WILL GUCKIEN

ROTATIONAL MOTION

Grading
This lab is a check lab. If you attend and significantly participate and complete the questions, you
receive 5 points for the lab.

Introduction
This lab has several different displays demonstrating different features of rotational motion. Your
instructor will take you on a quick tour of the room to demonstrate the equipment. Then you can
spend the rest of the period "browsing" through the room, answering the questions asked in this lab.

Although your instructor will check your answers to make sure you understand the physics, you will
not be graded on then. Rather you will be graded on attendance and participation. The goal of the lab is
to help you understand some aspects of rotational motion.

SAFETY WARNING
When used properly, the apparatus in this lab is quite safe. However, when used improperly some of
the equipment has the potential to cause serious personal injury. Please adhere to the following
precautions:

Have a person ready to steady you while standing on the rotating platforms. Do not extend your hands
out too quickly when you have weights in your hand. You could inadvertently hit someone with them.

Do not drop the bicycle wheels or stand on the bicycle wheels. They are not unicycles. At best you will
break the wheel. At worst, someone could be seriously injured.

When spinning the bicycle wheel on the rope, hold the rope approximately 1 meter above the wheel.
Do not let the wheel fly around unconstrained.

When thrown, the whirlygig ball will rotate in a much larger circle than you might expect. Observe the
potential path of the ball and make sure people and extraneous objects are well out of the path before
throwing the ball.

The air gyro is extremely heavy. It should never be removed from its base. When turning on air to the
gyro, open the valve very slowly. Only a small amount of air is needed to lift the gyro. Excessive air
flow creates noise and produces a very thin jet of air that could injure someone if the gyro is removed
form its base.

The motorized spinner should only be used to rotate the small bicycle wheel. Never use it to accelerate
any other apparatus in the lab.

Report any damage or problems with the equipment to the instructor immediately.

Any student who fails to follow the above rules will be expelled from
the lab and will receive a grade of zero for the lab.
Theory and Discussion

In this lab you get "hands on" experience with rotational motion and the seemingly
mysterious concepts (as perceived by many students) of angular motion. This is a
qualitative lab and is best understood in qualitative terms: greater than, less than,
faster, lighter, etc. It emphasizes the vector nature of rotational motion and relies
heavily on the right hand rule to determine the direction of the vectors. The
following definitions and concepts of rotational motion will help you understand the
physics of this lab.

Angular Position A measure of displacement in terms of angle.

The arc length s (distance along the circumference of a circle) is

given by the relation s = rθ where r is the radius of the circle
transcribing the arc and θ is the angular distance from the zero
angle position. When using this relationship, one should remember
to use radians for the angular measure rather than degrees.

A radian is just the ratio between the radius of a circle and its diameter. Using this
definition it is relatively easy to figure out there are 2π radians in a full circle. Being
the ratio of two lengths a radian has no actual units.

Traditionally most physicists describe an angular position that increases in the

counterclockwise direction of rotation. However this is not a universal. It is always
good to show in a drawing which direction of rotation is considered positive.

Angular Velocity A measure of how fast a body rotates.

 In linear terms as in figure 1.

Angular velocity is a vector. To find the direction the angular velocity vector points,
use your right hand, curl your fingers in the direction of rotation and points in
the direction of your thumb as in figure 2.

Angular Acceleration A measure of how fast a body changes its angular

velocity.

The rate of change of , just like is the rate of change of

→
→ a
α=
In linear terms, r . Angular acceleration is a vector and has direction too: the
same as if the body is speeding up, (i.e. is increasing) and opposite if it is
slowing down (decreasing ). Use your right hand to figure it out.

Moment of Inertia

Moment of inertia is the rotational equivalent of mass. It

depends not only on mass but more importantly, on the
distance each particle of mass is from the center of rotation. Moment
of inertia is not a vector.

Rotational Kinetic Energy

A rotating object has kinetic energy that is the sum of its

rotational energy and, if it is moving (like a hoop

rolling down an incline), its translational energy . If the object starts at the top
of an incline, the kinetic energy is equal to the potential energy lost as it drops

through vertical height h: . Since , this can be written as

.
Torque

Torque is the rotational equivalent of Newton’s second law . It’s the

“twist” that changes the rotation; the straw that stirs the drink.

Torque is a vector and has the same direction as .

In linear terms, where is the angle between and (Fig. 3).

More force means more torque; more distance from the reference point means more
torque; the torque is biggest when the angle between and is as in Fig. 4.

Angular Momentum

The rotational equivalent of linear

momentum, . It is a
measure of an object’s rotational motion
around a chosen center point. It is
dependent on the location/distribution of
the mass from the center point (I) and the
rate of rotation ( ).

In linear terms, where is

the linear momentum and is the perpendicular (shortest) distance between the
center point and the line along which the velocity lies (Fig. 5).

