Review Problem: A rider in a “barrel of fun”

finds herself stuck with her back to the wall.

Which diagram correctly shows the forces
acting on her?
 Sample Review Problem

An engineer wishes to design a curved exit ramp for a toll road in such a
way that a car will not have to rely on friction to round the curve without
skidding. She does so by banking the road in such a way that the force
causing the centripetal acceleration will be supplied by the component of
the normal force toward the center of the circular path. Find the angle at
which the curve should be banked if a typical car rounds it at a 50.0-m
radius and a speed of 13.4 m/s.
Rotational Equilibrium
and
Rotational Dynamics
 Torque
► Consider force required to close to hinge
open door. Is it easier to
open the door by
pushing/pulling away from
away from
hinge or close to hinge? hinge

Farther from
hinge, larger
rotational
effect!

Physics concept: torque

 Torque

► Torque, , is the tendency of a force

to rotate an object about some axis
Door example:

  Fd
  is the torque
 d is the lever arm (or moment arm)
 F is the force
 Lever Arm
► The lever arm, d, is the
shortest (perpendicular)
distance from the axis of
rotation to a line drawn
along the the direction of
the force

 d = L sin Φ

► It is not necessarily the

distance between the axis
of rotation and point
where the force is applied
 Direction of Torque

► Torque is a vector quantity Direction of torque:

out of page
 The direction is perpendicular
to the plane determined by
the lever arm and the force
 Direction and sign:
 If the turning tendency of the
force is counterclockwise, the
torque will be positive
 If the turning tendency is
clockwise, the torque will be Units
negative SI Newton meter (Nm)
US Customary Foot pound (ft lb)
 An Alternative Look at Torque

► The force could also be

resolved into its x- and y-
components
 The x-component, F cos Φ,
produces 0 torque
 The y-component, F sin Φ,
produces a non-zero torque

  LF sin  L

F is the force
L is the distance along the object
Φ is the angle between force and object
 Question 1
You are trying to open a door that is stuck by pulling on the
doorknob in a direction perpendicular to the door. If you
instead tie a rope to the doorknob and then pull with the
same force, is the torque you exert increased? Will it be easier
to open the door?

1. No
2. Yes
 Question 1
You are trying to open a door that is stuck by pulling on the
doorknob in a direction perpendicular to the door. If you
instead tie a rope to the doorknob and then pull with the
same force, is the torque you exert increased? Will it be easier
to open the door?

1. No
2. Yes
 Question 2
You are using a wrench and trying to loosen a rusty nut.
Which of the arrangements shown is most effective in
loosening the nut? List in order of descending efficiency the
following arrangements:

2, 1, 4, 3
or
2, 4, 1, 3
What if two or more different forces
act on lever arm?
 Net Torque
► Thenet torque is the sum of all the torques
produced by all the forces

 Remember to account for the direction of the

tendency for rotation
►Counterclockwise torques are positive
►Clockwise torques are negative
 Example 1: N

Determine the net torque: 4m 2m

Given:

weights: w1= 500 N

w2 = 800 N 500 N 800 N
lever arms: d1=4 m
d2=2 m 1. Draw all applicable forces
2. Consider CCW rotation to be positive
Find:

 = ?   (500 N )(4 m)  ()(800 N )(2 m)

 2000 N  m  1600 N  m
 400 N  m 

Rotation would be CCW

Where would the 500 N person have to
be relative to fulcrum for zero torque?
 Example 2: N’ y

d2 m 2m

Given:

weights: w1= 500 N

w2 = 800 N 500 N 800 N
lever arms: d1=4 m
 = 0 1. Draw all applicable forces and moment arms

Find:  RHS   (800 N )(2 m)

 LHS  (500 N )( d 2 m)
d2 = ?
800  2 [ N  m]  500  d 2 [ N  m]  0  d 2  3.2 m 

According to our understanding of torque there

would be no rotation and no motion!

What does it say about acceleration and force?

