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P211: Equilibrium and Non-Equilibrium Rotational Systems

(Lab #10) (rev 2.2)

Objective: To study two different rotational systems, one in equilibrium and the other
undergoing a rotational acceleration. For the system in equilibrium, the magnitudes of the
forces and torques will be predicted and then confirmed by measurement. For the non-
equilibrium system, the effect of torque, and Rotational Inertia on angular acceleration will be
calculated and then checked against Newton’s 2nd law.

Apparatus: Non-equilibrium: LabQuest interface, Vernier Rotary motion sensor,

Aluminum disc and Steel collar,10g slotted weights, “ultra” pulley, vertical post lab stand,
Vernier calipers, gram scale
Equilibrium: Vernier Force sensor, 100g mass, one weight hanger, Meter
stick, 2 support stands, meter stick clips (2), 1 string loop, short section of PVC pipe.

Theory: Newton’s second law can be applied for either a linear or rotational system. For a
linear system, Newton’s second law has the familiar form:

ΣF=ma (1)
For the rotational system, instead of force, mass, and linear acceleration we use the
rotational parameters; torque ( τ ), moment of inertia (I), and angular acceleration (α) to write
a rotational form of Newton’s second law:

Στ=Iα (2)

In equation (1) the mass (m) is a measure of inertia, the resistance an object offers to being
accelerated when subjected to a force. In equation (2) the Rotational Inertia (I) provides the
same function; it is a measure of an objects resistance to rotational acceleration (α) when
subjected to a torque.
The value of (I) is dependent not only on the mass of the object but also its shape. For a
given amount of mass, (I) will be larger if the mass is distributed further away from the axis of
rotation. For example, both a solid disc and a hollow ring with the same mass and outside
radius, will not have the same (I). Conceptually, since the mass of the ring is located further
from the axis of rotation, it requires more torque to rotationally accelerate. The value of (I)
directly indicates how much torque would be required to achieve a given amount of
acceleration. The equations for the moment of inertia for discs and rings (or collar) are:
I disc= ½ mr o
2 (3a)

I = ½m(r + r )
collar o
2
i
2 (3b)

where ro and ri are the outside and inside radius, respectively.

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When a known torque is applied to either of these shapes ,with known mass and radius, the
angular acceleration can be predicted from equation (2).

Computing Torque on a pulley: When a string, wrapped around an pulley, is pulled it

applies a torque to the pulley. Its tension force is not directed at the center of the axle and so a

 
lever arm (equal to the pulley radius, r) will exist. The torque will simply be the product of
string tension (T), and (r) for that particular pulley. See figure (1)

Mgr
Figure (1)
Non-equilibrium Step
l


pulley
Lever arm

 
Angular r
acceleration
(α) T
Rotation
axis

I I
Tangential
acceleration Mg Torque applied
(at) to pulley= T*r

Rotating mass (of momentum of inertia I)

Note:
The torque produced by the hanging mass
Depends on which pulley the tread is
attached to.

In the first part of this lab we will investigate the effect of changes in M, r, and I on the
angular acceleration of a rotating object.

In the second part of the lab you will investigate the forces and torques acting on an object
that is in equilibrium. A horizontal beam, holding up an attached weight, will be supported
from below by two support forces (SA, SB).

Figure 2. Horizontal beam in Equilibrium

beam COM
x
Center of mass (x=COM) is
x W located at the geometric center
of a uniform object
SA SB

Procedure: Part 1: Non-equilibrium system

A. SETUP
1. Clamp the rotary motion sensor directly to the vertical post of a small lab stand such
that the side with the three different size pulleys is facing upwards.
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2. Attach an “ultra” pulley to the adapter and screw the adapter onto the front of the Rotary
motion sensor
a. Adjustments to the separate pulley’s height and angle will be required to keep
the thread centered on the particular step pulley chosen.
3. Measure the diameter of the 3 step pulleys (use Vernier Caliper). Be sure to measure the
diameter at the inside of the “groove” where the string wraps around each pulley.

Step pulley size Diameter (meters) Radius (meters)

Largest
Medium
Smallest
4. Attach a length of thread to the largest pulley and then to a .010kg mass. The thread
should be long enough for the mass to reach the table surface.
5. After you are sure the string is well attached and long enough; attach the solid metal disc
to metal axle that the step pulley runs on. You will need to remove the central screw to
do this.
6. Connect the rotary motion sensor to the LabQuest by plugging the cable into the “DIG
1” port o the top edge of the interface. Open LoggerPro. You should see an angular
velocity plot with units (rad/s).
7. Wind the thread onto the large step pulley, lifting the weight up to the ultra pulley
8. To measure angular acceleration (α) of the rotating pulley/disc
a. start the velocity plot and then release the weight
b. From the graph, measure the angular acceleration (slope of the ω/t line)
c. Do a trial run first to make sure everything is working well.

