Name: ____________________

Unit P1-08 – Rotational Dynamics

Lesson Notes

P1-08-1: Rotational Kinematics

Explain the difference between “translational motion” and “rotational motion”.

Give an example of an object that is only exhibiting translational motion.

Give an example of an object that is only exhibiting rotational motion.

Give an example of an object that is exhibiting both translational and rotational motion.

What is an axis of rotation? What is the axis of rotation of a door? What is the axis of rotation of your arm?

In the space below, explain in your own words what rotational displacement is. State its symbol and units.

Test Your Understanding: What do you think the greatest rotational displacement is that a door can have?
Explain why this is the greatest possible rotational displacement.

Test Your Understanding: How long does it take the Earth to experience a rotational displacement of /2
radians? Explain your reasoning.

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What is angular velocity? Explain what it is in your own words, state the symbol, units, and a basic equation in
terms of angular displacement and time.

What is the basic equation for angular velocity in terms of period? In terms of frequency?

What is rotational acceleration? Explain what it is in your own words, state the symbol, units, and a basic
equation.

Each diagram shows three letters. Under each diagram, write the correct equation that relates the three letters.

When an object rotates an angle  When an object’s rate of rotation is  When an object’s rate of rotation increases by 
radians, the object travels a length radians/second, the object’s speed is v rad/sec every second, the object’s speed increases
 meters. meters/ second. aT m/s every second.

Equation: Equation: Equation:

The table below lists the four equations for translational kinematics. Write the four corresponding equations for
rotational kinematics to complete the table.

TRANSLATIONAL  ROTATIONAL
Constant Angular
Constant Velocity x = vt + x0  Velocity
v = at + v0 
Constant Angular
Constant Acceleration
x = 12 at 2 + v0 t + x0  Acceleration
v 2 = 2ax + v0 
2

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Test Your Understanding: An object connected to a wheel falls, causing the wheel to accelerate from rest
with an angular acceleration of 4 rad/s2. The object reaches the floor in 5 seconds. After landing on the floor,
the wheel slows down with constant angular acceleration, coming to rest in another 10 seconds.

Test Your Understanding: A rotating object initially has angular speed 25 rad/s. At time t = 0, a brake is
applied to the object, causing its rotation to decrease to 15 rad/s over 5 seconds. The brake is removed, and the
object rotates with constant angular speed for another 5 seconds.

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P1-08-2: Torque and Rotational Statics

Explain what torque is.

State the equation for the torque  provided by a force F applied a distance r from the axis of rotation.

Is it possible for a force to be applied, but no torque result? Explain how.

Is it possible for a torque to be applied to an object without the presence of an applied force? Explain.

Name a tool that best demonstrates the principle of torque. Explain how the tool is used to get more torque.

Explain how an extended body diagram is different from a free-body diagram.

The force of gravity actually acts on every atom in an object. But rather than draw many arrows for each
gravity force, we draw a single arrow for the total gravity force on an object acting at what point in the object?

A baseball bat lies on a table. Give a brief procedure that could be followed to determine the location of the
bat’s center of mass.

What is static equilibrium? Explain in words and as simply as possible what the conditions of equilibrium are.

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“Walk The Plank” Activity: Consider a wooden plank
set so that part of its length hangs over the edge of a
building as shown. If a person walks out onto the
plank, the plank may tip over and the person will fall.
You will model this situation using a meterstick in
place of the plank, and a mass in place of the person.

Mass of the “Plank”: __________ Mass of the “Person”: __________ Pivot point of the “Plank”: _____ m

(a) On the diagram, draw the forces acting on the plank for the instant when the plank barely begins to tip over.
Also label the plank’s axis of rotation.

(b) Write a balanced-torques equation for the instant that the plank barely begins to tip over. Your equation
should include a variable that represents where the person is when the plank begins to tip.

(c) Solve your equation to find the location where the person should stand in order to begin to tip over the
plank. Test your prediction with the given meterstick and mass.

“Bridge Support” Activity: Consider a bridge with

two supports. An object rests on the bridge
somewhere that is off-center. You are to determine
the force that each support exerts on the bridge. You
will model this situation with a meter-long piece of
wood and a known mass.

Mass of the “Bridge”: __________ Mass of the “Object”: __________ “Object” is ______ m from left end

(a) On the diagram, draw the forces acting on the bridge. Let F1 and F2 be the force of the supports.

(b) Choose one of the supports to be the axis of rotation, and then write a balanced-torques equation. Also
write a second equation which is a balanced-forces equation.

(c) Solve your equations to find the force of each support F1 and F2. Use two scales to test your prediction.

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Friction of a Physics Stand Activity:

The ultimate goal of this activity is to measure the coefficient of

static friction between a physics stand and the table. You will do
this by exerting a horizontal force at different heights on the
physics stand pole. You are to determine y, the lowest height at
which you can apply force and cause the physics stand to tip (and
not slide). Also determine h, the height of the stand’s center of
mass. When the physics stand tips, it rotates about point P. You
are also to determine x, the horizontal distance between the base
of the physics stand pole and the point P.

x = __________ y = __________ h = __________

(a) The force F that you exert is shown in the diagram. Draw the
other three forces acting on the physics stand when it just
barely begins to tip. Label each force vector. Each force
vector should emerge at the point where the force is applied.
Assume that the mass of the entire physics stand is M.

(b) Write four equations that relate the forces that you drew in the diagram.

Basic Equation for Equation Relating the Equation Relating the Equation Relating the Torques
Frictional Force Horizontal Forces Vertical Forces about Point P

(c) Solve the equations to determine the numerical value of , the coefficient of static friction between the
physics stand and the table.

