This kit, compatible with both Go Direct^® Rotary Motion and Vernier Rotary Motion Sensor, provides a variety of items that add to the versatility of these sensors. The kit is used for investigations such as

• Measurement of rotational inertia of a disk
• Measurement of rotational inertia of a point mass
• Verification of the conservation of angular momentum
• Studying the motion a physical pendulum

Note: Vernier products are designed for educational use. Our products are not designed nor are they recommended for any industrial, medical, or commercial process such as life support, patient diagnosis, control of a manufacturing process, or industrial testing of any kind.

What's Included

This kit includes the following accessories.

Suggested Experiments

The following examples show various ways to use this kit with a rotary motion sensor

Moment of Inertia of a Disk

Attach the 3-step pulley to the rotating shaft of a rotary motion sensor. Attach the disk to the 3-step pulley. Attach a string to the underside of the hub. Attach the Ultra Pulley to the rotary motion sensor using the Ultra Pulley Swivel Mount. Run the string over the Ultra Pulley and attach a weight to the end of the string. Use the weight to apply a torque to the system while the rotary motion sensor measures the angular acceleration.

Moment of inertia values include the following

• The following rough steel washer values are approximate, as dimensions and mass vary. The sample we measured was 267.6 g, 88.5 mm diameter, and with a 27 mm diameter inner hole, for a moment of 2.86 × 10^-4 kg m².
• Both smooth aluminum discs have a moment of 1.05 x 10^-4 kg m² to three decimal places. The disc with a small hole is 106.1 g, with a diameter of 89.0 mm and a hole of 3.6 mm. The disc with cork and a larger hole is 105.2 g, with a diameter of 89.0 mm and a hole of 6.0 mm.
• The plastic center disk (that fits the washer) is just 4.5 g in mass, so its approximate moment is 5 x 10^-7 kg m².
• The three step pulley has an approximate moment of 2 × 10^-6 kg m².
• In comparison to the metal disks, the plastic parts have negligible moments and can be disregarded.

Moment of Inertia of a Point Masses

Use the same set up as described in the previous section. This time attach a rod with two masses to the 3-step pulley. Use the weight to apply a torque to the system while the rotary motion sensor measures the angular acceleration.

Conservation of Angular Momentum

Attach disk to the 3-step pulley. Give the disk a spin. While the system is rotating, drop a second disk onto the first disk. Observe the change in the angular velocity before and after the mass is added to the system.

Motion of a Physical Pendulum

Attach the 3-step pulley to the rotary motion sensor with the small step next to the sensor body. Attach the center of the rod with two masses to the pulley. Position the masses so they are not symmetric. Position the sensor so the face of the pulley is vertical. Start the pendulum swinging, and determine the angular acceleration as a function of the angle.

Warranty

Warranty information for this product can be found on the Support tab at www.vernier.com/ak-rmv/#support

General warranty information can be found at www.vernier.com/warranty