Lab Report 5: Moment of Inertia

Author: Hunter Lobb

CCID: hlobb
Student ID: 1805204
Lab Partner: Sadie Undershultz
18542, ET25
TA: Harold Flohr
Date: March 19, 2024
Introduction:
The purpose of this laboratory is to determine the moment of inertia of a rotating bicycle
wheel and investigate the relation between torque and acceleration [1]. Moment of inertia is a
measure of how resistant an object is to having its rotational speed changed about a given axis of
rotation and it is related to the distribution of mass relative to that axis [2]. The rotational speed of an
object is changed via torque which is the result of a force being applied to the object off of its axis of
rotation which generates rotation about that axis [2].
The motivation for this lab is to understand how forces and the properties of wheels influence
their speed of rotation over time. This is essential knowledge as many industries, such as the
automotive industry and bicycle industry, rely on this information to optimize their products.
The key equations being used in this lab are as follows: τ = 𝑟𝐹 where 𝐹 is force in N, 𝑟 is
radius in m, and τ is the torque in Nm; 𝐹𝑔 = 𝑚𝑔, where 𝐹𝑔 is the force of gravity in N, 𝑚 is mass in
2
kg, and 𝑔 is acceleration due to gravity in 𝑚/𝑠 ; τ𝑇 = 𝐼α + τ𝑓, where τ𝑇 is the torque due to tension
2 2
in Nm, 𝐼 is the moment of inertia in (𝑘𝑔)𝑚 , α is angular acceleration in 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 , and τ𝑓 is the torque
2 2
due to friction in Nm; 𝐼 = 𝑀𝑅 , where 𝐼 is the moment of inertia in (𝑘𝑔)𝑚 , 𝑀 is the mass of the
𝑎
wheel in kg, and 𝑅 is the radius of the wheel in m; 𝑟𝑚(𝑔 − 𝑎) = 𝐼 𝑟 + τ𝑓, where 𝑟 is the radius of
2
the hub in m, 𝑚 is the mass of the weight in kg, 𝑔 is acceleration due to gravity in 𝑚/𝑠 , 𝑎 is the
2 2
linear acceleration of the weight in 𝑚/𝑠 , 𝐼 is the moment of inertia in (𝑘𝑔)𝑚 , and τ𝑓 is the torque
due to friction in Nm.

Methods:
Materials:
Laptop to record the data, Smart-Pulley to collect the data, meter stick to measure the
dimensions of the wheel, wheel apparatus to spin, string to act as the rope of the pulley, 100 gram and
50 gram weights to vary the mass providing the torque up to 600 grams, metal stand hold the pulley
in the air, metal clasps to hold the pulley to the stand, and a metal hook to hold the weights to the
string.

Fig 1.0: This is a photo of the

experimental setup, all of the
components are clearly labeled and the lab was conducted in this orientation.

Procedure:
We began by attaching the metal stand to the desk and using the two metal clasps to elevate
the smart-pulley over a meter above the floor. My partner then connected the smart-pulley to
LoggerPro on her computer while I wrapped the string around the hub of the wheel starting by
putting the loop of the string around the spoke of the hub. We then pulled the string over the smart
pulley and attached a total of 200 grams to the end of the string from the other side. It is noteworthy
that when setting up the smart-pulley, we did so in an orientation that made the string not contact the
metal clasps when a mass is attached so as to not introduce excess friction. Beginning from rest, we
used LoggerPro to record the velocity over time of the falling mass up until the string undid itself
from the wheel. Looking at the velocity vs time graph generated by LoggerPro, we took the slope of
the trendline and its uncertainty as the acceleration of the mass and its uncertainty. We repeated this
process for the 200 gram mass and then did so twice for every 50 gram increment from 200 grams up
to and including 600 grams. After this was done we recorded the radius of the wheel and the radius of
the wheel hub using the meter stick.

