Rotational Motion

Circular Motion

● Linear speed is greater on the outer edge of a rotating object than it is closer to the
axis (travels a greater distance at the same time

Tangential Speed
● Linear speed of something moving along a circular path
● Direction of motion is tangent to the circumference of a circle
● Linear and tangential speed is used interchangeably in a circular motion
● Unit: m/s or km/h or v
● Directly proportional to rotational speed at any fixed distance from the axis of rotation
● Depends on radial distance (distance from the axis)
● DIrectly proportional to distance from the axis for any given rotational speed
● Tangential acceleration
○ Speed undergoes change
○ Acceleration parallel to tangential motion
○ Centripetal acceleration
○ Moving in a curved path that is directed to the center of curvature

Rotational Speed
● Sometimes also called angular speed
● Number of rotations/ revolutions per unit of time
● All points of a rotating objects turn about the axis of rotation in the same amount of
time
● Unit: revolutions per minute (rpm) or 𝛚
○ Rate at which angles expressed in radians are swept out per second
● Rotation velocity
○ Direction is assigned to rotational speed
○ Vector lies along the axis of rotation
Equation
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 ~ 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 × 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑

𝑣 ~ 𝑟⍵

● You move faster if the rate of rotation increases or if you move farther from the axis
● Not an equation because units of v and r𝛚 do not match
○ It is an equation if 𝛚 is expressed in radians per second

Centripetal Force

● Any force directed toward a fixed center

● “Center-seeking” or “toward the center”
● Gravitational and electrical forces can produce it
● Anything moving in a circular path is caused by a centripetal force
● Depends on mass, tangential speed, and radius of curvature
● Not a basic force of nature
○ It is the name given to any force (whether tension, gravitational, electrical, etc.)
that is directed toward a fixed center
● If the motion is circular and executed at constant speed, the force is at right angles to
the path of the moving object

2
𝑚𝑣
𝐹= 𝑟

● Twice the speed needs four times the force, half the radial distance required twice the
force
Centrifugal Force

● An occupant inside a revolving/rotating system seems to experience an outward

force
● Apparent outward force
● “Center-fleeing” or “away from the center”
● Feels like gravity but there's no “something” pulling
○ The force is a result of rotation
○ Also called an “inertial” force (or fictitious force)
● A common misconception that a centrifugal force pulls outward
○ An object spun by a string goes off in a tangent straight-line path when the
string breaks;
■ No force acted upon it to move radially outward
● Example: Ladybug inside a whirling can
○ Can presses against the bug’s feet and provides the centripetal force that
holds it in a circular path
○ The centrifugal effect is cause not by a real force, but by inertia (the tendency
of the movie object to follow a straight-line path)

Centrifugal Force in a Rotating Reference Frame

● “Inertial frame of reference”
○ A frame of reference in which a free body exhibits no acceleration
● “Rotating frame of reference”
○ Accelerating frame of reference

● Reference 1: Standing at rest watching a can being whirled horizontally

○ Force on the can is centripetal, just as it is on a ladybug inside the can
○ Bottom of the can exerts a force on the ladybug’s feet
■ No other force acts on the ladybug if gravity is ignored
● Reference 2: Rotating frame of reference of the ladybug
○ An apparent centrifugal force is exerted on the bug
○ Centrifugal force in a rotating reference frame is a force in its own right
Simulated Gravity
● SImulated through centrifugal force
● The “down” direction to objects inside will be what would be called “radially outward”,
away from the center of the wheel
● Centrifugal force is not part of an interaction
○ It is a consequence of rotation
● Structures of small diameter would have to rotate at high speeds to provide a
simulated gravitational acceleration
● Centrifugal acceleration is directly proportional to the radial distance from the hub

Rotational Inertia

● An object rotating about an axis tends to remain rotating about the same axis unless
interfered with by some external influence (torque)
● “Moment of inertia”
● Depends on mass
○ Specifically on the distribution of the mass about the axis of rotation
■ The greater the distance between an object’s mass concentration and
the axis, the greater the rotational inertia
● The greater the rotational inertia, the greater the difficulty in changing its rotational
state
● Example: Circus tightrope
○ Walker carries a long pole to aid balance
○ Much of the mass of the pole is far from the axis of rotation (midpoint)
○ Rotational inertia of the pole resists, giving the walker time to readjust his
balance
● Depends on the axis about which it rotates (I = mr2)
● The object with the greater rotational inertia relative to its own mass has the greater
resistance to a change in motion
● Less rotational inertia per mass, less acceleration but easier to accelerate
○ A solid ball is easier to accelerate than a hollow one and also a disk
Torque

● Rotational counterpart of force

● Tend to twist or change the rotational motion (changing its rotational velocity)
● Lever arm
○ Distance from the axis of rotation which provided leverage
○ Shortest distance between the applied force and the rotational axis
○ Perpendicular distance from the axis to the line along which the force acts
𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠 = 𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑚 × 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒

● If net torque is zero, no rotation is produced

○ Mechanical equilibrium (linearly or rotationally) occurs when net force and
torque is zero

Center of Mass and Center of Gravity

● Average position of all the mass that makes up the object

● Center of Gravity
○ Average position of the weight distribution
○ Used interchangeably for everyday objects
● An object has a center of mass whether or not it is under the influence of gravity
● Example: Wrench sliding across a smooth horizontal surface
○ Center of mass follows a straight-line path while other parts of the wrench
wobble as they move across the surface
○ With no external force, its center of mass moves equal distance in equal time
intervals
○ Motion of spinning is the combination of the straight-line motion its center of
mass and rotational motion about its center of mass
○ If the wrench were tossed into the air, its center of mass would follow a smooth
parabolic arc
● An object only has one CG

Locating the Center of Gravity

● Balancing an object
● Any freely suspended objects has a CG directly beneath (or at) the point of
suspension
● May be a point where no mass exists
Stability
● Location of the center of gravity is important
● If a line is drawn straight down from the CG of an object of any shape and it falls inside
the base, then the object is in equilibrium
● If a line falls outside the base, the object is unstable
● Example: Stand erect vs bending down
○ When you stand or lie flat, your center of gravity is within your body
○ When you bend over and touch your toes, you extend your lower extremity
■ CG is above a base of support (feet)
● Unbalanced torque causes rotation
● To reduce tipping, design objects with a wide base and low center of gravity
○ The wide the base, the higher the CG must be raised before the objects tips
over

Angular Momentum

● Inertia of rotation of rotating objects

𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎 × 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

● Vector quantity
● Precession
○ Torque causes the object’s axle to turn slowly around the circle
○ The pull of gravity that normally acts to topple the wheel over and change its
rotational axis causes an object to precess about a vertical axis

𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 = 𝑚𝑣𝑟

○ For the case of an object that is small compared with the radial distance to its
axis of rotation
○ External net torque is required to change the angular momentum of an object
■ An object or system of objects will maintain its angular momentum
unless acted upon by an external net torque
Conservation of Angular Momentum

● If no external net torque acts on a rotating system, the angular momentum of that
system remains constant
● When weight is nearer to the axis, rotational speed increases
○ Rotational inertia increases with length
● Example: Earth’s angular momentum vs Moon’s distance
○ Earth’s rotation is slowly decreasing due to the friction of ocean waters on the
ocean bottom
○ Decrease in Earth’s angular momentum increases Moon’s distance from Earth
to 0.25 cm per rotation and decreasing speed