Week 3 Lab 1 Questions:

1. For an object moving in a circle with a constant angular velocity, how does it
speed depend on the radius of the circle?

Since speed is the product of angular velocity and the radius of the path the
object is traveling on, the radius will have a direct effect on the objects speed.
For example, the larger the radius the higher greater the speed.

2. What is torque, how does it differ from force?

Torque is the product of the moment of inertia and angular acceleration. Torque
differs from force because it deals with the inertia of an object.

3. How does the moment of inertia of an object depend on its mass and size?
The moment of inertia of an object depends on its mass and size because inertia
is equal to the summation of the objects mass times the square of the distance
to a specific point on an object.

4. When do objects tip over resulting from the torque due to gravity?
An object will tilt over when the center of gravity is displaced beyond the objects
base.

5. What is angular momentum and when is it conserved?

Angular momentum is a product of the mass of an object, the distance between

the axis of rotation and the object, and the objects velocity. Angular momentum
is an energy and therefore cannot be destroyed. It can, however, be transferred.

Week 3 Lab 2 Questions:

1. Can an object be accelerating while its velocity is zero?

Yes, an object can still be accelerating while the velocity of an object is zero. For
example, while the velocity of an object is changing direction, at some point in time, the
velocity will become zero as the direction changes from negative to positive or vice
versa.

2. How long does it take for a dropped ball to reach the ground? This is not a mathematical
question so be sure to describe it in terms of the concepts.
Since the distance of an object in motion can be computed by taking the sum of the
product of the initial velocity and time and the product of half the acceleration x time
squared, we can derive how long it will take the dropped ball to hit the ground. To
compute the actual time, the acceleration will be equal to the force of gravity and the
initial velocity will be equal to zero. Thus, time will equal the square root 2x the distance
above the ground / the force of gravity.

3. Ignoring resistance, does a thrown ball accelerate in the horizontal direction? In the
vertical direction?
Yes, since the thrown ball will follow a curved path, due to gravity, the ball will have
component forces in both the horizontal and vertical direction. As the balls acceleration
increase or decrease so does its horizontal and vertical components.
4. What angle should a ball be thrown so as to hit the ground as far away as possible?

To achieve maximum distance, a ball should be thrown at approximately 45 degrees.