Results:

Fig 2.0: This is a picture of the

velocity vs time graph generated
by LoggerPro for the first 250
gram trial. The slope in the
trendline and its uncertainty
yielded the vertical acceleration
of the weight and the uncertainty
in that acceleration.
Table 1.0: This is a sample of the data relating to the motion of the weight connected via a string to
the hub of the wheel. The mass refers to the mass of the weight and the acceleration (as well as the
uncertainty in the acceleration) refers to the linear acceleration of the weight downwards through
space due to gravity and resisted by the inertia of the wheel. The radius of the wheel was measured to
be 0.342 ± 0.001 m and the radius of the hub on the wheel was measured to be 0.019 ± 0.001 m. The
completed table is present in the appendix.
Uncertainty in Uncertainty in
Acceleration Acceleration r*m*(g-a) r*m*(g-a) Uncertainty in
Mass (kg) (m/s^2) (m/s^2) (kg*m^2*s^-2) (kg*m^2*s^-2) a/r (s^-2) a/r (s^-2)
0.200 0.00262 3E-05 0.037 0.002 0.138 0.007
0.200 0.00273 2E-05 0.037 0.002 0.144 0.008
0.250 0.00378 4E-05 0.047 0.002 0.20 0.01
0.250 0.00364 3E-05 0.047 0.002 0.19 0.01
0.300 0.00459 4E-05 0.056 0.003 0.24 0.01
0.300 0.00444 4E-05 0.056 0.003 0.23 0.01
0.350 0.00527 7E-05 0.065 0.003 0.28 0.01

Sample Calculations:
2 −2
(𝑟)(𝑚)(𝑔 − 𝑎) = (0. 019)(0. 200)(9. 81 − 0. 00262) = 0. 0373 𝑘𝑔𝑚 𝑠

𝑎 0.00262 −2
𝑟
= 0.019
= 0. 138 𝑠

∂𝑟𝑚(𝑔−𝑎) 2 2 ∂𝑟𝑚(𝑔−𝑎) 2 2 ∂𝑟𝑚(𝑔−𝑎) 2 2 ∂𝑟𝑚(𝑔−𝑎) 2 2

δ𝑟𝑚(𝑔 − 𝑎) = ( ∂𝑟
) (δ𝑟) +( ∂𝑚
) (δ𝑚) +( ∂𝑔
) (δ𝑔) +( ∂𝑎
) (δ𝑎)
2 2 2 2 2 2
δ𝑟𝑚(𝑔 − 𝑎) = (𝑚(𝑔 − 𝑎)) (δ𝑟) + 0 + (𝑟𝑚) (δ𝑔) + (− 𝑟𝑚) (δ𝑎)
2 2 2 2 2 2
δ𝑟𝑚(𝑔 − 𝑎) = (0. 2(9. 81 − 0. 00262)) (0. 001) + (0. 019(0. 2)) (0. 01) + (− 0. 019(0. 2)) (3𝐸 − 5)
2 −2
δ𝑟𝑚(𝑔 − 𝑎) = 3. 849𝐸(− 6) = 1. 96𝐸(− 3) 𝑘𝑔𝑚 𝑠

𝑞 𝑞
𝑎 ∂𝑟 2 2 ∂𝑟 2 2 1 2 2 −𝑎 2 2
δ 𝑟
= ( ∂𝑎
) (δ𝑎) + ( ∂𝑟
) (δ𝑟) = ( 𝑟 ) (δ𝑎) + ( 2 ) (δ𝑟)
𝑟
𝑎 1 2 2 −0.00262 2 2 −2
δ 𝑟
= ( 0.019 ) (3𝐸 − 5) + ( 2 ) (0. 001) = 5. 5166𝐸 − 5 = 7. 43𝐸(− 3) 𝑠
0.019

Fig 3.0: This is a graph comparing the r*m*(g-a) values of each trial with the a/r values of each trial.
𝑎
This utilizes the linearized equation, 𝑟𝑚(𝑔 − 𝑎) = 𝐼 𝑟 + τ𝑓, meaning that the slope of the graph
will be the moment of inertia of the wheel in (kg)m^2 and the y intercept of the graph will be the
torque due to friction
on the wheel. The
linear trendline can
be represented by the
equation y = (0.19 ±
0.01)x + (0.0024 ±
0.0009) meaning that
the experimental value for the moment of inertia of the wheel is 0.19 ± 0.01 (kg)m^2 and the
experimental value for the torque due to friction is 0.0024 ± 0.0009 (kg)(m^2)(s^-2).

