Rotational Kinematics: Old Equations, New Letters

You'll learnthat rotational motion reuses the kinematics equations with angular variables.

A turntable spins up from rest while two graphs take its dictation. Every move here is a Unit 1 move — swap x, v, a for θ, ω, α and the whole kinematics toolkit turns with the disk.

8 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · v5

SPIN LAB

Before you start

What you're looking at

A turntable spinning up from rest at a steady 2 rad/s² for 4 s, beside two graphs with dashed preview curves.

The question

How fast is it spinning at the end, and how much total angle does it sweep?

Watch for

The graphs echoing Unit 1’s v-t line and x-t parabola; predict which curve is straight and which bends.

What the symbols mean

θ is angle (rad), ω angular velocity (rad/s), α angular acceleration (rad/s²); teal rim dot and amber inner dot share all three.

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