A merry-go-round in the park has a radius of 1.8 m and a rotational inertia of 900 kgm^2. A child pushes the merry-go-round with a constant force of 80 N applied at the edge and parallel to the edge. A frictional torque of 12 Nm acts at the axle of the merry-go-round.

Question

A merry-go-round in the park has a radius of 1.8 m and a rotational inertia of 900 kgm^2. A child pushes the merry-go-round with a constant force of 80 N applied at the edge and parallel to the edge. A frictional torque of 12 Nm acts at the axle of the merry-go-round.
a. What is the net torque acting on the mery-go-round about its axle?

b. What is the rotational acceleration of the merry-go-round?

c. At this rate, what will the rotational velocity of the merry-go-round be after 15s if it starts from rest?

d. What is the rotational acceleration of the merry-go-round if the child stops pushing after 15 s.? How long will it take for the merry-go-round to stop turning?

bobpursley · Answer

I will be happy to critique your thinking or work.