Kinematics: How Do You Solve for Velocity in General Plane Motion?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on solving for the velocity of a passenger at point C in a rotating amusement park ride with a constant angular velocity of \(\omega_{AB} = 2 \, \text{rad/s}\) and a relative angular velocity of \(\omega' = -0.5k \, \text{rad/s}\). The participant utilizes kinematic equations for rotating and translating reference frames, specifically \(\vec{V_{C}} = \vec{V_{B}} + \vec{\omega_{BC}} \times \vec{r_{C/B}} + (\vec{V_{C/B}})_{xy}\). The calculated velocity vector is \(\{-11i + 10\sqrt{3}j\} \, \text{ft/s}\), which differs from the book's answer of \(\{-7i + 17.3j\} \, \text{ft/s}\). The key insight is recognizing that \(\omega_{BC}\) should be calculated as \(\omega_{AB} - \omega'\).

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of angular velocity and its components
  • Familiarity with kinematic equations in rotating reference frames
  • Knowledge of vector addition and cross products
  • Basic principles of circular motion and acceleration
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of kinematic equations for rotating systems
  • Learn about vector cross products in physics
  • Explore the concept of relative angular velocity in mechanics
  • Investigate examples of velocity calculations in rotating frames
USEFUL FOR

Students studying physics, particularly those focusing on mechanics and kinematics, as well as engineers involved in motion analysis and design of rotating systems.

JaWiB
Messages
283
Reaction score
0
This is my first post, so I apologize if any formatting is off or if I'm not clear enough.

Homework Statement



A ride in an amusement park consists of a rotating arm AB having a constant angular velocity \omega_{AB}=2rad/s about point A and a car mounted at the end of the arm which has a constant angular velocity \omega'={-.5k}rad/s, measured relative to the arm. At the instant shown, determine the velocity and acceleration of the passenger at C.

Since I don't have a scanner handy, I'm attaching my paint replication of the figure.

For now, I'm just looking at solving for velocity, and I think I'll be able to find acceleration if I can figure that part out.

Homework Equations



I'm using the kinematic equations derived in the book for a rotating and translating reference frame x,y. Using the point B in the figure as the origin for these axes, and the point A in the figure for a fixed reference frame X,Y, we have:

\vec{V_{C}} = \vec{V_{B}} + \vec{\omega_{BC}}\times\vec{r_{C/B}}+(\vec{V_{C/B}})_{xy}

The Attempt at a Solution



This didn't seem too complicated to me, but I can't get the same answer that the book does. First of all, I think that the (\vec{V_{C/B}})_{xy} term should be zero since C is fixed to B (it's not moving with respect to the x,y axes).

\vec{V_{B}} should be equal to the angular velocity of the AB arm crossed with it's radius (2 rad/s * 10 ft tangent to the arm) which ends up as { -20icos(60) + 20jsin(60) } ft/s = { -10i + 10\sqrt{3}j } ft/s

Then {\omega_{BC}}\times\vec{r_{C/B}} is completely in the negative X direction at .5 rad/s * 2 ft which is just { -1i } ft/s

Finally, my answer is the sum of those two vectors: { -11i + 10\sqrt{3}j } ft/s

The answer the book gives, however, is { -7i + 17.3j } ft/s. So the Y component of my answer is correct, but somehow my X component's magnitude is too great. What am I missing?


Hopefully my figure is clear enough. C is attached 2ft from the center of the clockwise rotating disk B, which is in turn attached to a 10ft arm which is rotating anti-clockwise about A. The X and Y axes given are horizontal and vertical.
 

Attachments

  • rotating_ride.JPG
    rotating_ride.JPG
    10.4 KB · Views: 723
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
If anyone's interested, the trick is that \omega' is measured relative to the arm, so the correct value of \omega_{BC} is (\omega_{AB}-\omega')
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
1K
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
758
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
1K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
11
Views
4K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Replies
38
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
15
Views
3K