Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________
expro
Student Exploration: Torque and Moment of Inertia
Vocabulary: angular acceleration, fulcrum, lever, moment of inertia, Newton’s second law,
torque, weight
Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
During recess, Tom and his little sister Marcie want to play on the see-saw. Tom is quite a bit
heavier than Marcie. Where should they sit so the see-saw is balanced? Sketch their positions
on the image below.
Explain your reasoning: ____________
Tom should set closer because
In lifter _______________________________
he is heavier
_______________________________
_______________________________
Gizmo Warm-up
The Torque and Moment of Inertia Gizmo shows a see-saw,
which is a type of lever. The see-saw can hold up to eight
objects. To begin, check that the Number of objects is 2.
Check that the mass of object A is 1.0 kg and the mass of object
B is 2.0 kg. The two objects are equidistant from the triangular
fulcrum that supports the lever.
Incline to right
1. Click Release. What happens? _____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Click Reset. Without changing the masses, experiment with different positions of objects
A and B by dragging them around.
Yes
Can you create a scenario in which object A goes down and object B goes up? _______
A heavier than B
Explain: _______________________________________________________________
Yes
3. Can you create a scenario in which object A perfectly balances object B? ___________
Two of them have same weight
Explain: _______________________________________________________________
This study source was downloaded by 100000830772748 from CourseHero.com on 04-14-2022 11:07:54 GMT -05:00
2019
https://www.coursehero.com/file/57482737/Torque-Moment-of-Inertia-Gizmo-Labpdf/
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Principle of the Click Reset. Turn on Show ruler.
lever Check that object A is 1.0 kg and B is 2.0 kg.
Question: How can you use a light object to balance a heavy object?
1. Explore: Experiment with the Gizmo to see how you can balance a heavy object with a light
object. What do you notice about the distances of each object from the fulcrum?
Lighter one further from center, heavier one closer to center
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Gather data: For each mass and location of object A, find a location for object B so it
perfectly balances object A. You can change the mass of object A by typing the mass into
the text box and hitting “Enter” on your keyboard. Leave the mass of object B the same
(1 kg) in each experiment. Include all units in the table.
Object A Object A Object B Object B Object A Object B
mass location mass location m×d m×d
1.0 kg -0.4 m 1.0 kg D 4 0.4 0.4
2.0 kg -0.4 m 1.0 kg s g s 8 2 8
3.0 kg -0.4 m 1.0 kg
I L l Z l 2
4.0 kg -0.4 m 1.0 kg
16 lG l G
m
3. Analyze: What patterns do you notice in your data? ________________________________
dA µBdB
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Calculate: Fill in the last two columns by multiplying each object’s mass by its distance from
the fulcrum. The units are kg·m. (Note: The distance d is always a positive number.)
mada 4131131
What do you notice? ________________________________________________________
5. Generalize: In general, how can you calculate the distance of object B from the fulcrum so
madal
that it balances object A? ____________________________________________________
MT
6. Apply: Suppose you wanted to lift a heavy rock with a lever. Would you place the fulcrum
near the rock or near the part of the lever where you are pushing? Explain.
near the rock b hada
_________________________________________________________________________
c 4131131
_________________________________________________________________________
This study source was downloaded by 100000830772748 from CourseHero.com on 04-14-2022 11:07:54 GMT -05:00
2019
https://www.coursehero.com/file/57482737/Torque-Moment-of-Inertia-Gizmo-Labpdf/
expro
Student Exploration: Torque and Moment of Inertia
Vocabulary: angular acceleration, fulcrum, lever, moment of inertia, Newton’s second law,
torque, weight
Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
During recess, Tom and his little sister Marcie want to play on the see-saw. Tom is quite a bit
heavier than Marcie. Where should they sit so the see-saw is balanced? Sketch their positions
on the image below.
Explain your reasoning: ____________
Tom should set closer because
In lifter _______________________________
he is heavier
_______________________________
_______________________________
Gizmo Warm-up
The Torque and Moment of Inertia Gizmo shows a see-saw,
which is a type of lever. The see-saw can hold up to eight
objects. To begin, check that the Number of objects is 2.
Check that the mass of object A is 1.0 kg and the mass of object
B is 2.0 kg. The two objects are equidistant from the triangular
fulcrum that supports the lever.
Incline to right
1. Click Release. What happens? _____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Click Reset. Without changing the masses, experiment with different positions of objects
A and B by dragging them around.
Yes
Can you create a scenario in which object A goes down and object B goes up? _______
A heavier than B
Explain: _______________________________________________________________
Yes
3. Can you create a scenario in which object A perfectly balances object B? ___________
Two of them have same weight
Explain: _______________________________________________________________
This study source was downloaded by 100000830772748 from CourseHero.com on 04-14-2022 11:07:54 GMT -05:00
2019
https://www.coursehero.com/file/57482737/Torque-Moment-of-Inertia-Gizmo-Labpdf/
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Principle of the Click Reset. Turn on Show ruler.
lever Check that object A is 1.0 kg and B is 2.0 kg.
Question: How can you use a light object to balance a heavy object?
1. Explore: Experiment with the Gizmo to see how you can balance a heavy object with a light
object. What do you notice about the distances of each object from the fulcrum?
Lighter one further from center, heavier one closer to center
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Gather data: For each mass and location of object A, find a location for object B so it
perfectly balances object A. You can change the mass of object A by typing the mass into
the text box and hitting “Enter” on your keyboard. Leave the mass of object B the same
(1 kg) in each experiment. Include all units in the table.
Object A Object A Object B Object B Object A Object B
mass location mass location m×d m×d
1.0 kg -0.4 m 1.0 kg D 4 0.4 0.4
2.0 kg -0.4 m 1.0 kg s g s 8 2 8
3.0 kg -0.4 m 1.0 kg
I L l Z l 2
4.0 kg -0.4 m 1.0 kg
16 lG l G
m
3. Analyze: What patterns do you notice in your data? ________________________________
dA µBdB
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Calculate: Fill in the last two columns by multiplying each object’s mass by its distance from
the fulcrum. The units are kg·m. (Note: The distance d is always a positive number.)
mada 4131131
What do you notice? ________________________________________________________
5. Generalize: In general, how can you calculate the distance of object B from the fulcrum so
madal
that it balances object A? ____________________________________________________
MT
6. Apply: Suppose you wanted to lift a heavy rock with a lever. Would you place the fulcrum
near the rock or near the part of the lever where you are pushing? Explain.
near the rock b hada
_________________________________________________________________________
c 4131131
_________________________________________________________________________
This study source was downloaded by 100000830772748 from CourseHero.com on 04-14-2022 11:07:54 GMT -05:00
2019
https://www.coursehero.com/file/57482737/Torque-Moment-of-Inertia-Gizmo-Labpdf/
