The use of an axle to utilize rotational motion originated years ago. Its importance to everyday life is immeasurable and has many benefits. Studying how rotational forces act on a body that is pinning can sometimes be challenging though. Utilizing an axle and a mass, we will study and try to understand how rotational forces are affected by the mass of an object, the speed at which it spins, and the angular deceleration. We will be able to see how each aspect of rotation affects the bob and all of its vectors. By utilizing uniform circular motion we will be able to calculate the rotational force acting on the bob and the counterforce being applied by the spring inward. This entire lab helpfully highlights many aspects of rotational motion in a simple clear cut layout. .
Apparatus Description.
The apparatus in image one utilizes an axle, multiple masses, a bearing, a pulley, and a marker all attached to a strong base. The axle has a lever arm, a two masses, a string, and a spring attached. When someone is setting up the device you hang a bob from a sting with the counter weight attached. You then align the vertical hanging bob with the marker point and reattach the spring to the bob. You then attach a string with a hanging mass to the side of the bob to calculate the force required to pull the bob over the marker and see how much force it requires to bring it over center. Then you set up a photogate to collect data on number of rotations. One of the individuals in the group then needs to spin the axel at a constant speed so the bob hanging from the string is again, hanging vertically over the marker. This is done so the force acting outward on the bob is constant like the angular velocity. You then vary the position of the marker and set everything up in accordance with the marker. This will allow you to collect multiple forces acting outward on the bob using the movement of the marker as the key to collecting all data.