Experiment 6 Moment of Inertia

Preparation Prepare for this week's experiment by studying angular velocity, acceleration, rotational momentum and kinetic energy, and moment of inertia. Principles An object traveling in a straight line has kinetic energy, K =
1 2 mv , and linear momentum, 2 p = mv . An applied force will change the linear momentum, and that change will be in the direction of the force,

F = dt

dp

= ma .

1 2 I and 2 angular momentum L = I, where is the angular velocity. To change angular momentum one must apply a torque. The change in angular momentum will be in the same direction as the torque, dL = dt = I .

An object that is rotating about a fixed axis will have rotational kinetic energy K R =

The quantity I is called the moment of inertia of the object. It depends on the magnitude and the distribution of the mass of an object. You can think of mass as the amount of resistance an object offers linear acceleration and the moment of inertia as the resistance an object offers to angular acceleration. For a point mass, like a very small rock tied to a string, the moment of inertia is

I = mr 2 ,
where m is the mass of the object and r is the distance from the mass to the center of rotation. If several masses rotate about an axis, like a cheerleader's baton, the net moment of inertia is simply the sum of the individual moments such that

I = mi ri 2 .
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Moments of inertia can be added and subtracted as long as they are about the same axis of rotation. For an extended body, the summation becomes an integral and the moment of inertia becomes I = r 2 dm ,

where r is the distance from each mass element, dm, to the axis of rotation. For an extended object, r is variable and dm must be expressed as a function of r so that the expression can be integrated. In this experiment we are going to calculate the theoretical moment of inertia of a ring and a disk. Actually, the disk is simply a special type of ring, so one integral will work for both problems. Start by assuming that the ring has an inner radius Ri, an outer radius Ro, and a constant height h. The object has uniform density, , which is the mass per unit volume, M/V. Since M = V , if is constant,

dm = dV .
This does not seem like progress until you rewrite the volume element, dV, in polar coordinates. Each element of volume is the product of three infinitesimal length elements. The element along the direction of the rings height is dz, the element along the radial direction is dr, and the element along the curve of the ring is r d . Therefore

dm = dV = r dz d dr .
Now we can find the total mass of the object by integrating dm over the limits of the ring. Along the direction of the rings height, z ranges from 0 to h. The radial variable, r, extends from the inner to the outer radius. The angular extent of the ring, , goes from 0 to 2 . The total mass then is the product of three integrals

M = dm = dV = dV = dz d r dr .
0 0 Ri

Ro

Evaluating the integrals gives

r2 M = (h)(2) 2

Ro

= h (Ro2 - Ri2 ) .
Ri

A disk is just a ring whose inner radius equals zero. Now that dV is written in polar coordinates, the moment of inertia can be calculated in a similar fashion to that used to calculate the mass,
I = r 2 dm = 1 M(Ri2 + Ro2 ) . 2

In this experiment you will also find the moments of inertia of a ring, a disk, and a ring and a disk together experimentally and compare our results to the calculated theoretical moments. In this experiment you will first find the moment of inertia of a rotating base (sometimes called a spider). Then put the ring on top of the spider and determine the moment of the system, the base and ring together. Since moments of inertia can be added and subtracted as long as they are

about a common axis of rotation, we can find the experimental moment for the ring by subtracting

I ring = I system - I base .

There are two ways to derive the experimental moment of inertia. Force and Acceleration Study the diagram. A torque will be applied to the base by putting weight on a string that winds around the axle. The tension in the string will provide the force that produces the torque and will also overcome the sliding friction in the bearings and pulleys. The magnitude of the frictional force, f, will be determined experimentally by finding the mass, m f , which makes the base rotate at constant velocity, so that f = m f g . An additional mass, m, will then be added to make the base accelerate. Applying Newtons Second Law to the masses allows us to show that the total tension in the string is related to the acceleration of the masses by

T = (m+ m f )(g - a) .
The magnitude of the net force which rotates the spider is this tension force minus the opposing frictional force, f, such that