B. Measure the rotational inertia (I) of the entire rotating disc system:
1. Using .010kg as the hanging mass (M), and the thread attached to the largest pulley:
a. Write out the expression for torque applied to the pulley:

b. Calculate the torque for when the thread is attached to each pulley:
TorqueLg/Med/Sml=___________/___________/____________units______
2. Now measure angular acceleration of the disc assembly caused by the falling mass for
each of these three torques (i.e. thread attached to different pulleys):
αLg/Med/Sml =_________/_________/_________(rad/sec2)
3. Now print out a graph of (using LoggerPro) of your three Torques (Y-axis) versus
your three angular accelerations (X-axis).
4. τ =I α ; use this relationship to calculate the system rotational inertia
from the graph in step 3.

Isystem=_____________units______________
[this will later be compared to a theoretical value of Isystem]

C. Add additional rotational inertia to the system, then predict angular acceleration.
(no change to Mhanging ,set rpulley to “medium”)
1. Measure the mass as well as the inside and outside diameters of the metal collar
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a. mass=________units_______
b. dout=__________units_______ rout=__________units_______
c. din=__________units_______ rin=__________units_______
2. Using equation 3b. calculate (I) for the collar

Icollar____________________ units________
3. Compute the total system value for (I) when the collar is attached to the metal disc.
(Isystem = sum of I’s from all components)

Isystem=_______________+_____________=_____________units________
4. Based on this value for (Isystem), compute the expected value of α using Newtons 2nd
law:

αpredicted =_______________(rad/sec2)
5. Now release the weight and measure the angular acceleration

αmeasured =_______________(rad/sec2)
6. How close (in %) did your measured acceleration come to the predicted value?

D. For a future question(#2) you will need to know the mass and radius of the aluminum
support disc. Measure it now and record the data:
Rdisc=_________units______ Mdisc=_________units______

Part 2 Rotational System in equilibrium

A. SETUP
1. Use the two supports (A&B) and clips to suspend the meter stick in a horizontal
position. Locate the supports asymmetrically, and exclusive of the ends.
2. Using a weight hanger, locate the total weight ,W1=(.200kg)*g, outside either of the
two supports. If the system is not stable, make other choices for positions.
3. Determine the total mass, and the location of the COM, of the meter stick and clips.
Use the PVC pipe as a fulcrum to find the beam’s balance point (COM)
4. Setup the force sensor and then use a string loop so that later you can lift the meter
stick clip off of its support stand to measure the supported weight (but calculate them
first in part B below).
B. Based on measured parameters, predict support forces using the following procedure:
1. First, make a sketch (here) showing all support (2) and weight (2) forces with their
locations.

2. Write out an equation for the sum of all these vertical forces (unknown supports and
known weights) and set them equal to zero.
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Object Mass Weight

(kg) (N)
W1
Beam
3. Identify a convenient point on the meter stick to sum all torques about. (a support
point works best) Axis Location=___________
4. Make a sketch showing the direction of all torques acting in the beam. Label each
torque with a curved arrow and write out its value (Force*lever arm) with
appropriate sign.

Force Force location Lever arm, l │Torque│* Torque direction

from zero end. (m) (Nm) (CCW/CW)
(m) and sign (+/-)
W1
weight of beam
SA SA* lA
SB SB* lB
*one of these values may be zero
5. Now write out an equation for the sum of all these torques and equate it to Zero:
(From this equation you should be able to solve for a single support force)

6. Substitute the results of your Torque equation into the Force equation (step 2) and
solve for the 2nd support force.

SA=_________units____ SB=_________units___
7. Now, using the force gauge, measure the support forces by lifting the meter stick at
the points of support (one at a time). Use the digits display to view the data.

8. Compare, in %, your predicted and measured support forces.

location Predicted Force (N) Measured Force(N) % difference
Support A
Support B
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Questions:
1. Conceptually, why does changing the size of the pulley that the string is attached to (part
A) affect acceleration of the assembly, even though the hanging mass is unchanged and
the Rotational inertia is also constant?

2. Compute what the Rotational Inertia should be for the metal disc based on equation 3a
( and the data in part 1, section D) Idisc=_________. How does this compare to
what you measured experimentally in part 1B for I? They should be a little different,
explain why (hint: this difference is not due to measurement error or friction effects).
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Pre Lab Quiz: Name___________

1. What is the most fundamental difference between the experiments in part 1 and 2?

Free point

2. In part 1, what type of force will produce the torque?

3. In part 1, what parameters will be needed to calculate the value of torque?

4. Conceptually, how is Rotational inertia different than mass?

5. Why in part 2 is there no mention of Rotational Inertia while in part 1 there is ?

Free Point