Increase moment of inertia, slipping down an incline

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SUMMARY

Increasing the moment of inertia of a cylinder affects its rolling behavior down an incline. Specifically, a higher moment of inertia, achieved by redistributing mass away from the center of rotation, results in decreased linear acceleration. Consequently, for a solid cylinder and a hoop of equal mass and radius, the hoop will experience a higher friction force and may start to slip first at a specific incline angle (theta). This implies that the hoop could potentially win a race down the ramp if the incline angle is sufficiently steep.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of moment of inertia and its impact on rotational motion
  • Familiarity with Newton's second law (ƩF = ma)
  • Knowledge of torque and angular acceleration (Ʃτ = Iα)
  • Basic principles of friction and its role in rolling motion
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the relationship between moment of inertia and angular acceleration in detail
  • Study the effects of different mass distributions on the moment of inertia
  • Investigate the conditions under which slipping occurs for rolling objects
  • Analyze real-world applications of rolling motion in sports and engineering
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, mechanical engineers, and anyone interested in the dynamics of rolling motion and friction in inclined planes.

IBAStudent
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Hi, I'm trying to find out what effect an increase in moment of inertia of a cylinder would have on slipping when the cylinder rolls down an incline.
Starting with: ma=mgsin(theta)-f, where f is the friction force, which is less than or equal to µmgcos(theta), normal force times µ.
We already know that an increase in moment of inertia without increasing the radius will decrease the linear acceleration, and therefore, for instance a hoop, will roll down the incline slower than a cylinder of equal mass and radius.
Therefore ma will decrease, but mgsin(theta) is constant, so f has to increase, right? An increase in moment of inertia requires a higher friction force.
Does this mean that if we were to let a solid cylinder and a hoop race down a ramp of angle (theta), the hoop would start to slip first if we were to increase the angle (theta)? If this is true, wouldn't it be possible for the hoop to win the race, if at a specific angle, the hoop started to slip and the cylinder didn't, because less friction is needed to sustain its rolling motion?
Could anyone please confirm my train of thoughs? Thanks :)
 
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You have to work it out in details, here are the guidelines:

1) First note that increasing the moment of inertia without increasing the radius means to increase the mass.

2) Apply Ʃτ = Iα.

3) Apply ƩF = ma.

4) Knowing that m could be expressed in terms of I, and α could be expressed in terms of a; the above equations form a system of two equations of two unknowns: I and a.

5) Solve the system to find a in terms of I.

6) Then analyze the obtained equation.
 
I'm sorry for not being clear enough: The way I though of increasing the moment of inertia wasn't by keeping the radius constant and increasing the mass, but change the mass distribution so that the mass is concentrated away from the center of rotation.
 

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