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

The Balloon Whirl

Joe practices the new Olympic sport of balloon-tossing. He grabs a weather balloon of radius R = 6 m and mass M = 10 kg and whirls around in a circle to build up speed. As he spins, his arms hold the balloon at a point L = 1 m from the axis of rotation.

Joe reaches a top angular speed of 0.5 revolutions per second. What is the rotational kinetic energy of the balloon?

(if you have time) Is the balloon filled with air? How could you tell? What must the balloon have inside?


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