A tape,pulley,disk and undisclosed mass.

  • Thread starter Thread starter MathematicalPhysicist
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Mass
Click For Summary
The discussion centers on the dynamics of a disk unwinding from a tape over a pulley, with a mass suspended on the other end. The key equations relate the accelerations of the disk and the mass, with the relationship A = 2a leading to the conclusion that α = 3A/R. The contributor expresses confusion over deriving the angular acceleration correctly, noting that the disk must roll without slipping due to the tight wrapping of the tape. They emphasize the importance of understanding the constraints of the system, particularly the distinction between a string and a tape. The conversation highlights the complexities of rotational dynamics in this specific setup.
MathematicalPhysicist
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
4,662
Reaction score
372
the question is:
A disk of mass M and radius R unwinds from a tape wrapped around it. the tape passes over a frictionless pulley, and a mass m is suspended from the other end. assume that the disk drops vertically.
1. relate the acclerations of m and the disk, a and A, respectively to the angualr accelration of the disk.
(the answer clue reveals that the naswer is: if A=2a, then alpha=3A/R.
my answer is that the accleration of the disk equals -a+\alphaR=A and then i get that if A=2a then alpha equals 3a/R, but it's the opposite it should be 3A/R, which i don't see how to arrive at this.

anyway, in the attached file there's a pic of this, the above left pic.
thanks in advance.
 

Attachments

Physics news on Phys.org
I don't know if I'm doing this wrong, but this is what I get:

Let the tension in the string be T, acceleration of the disk be A and of the mass be a and R be the radius of the disk.

For the small mass m:

T-mg=ma ---1

For the disk:

Mg-T=MA

TR=I\alpha

I=\frac{MR^2}{2}

A=R\alpha

Solving these, A=2g/3, T=g/3, a=\frac{g(M-3m)}{3m}. What did I do wrong?
 
the problem is that it's not given to you that the disk rolls without slippering, if it were so, then obviously we would have A=R*(alpha).
 
But if the rope is wound tightly across the disk, then it must roll without slipping as there is no other option. It can't slip (across what?). Therefore a=r(alpha) must hold.
 
In any case, the velocity of the string along the tension must be the same at all the points on the string.
 
the problem is that's not a string but a tape!
 
The book claims the answer is that all the magnitudes are the same because "the gravitational force on the penguin is the same". I'm having trouble understanding this. I thought the buoyant force was equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. Weight depends on mass which depends on density. Therefore, due to the differing densities the buoyant force will be different in each case? Is this incorrect?

Similar threads

Replies
23
Views
7K
Replies
4
Views
3K
Replies
18
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • · Replies 30 ·
2
Replies
30
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K