PHYSICS 489 - Week 18

PHYS 18.1 Velocity & Acceleration in Polar Coordinates II
Reading: Don't Panic Vol I pp 224-229
Homework: Ch. 12: Pr 1; Ex 1
Keywords: Unit vectors in polar coordinates (r,theta,z), Angular velocity (omega), angular acceleration (alpha), Right-hand rule (r.h.r.)

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session the student will be able to:
  1. develop the expressions for the velocity and acceleration vectors in polar coordinates.
  2. define the angular velocity vector and angular acceleration vector in plane polar coordinates, (r,theta,z) using the r.h.r.

PHYS 18.2 Rotational Kinematics
Reading: Don't Panic Vol I pp 229-233; 238-243
Homework: Ch. 12: Ex 2 Ch. 13: Pr 1, 2; Ex 1
Keywords: Radial acceleration, Angular acceleration, Centripetal acceleration, Tangential acceleration

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session the student will be able to:
  1. distinguish between the terms, radial and centripetal acceleration.
  2. distinguish between the terms, tangential and angular acceleration.
  3. derive, or write down by analogy with the translational equations, the kinematic equations for rotation for the case of constant angular acceleration.
  4. derive the kinematic equations for rotation given a time-dependent angular acceleration.
  5. solve simple kinematics problems involving rotations.

PHYS 18.3 Rotational Dynamics
Reading: Don't Panic Vol I pp 238-246
Homework: Ch. 13: Pr 3,4; Ex 2,3
Keywords: Centripetal force. Uniform circular motion

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session the student will be able to:
  1. isolate bodies and write Newton's 2nd Law in polar coordinates.
  2. determine the condition(s) for which an object will move in a circle.
  3. apply Newton's 2nd Law to cases of uniform circular motion.
  4. solve problems involving circular motion.