“Your Kids Our Kids! “ ልጆችዎ ልጆቻችን ናቸው!

+251(0)116-607203 +251(0)911-469878 3628 www. Safari-academy.com Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2022/23 Academic Year Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

1.3 Rotational dynamics

Moment of inertia
An object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to remain moving in a
straight line. The resistance of an object to changes in its state of motion is called inertia. The
measure of inertia of a body is the mass of the body.
An object rotating about an axis tends to keep rotating about that axis. The resistance of an object
to changes in its rotational motion is called rotational inertia.
Moment of inertia is a measure of the distribution of the mass of a body in relation to its axis of
rotation. Moment of inertia is rotational equivalent of mass.
The moment of inertia of a body depends on:
 The mass of the body
 The size of the body
 The shape of the body
 which axis is being considered
The rotational inertia of an object is not necessarily a fixed quantity; not unique. It is greater
when the mass within the object is extended from the axis of rotation. Its SI unit is Kgm2.

Some moments of inertia

- A point mass m at a perpendicular distance r from its axis of rotation : I= mr2.
- A disc of mass m and radius r rotating bout its center: I=1/2 mr2.
- A solid sphere of mass m and radius r rotating on its axis: I=2/5 mr2.
- A hollow sphere: I=2/3 mr2.

Rotational kinetic energy of a body

Linear kinetic energy depends on mass and speed of the body. Rotational kinetic energy depends
on the mass (m), angular speed ( and the distribution of the mass of the rotating body (r), for
instance fly wheel.
For rotating objects, the linear speed (V) is greater on the outer edge of a rotating object than at
the center or the middle of the rotating object. On the other hand, all parts of a rotating body
have the same rate of rotation or angular speed ( .

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

Consider two wheels each of mass M, one is made in the form of uniform disc and the other
consists of a ring of the same radius R fixed to the axle by very light spokes rather like a bicycle
wheel. Both are spinning with the same angular velocity (

(a) Ring (bicycle wheel) (b) Disc

The mass of the bicycle wheel is concentrated at the rim of the wheel; whereas the mass of the
disc is evenly distributed.

Q. Which of the two wheels will rotate faster? Why?

The bicycle wheel, because the farther the particles from the axis of rotation the faster its speed
will be.

The bicycle wheel has an angular speed ( , and since the whole mass is going in a circle of
radius R, all of its particles are travelling at the same linear speed V=R The total kinetic
energy of the bicycle wheel is:

+ +

Because

The total kinetic energy of the disc is the sum of every particle in it.

+ But

Where … are the masses of particles for radii respectively

Therefore, for the bicycle wheel:

, which is constant. But for the uniform disc:

NB: -angular velocity is constant for both cases i.e. for the bicycle wheel and the disc.
Therefore, the bicycle wheel has greater rotational kinetic energy than the disc of the same mass
and radius.
For an object that performs pure rotation about a fixed axis, the kinetic energy of the rotation is
given by:

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

 Where, I represent moment of inertia, which varies according to the type of
object being rotated.

Exercise
1. Calculate the moment of inertia of:
A. A point mass of 0.6Kg at a perpendicular distance of 1.2m from its axis of rotation.
B. A 1.5Kg disc of radius 90cm rotating about its center.
C. A solid sphere of mass 1.4Kg and radius 0.5m rotating about its center.
2. A rotating body with a moment of inertia of 9Kgm2 has an angular speed of 5rad/s. What is
its rotational kinetic energy?

Torque
Torque is the rotational counterpart of force. Force tends to change the motion of things; torque
tends to twist or change the state of rotation of things.
If you want to make a stationary object move, apply force. If you want to make a stationary
object rotate, apply torque.
Torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object around its axis of rotation. A torque is a
turning effect.
Torque = Force × Perpendicular distance

Symbolically,

Where, r is the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation to the point of action of the force
and is the angle that F makes with r
The SI unit of torque is Nm. It is not the same as Joule (J).
Torque is a vector physical quantity. Its direction may be either clockwise or anticlockwise. Both
torque and moment of inertia involve distance from axis of rotation.
Look at in the figure below how torque is calculated in each of the following cases.
r Pivot (axis of rotation)

F F
(a) P

(b)
For a mass attached to a light rod and whirled around a circular path of radius r, torque can be
calculated as follows.
(

