Tangential velocity is the speed and direction of an object traveling in a circle, while angular velocity is the rotational speed of a wheel. Tangential speed increases with radius, and velocity is distance traveled divided by time. The example of a carousel demonstrates the difference in velocity at different points on a spinning wheel.
Tangential velocity is the speed, or speed in a given direction, of an object traveling in a circle multiplied by that circle’s radius. Velocity is similar to velocity, but takes into account the direction the object is moving, while velocity does not. This type of velocity involves continuous circular motion, making it very different from linear velocity, which measures objects traveling in straight lines.
Angular velocity is this term for the rotational speed of a wheel. This speed is multiplied by the radius of the wheel to obtain the tangential speed. Increases as the distance from the center of the circle increases.
A tangent is a line touching a curve. When a wheel is resting on a road, for example, the straight line of road touching the wheel is tangent to the curve of that wheel. In tangential speed, the tangent must be in the same direction as the rotation of the wheel.
Radius is a linear measurement from the center of a circle to its outer edge. The diameter of a circle is the distance across a circle, so the radius is exactly half the diameter. Since the tangential speed increases as the radius increases, it is higher on a larger wheel, even if it spins at the same speed as a smaller wheel.
Velocity is the distance an object travels divided by time. In circular motion, the distance traveled is the circumference of the wheel, which is measured in revolutions per second, or how many times the circle turns in one second. Interestingly, the speeds and forces on a spinning wheel vary at different points on that wheel.
The children’s carousel known as carousel can offer a concrete example for understanding the abstract theme of tangential speed. When riding in the center of the carousel, the ride doesn’t seem to travel very fast and it may be easy to hold onto. On the outside edge of the carousel, however, the carousel seems to be spinning so fast that the children are holding on with all their might not to fly off. In reality, the outer edge has to cover a greater distance in the same rotation as the points closer to the center, so it has a higher velocity – in other words, it’s going faster outward than in the center.
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