EXPERIMENT NO 6

ROLLING DISK ON INVLINED PLANE

OBJECTIVE
To understand the relationships of mass moment of inertia, angular acceleration, and angular
velocity of a disk rolling down an inclined plane.

APPARATUS
i. Inclined plane experiment apparatus
ii. Stop watch

Fig (6.1) Experimental Apparatus

INTRODUCTION
For this experiment to have been conducted, two different size and mass of circular disk were
used to roll down an inclined plane so as to determine the angular acceleration and the time
taken for the disks to finish its movement. From the data collected, the theoretical and
experimental values of angular acceleration Ӫ for both the big and small disk used were
determined and the percentage error was calculated for comparison reasons.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
The motion of a wheel which is rolling along the ground, without slipping, can be considered
in one of two ways: either as a rotation of the wheel about an axis through its center of
gravity C and an additional translational motion of the entire wheel with the same velocity as
the center of gravity,
 θ

mg cos mg sin

mg

Inner
O Radius r


Fig (6.2): Rolling Disk Dynamic Modeling

as shown in Fig (6.2) above, or as a rotation of the wheel about an instantaneous axis through
the point of contact O between the wheel and the ground. A point in the body which is on the
instantaneous axis is momentarily at rest. The instantaneous axis itself moves forward as the
wheel moves forward, but it always remains parallel to itself and to the axis through the
center of gravity. The angular velocity of the wheel about the instantaneous axis is the same
as that about the axis through the center of gravity.

The general motion of a rigid body may be thought of as made up of two parts: one a motion
of translation of the center of gravity, with the entire mass of the body acting as though it
were concentrated there, and the other a motion of rotation of the body about an axis through
the center of gravity. The angular velocity and angular acceleration are calculated by taking
the torques and the moment of inertia about an axis through the center of gravity. The linear
velocity and the linear acceleration of the center of gravity are then calculated by considering
all the forces as though they acted through the center of gravity, and by applying Newton's
second law of motion to this case.

Considering the case as shown on Fig (6.2) , the disk of radius r and mass m rolls without
slipping down an inclined plane of angle β. There are three forces acting on the disk, its
weight mg, the normal force mg cos β perpendicular to the plane and passing through the
center of the disk, and the forward moving force mg sinβ acting parallel to the plane at the
point of contact O and opposing the frictional force, as illustrated in Figure-1. The
instantaneous axis of rotation passes through point O and is perpendicular to the plane of the
disk.

Summing up the moment acting on the objects above at about contact point, O,

According to Beer, F.P. (2007), the summation of moment is:

∑ 𝑀𝑜 = 𝐼𝑜 𝜃̈
 (𝑚𝑔 sin 𝛽)𝑟𝑖 = 𝐼𝑜 𝜃̈

𝒎𝒈𝒓𝒊 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜷
𝜽̈ = (Theoretical Angular Acceleration)
𝑰𝒐

Another equation is used to determine the experimental angular acceleration,

According to Hibbeler, R.C. (2010), the kinematics equations of angular motion:

𝜃̇ 2 = 𝜃̇𝑜2 + 2𝜃̈(𝜃 − 𝜃𝑜 )

𝜃̇ = 𝜃̇𝑜 + 𝜃̈𝑡

1
𝜃 = 𝜃𝑜 + 𝜃𝑜̇ 𝑡 + 𝜃̈ 𝑡 2
2
The third equation of angular motion is used for this experiment.

1
where disk starts to roll from rest, 𝜃 = 𝜃𝑜 + 𝜃𝑜̇ 𝑡 + 𝜃̈𝑡 2
2
1
𝜃 = 𝜃̈ 𝑡 2
2
𝟐𝜽
𝜽̈ = (Experimental Angular Acceleration)
𝒕𝟐
where 𝑀𝑜 - Moment about point O
1
𝐼𝑜 - Mass moment of inertia (𝐼 = 𝑚𝑟 2 )
2

𝜃̈ - Angular Acceleration

𝜃̇ - Angular Velocity

𝜃 - Angular Displacement

𝑚 - Mass of disk

𝑔 - Gravitational Acceleration (9.81𝑚/𝑠 2 )

𝛽 - Inclination angle

𝑟𝑖 - Inner radius

𝑡 - Time taken for disk to roll from a point to another point

 EQUIPMENTS
The experiment was two disks of different disks and measurements to be conducted on the
apparatus shown on Fig (6.3).
The big disk had a mass of 0.623kg and a radius of 0.05m and the small disk had a mass of
0.319kg and a radius of 0.035m
As shown in Fig (6.3), there are two carriers for the inclined plane, a height adjuster, an
angulometer, a meter stick, three bubble levels for the alignment, and two disks, the work-
pieces. The experiment can be set up based on a simple height adjustment system. The angle
is indicated by an angulometer, and the distance is measured directly with a meter stick on
the track.

PROCEDURE
i. Firstly, check all the apparatus that either it is complete and in its true condition or not.
ii. Note down all the initial data and measurements before starting experiment.
iii. Then set the angle of inclined plane on 10.
iv. Kept the disk at 0mm and started the stop watch then allow it to move freely.
v. Note down the time for small disc to cover the distance of 1000mm.
vi. Repeated the same procedure for large disc and note down its time
vii. Repeated al the procedure by changing angle 10 each time to note down time for both
discs up to angle of 70.
viii. Write all the obtained values in table.

Fig (6.3) Experimental Apparatus

RESULTS

Angle Acceleration Calculated time Measured time Deviation

(degree) (m/s2 ) (sec) (sec) (%)
𝒂𝒍𝒈 𝒂𝒔𝒎 𝒕𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒈 𝒕𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒎 𝒕𝒎𝒍𝒂 𝒕𝒎𝒔𝒎 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒍𝒂 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒔𝒎

1o

2o

3o

4o

5o

6o

7o

Table-1: Observations and Calculations

Theoretical Experimental
Angular Angular
Percentage of Error (%)
Inclination Acceleration, 𝜽̈ Acceleration, 𝜽̈
Angle, 𝜷 (𝒓𝒂𝒅⁄𝒔𝟐 ) (𝒓𝒂𝒅⁄𝒔𝟐 )
(°)
Big Small Small
Big Disk Big Disk Small Disk
Disk Disk Disk

1o
2o
3o
4o
5o
6o
7o

Table-2: Percentage error of the angular acceleration of the disks

 PERCANTGE ERROR OF BOTH BIG AND SMALL
DISK
35

30

25
PERCENTAGE ERROR (%)

20

Big Disk
15 Small Disk

10

0
1 2 3 4 5
ANGLE OF INCLINATION (DEGREE)

Graph-1: Comparison f percentage error between big and small disk

PROCEDURE FOR CALCULATION USING MS EXCEL

i. For the ease of calculation all the calculation for Table-1 are obtained by MS Excel.
ii. Open Excel work sheet in MS Word by entering into “insert” option in tool bar.
iii. Entered all the input values that were obtained during observation in respective
column.
iv. Then obtained the results by applying the respective formulae.

Fig(6.4) Calculations obtained by MS Excel