Rolling Wheel

Summary:

• The top of a wheel has twice the speed of the CM

Equipment:

• Wooden wheel (from bin in Section 2 labelled "Rolling Race")
• 2 Metre sticks

Notes:

• Transportable
• Working status: working

Description:

• This is one possible way to show students that the top of a rolling wheel must be moving faster than the CM of that rolling wheel.
• A stationary metre stick on the desktop provides a reference for the displacement of the CM. A metre stick in continuous contact on top of the wheel provides the distance travelled by the top of the wheel, which is twice as far as the CM