Rotational Equillibrium Essay

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Fist name, last name Physics ### Lab: Rotational Equilibrium The purpose of this lab was to analyze the physical effects of torques on an object and all the factors that can influence the magnitude of its strength and force. In lecture, we learned that although the magnitude of the force can have a strong effect on the rotational velocity of an object, the location or displacement of that force can have an enormous impact on the force’s effectiveness to do work. In this experiment, we saw, first hand, how a small force can have as much of a dramatic impact on an object as a larger force if the displacement is right. The goal of this experiment was to balance a meter stick at its center of gravity using different weights on opposite ends of the stick. Making the left side our positive direction, and our right, the negative direction was essential in proving algebraically, the results of the experiment. When we say, “balance,” we mean to say we will try to set the net torque equal to zero, Σ Ʈ=0, we want all the forces on opposite sides to cancel out, giving us an even leveled meter stick. In our experiment, we had two different parts, each containing three slightly different trials. In the first half of the experiment, we hung the meter stick on the 50.0 cm mark and placed different weights on different ends. We moved around the weights until we ended up with what we saw to be an even leveled meter. We repeated this a second time using two slightly different weights and recorded them. Our third trial was done in a slightly different way, instead of having a single weight on each side, we placed two masses on the right side of the meter stick and only one on the left. Again, we played with the weights until we were at equilibrium and recorded our data. The second half of the experiment was done in a similar fashion, except the ruler was no longer hung on

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