Lab 6: Angular Momentum and Motion Diagrams
Winter 2004
Angular Momentum
Be careful! It's possible to lose your balance and fall
down while doing these. Do the following experiments. (Each person
in your group should do at least one of these. If no other groups are
waiting for the rotating platform, everyone should try each.)
- Stand on the ground. Spin of the bicycle wheel and hold it
horizontally. Then get on the platform. Turn the bicycle wheel
upside down.
- Stand on the platform and hold the wheel. (The wheel shouldn't
be spinning yet.) Then, hold the wheel horizontally and give it a
spin.
- Hold the two heavy weights and stand on the platform. Have
someone give you a gentle spin. Move the weights in and out.
- Stand on the platform and hold something heavy and
unbreakable.
- Throw the heavy thing in such a manner that you end up
rotating after the throw.
- Throw the heavy thing equally hard, but now throw it so that
you don't rotate after the throw.
Rolling Stuff
Consider a disk and a hoop with identical mass M and identical
radius R. Suppose the objects are released from rest and allowed to
roll down an incline. The incline has length L and one end is
raised to a height of h.
- Determine an expression for the velocity of the hoop at the
bottom of the incline.
- Determine a similar expression for the velocity of the disk.
- Calculate the ratio of the two velocities.
- Make measurements of the velocities of the hoop and the disk at
the bottom of the incline. (Take several measurements and average
your results.)
- Does your experimental velocity ratio agree with the theoretical
velocity ratio?
Specific Heat
Suppose you place a hot piece of metal in a styrofoam cup
containing some water. By how much will the temperature of the water
increase? Try this out with one of the known pieces of metal. Then
calculate the expected temperature rise as done in example 10.3 on
page 145.
[Dave]
[Physics I]
[COA]
Web page maintained by dave@hornacek.coa.edu.