Why Does a Rolling Disk Have No Translational Kinetic Energy?

AI Thread Summary
A rolling disk has no translational kinetic energy component because the contact point with the ground is instantaneously at rest, meaning the static friction does no work. The kinetic energy of the disk can be calculated using the moment of inertia about the ground rather than the center of mass, which effectively incorporates the translational component. This approach utilizes the parallel axis theorem, where the 'mr^2' term accounts for the translational kinetic energy. Thus, the disk's motion can be analyzed purely in terms of rotational kinetic energy. Both methods yield the same result, confirming the relationship between rotational and translational motion in rolling objects.
princejan7
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Homework Statement



http://postimg.org/image/m9wtlg5ah/

taking T1 for example
why does the disk have no translational kinetic energy component?

And why does the friction do no work?

Homework Equations



Kinetic energy of a rigid body in planar motion

T = ##\frac{1}{2}m{v_G}^2 + \frac{1}{2}I_G{w_B}^2##


The Attempt at a Solution

 
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princejan7 said:

Homework Statement



http://postimg.org/image/m9wtlg5ah/

taking T1 for example
why does the disk have no translational kinetic energy component?

And why does the friction do no work?

Homework Equations



Kinetic energy of a rigid body in planar motion

T = ##\frac{1}{2}m{v_G}^2 + \frac{1}{2}I_G{w_B}^2##


The Attempt at a Solution


Since the disc is not slipping, the friction force is static, not kinetic. Being static , the contact is always instantaneously at rest with respect to the ground, and since it doesn't move, the friction does no work.
Regarding translational KE, well, it exists for sure, but the solution chose to calculate the moment of inertia of the disc about the ground, not its mass center, and by so doing, it already encompasses the translational component of the KE
 
PhanthomJay said:
Since the disc is not slipping, the friction force is static, not kinetic. Being static , the contact is always instantaneously at rest with respect to the ground, and since it doesn't move, the friction does no work.
Regarding translational KE, well, it exists for sure, but the solution chose to calculate the moment of inertia of the disc about the ground, not its mass center, and by so doing, it already encompasses the translational component of the KE


thanks
could you explain why using ##I_q## encompasses the translational component of the KE
 
princejan7 said:
thanks
could you explain why using ##I_q## encompasses the translational component of the KE
The translational kinetic energy is encompassed in the 'mr^2' term of the parallel axis theorem. When using the contact point as the axis of rotation, recall that the instantaneous velocity of that point with respect to the surface is 0 , so in effect the object is considered rotating about that point in pure rotation. It is an alternate means of approaching the problem. Consider for example a rolling disk of mass m and radius r, rolling on a level surface without slipping. You can calculate its kinetic energy by summing the rotational KE through the center of mass and the translation KE of its center of mass, or you can use the parallel axis theorem to determine the rotational inertia about the contact point and calculate the KE as pure rotational KE without the translational KE (which is 0). You will get the same result either way.
 
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