Answer to Question #65177 in Mechanics | Relativity for Cake

Question

A piece of thread is wrapped around a cylindrical spool and the other end is held by a student. The spool is dropped from a height of 1.5 m. The spool has a mass, M, of 2 kg and a radius, R, of 0.1 m, and the string has negligible mass. The moment of inertia for this spool is I = MR^2/2.

1. On the figure below (just a circle) draw and label the forces (not components) acting on the cylindrical spool at their points of application as it rotates toward the ground.

2. Calculate the linear acceleration of the spool as it falls.

3. Calculate the angular velocity of the spool just before it strikes the floor.

4. Suppose that the radius of the spool is unchanged, but the mass is greater. Would this change your answer to Question 3? Justify your answer.