Practice Problems
Torque, Pulleys, and Rotational Motion
Topics:
On this worksheet you will practice using the basic formulas for torque and subsequent rotational behavior.
Page Directions
The numerical values in this worksheet are randomly generated allowing students the opportunity to conveniently practice, and drill, common situations.
Before beginning any given worksheet, please look over all of the questions and make sure that there are
no duplicate
answers shown for the same question. If duplicates are present simply refresh the page until every answer is unique.
In order to check an answer
(even when you are just starting the worksheet on Question 1)
it is necessary to
any questions that you have not answered. Once you start submitting answers, the page may be checked as many times as necesasary without changing the randomized answers. Relevant scoring will be provided at the top of the page only when you answer all of the questions on your original submission.
omit
Question 1
A pulley of radius R = 31 cm is created from a solid cylinder suspended on a frictionless axle. One end of a cord is wrapped around the pulley's edge while the other end is attached to a block having a mass of 267 grams. The system is initially at rest.
When the system is released, the mass falls 2.1 meters in 2.8 seconds. What was the linear acceleration of the mass?
9.8 x 10
-1
m/sec
2
6.55 x 10
-1
m/sec
2
6.42 x 10
-1
m/sec
2
5.36 x 10
-1
m/sec
2
omit
Question 2
What is the tension in the cord while the mass is accelerating?
2.47 N
2.76 N
2.62 N
14.60 N
omit
Question 3
What torque does the cord deliver to the pulley while the mass is decending?
0.855 mN
0.767 mN
0.811 mN
0.798 mN
omit
Question 4
What angular impulse does the cord deliver to the pulley during the 2.8 seconds that the mass is decending?
7.33 N sec
7.67 N sec
2.15 N sec
7.73 N sec
omit
Question 5
Based on the fact that the cord did not slip as the mass fell, what is the angular acceleration of the pulley?
1.73 x 10
0
rad/sec
2
5.79 x 10
-1
rad/sec
2
1.66 x 10
-1
rad/sec
2
3.16 x 10
0
rad/sec
2
omit
Question 6
Based on these kinematics of the falling block, what is the pulley's experimental moment of inertia?
0.469 kg m
2
0.444 kg m
2
1.325 kg m
2
1.402 kg m
2
omit
Question 7
How much potential energy did the block possess at the start of the experiment?
0 J, it is at rest
4.005 J
0.360 J
5.495 J
omit
Question 8
What was the translational kinetic energy of the block at 2.8 seconds?
1.121 J
0.300 J
0.549 J
5.194 J
omit
Question 9
What was the rotational kinetic energy of the pulley at 2.8 seconds?
5.194 J
6.656 J
2.147 J
4.992 J
omit
Question 10
How much angular momentum does the pulley have at 2.8 seconds?
4.01 x 10
-1
kg m
2
/sec
6.66 x 10
-1
kg m
2
/sec
2.06 x 10
0
kg m
2
/sec
2.15 x 10
0
kg m
2
/sec
omit
Question 11
Once the experiment was over, the pulley is placed on a scale and its mass is determinied to be 9 kg. Calculate its actual moment of inertia?
0.361 kg m
2
0.301 kg m
2
0.904 kg m
2
0.452 kg m
2
omit
Question 12
What was the percent error for the experimental moment of inertia calculated in
Question #3
?
0.531 %
0.982 %
1.787 %
1.819 %
omit
Question 13
Based on the data obtained and analyzed in this experiment, was mechanical energy conserved?
yes, PE = KE
trans
+ KE
rot
no since the cord provided
a continuous torque to the pulley
No. Energy cannot be conserved if
linear momentum is not conserved.
No. Energy must have been lost
based on the fact that the experimental
moment of inertia was slightly incorrect.
omit
Question 14
If the pulley had been a wheel resembling a bicycle with the majority of its mass located in its rim and tire, but supported by thin, light-mass, wire spokes, which of the following would you expect to be true?
both the pulley's angular
acceleration and its moment
of inertia increase
the pulley's angular acceleration
would increase since its
moment of inertia decreased
the pulley's angular acceleration
would decrease since its
moment of inertia increased
both the pulley's angular
acceleration and its moment
of inertia decrease
PhysicsLAB
Copyright © 1997-2025
Catharine H. Colwell
All rights reserved.
Application Programmer
Mark Acton