A student wants to estimate the distance a car travels by counting how many times one…
PHYSICS · Single correct · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Torque and Rotational Dynamics · Torque and Rotational Dynamics
Problem
A student wants to estimate the distance a car travels by counting how many times one of its tires completes a full rotation. For this purpose, which modeling choice for the tire–car system is most appropriate?
(a) Treat only the outer rubber tread of the tire as a particle that moves in a circle of radius R while the rest of the system is ignored.
(b) Treat the tire as a rigid system but treat the rest of the car as a separate particle.
(c) Treat the entire car and its tires together as a single particle undergoing purely translational motion.
(d) Treat the tire as a single particle located at its axle while the entire car is modeled as rigidly attached to that point.