Section 08: Center of Mass, Circular and Rotational Motion
Goal: To explain that centripetal and not centrifugal force accounts for circular motion and how your frame of reference affects your perception of circular motion.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
- distinguish between rotate and revolve.
- distinguish between linear speed (tangential speed) and rotational speed, and explain what each depends on.
- give examples of centripetal force in different horizontal conditions (e.g. flat track, banked track, cylinders, objects on a string).
- describe the resulting motion of an object if the centripetal force acting on it ceases.
- explain why it is incorrect to say that a centrifugal force pulls outward on an object in circular motion and why a physicist would label this a fictitious force.
- describe how a simulated gravitational acceleration can be produced in a space colony.
- Define and calculate angular displacement, angular velocity, and angular acceleration and relate these quantities to linear measures of velocity and acceleration for circular motion.
- Calculate period, tangential velocity, centripetal acceleration, centripetal force
Goal: To understand the concept of center of gravity, and how it affects stability of an object.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
- describe center of gravity and compare and contrast it with Center of Mass
- describe how a plumb line and bob can be used to find the center of gravity of an irregularly shaped object.
- given the location of the center of gravity and the area of support of an object, predict whether the object will topple.
- distinguish among stable equilibrium, unstable equilibrium, and neutral equilibrium.
- give examples of how a human is affected by the need to keep the body’s center of gravity over the support base.
Goal: To understand how rotational motion and angular momentum are affected by Torque.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
- Define Torque and lever arm and be able to determine the net torque acting on an object.
- Define and explain rotational inertia and calculate it for simple shapes.
- Define and calculate angular momentum and explain how it is affected by rotational inertia.
- Describe conservation of angular momentum and relate it to conservation of linear momentum.
Labs: Circular Motion Lab, Rotational KE, torque (Parts 1-4).
Worksheets: See below list.
Conceptual Development Worksheets ("Conceptual Development" will be in the title).
Reading Assignment: Chapter 8
Extra Credit: None at this time. If you have a proposal for one, speak to me first and if approved I'll offer it to everyone.
Class Updates/Test/Quiz Schedule: Refer to the posted SOE.