Rolling motion

Last time, we practiced computing moments of inertia using the parallel-axis theorem, and also learned about torque. Today, we will use both ideas as we try to understand a simple, and practical, issue: rolling motion.

Before we go further, let's define precisely the term "rolling". When a physicist says that an object is rolling, she means

      "rolling"   means   "rotating and translating without slipping"

In other words, when an object rolls, its angular and linear motions are EXACTLY related by

Let's use these relationships, and the definition of "rolling", to figure out how fast a ball will be moving after it has rolled down a ramp ...

• Analysis of rolling motion using Torque
• Analysis of rolling motion using Energy
• Predict time to roll down a table

This might come in handy again ...

• Moments of inertia of simple objects (PDF)

Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.