Two children are playing with a roll of paper towels. One child holds the roll between the index fingers of her hands so that it is free to rotate, and the second child pulls at constant speed on the free end of the paper towels. As the child pulls the paper towels, the radius of the roll of remaining towels decreases. (a) How does the torque on the roll change with time? (b) How does the angular speed of the roll change in time? (c) If the child suddenly jerks the end paper towel with a large force, is the towel more likely to break from the others when it is being pulled from a nearly full roll or from a nearly empty roll?
Two children are playing with a roll of paper towels. One child holds the roll between the index fingers of her hands so that it is free to rotate, and the second child pulls at constant speed on the free end of the paper towels. As the child pulls the paper towels, the radius of the roll of remaining towels decreases. (a) How does the torque on the roll change with time? (b) How does the angular speed of the roll change in time? (c) If the child suddenly jerks the end paper towel with a large force, is the towel more likely to break from the others when it is being pulled from a nearly full roll or from a nearly empty roll?
Solution Summary: The author explains that frictional torque arises from kinetic friction between the inside of the roll and child finger.
Two children are playing with a roll of paper towels. One child holds the roll between the index fingers of her hands so that it is free to rotate, and the second child pulls at constant speed on the free end of the paper towels. As the child pulls the paper towels, the radius of the roll of remaining towels decreases. (a) How does the torque on the roll change with time? (b) How does the angular speed of the roll change in time? (c) If the child suddenly jerks the end paper towel with a large force, is the towel more likely to break from the others when it is being pulled from a nearly full roll or from a nearly empty roll?
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