Experiment 3 Rolling Disc and Axle

Objectives
1.
2.
3.
Introduction
The moment of inertia I of a body is a measure of how hard it is to get it rotating about some
axis. The moment I to rotation is as similar as mass m is to translation. The larger the I, the
more work is required to get the object spinning, just as the larger the mass m, the more work
required to get it moving in a straight line. Alloy rim wheels on bicycles have a lower I than
steel rim wheels, and so are easier to get alloy rim spinning, making it easier to accelerate.
The moment of inertia is always defined with reference to a particular axis of rotation
often a symmetry axis, but it can be any axis, even one that is outside the body. The moment
of inertia of a body about a particular axis is defined as:

where: mi is the mass of part i, and

ri is the distance from part i to the axis of rotation

Performing this sum is easy if the body consists of discrete point masses. But if the body is a
continuous object of some arbitrary shape, then performing the sum requires the techniques
of integral calculus. In this course, we simply tell you the answer for various shapes.
For a disk with an axis through the centre of symmetry, the moment of inertia is:
(1)
Notice that the thickness of the disk does not enter into the
expression for Idisk, which depends only on the radius and the
total mass.

In this experiment you will measure I for a disk mounted on an axle. The axle can be thought
of as a very thick disk and you can use the same expression to compute Idisk and Iaxle. The
total I of the disk + axle is the sum of these two.

Diagram 1
(2)

In this experiment, you will determine I in two ways:

1)
2)

Measure the masses and radii of disk and axle and then compute I from the formula
above.
Compute I by timing the wheel as it rolls down inclined rails and using the principle
of conservation of energy.

Consider the wheel, consisting of disk and axle, rolling down an inclined set of rails after
starting from rest at the top, like so:

Diagram 2

The total energy at any time is the sum of the translational kinetic energy, the rotational
kinetic energy, and the gravitational potential energy.

(3)

where: M is the total mass of disk + axle,

v is its translational speed ,
is its angular velocity, and
h is the height of the centre of mass.

Initially, the wheel is at rest at height ho, so its initial kinetic energy (both translational and
rotational) is zero and its total energy is all potential energy.
(4)
When the wheel reaches the bottom of the rails, h=0, and the energy is all kinetic energy:
(5)
where: vf is the final translational speed and f is the final angular speed.

Because the rolling friction is very small, we can assume that the total energy is constant as
the disk rolls down the rails, and so the initial energy is equal to the final energy.
.

(6)

For an axle or wheel that rolls without slipping, the angular velocity and the translational
speed v are related by:

(7)

Note that here and equation (8) below, r is the radius of the axle, NOT the radius of the big
disk!
Using equations (6) and (7), one can find I in terms of M, r, g, vf, and ho.

(8)
You are asked to derive equation (8) in the questions. You will use this expression to
determine I using two different choices of the initial height ho, thus yielding two new values
of I that you can compare with I calculated from equation (2).

Methodology
Part 1: Measurement of I from dimensions and masses of disk and axle
In this experiment, it is a good idea to use centimeters and grams, rather than meters and
kilograms for all your measurements. This is because the moment of inertia of our disks turns
out to be a very small number (roughly 10-3 kg m2) and it is a little awkward to work with
small numbers. If you use cgs (centimeter-gram-second) units, you must be consistent and
always use cgs units, so use gravity g = 979.6 cm/s2 (not 9.796m/s2).
Gently slide the axle out of the disk and weigh both separately to find their masses. Measure
their diameters to find their radii, r for the axle and R for the disk. At this stage you do not
need to know r very precisely, but you will in part 2, so measure the diameter of the axle very
carefully three or four times with the calipers. Use the average of your measurements and
estimate the uncertainty in r. (If you don't know how to use the calipers, ask your instructor.)
Using equation (1), find Idisk and Iaxle separately and then compute
. (Is Iaxle
significant, compared to Idisk, or can it be ignored?) In using equation (1) to compute Idisk, we
are making a small error by ignoring the hole in the center of the disk. Compare the "missing
mass" of the hole to the mass of the axle to determine whether this omission is significant.
Result for part 1 consists of 3 sets of measurements of ddisc, daxle, mdisc, maxle, Rdisc, raxle, and
the average values. The calculation involves calculation for I using equation (2).

Part 2: Measurement of I using energy conservation.

1.

Place the inclined plane apparatus on a level surface and ensure that the top surfaces of
the two rails are levelled. Wipe off any grease and dirt, which may be on the top of the
rails.

2.

Measure from the table top to the underside of the front rail at each end (a, b) and
record the height in table. Measure the overall length of the rail (Lo) and note the value.
Refer Diagram 3.

3.

Raise the movable end of the rails to the lowest level so that the rails are almost
levelled. Place the large disc on the rails at the support end and mark its position.
*Hold on the disc near the start block so that once its released it should roll freely
along the rail

4.

Using the measuring tape, measure about 0.7m along the rail from the centre pivot of
the disc axle and fix the stopper block so that the linear distance travelled by the disc is
0.7m along the rail. Refer Diagram 4.

5.

Remove the disc and raise end of the rail for about 25mm. Measure the heights a and b
from the table top.

6.

Place the large disc on the high end of the rails and line up the axle perpendicular to the
rails. Hold it while preparing to use the stopwatch.

7.

Measure the time taken for the released disc to roll itself 0.7m down the inclined rails.
Repeat this procedure 3 times and record the average time taken into the table.

8.

Raise the support by another 25mm height and repeat the step 5 and 6. And repeat step
7 twice.

9.

Repeat the whole experiment for the small disc.

10.

Plot the graph of log t against log H for both of the disc on graph paper.

11.

Refer to Appendix 1 for the detail calculation.

Diagram 3

0.7 m

Diagram 4

Questions

1.

Starting with equations (6) and (7), derive equation (8). Be sure to show all your steps.

2.

What are the units of moment of inertia I? [Give the answer both in cgs (centimetergram-second) units and in MKS (meter-kilogram-second) units.]

3.

For a wheel that rolls without slipping, if you are given its angular speed , and its
radius r, what is its translational speed v?

4.

In part 2 of this lab (equation 8) you will need to know vf , the final speed of the wheel.
Why is it incorrect to find vf by simply computing d/t? What is the correct expression
to find vf ?

5.

In part 2 of this lab (Eq'n 8 again) you will need to know r. Draw a quick sketch of the
wheel, and clearly indicate what "r" is.

6.

Equation 1.8 in the appendix involves g, the acceleration of gravity. This seems to
suggest that you would get a different value for I if you conducted the same experiment
on the moon, where g is different. But the definition of I does not depend on location.
Like the mass m, the moment I of an object is the same on the moon as on the Earth or
anywhere else. So how do you explain the presence of g in Equation 1.8?