Module #9

ROTATION
Rotational Variables
• A rigid body is a body that can rotate with all its parts locked together and without any
change in its shape. It is non-deformable – that is, it is an object in which the separations
between all pairs of particles remain constant.

• A fixed axis means that the rotation occurs about an axis that does not move.

Note: All real bodies are deformable to some extent; However, rigid body model is useful in many
situations in which deformation is negligible.

22-Aug-21 PHY 107 2

Rotational Variables
• Angular Position
Measured (in radian) with respect to the positive direction of x-axis.
𝑠
𝜃=
𝑟
s is the arc length and r is the radius.

One radian is the angle subtended by an arc length equal to the radius of the
arc.

360
1 𝑟𝑎𝑑 = ≈ 57.3°
2𝜋

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Rotational Variables
• Angular Displacement
𝜽𝟐 −𝜽𝟏 = ∆𝜽

Angular displacement in the counter-clockwise direction is positive and ,one in

the clockwise direction is negative. It is measured in radian.

𝜃2 −𝜃1 ∆𝜃
• Angular Velocity 𝜔𝑎𝑣𝑔 = =
𝑡2 −𝑡1 ∆𝑡

∆𝜃 𝑑𝜃
Instantaneous angular velocity 𝜔 = lim =
∆𝑡→0 ∆𝑡 𝑑𝑡

Angular velocity is measured in radian per sec.

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Rotational Variables
𝜔2 −𝜔1 ∆𝜔
• Angular Acceleration – 𝛼𝑎𝑣𝑔 = =
𝑡2 −𝑡1 ∆𝑡

∆𝜔 𝑑𝜔
Instantaneous angular acceleration α = lim =
∆𝑡→0 ∆𝑡 𝑑𝑡

Angular acceleration is measured in radian per square second

Are angular quantities vectors?

22-Aug-21 PHY 107 5

Rotational Kinematics

Linear Equation Angular Equation

𝑣 = 𝑣0 + 𝑎𝑡 𝜔 = 𝜔0 + 𝛼𝑡

1 2 1 2
𝑥 − 𝑥0 = 𝑣0 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡 𝜃 − 𝜃0 = 𝜔0 𝑡 + 𝛼𝑡
2 2

𝑣 2 = 𝑣02 + 2𝑎(𝑥 − 𝑥0 ) 𝜔2 = 𝜔02 + 2𝛼(𝜃 − 𝜃0 )

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Exercise #1
A turntable starting from rest rotates five times while accelerating to 48 RPM. What is angular acceleration
of the turntable in radian/s2.

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Relation between Linear and Angular Variables

The Position: 𝒔 = 𝒓𝜽 𝛉 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬

𝟐𝝅𝒓
The speed: 𝒗 = 𝝎𝒓 ( 𝑻 = )
𝒗

The Acceleration: 𝒂𝒕 = 𝜶𝒓 [ 𝜶 = 𝒅𝝎 𝒅𝒕] (Tangential Acceleration)

𝒗𝟐
𝒂𝒓 = = 𝝎𝟐 𝒓 (Radial Acceleration)
𝒓

22-Aug-21 PHY 107 8

Exercise #2

A 42 cm diameter wheel is rotating with an angular speed of 120 RPM. It is slowing with an angular
deceleration of 52 rad/sec2. What is the acceleration at the point of the edge of the wheel?

22-Aug-21 PHY 107 9

Kinetic Energy of Rotation

For a rotating body Velocity (v) is dependent on radius, angular velocity (ω) is not.

1 1 1
𝐾 = 𝑚1 𝑣1 + 𝑚2 𝑣2 + 𝑚3 𝑣32 + ⋯
2 2
2 2 2

1 1
𝐾= 𝑚𝑖 (𝜔𝑟𝑖 )2 = ( 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 )𝜔2
2 2

Moment of inertia (also called rotational inertia) of a system of particles is given by 𝐼= 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2
𝑖

Moment of inertia tells us how the mass of a rotating body is distributed along its axis of rotation.