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P1-08-3: Rotational Inertia

Explain as simply as possible what rotational inertia is.

What does the rotational inertia of an object depend on?

Write the basic equation for rotational inertia and explain what the symbols mean.

Test Your Understanding: Which would have a higher k constant: A cylinder or a sphere? Explain.

Test Your Understanding: Two carts have equal mass and are set on the same incline starting at the same
height. Cart 1 has a light body but heavy wheels. Cart 2 has a heavy body but light wheels. Which cart will
reach the bottom first if both are released from rest at the same time?

Test Your Understanding: You are given a cart, a ring, and a cylinder, all having the same mass. The cart has
light wheels on frictionless bearings. The cylinder has its mass evenly distributed throughout it, and the ring’s
mass is all on the outer rim. If all three are set on the same incline and released from rest, which will reach the
bottom first? Last?

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Test Your Understanding, and Try It At Home: Try spinning a hard-boiled egg. It spins very easily! Now
try spinning a raw egg. It doesn’t spin easily. Explain why. Don’t be afraid to go to the Internet for help.

Test Your Understanding: A pulley wheel is made from a hoop of mass M and
radius R (left diagram), where a mass m hangs initially at rest. Another pulley
wheel is made from a disk with the same mass and radius, and has an identical mass
hanging at rest from it (right diagram).

(a) Which block would reach the floor first? Explain why.

(b) Which rope would have greater tension? Explain why.

P1-08-4: Rotational Dynamics

Is a torque required to be present for an object to rotate? (Careful!!!)

Write out Newton’s First Law for Translation. Then write out Newton’s First Law for Rotation. Both of these
are sentences.

Write out Newton’s Second Law for Translation. Then write out Newton’s Second Law for Rotation. Both of
these are equations.

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What do you think Newton’s Third Law for Rotation States?

Test Your Understanding: An astronaut in space is at rest and has a horizontal bar placed at rest in front of
her. The astronaut can exert two distinct forces on the bar (one for each hand). Each of the cases below shows
a diagram of the bar set against a grid; the center of mass of the bar is indicated with a dot. For each case, draw
two arrows (one for each force) extending from the bar representing forces that the astronaut can exert on the
bar in order to accomplish the goal of that case. Use the grid to draw longer arrows for stronger forces.

Ex: The bar’s center of mass 1. The bar’s center of mass 2. The bar’s center of mass
moves up-right and the bar rotates remains at rest and the bar accelerates upward and the
clockwise. does not rotate. bar does not rotate.

3. The bar’s center of mass 4. The bar’s center of mass 5. The bar’s center of mass
remains at rest and the bar accelerates downward and the accelerates to the right and
rotates clockwise. bar rotates counterclockwise. the bar rotates clockwise.

Test Your Understanding:

Consider an object rolling without
slipping up an incline, then down
the incline again. Draw the forces
acting on the object as it rolls in
both directions. Let each force
arrow start at the point where the
force is applied.
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Explain in terms of torque why you drew the friction the way you did in the diagram where the object is rolling
down the incline.

Explain in terms of torque why you drew the friction the way you did in the diagram where the object is rolling
up the incline.

Test Your Understanding: Consider two objects: Object 1 has high rotational inertia, and Object 2 has low
rotational inertia. Both have equal mass and radius.

(a) If both objects were set at rest at the top of the same incline, which would reach the bottom first? Which
would have greater friction acting on it? Explain your answer to both.

(b) If both were sent at equal linear speeds toward an incline, which would travel farther up the incline before
stopping? Explain why this happens in terms of the friction force acting on both objects.

Example: A wheel that initially rotates with

angular speed 0 is dropped onto the floor
(coefficient of friction ) so that its initial
translational speed is v = 0 at time t = 0.
Between t = 0 and t = T, the wheel slips on
the surface and the angular speed decreases
while the linear speed increases. At time
t = T, the final angular and linear speeds are
f and vf, and the wheel no longer slips.

(a) On the diagram to the right that represents the wheel, draw and label
forces acting on the wheel during the time interval 0 < t < T. Each force
should be a distinct arrow that emerges from the point at which the force is
applied.

(b) Use the forces in your diagram to explain why the rotational speed
decreases and the linear speed increases.

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Yo-Yo Activity:

A yo-yo of mass m has two radii: the radius of the inner axle of the yo-
yo is r, and the radius of the outer shell of the yo-yo is R. The yo-yo is
released from rest, causing it to fall and unroll with an acceleration a.

(a) Draw all forces acting on the yo-yo. Draw the forces at the point
where the force is applied.

Data: Mass of Yo-yo: __________ Inner Radius: __________ Outer Radius: __________

(b) Briefly describe a procedure that would allow you to measure the acceleration of the falling yo-yo. Explain
what you measure, how, and (citing equations) how you use your measurements to find the acceleration.

(c) Show the data you took from your procedure and show the work you do to find the acceleration of the yo-
yo.

(d) Write two Newton’s Second Law equations: one for translation and one for rotation.

Newton’s Second Law for Translation: Newton’s Second Law for Rotation:

(e) Solve your equations simultaneously to find the rotational inertia of the yo-yo.

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Falling Meterstick Activity:

A meterstick is set so that 99 cm of its length is over

the edge of a table as shown. The meterstick is
released from rest initially horizontal. The
meterstick’s mass is M and its length is L. The
meterstick’s rotational inertia is ML2/3 if it is pivoted
about the table.

(a) What is the net torque acting on (b) What is the angular acceleration (c) At what point on the meterstick
the meterstick in terms of M, L, of the meterstick in terms of g, is the linear acceleration equal
and g? Draw forces on the and L? to g?
above diagram.