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Formative assessment questions for teaching physics

A2L Item 108

  • Description: Determine the time for angular displacement given information about angular acceleration and velocity.
  • Goal: Problem solving with rotational kinematics
  • Source: UMPERG-ctqpe110
  • Keywords: Mechanics, Rotational Motion

The question for students:

A flywheel rotating about an axis through its center starts from rest, rotates with constant angular acceleration for 2 seconds while making one complete revolution and thereafter maintains constant angular velocity. How long does it take the wheel to make a total of 6 full revolutions?

  1. 4 secs
  2. 5 secs
  3. 6 secs
  4. 7 secs
  5. 9 secs
  6. None of above
  7. Cannot be determined

Commentary for teachers:

Answer

(4) This problem provides an excellent opportunity to discuss the power of graphs for problem solving. Making a sketch of angular velocity vs. time provides the easiest way to answer the problem. Conversely, an algebraic solution is complicated.