I Torque and Rotational Kinetic Energy Relationship

AI Thread Summary
Calculating Kinetic Energy or Rotational Kinetic Energy requires more than just Power (kW), Torque (Nm), and Speed (RPM); it also necessitates knowing the moment of inertia of the object. Power represents the rate of energy transfer and does not indicate the total energy or angular momentum of the object. While torque and speed can be used to derive power, they do not provide sufficient information to determine kinetic energy without additional context. The relationship between these variables is complex, as different configurations can yield the same power and torque while having varying kinetic energy. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for accurate calculations in rotational dynamics.
alichoudhry57
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I am wondering if it is possible to calculate either the Kinetic Energy or Rotational Kinetic Energy of an object if we have the Power (kW), Torque (Nm), and Speed (RPM) of the object.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
alichoudhry57 said:
I am wondering if it is possible to calculate either the Kinetic Energy or Rotational Kinetic Energy of an object if we have the Power (kW), Torque (Nm), and Speed (RPM) of the object.
Depends, but probably not. Do we have a continuous function for those? Is there any more info you can provide on your scenario?
 
alichoudhry57 said:
I am wondering if it is possible to calculate either the Kinetic Energy or Rotational Kinetic Energy of an object if we have the Power (kW), Torque (Nm), and Speed (RPM) of the object.
Welcome @alichoudhry57 !
Objects can’t have those by themselves, as power refers to a transfer of energy, you need at least another object or substance receiving that energy.
Therefore, could you please clarify your reference to that object?
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes russ_watters and topsquark
alichoudhry57 said:
Power (kW), Torque (Nm), and Speed (RPM) of the object.
Power can be computed from torque and speed, so it is redundant.

Finding the kinetic energy requires knowing the speed, and the moment of inertia of the object.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_inertia
 
alichoudhry57 said:
I am wondering if it is possible to calculate either the Kinetic Energy or Rotational Kinetic Energy of an object if we have the Power (kW), Torque (Nm), and Speed (RPM) of the object.
Power tells you the rate at which energy is flowing through the object. It will not tell you how much energy or angular momentum the object contains. A drive shaft with an attached flywheel and a second drive shaft without can have the same power and torque passing through and can be rotating at the same rate. But the amount of kinetic energy and angular momentum that the two contain can be dramatically different.

If you have torque in Nm and rotation rate in RPM then you can get power in kilowatts. Indeed, given any two of the three, you can calculate the one you do not know.

For power, first convert RPM to radians per second (multiply by 0.104719755). Multiply torque in Nm by rotation rate in rad/s to get power in watts. Then divide by 1000 to get power in kilowatts.

Edit: scooped by @Baluncore on the power from torque and speed calculation.
 

Thread 'Average velocity as a weighted mean'

Hello everyone, Consider the problem in which a car is told to travel at 30 km/h for L kilometers and then at 60 km/h for another L kilometers. Next, you are asked to determine the average speed. My question is: although we know that the average speed in this case is the harmonic mean of the two speeds, is it also possible to state that the average speed over this 2L-kilometer stretch can be obtained as a weighted average of the two speeds? Best regards, DaTario
View full post »

Thread '1:1 versus 2:1 Mechanical Advantage debate'

The rope is tied into the person (the load of 200 pounds) and the rope goes up from the person to a fixed pulley and back down to his hands. He hauls the rope to suspend himself in the air. What is the mechanical advantage of the system? The person will indeed only have to lift half of his body weight (roughly 100 pounds) because he now lessened the load by that same amount. This APPEARS to be a 2:1 because he can hold himself with half the force, but my question is: is that mechanical...
View full post »
Thread 'Beam on an inclined plane'

Thread 'Beam on an inclined plane'

Hello! I have a question regarding a beam on an inclined plane. I was considering a beam resting on two supports attached to an inclined plane. I was almost sure that the lower support must be more loaded. My imagination about this problem is shown in the picture below. Here is how I wrote the condition of equilibrium forces: $$ \begin{cases} F_{g\parallel}=F_{t1}+F_{t2}, \\ F_{g\perp}=F_{r1}+F_{r2} \end{cases}. $$ On the other hand...
View full post »

Similar threads

I The proportion of kinetic energy of a rotating rigid body?
Replies
7
Views
1K
B The physics of flywheel launchers (like tennis ball shooters)
2
Replies
60
Views
4K
I How can we prove the kinetic energy equation
Replies
2
Views
1K
Confusion about tidal locking and rotational kinetic energy
Replies
3
Views
2K
Rotational Work versus Linear Work
Replies
14
Views
2K
Lagrangian mechanics - rotating rod
Replies
3
Views
2K
I Time dependence of kinetic energy in Lagrangian formulation
Replies
1
Views
1K
I Kinetic Energy derivation assumption?
Replies
11
Views
2K
Is the rotational KE of a rigid body considered as internal energy?
Replies
30
Views
3K
B About verification on Kinetic energy and work
Replies
16
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top