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1D55.30 - Falling Off The Merry-Go-Round
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Code Number: 1D55.30
Demo Title: Falling Off The Merry-Go-Round
Condition: Excellent
Principle: Angular Velocity, Linear Velocity vs. Radius
Area of Study: Mechanics
Equipment:
Power supply, Pasco rotator or rotating air table, air table plate, objects to place at different radii.
Procedure:
To show different velocities depending on the distance from the center of the wheel, place an object at a large radius and find the rotation rate where the object slides off. Keep the rotation rate the same and repeat the experiment with the object at a small radius. The object will not slide off the plate until the rotation rate is significantly increased.
References:
- Terrence Toepker, "Jumping Off a Merry-Go-Round", TPT, Vol. 60, #3, March 2022, p. 176.
- Sarah Phan-Budd, "Finger Paint and Physics: A Simple Demonstration of Circular Motion and Conservation of Energy", TPT, Vol. 58, #1, Jan. 2020, p. 66.
- Robert Ehrlich, "F.12, Pennies on a Rotating Turntable", Turn the World Inside Out, p. 78.
- Borislaw Bilash II, Davi Maiullo, "Spin-Offs", A Demo a Day: A Year of Physics Demonstrations, p. 134.
- Borislaw Bilash II, “Velocity and Momentum“, A Demo A Day – A Year of Physical Science Demonstrations, p. 248.