Tangential Speed and Acceleration

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving a disk with a specified radius and initial angular velocity, which experiences a constant angular acceleration. Participants are tasked with determining the tangential speed and tangential acceleration at a specific time.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to convert the initial angular velocity from revolutions per minute to radians per second and calculate the tangential speed. They express confusion about incorporating time into their calculations.
  • Some participants question whether the time variable should be included in the calculations for tangential speed and acceleration.
  • Others suggest that the negative sign in the acceleration may relate to the magnitude of the answer provided by the professor.
  • One participant discusses their approach to calculating the final tangential speed after considering the effects of angular acceleration over time.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing feedback and guidance on the calculations. There is a recognition of the need to clarify the role of time in the problem, and some participants are exploring different interpretations of the results. No explicit consensus has been reached regarding the correct approach to the problem.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of understanding how angular acceleration affects angular velocity over time, and there is mention of potential confusion regarding the signs of the calculated values.

TamoYamo
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Homework Statement


Hello, I am a relatively new member of this website and I wanted to get some help or feedback in helping me understand how to answer these questions. If my format is poor, I am sorry because I just don't know how to use this site that well yet. Anyhow thanks for looking.

A disk with a radius of 0.2 m is initially spinning counterclockwise at a rate of 45 revolutions per minute. At t = 0, a constant angular acceleration of −1.5 rad/s^2 is imparted onto the disk.
a) What is the tangential speed of a point on the outer edge of the disk at t = 2 s?
b) What is the tangential acceleration of a point on the outer edge of the disk at t = 2 s?


Homework Equations


ωr = v
a = αr

The Attempt at a Solution


Okay so I started with:[/B]
45 rpm = 45rpm* (2pi/1) = 282.743rad/m
then 282.743rad/m * (1/60 seconds) = 4.71 rad/s
Since I know the radius and angular velocity, I did
4.71rad/s * .2m = .94 m/s
According to the answer my professor gave me, the answer is .34m/s. Can someone please help me explain where I went wrong? Am I suppose to associate t =2 somewhere in my answer?

For the second part, I did something similar, except I used constant acceleration (-1.5/s^2) so it went
-1.5rad/s^2 * .2 = -0.3m/s^2 but the answer was .30m/s^2. Did I do this right?
 
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Welcome to PF! You did a great job in formatting your question.

Did you find the tangential speed at the instant of time that was asked?

Your answer for the tangential acceleration is correct. Perhaps the answer given is for the magnitude of the acceleration, so they did not specify it as negative.
 
Thanks for taking my question and I probably didn't do that. Am I suppose to use the time "t =2 " into the equation? I assumed I didn't use the right formula to find it at t= 2 which is where I got lost at.
By the way, thanks for checking my second answer.
 
TamoYamo said:
Am I suppose to use the time "t =2 " into the equation?

The angular acceleration indicates the rate at which the angular velocity is changing. So, in this problem the angular velocity is changing at a rate of -1.5 rad/s2. That is, the angular velocity is changing by -1.5 rad/s every second.
 
Hm, I got an answer that seems close, but I don't know if I am correct.
Since the disc decelerates over time, I did
vf = .94 (from the trangential speed) + (-.3 from the acceleration from (b)*2s from the time
.94-.6 = .34 m/s
Is this right?
 
Yes, that is correct. However, if you want to work part (a) without first working part (b), then try to find the angular velocity at t = 2 s by considering the fact that the angular velocity is decreasing at a rate of -1.5 rad/s each second.
 
Thanks! I appreciate the help! I hope you enjoy the holidays!
 

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