Kinematics of a spinning wheel
Let's put some of our rotational kinematics
into action by computing some properties of a
spinning wheel.
I'll bring one real bicycle wheel to the front
of the classroom and measure its radius.
radius of wheel R =
Now, I'll spin the wheel rapidly, and we'll measure the
time T for it to complete exactly 10 revolutions.
time to complete 10 rev T =
Now it's your turn to answer some questions.
- What is the angular displacement of the wheel
during this time?
- What is the average angular speed of the wheel?
- What is the average LINEAR speed of the outer rim of the wheel?
- How far did a piece of tape on the outer rim of the wheel
move during this time? There are two possible answers:
- What was the linear displacement from start to finish?
- What was the linear distance travelled along the journey?