What is the maximum angle for a bob to slide upwards in a rotating funnel?

In summary, the conversation is discussing a bob of mass m inside a rotating funnel with friction coefficient mu. The question is to determine the maximum angle theta at which the bob cannot slide upwards, regardless of the value of omega. The answer is derived by isolating for theta and factoring out omega, and taking the limit as omega approaches a large value. For high values of omega, the ball will definitely not slide upwards, and for low values of omega, the ball will slide downwards if omega satisfies a certain condition.
  • #1
stunner5000pt
1,461
2
Ok have a look at the diagram below

A bob of mass m is on the inside of a funnel. The funnel is rotating with an angular velocity omega. The walls of the funnel has a friction coefficient of mu
The question is Show that there is an angle theta = theta max for which the bob cannot slide upwards if theta > theta max no matter how large the omega is. Determine theta max

So far here's what i have
force equation in the X direction (masses cancel out)

[tex] \omega^2 r cos \theta = \mu g cos \theta + \mu \omega^2 r sin \theta + g sin \theta [/tex]

teh answer is [tex] \frac{1}{\mu} = tan \theta _{max} [/tex]

seems to be derived by taking some limit as omega approaches a large number then the g sin theta nad the g cos theta part becomes negligbile. But i want to understand why this is being done. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

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  • #2
i think i got it by isolating for the theta and factoring out hte omega i get

[tex] Tan \theta = \frac{r - \frac{\mu g}{\omega^2}}{\mu r + \frac{g}{\omega^2}} [/tex]
and now as omega reaches high value with respect to g and mu the pression approaches

[tex] tan \theta = \frac{r}{\mu r} = \frac{1}{\mu} [/tex]

Since this is no longer dependant on omega for high values of omega the ball will definitely not slide upwards.

Also the mass will slide downwards if omega is sufficiently low because then omega must satisfy this condition

[tex] \omega^2 \geq \frac{g}{r} \frac{\mu cos \theta + sin \theta}{cos \theta - \mu sin \theta} [/tex]
 
  • #3
Nice move, dividing numerator & denominator by [itex]\omega^2[/itex] (wish I'd thought of it).

That's got to be it.
 

1. What is centripetal acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration that an object experiences when it moves in a circular path. It is always directed towards the center of the circle and is caused by the centripetal force acting on the object.

2. How is centripetal acceleration calculated?

The formula for calculating centripetal acceleration is: a = v^2/r, where a is the centripetal acceleration, v is the velocity of the object, and r is the radius of the circular path.

3. What is the difference between centripetal acceleration and tangential acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration towards the center of the circle, while tangential acceleration is the acceleration along the tangent to the circular path. Centripetal acceleration is responsible for changing the direction of an object's velocity, while tangential acceleration is responsible for changing the magnitude of an object's velocity.

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A few examples of centripetal acceleration in everyday life include a car turning around a curved road, a planet orbiting around the sun, and a satellite orbiting around Earth. Roller coasters and spinning rides at amusement parks also demonstrate centripetal acceleration.

5. How does centripetal acceleration relate to centripetal force?

Centripetal acceleration and centripetal force are directly proportional to each other. This means that as the centripetal force increases, the centripetal acceleration also increases. This relationship is described by Newton's second law, F=ma, where F is the centripetal force, m is the mass of the object, and a is the centripetal acceleration.

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