius
therefore distance along arc = radius x angle
i.e. distance along arc/time = radius x (angle /time)
v = r x w
v in m/s because linear or tangential
w in rad/s because angular
 
grzz said:
angle (in radians) rotated = distance along the arc / radius
therefore distance along arc = radius x angle
i.e. distance along arc/time = radius x (angle /time)
v = r x w
v in m/s because linear or tangential
w in rad/s because angular

So to get velocity, I take the linear velocity and multiply it by the width of the door to get ω, and then plug that value into the energy equation?

Edit: when I do that I get 30.6 J and that is incorrect.
 
Becca93 said:
... I take the linear velocity and multiply it by the width of the door to get ω ...

v = R\omega
therefore ... = \omega
 
grzz said:
v = R\omega
therefore ... = \omega

Got it! Thanks!
 

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