Fnet = T - f .
The torque, , which accelerates the spider will equal Fnet r . Since Fnet and r are perpendicular in this case, the magnitude of the torque is simply equal to Fnet r . The magnitude of the torque also equals I. Remember that the acceleration of the mass and the angular acceleration of the spider are not independent, there is a relationship between a and . 3

The magnitude of the acceleration, a, can be determined be finding the time it takes the to masses fall from rest through a known distance, s, such that
s= 1 2 at . 2

Combining these equations for force, torque, acceleration, and angular acceleration, the moment of inertia of each system can be experimentally found using the formula

gt 2 I = r 2 m - 1 - m f . 2s
Work and Energy This equation can also be derived using the concepts of work and energy. The initial potential energy is mostly converted to the linear kinetic energy of the two masses and the rotational kinetic energy of the spider. However some of the initial potential energy is removed from the system by the (negative) work of friction, a non-conservative force. Therefore

W f = E = E f - Ei , W f = U f + K f -U i - K i .
Its useful to note that the final kinetic energy is comprised of two terms, linear and rotational, which can be written as
1 1 2 K f = (m+ m f )v 2 I . f + 2 2 f

Remember that the final velocity of the masses and the final angular velocity of the spider are not independent: v = r . The time it takes for the masses to fall a known distance can be related to their final velocity. The average velocity is given by

v=

v f + vi 2

s = . t

Since the falling masses start from rest, vi equals zero, so we can solve for vf. These equations can be combined to give us the same resulting expression for I as we found using forces and acceleration.

Procedure Use MKS units. Take care to align everything carefully. Try not to get the string tangled in the bearings of the base. If you do, call your instructor. Measure lengths to the nearest mm, time to the nearest hundredth of a second. 4

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Mass the ring and the disk and find their inner and outer diameters. This is the data you will need for the theoretical calculations. Use the Vernier caliper to find the diameter of the axle of the spider. Set the apparatus up as shown in the diagram. Align everything carefully. Determine m f by hanging small masses on the string until the mass descends at constant velocity after the base is given a push to set it in motion.

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Leave the frictional offset mass on the string and add additional mass so that the base accelerates when the masses are released. Raise the mass to a convenient height above the floor (~1.500 m) and time its descent four times. Keep the height constant. If the times are not in good agreement take some more data. Repeat the entire procedure using the ring, the disk, and the ring and the disk together. Remember, you will have to find a new frictional offset mass each time. Put all your equipment away and be sure your instructor signs your notebook.

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Data Data necessary to find the theoretical moments of inertia consist of the inner and outer diameters of the ring and the disk and their masses. Data necessary to find the experimental moments of inertia include the diameter of the axle, the frictional offset masses, the accelerating masses, the distance the masses fall, and the descent times for each case. Analysis Present your results in a table. 1. Calculate the theoretical moment of inertia for the ring, the disk, and the ring and disk together. Look at the descent times. If one seems anomalous discard it. Average the descent times for each case and find the experimental moment of inertia for the spider alone, the spider and ring, the spider and disk, and the spider, ring, and disk together. Find the experimental moment for each body without the spider and compare it to the theoretical value. Remember to show sample calculations. For at least two systems, demonstrate that the change in potential energy of m + mf is equal to the sum of the change in linear kinetic energy of m + mf , the change in rotational kinetic energy of the base and object together, and the work done against friction. Use the experimental moment of inertia of the base and object together in the calculations. If this

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is not the case, consult your lab instructor because this indicates a serious error in your calculations. Questions 1. Use the definition of moment of inertia to derive the theoretical expressions for the moments of inertia of the disk and the ring. 2. Use Newtons Second Law to derive the expression for the experimentally determined moment of inertia. Use Work and Mechanical Energy to derive the expression for the experimentally determined moment of inertia. The average error in starting and stopping the stopwatch is about 0.1 s. How much error would this contribute to your values for I? What other sources of error can you think of? Remember that "human error" is not an acceptable excuse!

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If it applies to you, write "I have not cheated on the lab report" and sign your name.

Grading 4 pts For reasonable data and correct analysis 4 pts For each question .