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

Your engineering team has been assigned the task of measuring the properties of a new jet-engine turbine. You've previously determined that the turbine's moment of inertia is 2.6 kg m^2. The next job is to measure the frictional torque of the bearings. Your plan is to run the turbine up to a predetermined rotation speed, cut the power, and time how long it takes the turbine to reduce its rotation speed by 50%. Your data are given in the table. Draw an appropriate graph of the data and, from the slope of the best-fit line, determine the frictional torque.

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Key Concepts

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

Moment of Inertia

Moment of inertia is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its rotational motion. It depends on the mass distribution of the object relative to the axis of rotation. In this case, the turbine's moment of inertia is given as 2.6 kg m², indicating how difficult it is to change its rotational speed.
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Frictional Torque

Frictional torque is the torque that opposes the motion of a rotating object due to friction in its bearings or other components. It can be calculated from the deceleration of the object when power is cut. By analyzing how quickly the turbine slows down, one can derive the frictional torque acting on it.
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Graphing and Slope Interpretation

Graphing involves plotting data points on a coordinate system to visualize relationships between variables. In this scenario, the time taken for the turbine to slow down is plotted against its angular velocity. The slope of the best-fit line represents the rate of change of angular velocity, which can be used to calculate the frictional torque based on the moment of inertia.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
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