Acceleration and Moment of

Inertia

March 13, 2017

 Assignments
• Build a LabVIEW VI that reads the sensor outputs and writes the results to
a data file. The VI must be built in lab during the first week, and will be
checked during lab by the instructor
• Design an experiment to address the following four research questions:
– How does the mass of the falling weight affect the linear and angular
accelerations? At least 5 mass levels are required to illustrate the
relationship
– How does the moment of inertia of the disk affect the linear and
angular accelerations? At least 5 inertia levels are required to
illustrate the relationship
– Determine the tension in the string at each testing condition
– Verify the relationship a = r   at each testing condition
• Write a memo to describe your experimental procedures. It is due in the
second week lab session (March 20-25). Write a technical laboratory
report that describes your experiment and findings. The report is due on
April 3, 2017
 Linear and Angular Acceleration
• Rigid-body planar motion
• Rotation about a fixed axis
 Rigid-Body Planar Motion
When all the particles of a rigid-body move
along paths which are equidistant from a
fixed plane, the body is said to undergo
planar motion

Three types of planar motions:

1. Translation: rectilinear and curvilinear
2. Rotation about a fixed axis
3. General plane motion
 Planar Motion

rectilinear
curvilinear

Rotation about a fixed axis General plane motion

 Translation
y

Y’

B
rB
rB/A

rA A x

O’ X’
Rigid body
Reference plane
 Terms for Describing a Translation
• Position = r
rB = rA + rB/A

• Velocity = dr/dt

vB = vA + vB/A

• Acceleration = dv/dt=d2r/dt2

aB = aA
 Constant Linear Acceleration
v = vo + act
r = ro + vot + 1/2act2

(ac denotes Constant acceleration)

Substituting t = (v-v0)/ac into relationship for r:

v2 = vo2 + 2ac(r - ro)

ro and vo are the initial values of the body’s linear

position and linear velocity
Rotation about a Fixed Axis
Counter clockwise rotation

: angular velocity
: angular acceleration

r
d: angular increment

: angular position
Terms for Describing Rotation about a
Fixed Axis
• Angular position: is defined by the angle , measured
between a fixed reference line and r

• Angular displacement: the change in the angular

position d

• Angular velocity: =d/dt

=> dt = d/ 
• Angular acceleration: =d/dt=d2/dt2
Substituting dt = d/ , we get

• Differential equation: d=d

 Constant Angular Acceleration

 = o + ct c denotes
Constant
angular
acceleration
 = o + ot + 1/2ct2

2 = o2 + 2c( - o)

o and o are the initial values of the body’s

angular position and angular velocity
 Motion of Point P
• Position: defined by the position vector r

• Velocity
v = r
O
or v = rP r v
P
(vector cross product)
 Acceleration at Point P
• The acceleration of point P has two components: normal
and tangential
• at=dv/dt
• an=v2/r
• v=r
• =d/dt
a
at = r O
an =  2 r an at
P
a = at + an = r-2r
a  an2  at2
 Moment of Inertia
• What is the Moment of inertia
• Application to translational motion
• Application to rotational motion about a fixed
axis
 Tightrope Walker

The long rod with a large moment of inertia can resist the torque applied to it
by the walker to maintain balance.
 Definition of MOI
• Moment of inertia I is a measure of the
resistance of a body to angular
acceleration (M=I, moment)
• Analogous to Translational Motion where
mass is a measure of the body’s
resistance to linear acceleration (F=ma,
force)
 Mathematic Form of MOI
• Mathematically, moment of inertia I
z

I   r dm 2
r
m
dm
  r dV
2
m

   r dV 2 Integral of “2nd moment” about

an axis of all the elements of
m mass dm
Parallel-axis Theorem of MOI
y’

r dm
A y’
x’
G
m
d
x’ G: gravitational center
z
z’

I A   r 2 dm   [(d  x' ) 2  y '2 ]dm

m m

  ( x'2  y '2 )dm  2d  x' dm  d 2  dm

m m m

 I G  md 2 x’ = 0 b/c z’ is through center of mass

Perpendicular-axis Theorem of MI

I k  Ii  I j
i, j, k refer to MI about any three mutually perpendicular axes
 The Force of Translational Motion
• The sum of all the external forces acting on
the body is equal to the body’s mass times the
acceleration of its mass center G
F1
F4

 F  maG M2
P
G
W
M1

F3
F2
 Equations of Translational Motion
• Rectilinear translation Rectilinear
translation

 Fx  m(aG ) x
d
A

 F  m( a
maG
y )
G y
G
M  0 G

• Curvilinear translation Curvilinear

translation

 F  m( a )
n G n (maG)t

 F  m( a )
t G t
B
h
(maG)n
M  0
e G
G
Moment of Rotation about a Fixed Axis

• The sum of the moments of all the external

forces on the body’s mass center G is equal to
the product of the moment of inertia of the
body about a fixed axis passing through G and
the body’s angular acceleration

M G  IG
Rotational Motion about a Fixed Axis

F3
, 
 n
F2
F  m ( a )
G n  m 2
rG M=IG

 Ft  m(aG )t  mrG rG G
F4

 M G  IG O (maG)t
(maG)t

axis
F1
Scalar Moment of Inertia of a Single
Pendulum

I=mr2
 Scalar Moment of Inertia of a Single
Pendulum
• The torque  on the pendulum around the
pivot point
=(mr2)=I
• The angular momentum of the pendulum
M=(mr2)=I
• The kinetic energy of the pendulum
Ekin =1/2(mr2)2=1/2(I2)
Calculating MOI of Thin Rods

L
G

m=sl
 Calculating MOI of Discs

G R

t

t t

m=R2t
Calculating MOI of Solid Spheres

m=4/3R3
 Example-Acceleration
If a pulley A connected to the motor begins rotating from rest with an
angular acceleration of A= 2 rad/s2, determine the angular velocity and
acceleration of point P on the wheel , after wheel B has turned one
revolution. Assume the transmission belt does not slip on the pulley and
wheel.

0.15 m

A A=2 rad/s2

B 0.4 m

P
 Example-MOI
The drum shown has a mass of 60 kg and a radius of gyration
ko=0.25 m. A cord of negligible mass is wrapped around the
periphery of the drum and attached to a block having a mass
of 20 kg. If the block is released, determine the drum’s
angular acceleration.
60 kg
60 kgx9.81 N

A 0.4 m
Ox y
A O

Oy
T x

T a 20 kg

20 kgx9.81 N