As shown in the diagram above, a uniform, rigid, U-shaped straw frame of uniform mass density rests on a frictionless horizontal surface. The straw has three sides, each of length
Suddenly, an impulse is applied to one of its sides, as indicated by the red arrow. Let be the angular velocity of the system, and be the velocity of point at the moment the system has rotated through .
Find the ratio (in units of ).
Details and Assumptions:
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Set up a coordinate system so that the vertices of the frame are (initiialy) at ( − a , 0 ) , ( − a , 2 a ) , ( a , 2 a ) , ( a , 0 ) . Then the centre of mass of the frame has coordinates ( 0 , 3 4 a ) . If each straight section of the frame has mass m ,.then each "side arm" of the frame has moment of inertia 3 1 m a 2 + m ( ( 3 1 a ) 2 + a 2 ) = 9 1 3 m a 2 about the frame's centre of mass, while the "central arm" of the frame as moment of inertia 3 1 m a 2 + m ( 3 2 a ) 2 = 9 7 m a 2 about the frame's centre of mass, and hence the whole frame has moment of inertia 3 1 1 m a 2 about its centre of mass. If the velocity of the centre of mass after the collision is ( 0 , V ) , and if the angular velocity after the collision is ω , then J = 3 m V 3 1 1 m a 2 ω = J a so that V = 3 m 1 J ω = 1 1 m a 3 J and so the velocity of P , after a 9 0 ∘ turn, is ( 0 , v P ) , where v P = V − 3 2 a ω = 3 3 m 5 J and hence v P ω = 5 a 9 = 0 . 2