Confusion about angular speed and angular acceleration

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concepts of angular speed and angular acceleration, particularly the confusion between angular speed expressed in revolutions per second and angular velocity in radians per second. Participants explore definitions, relationships, and the implications of these terms in various contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes confusion regarding the use of angular speed in revolutions per second versus angular velocity in radians per second, leading to inconsistent answers in textbook problems.
  • Another participant questions what specific questions could help clarify the confusion.
  • A participant asks if angular velocity and angular speed are equivalent in one-dimensional scenarios.
  • One participant provides a definition of angular velocity as the derivative of angular displacement, emphasizing its dimensionality and relationship to frequency.
  • Another participant explains that frequency is a measure of occurrences per unit time and relates it to angular speed, cautioning against using rad/s as a frequency measure.
  • A participant distinguishes between angular velocity as a vector quantity and angular speed as its magnitude.
  • A later reply indicates that one participant feels they have gained understanding from the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of understanding and confusion, with no consensus reached on the definitions and relationships between angular speed and angular velocity.

Contextual Notes

Some statements rely on specific definitions and contexts that may not be universally accepted, and there are unresolved nuances regarding the application of these concepts in different scenarios.

Arman777
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In my textbook.In some question gives me angular speed as ( )rev/s.I know that its the frequency (f).But some questions It says angular velocity and says rad/s.

Interesting thing happens when the textbook says in angular speed and I use f and then using w=2πf and then continue I get wrong answer but sometimes right answer.I am really confused
 
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Well, what question can be answered to dissolve your confusion ?
There's good info to be googled, like here and here
 
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So angular velocity and angular speed is same in 1D ?
 
OK. By definition \omega =\frac{d\phi}{dt} with dimension \frac{rad}{s}=\frac{1}{s} (radian is dimensionless). The number of revolutions per second is a counting measure and since a count is dimensionless, it also has the dimension \frac{1}{s}.

In electronics we traditionally talk about frequency and measure it in Hz. Again, that is a counting measure - the number of wave maxima in a second. As such it is easy to measure using a counter or an oscilloscope. But once we need to do some circuit calculations, we must convert the frequency to angular speed.
 
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Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. (source)

So, in essence, frequency is the measure of something per unit time. It is often the measure of turns (or revolutions) per unit time because the best way to having something repeating itself is to go in a circle. Since one turn is also an angular displacement of ##2\pi## radians then, in such a case, the frequency can be related to an angular speed. But you cannot use the unit rad/s and call it a frequency, it must be turn/s absolutely (something that can be counted instead of measured). This is why we always do the transformation ##\omega = 2\pi f## instead of just doing a unit conversion.

Angular velocity is defined as the rate of change of angular displacement and is a vector quantity (source). A vector has a direction and a magnitude. Angular speed is the magnitude of that vector.
 
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I understand I guess thank you all
 

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