Force of Friction, Theoretical Moment of Inertia, and Difference Between Inertias:

2 2 2
𝐼𝑇 = 𝑀𝑅 = (2)(0. 342) = 0. 23 𝑘𝑔𝑚
∂𝐼 2 2 ∂𝐼 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
δ𝐼𝑇 = ( ∂𝑀 ) (δ𝑀) + ( ∂𝑅 ) (δ𝑅) = (𝑅 ) (δ𝑀) + (2𝑀𝑅) (δ𝑅)
2 2 2 2 2 2
= ((0. 342) ) (0. 2) + (2(2)(0. 342)) (0. 001) = 0. 02 𝑘𝑔𝑚
τ𝐹 0.0024
τ𝐹 = 𝑟𝐹𝐹 ⇒ 𝐹𝐹 = 𝑟
= 0.019
= 0. 13 𝑁
∂𝐹 2 2 ∂𝐹𝐹 2 2 1 2 2 −τ𝐹 2 2
δ𝐹𝐹 = ( ∂τ 𝐹 ) (δτ𝐹) + ( ∂𝑟
) (δ𝑟) = ( 𝑟 ) (δτ𝐹) + ( 2 ) (δ𝑟)
𝐹 𝑟

1 2 2 −0.0024 2 2
= ( 0.019 ) (0. 0009) + ( 2 ) (0. 001) = 0. 05 𝑁
0.019
2
∆𝐼 = 𝐼𝑇 − 𝐼𝐸 = (0. 23) − (0. 19) = 0. 04 𝑘𝑔𝑚
∂∆𝐼 2 2 ∂∆𝐼 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
δ∆𝐼 = ( ∂𝐼𝑇
) (δ𝐼𝑇) + ( ∂𝐼𝐸
) (δ𝐼𝐸) = (δ𝐼𝑇) + (δ𝐼𝐸) = (0. 02) + (0. 01) = 0. 02 𝑘𝑔𝑚

Therefore, the experimental value for the moment of inertia of the wheel is 0.19 ± 0.01
(kg)m^2, the experimental value for the torque due to friction is 0.0024 ± 0.0009 (kg)(m^2)(s^-2), the
experimental value for the force of friction is 0.13 ± 0.05 N, the theoretical value for the moment of
inertia is 0.23 ± 0.02 (kg)m^2, and the difference between the theoretical and experimental moments
of inertia is 0.04 ± 0.02 (kg)m^2.

Discussion:
The experimental value for the moment of inertia of the wheel is 0.19 ± 0.01 (kg)m^2, the
experimental value for the torque due to friction is 0.0024 ± 0.0009 (kg)(m^2)(s^-2), the
experimental value for the force of friction is 0.13 ± 0.05 N, the theoretical value for the moment of
inertia is 0.23 ± 0.02 (kg)m^2, and the difference between the theoretical and experimental moments
of inertia is 0.04 ± 0.02 (kg)m^2.
This means that there is modest agreement between the experimental and theoretical moments
of inertia as the difference between the two should be zero yet is 0.04 ± 0.02 (kg)m^2. Given that this
difference is within two error intervals of the expected value of zero, there is modest agreement
between the experimental and theoretical results. This means that the theoretical model is fairly
consistent with that data but not reliably so. To improve the model, I would add a term that accounts
for the friction between the wheel and the axle in its rotation as this is likely the cause for the
discrepancy between the theoretical value and the experimental data.
One issue during measuring was that because the string was only attached to the hub via a
spoke, once the wheel had undergone enough rotations, the string would detach causing the masses to
clatter to the ground. To compensate for this, someone at all times during measuring had their hands
under the mass to catch it when it fell to prevent the masses from being damaged and therefore be
made less accurate. When the mass would detach in such a way, there would be a radical increase in
acceleration since the wheel no longer provided resistance: in our collection analysis, all data
containing these spikes were ignored. Given that there were few issues in the data collection, the best
way to improve the determination of the values would be to do three and not two trials at every mass
so that the average is more accurate.

