Rotational Inertia: Solve for Acceleration of Suspended Masses

In summary, the question involves a pulley system with two suspended masses and a rotating pulley with a mass of .2kg and a radius of .015m. The pulley has a constant torque of .35Nm due to friction. The task is to find the magnitude of acceleration for the suspended masses, which have masses of .4kg and .8kg respectively. Using the equations for torque and rotational inertia, the angular acceleration is calculated to be 233.333 rad/s². To find the linear acceleration, the angular acceleration is divided by the radius of the pulley, resulting in a linear acceleration of 3.5 m/s². The next step is to find the net acceleration using Newton's laws and determine the
  • #1
annamae
5
0

Homework Statement


Two masses are suspended from a pulley system. The pulley itself has a mass of .2kg, a radius of .015m, and a constant torque of .35Nm due to friction between the rotating pulley and its axle. What is the magnitude of acceleration of the suspended masses if m1=.4kg and m2 = .8kg?


Homework Equations



Torque=I(rotational inertia) * angular acceleration
I= 1/2* m * r2


The Attempt at a Solution


T=I*a
.35= (.5)(.2)(.0152)(a)
233.333=angular acceleration

233.333/.015=3.5
3.5=linear acceleration

What do I do with the masses?
Is all that above work right?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
T = Ia is for T(total) you have just taken T due to friction
also use the T due to tension in strings ...

and for masses find net acceleration using newon's laws and find tension in 2 strings ... then apply T=Ia
 
  • #3
could you maybe explain that with a bit more detail, I am still not sure of what to do
 

What is rotational inertia?

Rotational inertia, also known as moment of inertia, is a property of a rotating object that describes its resistance to changes in rotational motion.

How is rotational inertia different from mass?

Rotational inertia is similar to mass in that it is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in motion. However, rotational inertia specifically refers to an object's resistance to changes in rotational motion, while mass refers to an object's resistance to changes in linear motion.

What is the equation for calculating rotational inertia?

The equation for calculating rotational inertia is I = mr^2, where I is the rotational inertia, m is the mass of the object, and r is the distance from the axis of rotation to the object.

How is rotational inertia related to acceleration of suspended masses?

The rotational inertia of a suspended mass is directly related to its acceleration. This means that the greater the rotational inertia, the slower the acceleration, and vice versa.

How can rotational inertia be used to solve for acceleration of suspended masses?

To solve for acceleration of suspended masses, we can use the equation τ = Iα, where τ is the torque applied to the object, I is the rotational inertia, and α is the angular acceleration. By rearranging this equation, we can solve for α and then use it to find the linear acceleration of the suspended masses.

Similar threads

  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
13
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
8
Views
8K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
310
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
30
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
13
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
17
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
1K
Back
Top