Rotational Inertia
The purpose of this experiment is to find the rotational inertia of a ring and a disk experimentally and to verify that these values correspond to the calculated theoretical values.
A known torque is applied to the pulley on the Rotary Motion Sensor, causing a disk and ring to rotate. The resulting angular acceleration is measured using the slope of a graph of angular velocity versus time. The rotational inertia of the disk and ring combination is calculated from the torque and the angular acceleration. The procedure is repeated for the disk alone to find the rotational inertias of the ring and disk separately.
Grade Level: College • High School
Subject: Physics
Student Files
Rotational Inertia | 31.20 MB | |
Rotational Inertia | 6.44 MB | |
Rotational Inertia | 379.46 KB |
Teacher Files
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Featured Equipment
Universal 550 Physics Experiment Bundle
This system provides a complete set of labs for mechanics, heat, light, sound, and electromagnetism.
550 Universal Interface
The 550 is fast, powerful, and incredibly affordable. It offers half the ports and many of the same features as our 850 Interface in a smaller package.
PASPORT Rotary Motion Sensor
The PASPORT Rotary Motion Sensor measures angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration and linear position, velocity, and acceleration.
Rotational Inertia Accessory
Add the Rotational Inertia Accessory to a PASCO Rotary Motion Sensor (PS-3220 or PS-2120) to study the rotational inertia of a disk, a steel ring, and point masses.
Support
Many lab activities can be conducted with our Wireless, PASPORT, or even ScienceWorkshop sensors and equipment. For assistance with substituting compatible instruments, contact PASCO Technical Support. We're here to help.
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Rotational Motion Experiments
Universal 550 Physics Experiment Manual
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