How Is Angular Speed Calculated in a Falling Bucket Physics Problem?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving a falling bucket and its relationship to the angular speed of a cylinder. The scenario includes a bucket with a specified mass, a massless rope, and a cylinder with a defined radius, all set in the context of rotational motion and linear speed.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the relationship between the linear speed of the falling bucket and the angular speed of the cylinder, emphasizing the lack of slipping between the rope and the cylinder. They also question the completeness of the problem statement regarding the slipping condition.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered insights into the relationship between linear and angular velocities, suggesting that the known linear speed can be used to find the angular speed. There is an ongoing exploration of the assumptions made in the problem setup, particularly regarding the slipping condition.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the problem may lack explicit statements about the no-slip condition between the rope and cylinder, which is crucial for solving the problem accurately. There is also mention of extraneous information that may not be necessary for finding the solution.

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Hi! I really need help answering this question. I am really bad at Physics and have no idea what I'm doing, so if someone could help me out I would really appreciate it! Thank you!

Homework Statement



8. A bucket filled with water has a mass of 23 kg and is attached to a massless rope, which in turn, is wound around a 0.050-m radius cylinder that rotates about a frictionless axle at the top of a well. The bucket is raised to the top of the well and then released to fall back into the well. What is the angular speed of the cylinder at the instant the bucket is moving at 8 m/s?

The answer is 160 rads/s, but how?

Homework Equations



(I think)

Torque = Force * radius
Alpha = [omega (final) - omega (initial)]/time
Alpha = linear speed/angular speed

The Attempt at a Solution



Torque (T) = F (force) * r (radius)
11.5 Nm = (25 kg)(10 m/s^2) * ( .050 m)

I have no idea where to go from here or if it's even relevant to the problem :(

Thanks again in advance.
 
Last edited:
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Because the rope is wound on the cylinder, you can assume there is no slipping between the rope and the cylinder. So the speed of the rope is always the same as the tangential speed of the cylinder. Knowing that, and the radius of the cylinder, you should be able to determine its angular speed.
 
I think the problem is incomplete. It should also state that there is no slipping between the rope and cylinder. Assuming this to be true, the relative velocity between them is zero. You already know the velocity of rope at that instant. Now think of that equation that relates linear velocity to angular velocity.
 
utkarshakash said:
I think the problem is incomplete. It should also state that there is no slipping between the rope and cylinder. Assuming this to be true, the relative velocity between them is zero. You already know the velocity of rope at that instant. Now think of that equation that relates linear velocity to angular velocity.
It's complete.

Everything is there to answer the question ... plus some extraneous information.
 

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