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Holt Physics

Problem 7E
TANGENTIAL SPEED

PROBLEM
In about 45 min, Nicholas Mason inflated a weather balloon using only
lung power. If a fly, moving with a tangential speed of 5.11 m/s, were to
make exactly 8 revolutions around this inflated balloon in 12.0 s, what
would the balloon’s radius be?
SOLUTION
Given: vt = 5.11 m/s
∆q = 8 rev
∆t = 12.0 s
Unknown: w=? r=?
Use ∆q and ∆t to calculate the fly’s angular speed. Then rearrange the tangential
speed equation to determine the balloon’s radius.

 
rad
(8 rev) 2p 
∆q rev
w =  =  = 4.19 rad/s
∆t 12.0 s
vt = rw
vt 5.11 m/s
r =  =  = 1.22 m
w 4.19 rad/s

ADDITIONAL PRACTICE

1. The world’s tallest columns, which stand in front of the Education

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Building in Albany, New York, are each 30 m tall. If a fly circles a col-
umn with an angular speed of 4.44 rad/s, and its tangential speed is
4.44 m/s, what is the radius of the column?
2. The longest dingoproof wire fence stretches across southeastern Aus-
tralia. Suppose this fence were to have a circular shape. A rancher driv-
ing around the perimeter of the fence with a tangential speed of
16.0 m/s has an angular speed of 1.82 × 10–5 rad/s. What is the fence’s
radius and length (circumference)?
3. The smallest self-sustaining gas turbine has a tiny wheel that can rotate
at 5.24 × 103 rad/s. If the wheel rim’s tangential speed is 131 m/s, what
is the wheel’s radius?
4. Earth’s average tangential speed around the sun is about 29.7 km/s. If
Earth’s average orbital radius is 1.50 × 108 km, what is its angular or-
bital speed in rad/s?

Problem 7E 77
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5. Two English engineers designed a ridable motorcycle that was less than
12 cm long. The front wheel’s diameter was only 19.0 mm. Suppose this
motorcycle was ridden so that the front wheel had an angular speed of
25.6 rad/s. What would the tangential speed of the front wheel’s rim
have been?

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78 Holt Physics Problem Workbook

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Givens Solutions
12. r = 7.1 m ∆s 1
∆q =  = w i ∆t + 2a∆t 2
∆s = 500.0 m r
1 ∆s
w i = 0.40 rad/s a∆t 2 + w ∆t −  = 0
2 i
r
a = 4.0 × 10−3 rad/s2
Using the quadratic equation:

 
− wi ±
w
∆t = 

−4
 ar
i
−∆s
2 1

2

22a 
1

∆t = 
 
1 500.0 m
−0.40 rad/s ± (0.40 rad/s)2 + (4)2(4.0 × 10−3 rad/s2) 
7.1 m

(2)2(4.0 × 10−3 rad/s2)

1

 
−0.40 rad/s ± 0.16
rad
2/
s2+0.5
6ra
d2/
s2 – 0.40 rad/s ± 0.72
rad
2/
s2
∆t =  = 
4.0 × 10−3 rad/s2 4.0 × 10−3 rad/s2

Choose the positive value:

II
−0.40 rad/s + 0.85 rad/s 0.45 rad/s
∆t =  =  = 1.1 × 102 s
4.0 × 10−3 rad/s2 rad/s2

Additional Practice 7E

1. w = 4.44 rad/s v 4.44 m/s

r = t =  = 1.00 m
vt = 4.44 m/s w 4.44 rad/s

2. vt = 16.0 m/s v 16.0 m/s

r = t =  = 8.79 × 105 m = 879 km
w = 1.82 × 10 −5
rad/s w 1.82 × 10−5 rad/s

circumference = 2pr = (2p)(879 km) = 5.52 × 103 km

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3. w = 5.24 × 103 rad/s v 131 m/s

r = t =  = 2.50 × 10−2 m = 2.50 cm
w 5.24 × 103 rad/s
vt = 131 m/s

4. vt = 29.7 km/s v 29.7 km/s

w = t =  = 1.98 × 10−7 rad/s
8
r = 1.50 × 10 km r 1.50 × 108 km

19.0 mm
5. r =  = 9.50 mm vt = rw = (9.50 × 10−3 m)(25.6 rad/s) = 0.243 m/s
2
w = 25.6 rad/s

Section Two—Problem Workbook Solutions II Ch. 7–5