Time for Revolution (Rotating about the Center of Mass)

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves two men of different masses rotating on a frictionless surface while connected by a rope. The scenario examines the effects of changing the distance between them on their rotational motion, specifically focusing on angular momentum and inertia.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply conservation of angular momentum and calculate moments of inertia for different configurations. They express confusion regarding unit conversions and the relationship between angular velocity and time for one revolution.

Discussion Status

Participants are providing feedback on the original poster's calculations and suggesting a review of arithmetic. There is a discussion about the importance of working symbolically rather than numerically until the final step. Some participants question the correctness of the book's answer, indicating a potential discrepancy.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of a specific answer provided in the book, which the original poster does not arrive at, leading to further questioning of the problem setup and calculations. The discussion includes considerations of unit conversions and the implications of using different rotational units.

Redfire66
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Homework Statement


Two men with masses 70 kg and 120 kg rotate at 1 rpm on a frictionless surface and are attached by a 15 m rope.
If they pull the rope so that only 10 m is between them when they rotate, how long does it take to make 1 revolution?

Homework Equations


Angular Momentum and Inertia

The Attempt at a Solution


So I found the center of masses for when the distances are 15 m apart and 10 m apart. I assume that angular momentum is conserved since there's nothing that really seems to affect it when I read it.
So L = L
Then Inertia = sum mr^2
Hence (m1r1^2 + m2r2^2)w1 = (m1r3^2 + m2r4^2)w2 where r1, r2, are distances from the center of mass for the 15 m, and r3 and r4 are the distances from the center of mass for the 10 m distance.
I1w1 = I2w2; I'm kind of confused by most of the radian conversions and such.
For what I got I1 = 9947.4kgm^2 and I2 = 4420.8kgm^2
Putting this together I got 9947(2pi rad/60s) = 4421(w2) then w2 = 2 .3rad/s. I assume I did something wrong, also I can't figure how I would convert it to 1 revolution, would I divide it by 2pi*r?
I did try it however it should be 40 seconds given as the answer in my book which I did not get
 
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Redfire66 said:
9947(2pi rad/60s) = 4421(w2) then w2 = 2 .3rad/s
Check your arithmetic.
Redfire66 said:
1 revolution, would I divide it by 2pi*r?
2π radians is one full circle. Multiplying by r gives you the length of the arc, or circumference.
 
Bystander said:
Check your arithmetic.

2π radians is one full circle. Multiplying by r gives you the length of the arc, or circumference.
Okay thanks I'll look into it.
Edit: yeah I actually meant 2pir/w instead. Mistyped
 
Redfire66 said:
I meant 2rpi/w. However that doesn't yield anything
It yields m/s, which you are not interested in for this problem. Pay attention to units.
Redfire66 said:
What do you mean by checking my arithmetic?
When I suggest that you check your arithmetic, it means you've made an error, and you should go through your work and find it.
 
It is always better, for a raft of reasons, to work entirely symbolically, only plugging in numbers as the final step.
In this case, it would have avoided the conversion to rad/s and back, which seems to have confused you. You could have worked with rpm throughout instead, but keeping it symbolic you don't care about units until the numbers are plugged in.
By the way, the book answer is wrong, as I expect you will discover.
 

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