ROTATIONAL

KINEMATICS
■ Consider the rotation of a rigid bodies.
■ A rigid body is an extended object (not a point particle)
with a definite shape.
■ This means that the body’s particles stay in fixed
positions relative to each other.
■ Angle Θ can be measured in degrees or radians.
■ For rotational motion, it is simpler to measure angles in
radians than in degrees.
■ One radian (abbreviated as rad) is defined as the angle
subtended at the center of a circle by an arc with length
(s) equal to the radius (r) of the circle.
■ In general, the angle Θ in radians is equal to arc (s)
divided by radius (r).
■ An angle in radians is a dimensionless number
because of it is a ratio of two lengths.
■ Nonetheless, when giving the measure of an angle in
radians, you still have to add “rad”.
■ Radians can be related to degrees.
■ One full circle has an angle of 360˚ that corresponds to
a circumference of 2𝜋𝑟.
■ Thus, for one complete circle,
2𝜋𝑟
𝜃= = 2𝜋𝑟𝑎𝑑
𝑟
For one revolution in a circle, you can write:
1 rev = 360˚= 2𝜋𝑟𝑎𝑑
EXAMPLE
Convert the following measurements from radian to
degrees:
a. one rad
𝜋
b. rad
2
c. 𝜋𝑟𝑎𝑑
■ You can describe rotational motion using
speed/velocity and acceleration equations for
translational motion.
■ But this time, you will use angular quantities.
■ Consider a bicycle that rotates from an initial position
(𝜃1) to a final position (𝜃2).
■ Angular displacement can be defined through:
ΔΘ = 𝜃2 - 𝜃1
■ Meanwhile, angular velocity is analogous to linear
velocity wherein it gives the displacement of the angle
per unit time.
𝜃
𝜔=
𝑡

Average angular velocity can be defined as:

Δ𝜃
𝜔ave =
Δ𝑡
■ Angular velocity, a vector quantity, has direction along
the axis of rotation that can be determined using the
right-hand rule.
■ If you curl the fingers of your right hand in the direction
of the rotation, your right thumb points to the direction
of the angular velocity.
■ When the angular velocity of a rigid body changes, it
has angular acceleration.
■ Similar to linear acceleration, the average angular
acceleration (𝛼) is defined as the change in angular
velocity per unit time.
Δω 𝜔 −𝜔0
𝛼ave = =
Δ𝑡 𝑡 − 𝑡0
■ Take note that angular acceleration is also a vector
quantity.
■ When 𝛼 is positive, 𝜔 is increasing.
■ In a fixed rotation axis, when 𝛼 is in the same direction
as 𝜔, the rotation is speeding up.
■ Similarly, when 𝛼 and 𝜔 are in opposite directions, the
rotation is slowing down.
■ Aside from angular velocity and acceleration, each
point of a rotating rigid body also has linear velocity and
acceleration.
■ For example, a particle at P moves in a circle with
radius.
■ The average linear velocity of this point is the distance
traveled or arc length (s) divided by time interval (t).
𝑠 Δ𝜃
𝜐= = r = r𝜔
Δ𝑡 Δ𝑡
■ Although each point in the rotating rigid body has the
same angular velocity, the points farther from the axis
of rotation have higher linear velocity.
EXAMPLE
A carousel is moving slowly at an angular speed of 0.480
rad/s. Child A and child B are sitting on seats with
distances 1.50 m and 2.50 m from the center of the
carousel, respectively. What are the linear speeds of the
two children?
■ The same with angular velocity, every point of a rotating
rigid body also has linear acceleration aside from its
angular quantities.
■ Because each particle is moving in a circle, the
direction of this linear acceleration is tangent to the
circular path.
■ Thus, this linear acceleration, called tangential
acceleration, is best described through:
𝛥𝑣 𝛥(𝑟𝜔) 𝛥𝜔
𝛼tan= = = r = r𝛼
𝛥𝑡 𝛥𝑡 𝛥𝑡
■ Recall that when objects move in a circle, it has radial
or centripetal acceleration (toward the center of the
circle)
v2
𝛼rad=
𝑟
■ The radial acceleration and the tangential acceleration
of an object are also greater the farther it is from the
axis of rotation.
■ Take note that radial acceleration and angular
acceleration are not the same.
■ Radial acceleration is linear acceleration directed
toward the center of the circle.
■ Angular acceleration is an angular quantity that
describes how fast or how slow the speed of the
rotation and whose direction is given by the right hand
rule.
EXAMPLE
In another carousel that is initially at rest, a child is sitting
3.0 m from the center. At an initial t = 0, the carousel is
given a constant angular acceleration of 0.065 rad/s^2.
At t = 10.0 s, find the following quantities:
a. angular velocity of the carousel.
b. linear velocity of the child.
c. tangential acceleration of the child.
d. radial acceleration of the child.
e. total linear acceleration of the child.
UNIFORMLY ACCELERATED ROTATIONAL MOTION

