Rotational Dynamics

Angular velocity and angular acceleration

 The angular displacement of a rotating wheel is the angle between the radius at the beginning
and the end of a given time interval. The SI units are radians.
π
 360° = 2π radians, therefore 1°= radians. To convert degrees to radians, we multiply the
180
π
degrees by the factor radians.
180
 The average angular velocity (ω, Greek letter omega), measured in radians per second, is

 The angular acceleration (α, Greek letter alpha) has the same form as the linear quantity

and is measured in radians/second2.

Moment of Inertia (Rotational Inertia)  I

 Moment of Inertia of a body, about a given axis, is defined as the sum of the products of the masses
of different particles constituting the body and the square of their distances from the axis of
rotation.
 It depends upon two factors,
i. Mass of body
ii. Distribution of mass about the axis of rotation
iii. Moment of inertia of a body should always be referred to as about a given axis, since it
depends upon distribution of mass about that axis.
iv. It does not depend upon the state of motion of rotating body. It is same whether the body is
at rest, rotating slowly or rotating fast about the given axis.

I =  ∑mr2
Angular Momentum

 Angular momentum is rotational momentum that is conserved in the same way that linear
momentum is conserved.
 For a rigid body, the angular momentum (L) is the product of the moment of inertia and the angular
velocity: L = Iω.
 For a point of mass, angular momentum can be expressed as the product of linear momentum and
the radius ( r): L = mvr.
 L is measured in units of kg.m2/s or more commonly J.s.
 The law of conservation of angular momentum can be stated that the angular momentum of a
system of objects is conserved if there is not external net torque acting on the system.
 Analogous to Newton's law (F = Δ( mv)/Δ t) there is a rotational counterpart for rotational
motion: t = Δ L/Δ t, or torque is the rate of change of angular momentum.
 Consider the example of a child who runs tangential to the edge of a playground merry‐go‐round
with a velocity v0 and jumps on while the merry‐go‐round is at rest.
 The only external forces are that of gravity and the contact forces provided by the support bearings,
neither of which causes a torque because they are not applied to cause a horizontal rotation.
 Treat the child's mass as a point of mass and the merry‐go‐round as a disc with a radius R and mass
M.
 From the conservation law, the total angular momentum of the child before the interaction is equal
to the total angular momentum of the child and merry‐go‐round after the collision: mrv 0 = mrv′ + Iω,
where r is the radial distance from the center of the merry‐go‐round to the place where the child
hits.
 If the child jumps on the edge, (r = R) and the angular velocity for the child after the collision can be
substituted for the linear velocity, mRv 0 = mR( Rω)+(1/2) MR2. If the values for the masses and the
initial velocity of the child are given, the final velocity of the child and merry‐go‐round can be
calculated.
 A single object may have a change in angular velocity due to the conservation of angular momentum
if the distribution of the mass of the rigid body is altered.
 For example, when a figure skater pulls in her extended arms, her moment of inertia will decrease,
causing an increase in angular velocity.
 According to the conservation of angular momentum, I 0(ω0 = If(ωf) where I0 is the moment of inertia
of the skater with arms extended, I f is her moment of inertia with her arms close to her body, ω 0 is
her original angular velocity, and ωf is her final angular velocity.

Torque

τ=r*F

= rFSinθ

τ = I * α where α is angular acceleration

1
 Kinetic energy, work, and power are defined in rotational terms as K. E. = Iω2, W= τave θ, P= τ ω.
2

Table 2: Equations of Linear and Rotational Motion

Perpendicular axes theorem

 It states that the moment of inertia of a plane lamina, about an axis perpendicular to the plane
lamina, is equal to the sum of the moments of inertia of the lamina about two mutually
perpendicular axes lying in the plane of lamina and intersecting each other at the point where the
perpendicular axis passes through the body.
Parallel Axis Theorem

 It states that moment of inertia of a body, about an axis, is equal to the sum of the moment of
inertia of the body about a parallel axis through its center of gravity and the product of the mass of
body and the square of the distance between the two axes.

I = Ig+Mh2

Here, Ig is the moment of inertia of the body about an axis through its center of gravity G.

Moments of Inertia for Various Shapes

 Radius of gyration about an axis,

Also read on motion on a frictional medium to be discussed later