A bicycle has wheels of radius \(0.32 \mathrm{m}\). Each wheel has a rotational inertia of \(0.080 \mathrm{kg} \cdot \mathrm{m}^{2}\) about its axle. The total mass of the bicycle including the wheels and the rider is 79 kg. When coasting at constant speed, what fraction of the total kinetic energy of the bicycle (including rider) is the rotational kinetic energy of the wheels?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The approximate fraction of the total kinetic energy corresponding to the rotational kinetic energy of the wheels is about 0.01235, or 1.235%.

Step by step solution

01

Calculate the translational kinetic energy

Let's denote the translational kinetic energy as \(K_{trans}\). It can be computed using the equation: \(K_{trans} = \frac{1}{2}mv^{2}\), where \(m = 79 \mathrm{kg}\) is the total mass of the bicycle and rider, and \(v\) is the velocity. To calculate the translational kinetic energy, we need the speed, \(v\) of the bicycle. Unfortunately, the problem doesn't give the speed directly, but we know that the bicycle is coasting at a constant speed, so we can consider the speed \(v\) to be the linear speed of the wheel's rim. Knowing the radius \(r = 0.32\mathrm{m}\), we can use the relationship between linear and angular speed: \(v = r\omega\), where \(\omega\) is the angular speed. The linear speed can be eliminated in \(K_{trans}\) expression using the formula \(v = r\omega\). So, \(K_{trans} = \frac{1}{2}m(r\omega)^{2} = \frac{1}{2}mr^{2}\omega^{2}\).
02

Calculate the rotational kinetic energy

Now let's find the rotational kinetic energy of the wheels. The rotational kinetic energy can be computed using the equation: \(K_{rot} = \frac{1}{2}I\omega^{2}\), where \(I = 0.080\,\mathrm{kg}\cdot\mathrm{m}^{2}\) is the moment of inertia of each wheel and \(\omega\) is the angular speed. As there are two wheels, the total rotational kinetic energy of the wheels is: \(K_{rot_{total}} = 2\left(\frac{1}{2}I\omega^{2}\right) = I\omega^{2}\).
03

Calculate the fraction of rotational kinetic energy

Now we have equations for both the translational kinetic energy \(K_{trans}\) and the total rotational kinetic energy of the wheels \(K_{rot_{total}}\) in terms of \(\omega\). We want to find the fraction of the total kinetic energy that corresponds to the rotational kinetic energy of the wheels, which can be expressed as \(\frac{K_{rot_{total}}}{K_{trans} + K_{rot_{total}}}\). Plugging in the expressions found in steps 1 and 2, we get: \(\frac{I\omega^{2}}{\frac{1}{2}mr^{2}\omega^{2} + I\omega^{2}}\).
04

Simplify the expression

We can simplify the fraction by dividing both the numerator and denominator by \(\omega^{2}\): \(\frac{I}{\frac{1}{2}mr^{2} + I}\). Now, we substitute the given values of \(I = 0.080 \,\mathrm{kg}\cdot\mathrm{m}^{2}\) and \(m = 79\,\mathrm{kg}\), and \(r = 0.32\,\mathrm{m}\) into the expression: \(\frac{0.080}{\frac{1}{2}(79)(0.32)^{2} + 0.080}\).
05

Calculate the fraction

Performing the calculations, we obtain: \(\frac{0.080}{6.400 + 0.080} \approx \frac{0.080}{6.480}\). The fraction of the total kinetic energy of the bicycle (including rider) that is the rotational kinetic energy of the wheels is approximately \(\frac{0.080}{6.480} \approx 0.01235\), or about \(1.235 \%\).

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Verify that \(\frac{1}{2} I \omega^{2}\) has dimensions of energy.
The angular momentum of a spinning wheel is $240 \mathrm{kg} \cdot \mathrm{m}^{2} / \mathrm{s} .$ After application of a constant braking torque for \(2.5 \mathrm{s}\), it slows and has a new angular momentum of $115 \mathrm{kg} \cdot \mathrm{m}^{2} / \mathrm{s} .$ What is the torque applied?
The distance from the center of the breastbone to a man's hand, with the arm outstretched and horizontal to the floor, is \(1.0 \mathrm{m} .\) The man is holding a 10.0 -kg dumbbell, oriented vertically, in his hand, with the arm horizontal. What is the torque due to this weight about a horizontal axis through the breastbone perpendicular to his chest?
A diver can change his rotational inertia by drawing his arms and legs close to his body in the tuck position. After he leaves the diving board (with some unknown angular velocity), he pulls himself into a ball as closely as possible and makes 2.00 complete rotations in \(1.33 \mathrm{s}\). If his rotational inertia decreases by a factor of 3.00 when he goes from the straight to the tuck position, what was his angular velocity when he left the diving board?
A planet moves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit (see Fig. 8.39 ). (a) Show that the external torque acting on the planet about an axis through the Sun is zero. (b) since the torque is zero, the planet's angular momentum is constant. Write an expression for the planet's angular momentum in terms of its mass \(m,\) its distance \(r\) from the Sun, and its angular velocity \(\omega\) (c) Given \(r\) and a, how much area is swept out during a short time At? [Hint: Think of the area as a fraction of the area of a circle, like a slice of pie; if \(\Delta t\) is short enough, the radius of the orbit during that time is nearly constant.] (d) Show that the area swept out per unit time is constant. You have just proved Kepler's second law!
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free