PHYS 172: Modern Mechanics Fall 2010

Rotational Kinetic Energy Moment of Inertia

• Consider a rigid system rotating on an
axis
Lecture 16 – Multiparticle Systems, Moment of Inertia • All atoms are rotating at the same
“angular speed”
Chapter 9.3 – 9.5 2π
ω=
T
1 1
v = ωr K rot = [m1r⊥1
2
+ m2 r⊥22 + m3r⊥23 ]ω 2 = Iω 2
2 2

Some Moments of Inertia

About the specified axes, and about the CM Rigid Rotation about a Point
What is Ktrans?
I cylinder =
1 1
ML2 + MR 2
Not the Center of Mass
12 4
1 In General
I disk = MR 2
2 K tot = K trans + K rel
2 1 1 1
h I sphere = MR 2 K trans = 2
MvCM = M (ω rCM )2 = (MrCM
2
)ω 2
2 2 2
5
In this case
NOTE THAT ABOUT AN AXIS
1
I CM ω 2
ALONG THE CENTER OF THE
CYLINDER, OBJECT (1) HAS A K rel = K rot =
MOMENT OF INERTIA OF ½MR2 2 1
About the blue axis, the disc K tot = 2
(MrCM + I CM )ω 2
has I = 1/12 Mh2 + ¼ MR2 What is Ktrans? 2

Some Moments of Inertia Point particle system – translational motion

Moment of Inertia for off-center axis About axes not through the CM For both, real and point system:

1 1 1 P2
I cylinder = ML2 + MR 2+1/4 ML 2 Ktrans = 2
Mvcm = tot
1 2 2M
12 4
K tot = (MrCM
2
+ I CM )ω 2 Point particle system:
2 1 r
I disk = MR 2 +MR2 dPtot r
2 = Fnet ,ext
For any object, if you choose a different axis,
dt
2 ⎛ P2 ⎞ f r
the moment of inertia changes. Even if the
new axis is parallel to the old one, as the
I sphere = MR 2 +MR2 r
ΔKtrans = Δ ⎜ tot ⎟ = ∫ Fnet ,ext. drcm
axis moves a distance D = rCM from the CM, 5 ⎝ 2M ⎠ i
the effective moment of inertia of the object
becomes About the red See derivation in the book
axes, just add the
red terms to get I Note however that a point system cannot
have a moment of inertia, and idealizing
I = MD2 + ICM the top figure to a point is completely
invalid for its rotational motion
 r
Application: Jumping up Application: Stretching a spring Example: hockey pucks dPtot r
= Fnet ,ext
Point particle system:
dt
f
r Note carefully that the
Ptot2 r
ΔKtrans = − 0 = ∫ Fnet ,ext .drcm translational K comes from the
2M i
CM motion under the influence
of FT
Ptot2
= ( FN − Mg ) h Real system: WL = FL ΔrL WR = FR ΔrR This is not necessarily the
2M same amount of motion as the
( ks s 2 ) = WL + WR
Δ½
d1
motion of one of the hands
(which hand?)
r r
Ptot = FT Δt W1 = FT d1
f
r r
Point particle system: ΔKtrans = ∫ Fnet ,ext. drcm d1 r r
i Ptot = FT Δt W2 = FT d 2
Real system: FN is pushing your feet which do not move! No work is done… ΔKtrans = 0 d2
P2
f
r r
ΔK trans + ΔK hands ,legs + ΔEthermal + ΔEchemical = − Mgh ΔKtrans = tot − 0 = ∫ Fnet , ext . drcm
In this real system: each force does work, 2M i
involves displacement of the point to which the force is applied
Difference: point particle does not change shape

Example: a box containing a spring Example: a box containing a spring Clicker question 1
r System: r System:
F Ball with mass mball F Ball with mass mball
Box with mass mbox<<mball Box with mass mbox<<mball
b Spring – mass << mball b Spring – mass << mball
M ≈ mball M ≈ mball
s r s r
cm F a) How fast is the ball moving cm F a) How fast is the ball moving
immediately after it sticks to the box? immediately after it sticks to the box?
Wheel 1 of mass M rolls down from a slope.
ΔK trans = Fa Wheel 2 of the same mass M slides down
1 from the same slope (ignore friction)
2Fa
sticky
b-s = a
1
2
2
Mvcm − 0 = Fa v= sticky
b-s = a
M Which wheel will acquire larger total kinetic
b) What is the increase in thermal energy of the ball? Let’s look at extreme cases of this example:
energy?
1. ks=0 Then ball won’t move until it hits box! So at that instant, v=0
ΔEsystem = W + Q assume Q=0
How long does it take for the box to hit the ball? What’s the impulse? A) Wheel 1 (rolling)
Δ ( K trans + U spring + Ethermal ) = Fb 2. ks is large in relation to F, M, and size of box – such that ball NEVER 2 B) Wheel 2 (sliding)
touches box!! The ball will accelerate on average at a rate F/M C) The same
Fa + 12 ks s 2 + ΔEthermal = Fb
The ball will oscillate about the unstretched position with angular frequency
ΔEthermal = F (b − a) − 12 ks s 2 sqrt(ks/M) This oscillation energy takes the place of heating the
putty

Clicker question 2 Clicker question 3 Center of mass demo: hovercrafts

r
dPtot r
= Fnet ,ext
dt
Wheel 1 of mass M rolls down from a slope. Wheel 1 of mass M rolls down a slope.
r r
Ptot = Mvcm
Wheel 2 of the same mass M slides down Wheel 2 of the same mass M slides down
1 from the same slope (ignore friction) 1 the same slope (ignore friction)
for v << c
Which wheel will acquire larger translational Which of the wheels will get down first?
kinetic energy?
A) Wheel 1 (rolling) A) Wheel 1 (rolling) Two equal-mass people on frictionless hovercrafts pull on a
2 B) Wheel 2 (sliding) 2 B) Wheel 2 (sliding) rope between them. No external forces, in the absence, for
C) The same C) Both will get down in the same example, of unwanted floor friction on one of the hovercraft !!
time means that the center of mass will not move, and the two
people will approach each other meeting halfway.
 Flywheel Energy Storage
Let’s consider a 1 (metric) Ton flywheel of radius R=1 m in the form of a
disc. I = ½ 1E3kgm2
Consider 3600 rpm = 60 Hz revolution rate (60 seconds in a minute)
K = ½ I ω2 where ω = 120π rad/s = 377 rad/s and vrim = 377 m/s
K = 3.553 E7 J = 35.5 MJ (several sticks of dynamite)

How fast would a 2 Ton car be going with that K = ½ m v2 ?

71MJ/1000kg = v2 = 7.1 E4 v= 266 m/s = 959 km/hr

What’s the g force on the rim of this flywheel?

ac = v2/R = 35,500 g’s (so the apparent weight of the iron at the rim is
35,500 times it’s actual static weight at the Earth’s surface.)
Let’s hope the material of the flywheel is strong enough. Maybe we
want carbon fiber, or nanotube fabric when it becomes available, with a
more favorable strength to mass ratio than, say, steel.
Note that the stored energy and the g forces scale proportionally to
each other and to v2