Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo

Summary

10.1 Rotational Variables

  • The angular position θθ of a rotating body is the angle the body has rotated through in a fixed coordinate system, which serves as a frame of reference.
  • The angular velocity of a rotating body about a fixed axis is defined as ω(rad/s)ω(rad/s), the rotational rate of the body in radians per second. The instantaneous angular velocity of a rotating body ω=limΔt0ΔθΔt=dθdtω=limΔt0ΔθΔt=dθdt is the derivative with respect to time of the angular position θθ, found by taking the limit Δt0Δt0 in the average angular velocity ω=ΔθΔtω=ΔθΔt. The angular velocity relates vtvt to the tangential speed of a point on the rotating body through the relation vt=rωvt=rω, where r is the radius to the point and vtvt is the tangential speed at the given point.
  • The angular velocity ωω is found using the right-hand rule. If the fingers curl in the direction of rotation about a fixed axis, the thumb points in the direction of ωω (see Figure 10.5).
  • If the system’s angular velocity is not constant, then the system has an angular acceleration. The average angular acceleration over a given time interval is the change in angular velocity over this time interval, α=ΔωΔtα=ΔωΔt. The instantaneous angular acceleration is the time derivative of angular velocity, α=limΔt0ΔωΔt=dωdtα=limΔt0ΔωΔt=dωdt. The angular acceleration αα is found by locating the angular velocity. If a rotation rate of a rotating body is decreasing, the angular acceleration is in the opposite direction to ωω. If the rotation rate is increasing, the angular acceleration is in the same direction as ωω.
  • The tangential acceleration of a point at a radius from the axis of rotation is the angular acceleration times the radius to the point.

10.2 Rotation with Constant Angular Acceleration

  • The kinematics of rotational motion describes the relationships among rotation angle (angular position), angular velocity, angular acceleration, and time.
  • For a constant angular acceleration, the angular velocity varies linearly. Therefore, the average angular velocity is 1/2 the initial plus final angular velocity over a given time period:
    ω=ω0+ωf2.ω=ω0+ωf2.
  • We used a graphical analysis to find solutions to fixed-axis rotation with constant angular acceleration. From the relation ω=dθdtω=dθdt, we found that the area under an angular velocity-vs.-time curve gives the angular displacement, θfθ0=Δθ=t0tω(t)dtθfθ0=Δθ=t0tω(t)dt. The results of the graphical analysis were verified using the kinematic equations for constant angular acceleration. Similarly, since α=dωdtα=dωdt, the area under an angular acceleration-vs.-time graph gives the change in angular velocity: ωfω0=Δω=t0tα(t)dtωfω0=Δω=t0tα(t)dt.

10.3 Relating Angular and Translational Quantities

  • The linear kinematic equations have their rotational counterparts such that there is a mapping xθ,vω,aαxθ,vω,aα.
  • A system undergoing uniform circular motion has a constant angular velocity, but points at a distance r from the rotation axis have a linear centripetal acceleration.
  • A system undergoing nonuniform circular motion has an angular acceleration and therefore has both a linear centripetal and linear tangential acceleration at a point a distance r from the axis of rotation.
  • The total linear acceleration is the vector sum of the centripetal acceleration vector and the tangential acceleration vector. Since the centripetal and tangential acceleration vectors are perpendicular to each other for circular motion, the magnitude of the total linear acceleration is |a|=ac2+at2|a|=ac2+at2.

10.4 Moment of Inertia and Rotational Kinetic Energy

  • The rotational kinetic energy is the kinetic energy of rotation of a rotating rigid body or system of particles, and is given by K=12Iω2K=12Iω2, where I is the moment of inertia, or “rotational mass” of the rigid body or system of particles.
  • The moment of inertia for a system of point particles rotating about a fixed axis is I=jmjrj2I=jmjrj2, where mjmj is the mass of the point particle and rjrj is the distance of the point particle to the rotation axis. Because of the r2r2 term, the moment of inertia increases as the square of the distance to the fixed rotational axis. The moment of inertia is the rotational counterpart to the mass in linear motion.
  • In systems that are both rotating and translating, conservation of mechanical energy can be used if there are no nonconservative forces at work. The total mechanical energy is then conserved and is the sum of the rotational and translational kinetic energies, and the gravitational potential energy.

10.5 Calculating Moments of Inertia

  • Moments of inertia can be found by summing or integrating over every ‘piece of mass’ that makes up an object, multiplied by the square of the distance of each ‘piece of mass’ to the axis. In integral form the moment of inertia is I=r2dmI=r2dm.
  • Moment of inertia is larger when an object’s mass is farther from the axis of rotation.
  • It is possible to find the moment of inertia of an object about a new axis of rotation once it is known for a parallel axis. This is called the parallel axis theorem given by Iparallel-axis=Icenter of mass+md2Iparallel-axis=Icenter of mass+md2, where d is the distance from the initial axis to the parallel axis.
  • Moment of inertia for a compound object is simply the sum of the moments of inertia for each individual object that makes up the compound object.

10.6 Torque

  • The magnitude of a torque about a fixed axis is calculated by finding the lever arm to the point where the force is applied and using the relation |τ|=rF|τ|=rF, where rr is the perpendicular distance from the axis to the line upon which the force vector lies.
  • The sign of the torque is found using the right hand rule. If the page is the plane containing rr and FF, then r×Fr×F is out of the page for positive torques and into the page for negative torques.
  • The net torque can be found from summing the individual torques about a given axis.

10.7 Newton’s Second Law for Rotation

  • Newton’s second law for rotation, iτi=Iαiτi=Iα, says that the sum of the torques on a rotating system about a fixed axis equals the product of the moment of inertia and the angular acceleration. This is the rotational analog to Newton’s second law of linear motion.
  • In the vector form of Newton’s second law for rotation, the torque vector ττ is in the same direction as the angular acceleration αα. If the angular acceleration of a rotating system is positive, the torque on the system is also positive, and if the angular acceleration is negative, the torque is negative.

10.8 Work and Power for Rotational Motion

  • The incremental work dW in rotating a rigid body about a fixed axis is the sum of the torques about the axis times the incremental angle dθdθ.
  • The total work done to rotate a rigid body through an angle θθ about a fixed axis is the sum of the torques integrated over the angular displacement. If the torque is a constant as a function of θθ, then WAB=τ(θBθA)WAB=τ(θBθA).
  • The work-energy theorem relates the rotational work done to the change in rotational kinetic energy: WAB=KBKAWAB=KBKA where K=12Iω2.K=12Iω2.
  • The power delivered to a system that is rotating about a fixed axis is the torque times the angular velocity, P=τωP=τω.
Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/1-introduction
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/1-introduction
Citation information

© Jul 23, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.