Tag: seesaws

What exactly are angular speed and angular velocity?

Lou Bloomfield Leave a comment

What exactly are angular speed and angular velocity?

Angular speed is the measure of how quickly an object is turning. For example, an object that is spinning once each second has an angular speed of “1 rotation-per-second,” or equivalently “360 degrees-per-second.” Angular velocity is a combination of angular speed and the direction of the rotation. For example, a clock lying on its back and facing upward has a minute hand with an angular velocity of “1 rotation-per-hour in the downward direction.” The downward direction reflects the fact that the minute hand pivots about a vertical axis and that your right hand thumb would point downward if you were to curl your fingers in the direction of the minute hand’s rotation.

What is the difference between right and left hand rules?

Lou Bloomfield Leave a comment

What is the difference between right and left hand rules?

The rule that’s used in the mechanics of rotation is always the right hand rule and that’s important. It represents a choice made long ago about how to describe an object’s rotation. Having made that choice, it says that the minute hand of a clock (which naturally rotates clockwise) points into the clock. You know that because if you curl the fingers of your right hand in the direction that the minute hand is turning, your extended thumb will point into the clock. There is no left hand rule because that was not the choice made long ago.

When a lacrosse stick acts as a lever, does it convert a big force to a small on…

Lou Bloomfield Leave a comment

When a lacrosse stick acts as a lever, does it convert a big force to a small one or vice versa?

The lacrosse stick converts a big force into a small one. As you flip the stick, you do work on it—you push part of it forward while that part moves forward. You use a large force and the place on which you push moves forward a small distance. The stick, in turn, does work on the ball. It exerts a small force on the ball but moves that ball through a large distance. The products of force times distance are essentially equal (the stick itself takes some of the energy). The result is a very fast moving lacrosse ball that sails across the field.