Solving for Speed & Acceleration of a Rock in a Tire

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the speed and acceleration of a rock embedded in a tire rotating at 180 revolutions per minute (rev/min) with a radius of 0.5 meters. The speed of the rock is determined to be 9.42 meters per second (m/s), calculated using the formula for linear speed based on the tire's circumference. The centripetal acceleration is calculated using the formula \( a = \frac{v^2}{r} \), confirming that while the tangential angular acceleration is zero, centripetal acceleration is present due to the tire's rotation.

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Jacob87411
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Just curious if this was the right way to do this problem.

A tire is going at 180 rev/min. There is a rock in the tire (on the outside) and the tire has a radius of .5 meters. What is the speed and acceleration of the rock?

180 rev/min = 3 rev / s
3 rev/s means its going 3 circumferences every second so that's 2(3.14)(.5) which is 3.14*3. So the rock is going 9.42 m/s for the speed. Then the acceleration is centripetal which is 9.42^2/.5?
 
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You are correct.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/rotq.html#rq

At a constant angular velocity, the tangential angular acceleration is zero, but there is still centripetal acceleration.

The rotational frequency, f, in rpm or rps is related to the angular frequency, [itex]\omega[/itex] = 2 [itex]\pi[/itex] f, and the period of rotation, T = 1/f.
 

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