Conservation of Angular Momentum

If there are no external torques on a system, the angular momentum of the system is
conserved. Many of the experiments are designed with no (or very little) external
torque and conservation of angular momentum is applicable in these situations.
This means the initial angular momentum equals the final angular momentum,
, no matter what changes within the system. For instance, if increases,
then must decrease to conserve .
Change of Angular Momentum with Torque

If an external torque is applied to a system for a short period of time , the torque

changes the angular momentum of the system: . The new angular

momentum ’ after time is the original angular momentum plus the change
: which can also be written as . This is a vector addition.
Let’s consider two cases found in this lab.

Torque acts parallel to

The head to tail addition of vectors yields a final momentum that has the same
direction as the original momentum but is either bigger or smaller depending on
whether is in the same direction as or in the opposite direction. Accelerating a
wheel is a good example of this case.

Torque acts perpendicular to

Now the head to tail addition of the vectors changes the

direction of the angular momentum as shown in Fig. 6.

If the time is small, then is essentially the arc of a

circle, so in magnitude. If the torque acts for a long
period of time, it is analyzed by breaking the time up into
small intervals and repeating this vector addition for each interval. The result is
the angular momentum has the same magnitude but constantly changes direction.
Complete the Questions for your Lab report (Upload only these pages)

Apparatus

 Rotating Platform

1. Sit/stand on the platform with your arms outstretched. Make sure no one
is in the way and have your partner spin you. Pull your arms in. Why do
you speed up? What happens if you do this with weights in your hands?
(Hint,: Consider conservation of angular momentum and moment of
inertia.)

When you pull your arms, you speed up because your moment of inertia decreases,
your angular velocity increases, increasing rotational kinetic energy; causing you
to speed up. If you do this weight in your hands, angular momentum is
conserved.

2. Sit /stand still on the platform and catch the medicine ball that your
partner throws. Explain how it should be thrown so you rotate right or left.
How should it be thrown so you don’t rotate after the catch? (Hint:
Consider the torque the ball causes when it hits you.)

The medicine ball should be thrown to the right or left of me to rotate in that
respective direction. In order for the me to not rotate after the catch, the ball
should be thrown directly at me in order for the angular momentum to be zero.

 Rotating Platform and Bicycle Wheel

The rotating platform allows rotation about the vertical axis, which means that
there are no external torques acting in a vertical direction. Thus the vertical
component of is conserved.

1. Sit/stand still on the platform and take the spinning bicycle wheel from
your partner, who hands it to you with the axis horizontal. Explain what
happens when you turn the wheel to hold the axis vertically. (Hint:
Consider conservation of angular momentum along the vertical axis.)

Due to the conservation of angular momentum, you would start spinning in the
opposite direction of the spinning bicycle wheel.
 2. Sit/stand still on the platform and take the spinning wheel from your
partner, who this time hands it to you with the axis vertical. Hold the shaft
with one hand and use your other hand to grab the wheel to stop it. Explain
what happens. (Hint: Conservation of angular momentum and moment of
inertia.)

The platform and the wheel will turn in the same direction and then when
you grab the wheel, the spinning will stop due to the conservation of angular
momentum and moment of inertia.

 Angular Momentum Races

You are provided with an incline and three types of objects: hoops ( ), solid

cylinder ( ) and solid spheres ( ). Using these expressions with

the equation for conservation of energy, , show that

1. Objects of the same shape should have the same v. Test by experiment. Is
the same?

No, because accounts velocity divided by the radius.

2. Run races between dissimilar objects (sphere against hoop, etc.) Which is
the fastest? Why? (Hint: Consider the conservation of rotational kinetic
energy and moment of inertia of each object.)

The sphere was the fastest because it had the lowest moment of inertia and highest
kinetic energy. When comparing the hoop to the cylinder, the hoop was slowest
because its mass was further away from its axis of rotation.

3. Also at this table are two batons of the same mass. Hold one baton in the
middle and twirl it back and forth by rotating your wrist. Then try twirling
the other baton. Why does one present more resistance to rotation than
the other? (Hint: Qualitatively compare the moment of inertia of each
baton.)

One presents less resistance than the other because its center of mass is less than
the other. It is really that simple.

 Air Table with Center Post

On this table plastic pucks float on a cushion of air so friction is largely eliminated.

1. Send the puck across the table so it passes the center post at some distance
. Explain why it has angular momentum with respect to the center post
even though it is going in a straight line.

This is a common misconception with angular momentum. This is because there is

no external torque on the system and angular momentum is present.

2. Connect one puck to the center post with the strap provided. Repeat the
above experiment with the moving puck hitting the stationary puck head-
on and sticking to it. How does this demonstrate that the travelling puck
has angular momentum before the collision?

This demonstrates that the travelling puck has angular momentum before
the collision because angular momentum will be conserved after the
collision.

3. What is the angular momentum before the collision in terms of and ?

The angular momentum was L= I * w before the collision. This is the general angular
momentum equation.

4. When spinning by itself around the center post, why does the puck on the
strap eventually stop?

This is because the surface has a small amount of friction and eventually
leads to resisting the puck’s motion entirely.

