A frustrated painter grabs a wooden frame and throws it through his studio. As the frame flies through the air, it rotates about its central perpendicular axis. (See drawing for an idea of the shape and motion.)
The painter's wife, being a student of physics, observes that whenever a corner of the frame is at the bottom, it is instantaneously at rest.
What percentage of the frame's kinetic energy is rotational kinetic energy?
Assumptions and information
The frame and the hole in it are square and concentric. The side of the square hole is 90% of the side of the frame. The mass is uniformly distributed in the frame.
For a uniform square of side with a hole of side , the moment of inertia about the perpendicular axis through the center is
Ignore the effect of gravity on the path of the frame; assume it is moving in a straight line.
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Let a and b be the sides of the frame and the hole, respectively; m is the mass, v the translational speed, and ω the angular speed. We are told that b = 0 . 9 a .
The moment of inertia of the frame is I = 6 1 m ( a 2 + b 2 ) = 6 1 m ( 1 + 0 . 9 2 ) a 2 = 6 1 . 8 1 m a 2 .
The corner of the frame is at a distance r = 2 1 2 a from the axis of rotation. If it is instantaneously at rest at the bottom of its trajectory, then v = r ω = 2 1 2 a ω . (Compare to the condition for rolling without slipping of a wheel!)
For the rotational and translational kinetic energy we may therefore write K r o t = 2 1 I ω 2 = 2 1 ( 6 1 . 8 1 m a 2 ) ω 2 = 6 1 . 8 1 ⋅ 2 1 m a 2 ω 2 ; K t r = 2 1 m v 2 = 2 1 m ( 2 1 2 a ω ) 2 = 2 1 ⋅ 2 1 m a 2 ω 2 . Therefore K t r + K r o t K r o t = 1 / 2 + 1 . 8 1 / 6 1 . 8 1 / 6 = 3 + 1 . 8 1 1 . 8 1 = 0 . 3 7 6 ≈ 3 8 % .