LINEAR ANGULAR

v = v0 + at 𝜔 = 𝜔0 + 𝛼t

𝑉+v0 𝜔+𝜔0
d= ( )t 𝜃= ( )t
2 2

v2 + v02 𝜔2 +𝜔02
d= 𝜃=
2𝑎 2𝛼

d = v0t + 1/2at2 𝜃 = 𝜔0t + 1/2𝛼t2

EXAMPLE
After using your DVD player to watch a movie, you
pressed the “stop” button, and the disc started to slow
down. Initially, the disc is rotating at 30.0 rad/s, and then
slows down at a constant rate of 10.0 rad/s^2. At the
same time, line AB on the disc is at the x-axis.
a. What is the angular velocity of the disc at t =
0.400 seconds?
b. Find the angle that line AB makes with the x-axis
at the given time.
ROTATIONAL DYNAMICS
■ Rotational Dynamics is the study of the causes of
rotational motion.
TORQUE
■ You twist or rotate many objects to use them.
■ You twist the cap of a bottle to open it.
■ When driving, you turn the steering wheel to take a left or a
right turn.
■ You turn the handle of a sharpener to sharpen your pencil.
■ All these actions require a twisting force to start rotation.
■ In physics, this effort or the cause for an object to move is
called TORQUE.
TORQUE
■ While force is required for an object to start rotating,
the direction of the force determines how fast will the
object rotate and if rotation will occur.
■ Consider a rod hinged that can rotate about an axis
perpendicular to the page.
TORQUE
■ You have noticed that changing the body’s rotational
motion depends not only on the force exerted on the
body but also on the distance between the point and
the line of action of the force.
■ This distance (r) is called the lever arm or the moment
arm of the force.
■ Meanwhile, the influence exerted on the body that
allows it to rotate is the torque.
TORQUE
■ Torque (𝜏) is directly proportional to the force (F) and
the lever arm (r):
𝜏 = rF
■ The unit of torque is also a product of the unit of force
and distance.
■ To make a distinction between the unit of torque and
the SI unit of energy (1 Nm = 1 J), the form mN is used.
TORQUE
■ Now, what if force F is acting at nonperpendicular angle
Θ with a lever arm?
■ In this case, the component of the force perpendicular
(F┴ ) to the lever arm contributes to torque, whereas its
parallel component does not.
■ Thus, the torque is:

𝜏 = rF┴
TORQUE
■ Noting that F┴ = FsinΘ, you can write this as:
𝜏 = rF┴sinΘ
■ Notice that when Θ = 0 or 180, the torque is zero.
■ Likewise, when Θ = 90, the torque is at a maximum
value.
■ Similar to the other angular quantities, torque is also a
vector quantity; so it has magnitude and direction.
■ Its direction can be found using the right-hand rule.
TORQUE
■ First, point your fingers to the direction of the lever arm.
■ Then, curve them to the direction of the force.
■ Your thumb points to the direction of the force.
EXAMPLE
You exerted a downward