ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Translational and Rotational Kinetic Energy

When determining the final kinetic energy ( KE ) of falling objects, we need not ( in theory ) concern ourselves with anything other than the linear pathway traveled to the earth’s surface. To the contrary, an object that rolls top to bottom down an incline will gain both linear ( KE ) and rotationalContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Translational and Rotational Kinetic Energy”

ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Which Object Will Roll Down a Hill More Rapidly?

If a buggy and a sphere of equal masses begin rolling side-by-side down a hill, which will reach the bottom of the hill first ( neglecting wind resistance ) ? For simplicity, we should pretend that the energy transfer in this problem is 100% efficient: no losses occur due to sound, random vibrations, or windContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: Which Object Will Roll Down a Hill More Rapidly?”