Rotational Inertia, Torque & Angular Acceleration of 4-Particle Rigid Body

  • Thread starter Clutch306
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Hard
In summary, four particles with a mass of 0.200kg each are positioned at the corners of a square with sides of 0.500m. The particles are connected by massless rods and can rotate in a vertical plane around a horizontal axis that passes through one of the particles (labeled as A in the attached figure). The following questions are asked:(a) What is the rotational inertia of the body about axis A?(b) What is the net torque about axis A due to gravitational forces when rod AB is horizontal?(c) What is the angular acceleration of the body when rod AB is horizontal?
  • #1
Clutch306
7
0
Four particles, each of mass 0.200kg, are placed at the vertices of a square with sides of length 0.500m. The particles are connected by rods of negligible masses. This rigid body can rotate in a vertical plane about a horizontal axis that passes through one of the particles (A for example, as shown in figure attached.)
(a) What is the rotational inertia I of the body about axis A?
(b) What is the net torque Tnet about axis A (due to the gravitational forces), when the rod AB is horizontal?
(c) What is the angular acceleration a of the body at the instant rod AB is horizontal?
 

Attachments

  • Prob 5.GIF
    Prob 5.GIF
    1.4 KB · Views: 442
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Others have said it in your other threads, but you must show what you've tried, Clutch.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=28
 
  • #3


(a) The rotational inertia I of the body about axis A can be calculated using the formula I = Σmr², where m is the mass of each particle and r is the distance from the axis of rotation. In this case, the particles have the same mass (0.200kg) and the distance from the axis of rotation is 0.250m (half of the side length of the square). Therefore, the rotational inertia I = 4(0.200kg)(0.250m)² = 0.100kgm².

(b) The net torque Tnet about axis A can be calculated using the formula Tnet = ΣrFsinθ, where r is the distance from the axis of rotation, F is the force acting on the particle, and θ is the angle between the force and the line connecting the particle to the axis of rotation. In this case, the only force acting on the particles is the gravitational force, which is directed towards the center of the earth. Since the particles are arranged in a square, the angle between the force and the line connecting the particle to the axis of rotation is 45 degrees. The distance from the axis of rotation is 0.250m (half of the side length of the square). Therefore, Tnet = 4(0.250m)(0.200kg)(9.8m/s²)sin45° = 3.92Nm.

(c) The angular acceleration a of the body can be calculated using the formula a = Tnet/I, where Tnet is the net torque and I is the rotational inertia. Substituting the values calculated in parts (a) and (b), we get a = (3.92Nm)/(0.100kgm²) = 39.2 rad/s². This means that the body will experience an angular acceleration of 39.2 rad/s² in the direction of the net torque when the rod AB is horizontal.
 

1. What is rotational inertia?

Rotational inertia, also known as moment of inertia, is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its rotational motion. It depends on the object's mass and how it is distributed around its axis of rotation.

2. How is torque related to rotational inertia?

Torque is the rotational equivalent of force and is directly related to rotational inertia. The greater the rotational inertia of an object, the more torque is needed to change its rotational motion.

3. What is angular acceleration?

Angular acceleration is the rate at which an object's angular velocity changes over time. It is calculated by dividing the change in angular velocity by the time taken.

4. How do you calculate the rotational inertia of a 4-particle rigid body?

The rotational inertia of a 4-particle rigid body can be calculated by summing the individual moments of inertia of each particle, which is equal to the particle's mass multiplied by the square of its distance from the axis of rotation.

5. How does the distribution of mass affect the rotational inertia of a 4-particle rigid body?

The distribution of mass greatly affects the rotational inertia of a 4-particle rigid body. The farther the mass is from the axis of rotation, the greater the rotational inertia will be. This is why objects with most of their mass concentrated toward the edges have a larger rotational inertia compared to objects with their mass evenly distributed.

Similar threads

Replies
7
Views
278
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
907
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
30
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
10
Replies
335
Views
8K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
301
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
33
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
919
Back
Top