Where did I go wrong? (Moment of Inertia)

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around a physics problem involving the calculation of the kinetic energy of a cam with an off-center hole. The original poster struggles with their calculations, particularly in determining the moment of inertia and the mass of the cam after the hole is drilled. They initially arrive at an incorrect kinetic energy result, which is later clarified through peer assistance, revealing errors in using the wrong mass for the moment of inertia of the disk and misapplying the parallel axis theorem. A participant also questions the need for a separate mass value for the disk, indicating potential misunderstandings of the problem's requirements. The thread concludes with a resolution of the initial confusion regarding the calculations.
Double A
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I have been working on this problem for the past 48 hours and out off all the ways I keep doing it I still get the wrong answer. Maybe someone can show me what I did wrong in the following calculations.

The Problem:

Many machines employ cams fro various purposes, such as opening and closing valves. In Figure P10.29 (Not shown here), the cam is a circular disk rotating on a shaft that does not pass through the center of the disk. In the manufacture of the cam, a uniform solid cylinder of radius R is first machined. Then an off-center hole of radius R/2 is drilled, parallel to the axis of the cylinder, and centered at a point a distance R/2 from the center of the cylinder. The cam, of mass M, is then slipped onto the circular shaft and welded into place. What is the kinetic energy of the cam when it is rotating with angular speed \omega about the axis of the shaft?

My closest answer:

To find the moment of inertia of the whole cylinder I have to find the total mass of the cylinder because M is the mass of the cam with the hole in it. So,
M_d = M - \frac{1}{4}M=\frac{3}{4}M
M_d=\frac{3}{4}M
M=\frac{4}{3}M_d

Now, the moment of inertia about the center of mass of the disk is
I_{CM_D} = \frac{1}{2}MR^2+MD^2
The parallel axis theorem is needed because the disk is rotating about an axis not at its center of mass.
I_{CM_D} = \frac{1}{2}(\frac{4}{3}M_d)R^2+(\frac{1}{4}M)(\frac{R}{2})^2 = \frac{35}{48}MR^2

The moment of inertia of the hole drilled into the cam is
I_{hole} = I_{CM} + MD^2 = \frac{1}{2}(\frac{M}{4})R^2+(\frac{M}{4})R^2= \frac{3}{16}MR^2

The total moment of inertia of the cam is
I_{total} = I_{disk} - I_{hole} = \frac{35}{48}MR^2 - \frac{3}{16}MR^2 = \frac{13}{24}MR^2

The equation for rotational kinetic energy is
K_R = \frac{1}{2}I\omega^2

So then the kinetic energy of the cam is
K_R = \frac{1}{2}(\frac{13}{24}MR^2)\omega^2 = \frac{13}{48}MR^2\omega^2

However, when I reference my answer with the true answer I am wrong. The true answer is
K_R = \frac{23}{48}MR^2\omega^2

I'm off by \frac{5}{24}. Some one please tell me where I went wrong.
 
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Double A said:
Now, the moment of inertia about the center of mass of the disk is
I_{CM_D} = \frac{1}{2}MR^2+MD^2
The parallel axis theorem is needed because the disk is rotating about an axis not at its center of mass.
I_{CM_D} = \frac{1}{2}(\frac{4}{3}M_d)R^2+(\frac{1}{4}M)(\frac{R}{2})^2 = \frac{35}{48}MR^2

I_{CM_D} = \frac{1}{2}MR^2+MD^2
I get
I_{CM_D} = M (\frac{1}{2}R^2+D^2)
I_{CM_D} = \frac{4}{3}M_d (\frac{R^2}{2}+\frac{R^2}{4})
I_{CM_D} = \frac{4}{3}M_d (\frac{3}{4}{R^2})
I_{CM_D} = M_d R^2

The hole is centered over the axis of rotation, so for the hole I get
I_{hole}=\frac{1}{2}M_{hole}R_{hole}^2=\frac{1}{24} M_d R^2
so that
I_{net}=\frac{23}{24} M_d R^2
from there the rest is pretty straightforward.
 
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Ohhh... So I was using the wrong mass when calculating for the moment of inertia for the disk and was applying the parallel axis theorem when calculating the moment of inertia of the hole were it was not necessary.

Thank you for your time and help.
 
How exactly are you getting I_{hole} = \frac{1}{24}M_dR^2 I'm not seeing how you got that from I_{hole} = \frac{1}{2}M_{hole}R_{hole}^2
 
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Double A said:
How exactly are you getting I_{hole} = \frac{1}{24}M_dR^2 I'm not seeing how you got that from I_{hole} = \frac{1}{2}M_{hole}R_{hole}^2

R_{hole}=\frac{1}{2} R
M_{hole}=\frac{1}{3} M_d
Remember that M_d is the mass of the cam with the hole cut out
so it's M_{hole}=\frac{1}{4}M=\frac{1}{4} (\frac{4}{3} M_d)=\frac{1}{3}M_d
plugging in the values:
\frac{1}{2}M_{hole}R_{hole}^2=\frac{1}{2} (\frac{1}{3}M_d) (\frac{1}{2} R)^2=\frac{1}{2} \times \frac{1}{4} \times \frac{1}{3} M_d R^2=\frac{1}{24} M_dR^2
 
Ok, thanks that clears everything up for me. Thank you for your assistance.
 
Hi all,
I'm currently working on this question too.(this thread is quite sometime back)
One thing I don't understand why do we have to define another value for mass of the disk(i understand that without doing so we can't arrive at the ans).
I mean it is stated in the qns that 'M' is the mass of the cam slipped & welded onto the shaft.
Is it due to my understanding of the question or a misconception of the concepts involved?

Thanks
Augustine
 
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