Physics Laboratory Manual _ Loyd LABORATORY

Moment of Inertia and Rotational Motion

OBJECTIVES

o Investigate the dependence of angular acceleration of a cylinder on applied torque r. o Determine the moment of inertia I of the cylinder from the slope of applied torque versus
IX 'i

angular acceleration IX and compare the experimental value with a theoretical calculation of the moment of inertia.

EQUIPMENT LIST
Rotational inertia apparatus (wheel and axle with hub and tripping platform) Meter stick, string, mass holder, slotted masses, timer, laboratory balance, vernier calipers, and large calipers

THEORY
For linear motion, Newton's second law F =ma describes the relationship between the applied force F, the mass m of an object, and its acceleration a. Force is the cause of the acceleration, and mass is a measure of the tendency of an object to resist a change in its linear translational motion. For rotational motion of some object about a fixed axis, an equivalent description for the relationship between the applied torque r, the moment of inertia I, and the angular acceleration IX of the object is given by 'i = IIX (Eq. 1)