Calculating moment of inertia and torsion constant

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the moment of inertia and torsion constant for a clock balance wheel with specific parameters, including its mass and radius. The problem is situated within the context of rotational dynamics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the moment of inertia using the formula I=mr^2 but questions the validity of their result due to its small magnitude. They explore whether the mass concentration around the rim should be treated as a ring and seek clarification on their calculations.

Discussion Status

Participants have acknowledged the original poster's calculation as correct but have engaged in a dialogue about the implications of the low numerical result. There is an exploration of whether the calculations would hold if the mass were treated as a ring, indicating a productive discussion on the assumptions involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the radius at which mass is concentrated is referred to as the radius of gyration, which may influence the calculations and understanding of the moment of inertia.

Erenjaeger
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Homework Statement


A clock balance wheel has a period of oscillation of 0.250 s. The wheel is constructed so that its mass of 10.0 g is concentrated around a rim of radius 0.600 cm.
a) What is the wheels moment of inertia? kg m^2
b) What is the torsion constant of the attached spring? N m / rad

Homework Equations


I=mr^2[/B]

The Attempt at a Solution


starting with part a)
I have gone mr^2 and gotten 3.6x10^-7 so i assumed that answer didnt make sense, I thought it could be because it says the mass is concentrated around the rim so do i treat that as if it was a ring?
If so I know that dI = dm r^2
so ∫dI = r^2 ⋅ ∫dm
so I = r^2 M
where M is the mass of the whole ring system.
Am I correct in this working or was my first calculation correct ?
[/B]
 
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Erenjaeger said:
3.6x10^-7
Assuming that's in kg m2, that is correct. What bothers you about it?
 
haruspex said:
Assuming that's in kg m2, that is correct. What bothers you about it?
yeah I put the values into kg and m when I calculated, I just thought that because it was such a low number it was wrong.
say for example sake it was a ring, would my calculations I put down be correct to determine the moment of inertia??
 
Erenjaeger said:
yeah I put the values into kg and m when I calculated, I just thought that because it was such a low number it was wrong.
say for example sake it was a ring, would my calculations I put down be correct to determine the moment of inertia??
mr2 works for a point particle, a ring (about an axis through the centre of the ring and normal to its plane) and a hollow cylinder (about the axis of the cylinder). In each case, each part of the object is at the same distance from the axis.
 
The radius at which all the mass is assumed to be concentrated (for calculation purposes) is also called the radius of gyration.
 

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