Rotational Kinetic Energy of a System of Masses
Rotational Kinetic Energy of a System of Masses
This Demonstration calculates the rotational kinetic energy of a system with angular velocity, consisting of four masses joined by two intersecting rods at distances , , , and from the crossing point ( and are aligned, as are and ). The system rotates by around the or the axis. For simplicity, the masses and the angular velocity are set to 1.
K
R
a
b
c
d
a
b
c
d
θ
y
z
The rotational kinetic energies about the and axes are given by
y
z
y
K
R
1
2
2
a
2
b
2
ω
z
K
R
1
2
2
a
2
b
2
c
2
d
2
ω
m=1
ω=1