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

 Where, is tangential force

The work done by torque is given by:

because

Exercise
1. Show that the following systems are in rotational equilibrium or not.
3.5m

a. b.
4m 1.2m 5m 4.5m
180N P 30N
600N 700N 800N

2. A force of 40N is acting at an angle of 37 to the surface as shown in the figure. What is the
torque of the force about the origin?
3m
37

Axis of rotation F= 40N

3. Find the work done when a torque of 17Nm moves through an angle of 1.5π radians.

Angular momentum
Rotating objects keep rotating until something stops them. All moving objects have “inertia of
motion” or momentum; the product of mass and velocity. This kind of momentum is linear
momentum. It is given by:
P = mV
Similarly, the “inertia of rotation” of rotating objects is called angular momentum.
L = Iω

Law of conservation of angular momentum

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

The effect of an unbalanced force on a body is to cause its momentum to change i.e. F = ma. The
effect of an unbalanced torque on a body that can rotate is to cause its angular momentum to
change i.e. τ = I
Just as linear momentum is conserved in the absence of force, so is the angular momentum in the
absence of torque.

Let us consider a spinning skater. When a skater stretches his hands and whirls his arms, moment
of inertia (I) is greater and when he pulls his arms (the weight inward) moment of inertia (I)
decreases and angular speed ( ) increases.

Relationship between linear and angular quantities

1. P = mV
2. F = ma
3.
4.
5.
6. ( and
(

The conditions of equilibrium

Two conditions must be satisfied if a body is to be in equilibrium.

1. The forces acting on it must sum to zero i.e. (translational equilibrium)

2. The turning effects of the forces (torques) must sum to zero i.e. (rotational
equilibrium)
Exercise
1.A cylinder with moment of inertia 2Kgm2 rotates with an angular velocity 12rad/s about a
vertical frictionless axle. A second cylinder with moment of inertia 4 Kgm2 initially not
rotating, drops onto the first cylinder. Since the surfaces are rough, the two eventually
reach the same angular velocity. Calculate their final angular velocity.
2.No external force acts on a skater. Her moment of inertia is initially 80Kgm2. Her angular
velocity is 0.4rad/s at the beginning of a spin. She brings in her arms and her angular
velocity increases so that her moment of inertia decreases to 50 Kgm2. Find her final
angular velocity.
3.Explain why these systems are in equilibrium.

1m 3m
4N
(a) 12N 4N
(b)

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

The center of mass (CM) (center of gravity (CG)) of a solid body
All objects have center of mass (CM). Center of mass is the point at which all the mass of the
object may be considered to be concentrated. Or, it is the point through which single force acting
on a body has no turning effect.
The CM is the balance point. Supporting that single point supports the whole object.

Look at the figure. The weight of the entire stick behaves as if it were concentrated at its center.
A rigid object has one CM. Non rigid objects have CM that may change as its shape changes.
But, it has one CM for any given shape
For uniform objects CM is located at their geometrical center. On the other hand, the CM of non
uniform objects is located toward the heavier end.

(a) rectangle (b) circle (c) triangle

CM of uniform objects is located at their geometrical center

(a) base ball bat (b) cone

CM of non uniform objects
The CM of irregularly shaped 2D objects can be determined by using plumb line method.

Finding CM using plumb bob

Center of gravity (CG) is the point on an object where its weight is assumed to be concentrated.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

CM and center of gravity (CG) will be equal only if acceleration due to gravity is the same along
the dimensions of the object.

The center of mass of gravity and center of mass of an orbiting space station are not exactly at
the same place because gravity varies over the dimensions of the station.

The CM or CG of an object may be located where no actual material exists, the free space. The
CG of a ring lies at its center where no matter exists.

The CM where two or more celestial bodies orbit each other is known as barycentre. This is the
point between the bodies where they balance each other.

Center of mass theorem

The center of mass theorem states that the center of mass is a point through which single force
acting on a body has no rotational effect.

The center of mass theorem can be restated as when a force is applied to an object, the object

.
acts as though its mass were a point mass at its center of mass ( ). This means that the motion of
the CM of a system is identical to the motion of a single particle with the same mass as the
system if such a particle were acted on by the same external force.
If an unbalanced force F acts through the center of mass of the system, Newton‟s second law of
motion can be defined as:

⃗ Where, represents the acceleration of the CM of the body

Types of equilibrium
When a force acts on a balanced object, it either tilts, rolls or tips over. If it is tilted and come to
its original position, the state of equilibrium is stable equilibrium. If it rolls the equilibrium
condition is neutral equilibrium. If it tips over then the equilibrium condition is unstable.

