Linear acceleration of rolling objects

Rotational Motion (cont.)

R

Consider a round object (this
could be a cylinder, hoop, sphere
or spherical shell) having mass M,
radius R and rotational inertia I
about its center of mass, rolling without
slipping down an inclined plane.
What is the linear acceleration of the objects center of mass, a
CM
,
down the incline?
a
CM


We analyze this as follows:
The force of gravity, Mg, acting straight down
is resolved into components parallel and
perpendicular to the incline.

Mg
Mgsin
Mgcos
Since the object rolls without
slipping there is a force of
friction, f, acting on the object,
at its point of contact with the
incline, in the direction up
the incline.
f
Newtons 2
nd
law gives then for acceleration down the incline,
CM
F Ma =

CM
a
CM
Mgsin f Ma =
R

The force of friction also causes a torque around the center of mass
having lever arm R so we can also write,

Mg
Mgsin
Mgcos
Solving for the friction,
f
This is used in the expression
derived from the 2
nd
law:
Rf I = =
CM
a
CM
Mgsin f Ma =
I
f
R
=
CM
I
Mgsin Ma
R
=

The objects angular acceleration is related to the linear acceleration
of the edge that contacts the incline by,

Mg
Mgsin
Mgcos
Since the object rolls without
slipping this has the same
magnitude as a
CM
so we have
that,
f
Using this in,
a R =
CM
a
CM
I
Mgsin Ma
R
=
CM
a
R
=
CM
CM CM CM
2
a I I
Mgsin Ma Ma a Mgsin
R R R
= =


Mg
Mgsin
Mgcos
f
CM
a
CM CM
2
I
Ma a Mgsin
R
+ =
CM
2
I
Ma 1 Mgsin
MR

+ =


CM
2
gsin
a
I
1
MR

=
+
CM
2
I
a 1 gsin
MR

+ =


So that ,finally,
Multiplying through by 1,


Mg
Mgsin
Mgcos
f
CM
a
CM
2
gsin
a
I
1
MR

=
+
If the object is a solid
cylinder ,

2
1
I MR
2
=
CM
2
2
gsin gsin gsin 2
a gsin
1 1 3
3
MR
1
2
1
2 2
MR

= = = =
+
+
If instead the object is cylindrical shell, with all its mass at the rim
and,
2
I MR =
(solid cylinder)
CM 2
2
gsin gsin 1
a gsin
MR 1 1 2
1
MR

= = =
+
+
(cylindrical shell)
Angular Momentum
The rotational analog to linear momentum (p = mv) is
angular momentum,
L I =
Recall that linear momentum is important because given a system
of objects, in the absence of external forces, no matter how the
objects of the system interact with each other, their total linear
momentum is conserved. I.e. with,
n
i
i 1
P p
=
=

For any two times,
f i
P P =

Similarly, for rotational motion, in the absence of external torques
(i.e. ), the angular momentum is conserved meaning that for
any two times,
f i
L L =
0 =

Thus if there are two objects with linear momenta and so that
their total momentum is at one time,
1
p

2
p

i 1i 2i
P p p = +

Then no matter how they interact, collide, attract or repel each other,
in the absence of external forces, this total momentum will not change
so we have that,
1f 2f 1i 2i
p p p p + = +

Example
A boy (mass m) runs with speed v and
jumps onto the edge of an initially
stationary merry-go-round (also called a
carousel).
What is the angular velocity of the
carousel (and the boy) after he has
jumped on?
Conservation of angular momentum
requires,
L
f
=L
i

R
M

final
m
M
v
Top view
R
Where I
B
is his rotational inertia about the axis
and
B
is his angular velocity about the axis.
B B B
I =
We must first consider the boys
angular momentum about the rotation
axis of the carousel when he is running
in a straight line. His angular momentum
is,
We treat the boy as a point object of mass m, making his rotational
inertia about the carousel axis
2
B
I mr =
Where r is his (changing) distance to the carousel axis.
m
M
r
v
Top view
What is the boys angular velocity