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Kinetic Energy of Rotation

𝟏
Rotational Energy : 𝑲𝑹 = 𝑰𝝎𝟐
𝟐

The kinetic energies of translation and of rotation are not different kinds of energy. They are both kinetic
energy , expressed in ways that are appropriate to the motion in hand.

The kinetic energy of rotation is used to store electrical energy in a flywheel.

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Rotational Inertias of Different Objects

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Torque
The angular equivalent of force is angular force, called Torque.

The torque a force creates is equal to the force times the moment arm times the sine of the angle
between them.
𝜏 = 𝑟 𝐹 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜑

The “moment arm” is the line from the pivot point to the spot where the force
is applied

The unit of torque N-m

Note that the unit of torque and work is the same, but they are completely
different quantities. Work is sometimes expressed in joules, but torque is not.

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 Newton’s Second Law for Rotation

𝜏𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝐼𝛼
𝜏𝑛𝑒𝑡 = Net torque on the rigid body

α = Angular acceleration

I = Rotational Inertia

The above equation is analogous to the equation F = ma

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Parallel Axis Theorem
• It is used to find the rotational inertia of a body of mass M about a given axis.

If D is the perpendicular distance

between the given axis and the axis
through the center of mass , then the
rotational inertia I of a given axis is

𝐼 = 𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑚 + M𝐷2

(Two axes must be parallel to each other)

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Exercise #3
Parallel-axis Theorem

A boy leaving a store pushes on the door handle with a force of 18N. The door is 0.78m wide and has a
mass of 7.2kg. The boy pushes perpendicular to the surface of the door. How long does it take for the
1
door to open (rotate to 90°)? (Consider that the door is a thin rod, 𝐼 = 12 𝑀𝐿2 .)

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 Translational and Rotational Motion
Pure Translation (Fixed Direction) Pure Rotation (Fixed axis)
Position 𝑥 Angular Position 𝜃
Velocity 𝑣 = 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑡 Angular Velocity 𝜔 = 𝑑𝜃 𝑑𝑡
Acceleration 𝑎 = 𝑑𝑣 𝑑𝑡 Angular Acceleration α = 𝑑𝜔 𝑑𝑡
Mass 𝑚 Rotational Inertia 𝐼
Newton’s 2nd Law 𝐹𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝑚𝑎 Newton’s 2nd Law 𝜏𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝐼𝛼

Work Work
𝑊= 𝐹𝑑𝑥 𝑊= 𝜏𝑑𝜃

Kinetic Energy 1 Kinetic Energy 1

𝐾= 𝑚𝑣 2 𝐾= 𝐼𝜔2
2 2
Power (const. force) 𝑃 = 𝐹𝑣 Power (Const. Torque) 𝑃 = 𝜏𝜔
Work- KE Theorem 𝑊 = ∆𝐾 Work- KE Theorem 𝑊 = ∆𝐾

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Rolling
• Rolling motion is a combination of translational and rotational motion.

• The center of the object moves in a line parallel to the surface, but a point on the rim maintains a
rotational motion.

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Rolling
𝑠
𝜃= 𝑠 = 𝑟𝜃
𝑟

By differentiation we can also write :

𝑣𝑐𝑜𝑚 = 𝑟𝜔
𝑎𝑐𝑜𝑚 = 𝑟𝛼

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Rolling

Alternatively,

𝑣𝑡𝑜𝑝 = 𝜔 2𝑅 = 2𝜔𝑅 = 2𝑣𝑐𝑜𝑚

The combination of motion results in a

motion of 2𝑣𝑐𝑜𝑚 at the top of the wheel,
which is faster than any part of the wheel.

