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Q.Define angular acceleration and torque. Establish the relation between angular acceleration and torque.

Andhra Pradesh BieapBIEAP Intermediate Board (1st Year) 2019Subjective· 4mImportance★★★★★
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Angular acceleration is the rate of change of angular velocity, torque is the rotational analogue of force, and they are related by τ=Iα\tau = I\alpha — the rotational counterpart of F=maF = ma.

Definition of angular acceleration

Angular acceleration is the time rate of change of angular velocity of a rotating body:

α=dωdt\alpha = \frac{d\omega}{dt}

Its SI unit is rad s−2\text{rad s}^{-2}. It is a vector along the axis of rotation.

Definition of torque

Torque (or moment of force) is a measure of the turning (rotational) effect produced by a force about a given axis or point. If a force F⃗\vec{F} acts at a position r⃗\vec{r} relative to the axis, the torque is:

τ⃗=r⃗×F⃗\vec{\tau} = \vec{r} \times \vec{F}

Its magnitude is τ=rFsin⁡θ\tau = rF\sin\theta, where θ\theta is the angle between r⃗\vec{r} and F⃗\vec{F}; its SI unit is newton-metre (Nm).

Relation between angular acceleration and torque

Consider a rigid body made up of many particles rotating about a fixed axis with angular acceleration α\alpha. Consider one particle of mass mim_i at perpendicular distance rir_i from the axis. Its linear (tangential) acceleration is ai=riαa_i = r_i\alpha. The tangential force needed to produce this is Fi=miai=miriαF_i = m_i a_i = m_i r_i \alpha.

The torque due to this force about the axis is:

τi=riFi=miri2α\tau_i = r_i F_i = m_i r_i^2 \alpha

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