What Is the Balancer's Torque on a Spinning Plank?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a balancer walking along a spinning plank that rotates around its center. The discussion focuses on the concepts of torque, angular momentum, and the implications of the balancer's movement on the system's dynamics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the torque exerted by the balancer, questioning whether it is zero due to the nature of the forces involved. They discuss the conservation of angular momentum as the balancer moves and its implications for the system's rotation rate.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants raising questions about the conservation laws and the effects of the balancer's movement on the plank's rotation. There is a focus on understanding the relationship between torque and angular momentum without reaching a consensus on the implications yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants are considering the assumptions regarding the forces acting on the balancer and the plank's mass, as well as the implications of these assumptions on the torque and angular momentum calculations.

Gabriel Maia
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Hi. The problem is the following:

We have a balancer initially at the end of a plank that spins around an axis at its center. The initial rotation period is T[itex]_{0}[/itex]. The balancer starts to walk with constant speed along the plank and we are asked to answer some questions about it.


a) What is the balancer's torque?

Since the force over the balancer is central it is consequently parallel to the radius and the torque is, therefore, zero. Right?


b) What are the angular momentum of the system (the balancer is to be trated as a point particle and the plank has momentum of inertia I=[itex]\frac{1}{12}[/itex]MD[itex]^{2}[/itex]) when the balancer reaches the center of the plank?

The angular momentum is given by [itex]\stackrel{\rightarrow}{L}[/itex]=[itex]\stackrel{\rightarrow}{r}[/itex]×[itex]\stackrel{\rightarrow}{p}[/itex]

where [itex]\stackrel{\rightarrow}{r}[/itex] is the vector connecting the position of the balancer to the axis of rotation. At the center of the plank r=0 so the total angular momentum is due exclusively to the plank. It is

L=I[itex]\omega[/itex]=[itex]\frac{1}{12}[/itex]MD[itex]^{2}[/itex][itex]\omega[/itex]

where [itex]\omega[/itex] is the angular velocity.

Right?

c) What is the rotation period in the iten b) situation?

We have that [itex]\omega[/itex]=2[itex]\pi[/itex]/T so

T=[itex]\frac{2\pi{I}}{L}[/itex]

I would like to express this independently of L but L is a function of T which cancels the other T. How can I determine it?

Thank you.
 
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Gabriel Maia said:
a) What is the balancer's torque?

Since the force over the balancer is central it is consequently parallel to the radius and the torque is, therefore, zero. Right?
As the balancer moves in, what should be conserved? What does that imply about the rate of rotation? Assuming the plank has mass, what does that imply about a torque on the plank?
 
The angular momentum should be conserved. As for the torque on the plank I would say that each element of the plank spins around the axis. So they are also subject to a central force and have torque zero.
 
Yes, the angular momentum is conserved. So what will happen to the balancer+plank system as the balancer moves closer to the axis?
 

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