When a stable object is disturbed slightly, both its CG and potential energy raise. When an
unstable object is disturbed, both its CG and potential energy are lowered during its disturbance.
In neutral equilibrium, both CG and potential energy are unaffected during the disturbance.

The lower the CG the more stable the object is. The higher the CG the more likely the object is
toppling over if it is pushed slightly. For example, racing cars have low CG to corner rapidly
without turning over.
An increase in the base area increases the object‟s stability. For instance, buses have large area
bounded by supports (tires) for them to be in equilibrium. If the center of CG of the bus is found
out of the area bounded by supports, it will tip over.
The rule of toppling is this: if the CG of an object is above the area of support, the object will
remain upright. If the CG extends outside the area of support, the object will topple.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

 Consider a cone standing on its base, upside down and lying on its side. When each of them is
slightly displaced, the first one tilts and turns to its original position; the second one tips over and
moves far away from its original position and the third one rolls and it neither returns to its
original position nor moves far away from its original position. Therefore, in the first, a second
and third case, the cone is in stable, unstable and neutral equilibrium respectively.

a) Stable equilibrium b) unstable equilibrium c) neutral equilibrium

To increase the stability of an object;

1. Lower the CG of an object

The lower the CG the more stable the object is. The higher the CG the more likely the object is
toppling over if it is pushed slightly. For example, racing cars have low CG to corner rapidly
without turning over.

2. Increase the base area

An increase in the base area increases the object‟s stability. For instance, buses have large area
bounded by supports (tires) for them to be stable. If the CG of the bus is found out of the area
bounded by supports, it will tip over.

1.4 Newton’s law of universal gravitation

Besides developing the three laws of motion, Sir Isaac Newton also examined the motion of
heavenly bodies; the planets and the moon.

Newton‟s law of gravitation states that: “everybody in the universe attracts every other body with
a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the
square of the distance between them.” That is,

Where, G = 6.67 , universal gravitational constant

The two objects attract each other

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

NB: - gravitational forces are always attractive; cannot be repulsive.

- Gravitational force is the weakest force when compared with the other field forces.

Exercise

1. What makes planets to revolve around the sun in elliptical orbits?

2. Two masses 900Kg and 300Kg are separated by 50cm. Find the magnitude of the force
between them?
3. The gravitational force between two objects is when they are 2m apart. For what
separation would the force between the two objects be ?

Acceleration due to gravity of the earth

The gravitational force of attraction between a body of mass m and the earth, when the body is
on or near the surface of the earth is called the force of gravity ( . The force of gravity keeps
objects bound to earth and also gives rise to the weight of those objects. That is,

----------- (1)

Where,

From Newton‟s second law the weight of the body is:

------------------ (2)

Comparing equation (1) & (2), we have

-----------on the surface of the earth at

At a distance h above the surface of the earth,

-----------above the surface of the earth at

(

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

 Calculating g of the earth at an altitude h.

What if ?
The g of earth when is derived from the density of the earth.

Finding g below the surface of the earth

( = = ----------- (1)

Because, ( taking the earth as sphere. And

( = = ------------ (2)

( ( Because the density of earth is constant

Implies

We know that, (

Where,

r=

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

Exercise

1. Find the value of g of the earth:

A) 20Km above its surface
B) 200Km below its surface.
C) 500Km below its surface (
2. What will be the value of the acceleration due to gravity at a height of twice the radius of the
earth? ( )
3. The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the earth is 10 ⁄ . Planet x has a radius
which is twice the radius of the earth and eight times the mass of the earth. What is the
acceleration due to gravity on the surface of planet x?

1.5 Kepler’s law of planetary motion

Kepler (1571-1630) derived three laws of planetary motion. These are named as: Kepler‟s first
law, Kepler‟s second law and Kepler‟s third law.

1. Kepler’s first law

This law states that the path of each planet about the sun is an ellipse with the sun at one focus.
The sun is not at the center but it is at one of the foci of the ellipse. An ellipse is a smooth closed
curve which is oval compared to a circle. This law is also called as the law of orbit.

In the fig. 1.6 shown below, the planet is nearest to the sun at point A and farthest from the sun at
point B. The nearest position of the planet from the sun is called perihelion and the farthest
position is called aphelion.

Planet
Sun
A B (Aphelion)
(Perihelion)

A planet orbiting the sun.

NB: - When the moon revolves around the earth, it follows an elliptical path. The farthest
distance from the earth to the moon is called apogee and the nearest distance perigee.

