An engineer evaluates two designs for a cylindrical flywheel that will store energy…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · System of Particles and Rotational Motion · System of Particles and Rotational Motion
Problem
An engineer evaluates two designs for a cylindrical flywheel that will store energy in a prototype vehicle. Both designs use a thin ring (hoop) of mass 18kg and a solid cylinder of the same mass and outer radius 0.25m. In testing, each flywheel is brought to an angular speed of 3600revmin−1. Assume the thickness of each flywheel is small enough that the given radius may be treated as the distance relevant to its shape.
(a) Convert the stated angular speed to SI base units.
(b) Identify which expression for rotational inertia is appropriate for each design, and state the numerical value of the rotational inertia of both the thin ring and the solid cylinder.
(c) For each design, calculate the rotational kinetic energy stored at the test speed.
(d) Based on your results, explain which design stores more energy and why, citing the role of mass distribution.