Cylinder rolling down an inclined plane

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a problem involving a hollow cylinder rolling down an inclined plane, specifically focusing on the effects of a piece of plasticine attached to its inner circumference. The original poster seeks assistance in understanding the underlying concepts necessary to determine the acceleration of the cylinder.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the need to find the moment of inertia and consider using Steiner's theorem to account for the changing position of the plasticine. There is mention of applying torque and force equations to analyze the motion, particularly in the context of rolling without slipping.

Discussion Status

The conversation is ongoing, with some participants providing insights into the mathematical approach while others express uncertainty about the methods discussed. The original poster indicates familiarity with some concepts but seeks further clarification on the specifics of the calculations involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the presence of friction, which introduces additional complexity to the torque calculations. The original poster also mentions that the problem has not yet been covered in their coursework.

trisectedangl
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This is an even-numbered problem in my textbook that I'm looking at early though it hasn't been taught by my lecturer yet, because I need to know the concepts underlying it for a similar problem. Cld someone help me?

Homework Statement



Consider the case of a hollow cylinder rolling down a plane inclined to the ground at an angle β. There is a small piece of plasticine stuck to a fixed position on the cylinder's inner circumference. What is the acceleration in this case?

Assume the small piece of plasticine to be a rigid cylinder of radius r and mass m, and the hollow cylinder to be of radius R and mass M.

Homework Equations



The formula for acceleration of hollow and filled cylinders

The Attempt at a Solution



Can't solve...


Help please?


Thanks!
 
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i'm not too sure but I'm throwing it out there.

(whenever i type "I" it's for moment of inertia, when talking about myself i'll use lower case i).
i assume you need first to find the moment of inertia through the center of the body, then use Steiner's equation to find I on the edge that is touching the incline.
The hardest part here is that I of the edge that is touching the incline changes according the where the plasticine is, so you would have to find I as a function of θ (angular position of the plasticine).
and θ is a function of how the body rolls.
if it's rolling without slipping you can do a moment equation on the edge of the body
Ʃτ=Iα
α=a/R
and maybe throw in a force equation or two, i think you should reach a good equation with θ and it's derivatives...
hope this helped.
 
Last edited:
Thanks. But i know these already.

By the way, there is friction, which has nonzero torque on the centre of the can.
 
Could you be more specific and show how you did the maths?

Sorry I'm so amateur-ish
 

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