 F (500 N )  N '(800 N )  0
i

Thus, according to 2nd Newton’s law F=0 and a=0! N '  1300 N
 Torque and Equilibrium
► First Condition of Equilibrium
► The net external force must be zero

F  0
Fx  0 and Fy  0
 This is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to
ensure that an object is in complete mechanical
equilibrium
 This is a statement of translational equilibrium
► Second Condition of Equilibrium
► The net external torque must be zero

  0
► This is a statement of rotational equilibrium
 Axis of Rotation

► So far we have chosen obvious axis of rotation

► If the object is in equilibrium, it does not
matter where you put the axis of rotation for
calculating the net torque
 The location of the axis of rotation is completely
arbitrary
 Often the nature of the problem will suggest a
convenient location for the axis
 When solving a problem, you must specify an axis
of rotation
► Once you have chosen an axis, you must maintain that
choice consistently throughout the problem
 Center of Gravity
► The force of gravity acting on an object
must be considered
► In finding the torque produced by the force
of gravity, all of the weight of the object can
be considered to be concentrated at one
point
 Calculating the Center of Gravity

1. The object is divided up into a large number

of very small particles of weight (mg)
2. Each particle will have a set of coordinates
indicating its location (x,y)
3. The torque produced by each particle about
the axis of rotation is equal to its weight
times its lever arm
4. We wish to locate the point of application of
the single force , whose magnitude is equal
to the weight of the object, and whose effect
on the rotation is the same as all the
individual particles.
► This point is called the center of gravity of
the object
 Coordinates of the Center of
Gravity
► The coordinates of the center of gravity can be
found from the sum of the torques acting on the
individual particles being set equal to the torque
produced by the weight of the object

mi xi mi yi
xcg  and ycg 
mi mi
► The center of gravity of a homogenous, symmetric
body must lie on the axis of symmetry.
► Often, the center of gravity of such an object is the
geometric center of the object.
 Example: Find center of gravity of the following system:

Given:

masses: m1= 5.00 kg

m2 = 2.00 kg
m3 = 4.00 kg
lever arms: d1=0.500 m
d2=1.00 m
xcg 
m x
i i

m1 x1  m2 x2  m3 x3
m i m1  m2  m3
Find:
5.00 kg (0.500 m)  2.00 kg (0 m)  4.00 kg (1.00 m)

Center of gravity 11 .0 kg
 0.136 m


 Experimentally Determining the
Center of Gravity
► The wrench is hung freely from
two different pivots
► The intersection of the lines
indicates the center of gravity
► A rigid object can be balanced by
a single force equal in magnitude
to its weight as long as the force
is acting upward through the
object’s center of gravity
 Equilibrium, once again
►A zero net torque does not mean the
absence of rotational motion
 An object that rotates at uniform angular
velocity can be under the influence of a zero net
torque
►This is analogous to the translational situation where
a zero net force does not mean the object is not in
motion
 Example of a
Free Body Diagram
► Isolatethe object to
be analyzed

► Draw the free body

diagram for that object
 Include all the external
forces acting on the
object
 Example
Suppose that you placed a 10 m ladder
(which weights 100 N) against the wall
at the angle of 30°. What are the forces
acting on it and when would it be in
equilibrium?
 Example:

Given: mg

weights: w1= 100 N
length: l=10 m
angle: =30°
 = 0
1. Draw all applicable forces
2. Choose axis of rotation at bottom corner ( of f and n are 0!)
Find:
Torques:
L Forces:
f= ?
   mg cos 30  PL sin 30  0
 

n=? 2 F x f  P  0
P=? f  86.6 N
1 1
0  100 N   0.866  P 1  F n  mg  0
2 2
y

n  100 N 
P  86.6 N
f 86.6 N
Note: f = s n, so s    0.866
n 100 N
So far: net torque was zero.
What if it is not?
Torque and Angular Acceleration

► When a rigid object is

subject to a net torque
(≠0), it undergoes an
angular acceleration
► The angular acceleration
is directly proportional to
the net torque
 The relationship is
analogous to ∑F = ma
► Newton’s Second Law
Torque and Angular Acceleration

Ft  mat , multiply by r
Ft r   mat  r
tangential acceleration :
at  r , so

Ft r  mr 2

torque  dependent upon object and axis

of rotation. Called moment of

  I
inertia I. Units: kg m2

2
I  mi ri The angular acceleration is inversely proportional
to the analogy of the mass in a rotating system
Example: Moment of Inertia of a
Uniform Ring
► Image the hoop is divided
into a number of small
segments, m1 …
► These segments are
equidistant from the axis

I  mi ri  MR
2 2
Other Moments of Inertia
 Newton’s Second Law for a
Rotating Object
► The angular acceleration is directly proportional to the net torque
► The angular acceleration is inversely proportional to the moment of
inertia of the object

  I
There is a major difference between moment of inertia and mass:
► The moment of inertia depends on the quantity of matter and its
distribution in the rigid object.
► The moment of inertia also depends upon the location of the axis
of rotation
Example:
Consider a flywheel (cylinder pulley) of mass M=5 kg and
radius R=0.2 m and weight of 9.8 N hanging from rope
wrapped around flywheel.