2. Kepler’s second law (law of area)

The law can be stated as a radius vector joining the planets and the sun sweeps out equal areas in
equal time intervals.

1
Sun
ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

 4
A B (Aphelion)
(Perihelion) 3
2

When , and becomes equal. Based on this fact, being close to the sun from 1 to
2, the planet must move faster so that it can cover the same area as it moves from 3 to 4 in the
same period. Based on this fact the following three conclusions can be drawn.

 A planet does not move at constant speed during its journey.

 A planet moves faster as it approaches perihelion.
 A planet moves slower as it approaches aphelion.

Kepler‟s second law is derived from the conservation of angular momentum as follows:

But,

3. Kepler’s third law

It states that the square of the period it takes the planet to go around the sun is proportional to
the cube of its mean distance from the sun.

Kepler‟s third law can be derived by equating the centripetal force and the gravitational force.

, where

( , Because

This means

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

E.g.:1. The mean distance of planet Y is 2 . What is the period of revolution of planet Y?

The period, position and function of a geostationary satellite

Satellite is a name given to any smaller body travelling in an orbit round a larger body. For
example, the earth is satellite of the sun; the moon is satellite of the earth. Satellites may be
either natural or artificial. For example, the moon is the natural satellite of the earth.

Geostationary (geosynchronous) satellite is a satellite that orbits the equator with the same
angular velocity as the earth. This means that it has the same period as the earth, which is 24
hours. Many artificial satellites have been put in orbit, a few hundred kilometers above the
surface of the earth, for various purposes like communication, to forecast weather, to explore
minerals etc.

Orbital velocity
Artificial satellites at a very large height above the earth‟s surface will not be affected by air
resistance. Since the air resistance is very small, no work is done to keep the satellite moving in
its orbit and as such no fuel is used by it.

A satellite is not always sent into its final orbit in one step. Sometimes it will be launched so it
goes into a temporary „parking orbit‟. From there a second carefully controlled rocket can be
fired to lift it into its permanent orbit.

When an artificial satellite moves along the circumference of a circle with uniform speed, there
is acceleration on the particle towards the center of the circular path. Consequently, there is
centripetal force. As long as the centripetal force is provided, the particle remains in this circular
orbit.

Let m be the mass of a satellite and h the height above the surface of the earth where it is to
orbit. The gravitational force F on the satellite towards the center of the earth is given by:

, Where,
(

This gravitational force is equal to the centripetal force acted on by the satellite.

√ √ (

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

 √ , Since

E.g 1. At what height above the surface of the earth should a geostationary satellite orbit the
earth?

h=?

Solution

(
√ , But

Equating the two equations gives:

(
√

Squaring both sides we get

(
(√ (

(
√

Exercise
1. Satellites are launched from sites as close to the equator as possible, and certainly not
from Polar Regions. Why?
2. Why all satellites are in orbits that are distant from the earth?
(Read the text book from p. 44-45 for detail information)

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

 Escape velocity of a satellite
When a ball is kicked (launched) vertically upwards, it first goes up and then comes down. The
total time that the ball remains in the air increases as its initial velocity increases. If the ball is
kicked with a large velocity, it would simply not come down. This particular velocity is called
the escape velocity of an object from the earth. At this velocity, any object will escape from the
earth and stay forever until it is captured by the gravitational attraction of some other planet or
celestial body.

Suppose an object is projected vertically upward from the earth‟s surface with an initial speed u.
The initial mechanical energy becomes:

, Where, m is the mass of the object.

Potential energy of the object is given by:

The negative sign indicates that the gravitational force is attractive. You apply a force in opposite
direction to the displacement. This is true when a body moves from infinity to some point.

In the equation of initial mechanical energy, the initial velocity u is called escape velocity (
as it enables the object to reach infinity at a velocity of zero.

When the object is at infinite distance from the earth, becomes zero as is zero. Is also
zero because our zero level of potential energy was selected at . Hence, and the
law of conservation of energy gives:

√ √ (This is independent of the mass of the satellite)

√ √
Where, is escape velocity and is critical orbital velocity.

NB:-I) for the satellite to escape from the attraction of the earth, must be greater than

√ .

II) Potential energy formulas:

(For rising object)

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10

 (For falling object)

(Very close to the earth‟s surface)

(At a height h above the earth‟s surface)

E.g.1: Calculate the escape velocity of a satellite launched:

A) From the earth‟s surface

B) 10Km above the surface of the earth

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን፣ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

Physics Lesson Note for Grade 10