Turning the Corner

C and F Blocks put the final nail in the circular motion coffin and will bury it tomorrow with their exam. Then, it's off into other aspects of rotational motion such as torque, moment of inertia, angular momentum...

B Block did some reading and thinking on the subject of torque - the ability of a force to produce rotation. The application of a force is not the final word in the rotation of an object. We have to take into account where the force is applied, which is spelled out in the concept of lever arm. A force applied at a distance from a rotational axis makes for easier rotation than a force applied close to the axis. Think about spinning a bike wheel by putting your hand on the rubber of the tire, or using your finger down near the axle to spin the tire using the spokes. One is easy and one is hard. We'll go into this in detail tomorrow and your lab for this unit will let you quantify this relationship, while dragging in the concept of moment of inertia, to boot. E Block had the day off, so nothing to say about them, but "see you tomorrow" and be ready to work on your rotational dynamics lab investigation.