A playground merry-go-round has a radius of 3.0 m and a rotational inertia of 600 kg∙m².It is initially spinning at 0.80 rad/s when a 20-kg child crawls from the center to the rim.When the child reaches the rim the angular velocity of the merry-go-round is: A)0.62 rad/s B)0.73 rad/s C)0.77 rad/s D)0.91 rad/s E)1.1 rad/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The conservation of angular momentum states that the initial angular momentum equals the final angular momentum. Initially, the angular momentum is the product of the rotational inertia and the angular velocity. When the child moves to the rim, the rotational inertia increases, and the angular velocity decreases to conserve angular momentum. Calculating this gives an angular velocity of approximately 0.62 rad/s.

A Playground Merry-Go-Round Has a Radius of 3