Conclusion:
The purpose of this laboratory was to determine the moment of inertia of a rotating bicycle
wheel and the torque due to friction for the purpose of understanding the relationship between force,
acceleration, and rotation which is critical in industries such as the automotive industry. The
experimental value for the moment of inertia of the wheel is 0.19 ± 0.01 (kg)m^2, the experimental
value for the torque due to friction is 0.0024 ± 0.0009 (kg)(m^2)(s^-2), the experimental value for the
force of friction is 0.13 ± 0.05 N, the theoretical value for the moment of inertia is 0.23 ± 0.02
(kg)m^2, and the difference between the theoretical and experimental moments of inertia is 0.04 ±
0.02 (kg)m^2. These experimental values are modestly consistent with the theoretical values.
References:

[1] 2023. Lab Manual EN PH 131. Edmonton: University of Alberta, Department of Physics

[2] Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "moment of inertia." Encyclopedia Britannica, February

26, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/science/moment-of-inertia.

Acknowledgments:

I received help from my TA in explaining the lab and providing the equipment and my lab
partner, Sadie Undershultz, for helping collect the data and helping me understand the lab
requirements.

Appendix:

Table 2.0: This is the complete data table relating to the motion of the weight connected via a string
to the hub of the wheel. The mass refers to the mass of the weight and the acceleration (as well as the
uncertainty in the acceleration) refers to the linear acceleration of the weight downwards through
space due to gravity and resisted by the inertia of the wheel. The radius of the wheel was measured to
be 0.342 ± 0.001 m and the radius of the hub on the wheel was measured to be 0.019 ± 0.001 m.
Uncertainty in Uncertainty in
Acceleration Acceleration r*m*(g-a) r*m*(g-a) Uncertainty in
Mass (kg) (m/s^2) (m/s^2) (kg*m^2*s^-2) (kg*m^2*s^-2) a/r (s^-2) a/r (s^-2)
0.200 0.00262 3E-05 0.037 0.002 0.138 0.007
0.200 0.00273 2E-05 0.037 0.002 0.144 0.008
0.250 0.00378 4E-05 0.047 0.002 0.20 0.01
0.250 0.00364 3E-05 0.047 0.002 0.19 0.01
0.300 0.00459 4E-05 0.056 0.003 0.24 0.01
0.300 0.00444 4E-05 0.056 0.003 0.23 0.01
0.350 0.00527 7E-05 0.065 0.003 0.28 0.01
0.350 0.00540 5E-05 0.065 0.003 0.28 0.02
0.400 0.00657 6E-05 0.075 0.004 0.35 0.02
0.400 0.00652 5E-05 0.075 0.004 0.34 0.02
0.450 0.00741 7E-05 0.084 0.004 0.39 0.02
0.450 0.00758 8E-05 0.084 0.004 0.40 0.02
0.500 0.0084 1E-04 0.093 0.005 0.44 0.02
0.500 0.00813 9E-05 0.093 0.005 0.43 0.02
0.550 0.00936 9E-05 0.102 0.005 0.49 0.03
0.550 0.00924 9E-05 0.102 0.005 0.49 0.03
0.600 0.01013 7E-05 0.112 0.006 0.53 0.03
0.600 0.0101 3E-04 0.112 0.006 0.53 0.03