Oscillation and Moment of inertia

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the radius of a solid metal sphere in a pendulum system, given its mass, the mass of the rod, and the oscillation period. Participants are troubleshooting their equations for angular frequency and moment of inertia, with a focus on the correct distance from the center of mass to the pivot point. One user is struggling to reconcile their calculations with the professor's provided answer of 10.8 cm, while they are arriving at approximately 30 cm. There is a consensus that the equations used for moment of inertia and the center of mass distance need to be corrected, particularly regarding the mass of the rod in the calculations. The discussion highlights the importance of accurately applying physics equations in solving pendulum problems.
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Homework Statement



A pendulum is constructed of a solid metal sphere of
mass M = 4.00 kg, attached to a thin metal rod of mass
m = 1.00 kg and length L = 40.0 cm. The pivot point for
the pendulum is at the upper end of the thin rod. The
pendulum oscillates through a small angle with a period
of T = 1.40 s. Find the radius of the sphere.

Homework Equations



\omega^2=\frac{I}{mgd}\hspace{15pt}\omega=\frac{2\∏}{T}\\I=\frac{1}{3}M_{rod}L^2+\frac{2}{5}M_{sphere}R^2(L+R)^2Center of Mass=\frac{m_1d_1+m_2d_2...m_nd_n}{m_{total}}
For d I used the distance from the center of mass to the pivot point\frac{L}{2}+R

The Attempt at a Solution


I have filled in all known values leaving only R, then solved for R using the quadratic formula.
My professor gave use 10.8 cm as an answer. I am getting ~30cm. This should be straight forward right? Chug and Plug?
 
Last edited:
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Check your equations. Neither the one for the moment of inertia nor that for d (distance of CM from the pivot) are correct.

ehild
 
Okay so this is my final equation, but I'm still not getting it right. What am I doing wrong.
\omega^2=\frac{\frac{1}{3}L^2+\frac{2}{5}M_{sph}R^2+M_{sph}(L+R)^2}{M_{total}g(\frac{\frac{1}{2}LM_{rod}+RM_{sph}}{M_{total}})}
 
The CM is still wrong. How far is the centre of the sphere from the pivot?
The mass of the rod is missing in the numerator. ehild
 
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