RonL
Gold Member
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The flywheel gaining speed at impact is what I'm blocked at, if the speed is 100 rpm and at impact the effect is an increase of 10 rpm, so in the space of maybe one degree of rotation the wheel is now slowing from an elevated speed of 110 rpm.sophiecentaur said:First of all, have you actually observed this happening the way you describe?
If you examined what went on a bit more closely (slo mo camera) you would have seen the impact, in which the bat and the peg were in contact for a finite time. During the contact, there was some distortion of both, which temporarily stored some elastic potential energy. During contact, the batter could also have been pushing against the resistance of the peg. The flywheel would have gradually (over the contact time) accelerated and the bat would have slowed down. Once the contact ended there would be no further acceleration - if you assume the flywheel was rigid. If there were spokes involved the hub could accelerate after the contact time (catching up with the rim and the rim might have accelerated a bit as the peg straightened.
But, once contact had finished, there would be no more energy transferred to the wheel. There can have been no 'magic' store of energy; it must have all been in the strain of deformation of the bat and wheel.
It just has my brain a little twisted, but I'll see it eventually :)