Question

You are given that a wheel has a radius of 2 feet and a spin rate of 10 revolutions per minute. Describe how you would determine the linear velocity, in feet per minute, of a point on the edge of the wheel. State the linear velocity of the wheel, and explain why your answer is reasonable.

Answer 1

Answer:

About 126 ft/min

Step-by-step explanation:

We know r = 2 feet, and that the wheel has an angular speed of 10 rpms, or 10 revolutions per minute. Our goal is to get the speed in ft/sec.

10 rev            1 minute             2π radians            2 feet

-----------  ×    ----------------   ×    ------------------    ×   ------------

1 minute       60 seconds         1 revolution           1 radian

= 10 * 2π * 2 = 126 ft/minute

The answer is reasonable. Another, simple approach to this would be using the formula 2π * r * rpm. If so, 2π * 2 * 10 which would be 126 ft/minute.