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Kinetic Energy of Rolling
𝟏
Kinetic energy of rolling 𝑲𝑹 = 𝑰𝒑 𝝎𝟐
𝟐

Using parallel-axis theorem: 𝐼𝑝 = 𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑚 + 𝑀𝑅2

1 1
𝐾 = 𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑚 𝜔 + 𝑀𝑅2 𝜔2
2
2 2
1 2
1 2
𝐾 = 𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑚 𝜔 + 𝑀𝑣𝑐𝑜𝑚
2 2

(Rotational + Translational) Kinetic Energy

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Kinetic Energy of Rolling
1 𝑣𝑐𝑜𝑚 2 1 2
𝐾 = 𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑚 + 𝑀𝑣𝑐𝑜𝑚
2 𝑅 2
1 𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑚 2
𝐾= ( 2 + 𝑀)𝑣𝑐𝑜𝑚
2 𝑅

2
For a solid sphere: 𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑚 = 𝑀𝑅2
5

𝟏𝟎 𝟏 𝟓
𝒗𝒄𝒐𝒎 = ( 𝒈𝒉) 𝟐 𝒂𝑪𝑴 = 𝒈𝒔𝒊𝒏𝜽
𝟕 𝟕

Speed in independent of mass and radius of the sphere

22-Aug-21 PHY 107 22

Exercise #4
A uniform ball of mass 𝑀 = 6.0𝑘𝑔 and radius R, rolls smoothly from rest down a ramp at angle 𝜃 =
30°. If the ball descends a vertical height ℎ = 12.0 𝑚 to reach the bottom of the ramp, what is its
speed at the bottom?

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Forces of Rolling

If a wheel rotates at a constant speed, it does not slide and the frictional
force that acts on it is a static frictional force. This type of rolling is called a
smooth rolling. For smooth rolling

𝑎𝑐𝑚 = 𝛼𝑅

If a wheel does slide, the frictional force that acts on it is kinetic frictional
force and the motion is not a smooth rolling.

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Angular Momentum
The instantaneous angular momentum L of a particle relative to the origin O is defined as the
cross product of the particle’s instantaneous position vector r and its instantaneous linear
momentum p.

𝐿 =𝑟×𝑝 𝐿 = 𝑚𝑣𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜑

Where, φ is the angle between r and p.

A car of mass 1500kg moves with a linear speed of 40m/sec on a circular race track of radius 50m. What is the magnitude
of its angular momentum relative to the center of the track?

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Exercise #5
Estimate the magnitude of the angular momentum of a bowling ball
spinning at 10 rev/sec.

(A typical bowling ball has a mass of 6kg and a radius of 12cm and the
moment of inertia of a solid sphere about an axis through its center 𝐼 =
2
𝑀𝑅2 )
5

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 Angular Momentum of Rigid Body
𝐿𝑖 = 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 𝜔; 𝐿𝑧 = 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 𝜔 = 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 𝜔
𝑖 𝑖

𝐿𝑧 = 𝐼𝜔
𝑑𝐿𝑧 𝑑𝜔
=𝐼 = Iα
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡

𝑑𝐿𝑧
𝜏𝑒𝑥𝑡 = = Iα
𝑑𝑡

The above equation is valid for a rigid object rotating about a moving axis provided the moving axis passes
through the center of mass and is an axis of symmetry.

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Conservation of Angular Momentum
The total angular momentum of a system is constant in both magnitude and direction if the resultant
external torque acting on the system is zero.

𝒅𝑳
𝝉𝒆𝒙𝒕 = =𝟎
𝒅𝒕

𝒅𝑷
Remember For linear momentum, 𝑭𝒆𝒙𝒕 = =𝟎
𝒅𝒕

22-Aug-21 PHY 107 28

Exercise #5
A horizontal platform in the shape of a circular disk rotates in a
horizontal plane about frictionless vertical axle. The platform has a
mass of 100 kg and a radius of 2.0 m. A student whose mass is m =
60 kg walks slowly from the rim of the desk toward its center. If the
angular speed of the system is 2.0 rad/s when the student at the
rim, what is the angular speed when he reaches a point r = 0.50 m
from the center?

22-Aug-21 PHY 107 29