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Physics 101: Torque and Motion Problems

The document is a physics tutorial worksheet featuring three questions related to mechanics. The first question involves calculating the torque and angular acceleration required to close a heavy fire door in a movie scene. The second question compares the speeds of a solid sphere and a cylindrical hoop rolling down a hill using conservation of energy, while the third question examines the performance of an electric motor in terms of angular velocity, displacement, and work done.

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Earl Pannila
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19 views3 pages

Physics 101: Torque and Motion Problems

The document is a physics tutorial worksheet featuring three questions related to mechanics. The first question involves calculating the torque and angular acceleration required to close a heavy fire door in a movie scene. The second question compares the speeds of a solid sphere and a cylindrical hoop rolling down a hill using conservation of energy, while the third question examines the performance of an electric motor in terms of angular velocity, displacement, and work done.

Uploaded by

Earl Pannila
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

PHYS 101 Tutorial Worksheet 8

Question 1:

Because of your physics background, your group have been asked to be stunt consultants for a motion
picture about a genetically synthesized prehistoric creature that escapes from captivity and terrorizes the
city. In the scene, the two main characters are being chased by the creature through an old warehouse. At
the exit of the warehouse is a thick steel fire door 3.0 meters high and 2.0 meters wide with a mass of about
1,200 kg. In the scene, the two actors are to flee from the building and close the fire door (initially at rest),
thus sealing the creature inside the building. With the creature running full speed at them, they have 4.0
seconds to shut the door. You are asked to determine if they can do it.
You estimate that each actor can push on the door with a force of 200 N. When they push together, each
actor needs a space of about 1 m between them and the next actor. The door, which has a moment of
inertia of 1/3 M r2 around its hinges (where r is the width of the door), needs to rotate 120 degrees for it to
close completely. Can they close the door in time?

Set-up: Draw a diagram of the door showing where the forces are acting and where the axis of rotation is.

Solve: Use the information in your diagram to find the total torque on the door and use this to find the
angular acceleration which you can then use to solve for the rotational kinematics.
Question 2:

Two objects, both with the same mass, 2.0 kg and the same radius, 20 cm, roll without slipping down the
following track starting from rest. One is a solid sphere and the other is a cylindrical hoop. The solid sphere
has a moment of inertia of (2/5) M R2. The cylindrical hoop has a moment of inertia of M R2. The starting
height is H = 2.0 m and the second hill has a height of h = 1.2 m. Calculate the speed of each object at the
top of the second hill. Which is going the fastest, the sphere or the hoop?
Hint: Use conservation of energy to solve this problem.

h
Question 3

An electric motor can produce a constant torque of 5Nm over a wide range of angular velocities (unlike a car
engine). This motor is used to turn a uniform disk with mass 10kg and radius 0.5m. Moment of inertia of a
disk is 1/2 mr2.

(a) How long does it take for the motor to achieve an angular velocity of 6 revolutions per second?

(b) What is the angular displacement for part (a) in revolutions?

(c) How much work is done by the motor during that time? Use the equation 𝑊 = 𝜏∆𝜃

(d) Use the work energy theorem to calculate the work done by the motor. Does your answer agree
with part (c).

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