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Ch 12: Rotation of a Rigid Body
Chapter 12, Problem 12

A 4.0-cm-diameter disk with a 3.0-cm-diameter hole rolls down a 50-cm-long, 20° ramp. What is its speed at the bottom? What percent is this of the speed of a particle sliding down a frictionless ramp?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Moment of Inertia

The moment of inertia is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its rotational motion. For a disk with a hole, the moment of inertia can be calculated by subtracting the moment of inertia of the hole from that of the full disk. This concept is crucial for determining how the disk rolls down the ramp, as it affects the distribution of mass and the resulting angular acceleration.
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Conservation of Energy

The principle of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. In this scenario, the potential energy of the disk at the top of the ramp is converted into kinetic energy (both translational and rotational) as it rolls down. Understanding this concept allows us to calculate the final speed of the disk at the bottom of the ramp.
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Rolling Motion

Rolling motion involves both translational and rotational motion, where an object rolls without slipping. The relationship between linear speed and angular speed is given by the equation v = rω, where v is the linear speed, r is the radius, and ω is the angular speed. This concept is essential for comparing the speed of the rolling disk to that of a particle sliding down a frictionless ramp, as it highlights the differences in motion dynamics.
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