B
about the axis?
When we previously considered motion
on a circular trajectory we had that v
t
=r
where the subscript t reminds us that
this was velocity tangent to the circle.
Tangent to the circle means the component of the velocity that is
perpendicular to a line drawn to the center of the circle (all of v,
when the trajectory is circular).
For this more general case we must decompose the velocity vector
into components parallel and perpendicular to the line to the rotation
axis.
m
M
r
v
Top view
But notice that along his linear
trajectory is also the point of
closest approach to the axis which here is R so that,
Then,
m
M
r
v


vsin
vcos
B
vsin r =
in,
2
B
v
(mr ) sin
r
=
2
B
I mr = Using this and
or,
B
v
sin
r
=
gives,
B
mrvsin mv(rsin ) = =
rsin
m
r
v


vsin
vcos
R
B
mv(rsin ) mvR = =
Where R is the point of closest
approach to the axis.
m
M
r
v


vsin
vcos
m
r
v


vsin
vcos
R
Since all of these m, v and R
are constant what we have just
shown is that despite the fact
that r and are both changing
as the boy approaches the carousel
his angular momentum about the
axis remains constant and is given
by
B
mvR =
(this must be true for angular momentum to be conserved. I.e.
calculated at any two times along this trajectory had better be the
same).
B

Where R is the point of closest

approach of the trajectory to the point.
m
M
r
v
m
r
v
R
Having shown this once, we
dont need to re-derive it every
time it comes up.
B
mvR =
What needs to be remembered is
that an object travelling linearly,
with constant v, on a trajectory to
pass an arbitrary point has a constant
angular momentum about that point
given by,
The initial angular momentum of
the system is the sum of the initial
angular momenta of the boy
and the carousel (since
Ci
=0),
After the boy jumps on we have
Where I
f
is the combined rotational inertia
of the boy and the carousel. The carousel
can be treated as a uniform disk with
R
M

final
m
M
v
Top view
R
Bi
mvR =
Ci
0 =
i Bi Ci
L mvR = + =
f f f
L I =
2
C
1
I MR
2
=
For rotation about the same axis
rotational inertia are simply additive
so,
Then,
Solving for
f
,
R
M

final
m
M
v
Top view
R
2
f f f f i
M
L I m R L mvR
2

= = + = =


2 2 2
f
1 M
I MR mR m R
2 2

= + = +


f
mv
M
m R
2
=

+


Check behavior if M . 0
New example
R
M

i

initial
L
f
=L
i

Suppose the boy is on the rim of
carousel at radius R from the center
and the two have angular velocity
i
.
The boy then pulls himself along the
hand rail until he is a distance R/3
from the center.
What is after this move?
f

R/3
M

f

final
Bf Cf Bi Ci
+ = +
2
2 2 2
f f i i
R 1 1
m MR mR MR
3 2 2

+ = +


R
M

i

initial
R/3
M

f

final
2 2
f i
m M M
R m R
9 2 2

+ = +


2
2 2 2 2
f f i i
1 1 1
m R MR mR MR
3 2 2

+ = +


f i
m M M
m
9 2 2

+ = +


f i
M
m
2
m M
9 2

+


=

+


R
M

i

initial
R/3
M

f

final
f i
M
m
2
m M
9 2

+


=

+


Suppose that M =6m then,
f i
6m
m
2
m 6m
9 2

+


=

+


( )
f i i
1 3
1.29
1
3
9
+
= =

+


So the angular velocity increases when the boy moves in.
R
M

i

initial
R/3
M

f

final
If the boys mass is m =25 kg, the carousels
mass is 6m =150 kg the initial angular
velocity was
i
=2 rad/s and R =1.5 m.
How much work did the boy do in pulling
himself in to R/3?
nc
W K U = +
There is no U here so,
nc f i
W K K K = =
2 2
nc f f i i
1 1
W I I
2 2
=
Above we found that,
f i
rad
1.29 2.58
s
= =
R
M

i

initial
R/3
M

f

final
2 2
i
1
I mR MR
2
= +
2 2
i
1
I m 6m R 4mR
2

= + =


2 2
i
I 4(25kg)(1.5m) 225kg m = =
2
2
f
R 1
I m MR
3 2

= +


2 2 2
f
1 1
I m R 6mR 3.11mR
9 2

= + =


2 2
f
I 3.11(25kg)(1.5m) 175kg m = =
R
M

i

initial
R/3
M

f

final
2
i
I 225kg m =
2
f
I 175kg m =
So with,
f
rad
2.58
s
=
i
rad
2.00
s
=
nc
W 582.4J 450J 132J = =
2 2
nc f f i i
1 1
W I I
2 2
=
Summary of translational quantities and their rotational analogs