 Air Table with Sticky Pucks

1. Spin a puck so it stays in one spot. What is the direction of ? What

direction did the torque act to get it spinning?

The direction of L is in the direction of the torque. The directed torque acted on the
puck to get it spinning is perpendicular to the center of mass.

2. Float the spinning puck slowly over to a stationary puck that isn’t spinning
so they stick together. Discuss the angular momentum before and after the
collision.
 The angular momentum before the collision will only be for the puck that
was spinning. After the collision, angular momentum will be conserved as
both of the pucks are attached.

3. Set both pucks spinning and glide them together so they stick. Discuss the
angular momentum for various conditions. In particular, set up a situation
where both pucks are initially spinning, but after collision they come to a
dead stop.

If both pucks are spinning and stick together, angular momentum for both of the
pucks will be zero, causing them to stop. If one puck was spinning and the other
wasn’t, the angular momentum would be conserved and the pucks would spin in
opposite directions if they didn’t stick.

4. Send the pucks together on a collision course with neither one initially
spinning. Unless the collision is exactly head-on, they will wind up spinning
around their point of attachment. Why?

Angular momentum will be conserved and their torques and forces will become
zero, causing them to spin around their point of attachment.
 Whirlygig

A ball is hooked to a string which runs through a hole and fastens to a weight mg. Give it
a spin and watch it. It demonstrates the angular momentum of an object constrained
by a central force. When set in motion in an orbit, the ball experiences a centripetal

acceleration due to the horizontal component of the tension on the

string.
1. Does the force produce a torque? How does the torque affect ?

No, the force mg does not produce a torque. Torque affects L given torque equals the
change in momentum over the change in time. Therefore, when torque is
produced in the whirly pig, angular momentum must be affected.

2. As it spins it stays approximately the same radius for a few revolutions, but
undeniably its radius eventually decreases as air friction takes its toll.
What is the direction of the torque produced by the air friction? How does
it affect ?

Given air friction is internal, the torque produced by the air friction has no affect on
angular momentum. The direction of the torque produced by the air friction is
opposite of the air friction.

3. Although the radius the ball travels changes, the central force remains
constant. How do we know this?
 Due to the principle of conservation of angular momentum.

4. What does the constancy of the central force tell us about the ball’s
velocity?

As velocity changes, the central force stays the same.

5. Does the velocity increase, decrease or stay the same as the radius
decreases?

Radius increases, velocity decreases

6. Does change as the radius decreases? (Hint: Compare the change in

angular momentum with the applied torque.)

Yes, because angular momentum depends on how fast rotations are and the
location of center of mass.

 Bicycle Wheel on a Rope

This is an example of a system where the torque acts perpendicular to the angular
momentum.

1. First, without the wheel spinning, lift the free end of the axle so that it is
horizontal. Let it go and watch what happens during the fall as the axle
rotates from the horizontal to the vertical position. What direction is
the torque that produces this rotation?

The direction that torque produces this rotation is horizontal.

2. During this short time interval, what is the direction of ?

The direction of L during the short time interval is perpendicular to the torque
vector.

3. Now hold the axle horizontal and again spin the wheel. What is the
direction of ? When you release the axle, what is the direction of ? A
short time later, what is the direction of the new angular momentum
? How does this explain the precession of the wheel?

The direction of L stays the same and the direction of the new angular momentum is
perpendicular to the direction of torque. This explains the precession of the
 wheel because angular momentum is along the rotational axis and the torque is
perpendicular to the angular momentum.

 Air Gyro

The air gyro is a heavy ball with a shaft attached to

it. It floats in a cup on a cushion of air.

With no weight on the shaft, spin the ball and point

the shaft horizontally. It precesses because
there is a torque on it caused by gravity acting
at the center of mass of the ball. The center of
mass is not at the center of rotation. To find out
where the center of mass is with respect to the center of rotation, stop the ball and
hold the shaft horizontal, then release it.

1. Where is the center of mass with respect t the center of rotation?

The center of mass respect to the center of rotation is in the center of the ball.

2. What direction is the torque on the system?

The direction of torque on the system is perpendicular to the center of rotation.

3. Now spin the gyro again with the shaft pointing horizontal. What is the
direction of ? A short time later, what is the direction of the new
?

The direction of L remains the same and the new L is perpendicular to the direction
of the torque.

4. Considering the equation , what will happen to the rate of

precession if you increase the angular velocity of the gyro? Will it increase,
decrease or stay the same? Make your prediction first, then verify it
experimentally.

If you increase the angular velocity of the gyro, the rate of precession will also
increase. This is because both the angular velocity and rate of precession are
directly correlated to each other.

5. While the gyro is spinning and precessing, slip the weight on the end of the
shaft. Why does this change the direction of precession?
This changes the direction of the precession due to gravity acting on center of mass
creates torque that is perpendicular to L.

6. Slide the weight down the shaft until you find the place where there is no
precession. Why does the precession stop?

The precession stops when sliding the weight down the shaft until you find
the place where there is no precession because the gyro is not spinning
because it the angular momentum is in the same direction of the torque.