What are forces acting on flywheel and weight? Find

acceleration of the weight.

mg
 1
N I MR 2  0.10 kg  m 2
Example: 2

Mg T
Given:

masses: M = 5 kg
weight: w = 9.8 N mg
radius: R=0.2 m
1. Draw all applicable forces
Find:
Forces: Torques:
Forces=?
 F mg  T  ma   T  R  I 
T R
need T ! 
I
Tangential acceleration at the edge of flywheel (a=a t):

at  R or a t 
TR 2  F mg  T  ma
I mg   2.5 kg  at  ma
or
mg 9.8 N
I
T  2 at 
0.10 kg  m 2
a   2.5 kg  at
a 
 m  2.5 kg  3.5 kg
 2.8 m s 2 
R  0.2 m 2 t
 Question 3
A force F is applied to a dumbbell for a time interval t, first
as in (a) and then as in (b). In which case does the dumbbell
acquire the greater center-of-mass speed?

1. (a)
2. (b)
3. no difference
4. The answer depends on the
rotational inertia of the dumbbell.
 Question 3
A force F is applied to a dumbbell for a time interval t, first
as in (a) and then as in (b). In which case does the dumbbell
acquire the greater center-of-mass speed?

1. (a)
2. (b)
3. no difference
4. The answer depends on the
rotational inertia of the dumbbell.

Force acts the same time: change of

momentum is the same. Thus CM speed is the
same as well.
Return to our example:
Consider a flywheel (cylinder pulley) of mass M=5 kg and
radius R=0.2 m with weight of 9.8 N hanging from rope
wrapped around flywheel. What are forces acting on
flywheel and weight? Find acceleration of the weight.

mg

If flywheel initially at rest and then begins to rotate, a

torque must be present:
  I 
   0 
 I , since    0   t
  t 

Define physical quantity:

change in ang. momentum L
I   angular momentum  L  
time interval t
 Angular Momentum

► Similarly to the relationship between force and momentum in a

linear system, we can show the relationship between torque
and angular momentum
► Angular momentum is defined as L = I ω
L p )
 (compare to F
t t
► If the net torque is zero, the angular momentum remains
constant
► Conservation of Linear Momentum states: The angular
momentum of a system is conserved when the net external
torque acting on the systems is zero.
 That is, when   0, Li  L f or I i i  I f  f
Return to our example once again:
Consider a flywheel (cylinder pulley) of mass M=5 kg and
radius R=0.2 m with weight of 9.8 N hanging from rope
wrapped around flywheel. What are forces acting on
flywheel and weight? Find acceleration of the weight.

mg

Each small part of the flywheel is moving with some

velocity. Therefore, each part and the flywheel as a
whole have kinetic energy!

mass pulley i 1 2
 KE pulley i 
2
v 2
pulley i
KE pulley 
2
I

1 1
Thus, total KE of the system: KEtot  I pulley 2  mv 2
2 2
Total Energy of Rotating System
► An object rotating about some axis with an angular
speed, ω, has rotational kinetic energy ½Iω2
► Energy concepts can be useful for simplifying the
analysis of rotational motion

► Conservation of Mechanical Energy

( KEt  KEr  PEg ) i  ( KEt  KEr  PEg ) f

 Remember, this is for conservative forces, no dissipative

forces such as friction can be present
 Question 4
A force F is applied to a dumbbell for a time interval t, first
as in (a) and then as in (b). In which case does the dumbbell
acquire the greater energy?

1. (a)
2. (b)
3. no difference
4. The answer depends on the
rotational inertia of the dumbbell.

Please fill your answer as question 36 of

General Purpose Answer Sheet
 Question 4
A force F is applied to a dumbbell for a time interval t, first
as in (a) and then as in (b). In which case does the dumbbell
acquire the greater energy?

1. (a)
2. (b)
3. no difference
4. The answer depends on the
rotational inertia of the dumbbell.

Since CM speeds are the same, translational

kinetic energies are the same. But (b) also
rotates, so it also has rotational energy.
 Note on problem solving:

► The same basic techniques that were used in linear

motion can be applied to rotational motion.
 Analogies: F becomes  , m becomes I and a becomes  , v
becomes ω and x becomes θ
► Techniques for conservation of energy are the same
as for linear systems, as long as you include the
rotational kinetic energy
► Problems involving angular momentum are essentially
the same technique as those with linear momentum
 The moment of inertia may change, leading to a change in
angular momentum