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LareeRudi
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Homework Statement
Bicycle traveling 20 ft/sec. Moment of Inertia of the front wheel is 0.25 slug*ft^2. Wheel radius is 15 inches. With what angular velocity must the front wheel be turned about a vertical axis to counteract the capsizing torque due to a 120 pound person being 1 inch horizontally off center [to left or right] of the line of contact of wheels and ground?
Bike riders; does it make sense? [asked in the problem, not by ME].
Homework Equations
I'm not really sure, but...
L=I*omega
for the person, Torque = Weight x distance
T=120*(1/12) = 10 ft*lbs This is what the gyro action needs to overcome
I can't "see" beyond this.
The Attempt at a Solution
I'm trying to use gyroscopic equations, rotational momentum, but I admit (college in 1955) that I never learned about these gyroscopes and the required vectors; you can see I'm not cheating on any homework; me, 72 plus years old, just don't know how to get started.
What blows MY mind, is why do they state the forward velocity, and then ask [indirectly] what the velocity needs to be to offset the person being off center by one inch. It'll be DIFFERENT than the forward velocity they give. Is it extraneous info? by accident? to trip you up? or is it essential?
Am I in the right place? They say to use "Homework" section even if it's only "Homework" style? A lot of the stated questions in this forum seem to be pretty far above what I'm asking.
[edit for spellig]
thx,
LarryR : )
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