Energy and the Confused Student V: The Energy/Momentum Approach to Problems Involving Rotating and Deformable Systems

Energy is a critical concept in physics problem-solving, but is often a major source of confusion for students if the presentation is not carefully crafted by the instructor or the textbook. A common approach to problems involving deformable or rotating systems that has been discussed in the literat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Physics teacher 2008-05, Vol.46 (5), p.269-274
Main Author: Jewett, John W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Energy
Kinetics
Motion
Physics
Problem Solving
Science Instruction
Scientific Principles
Teaching Methods
Theories
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Summary:Energy is a critical concept in physics problem-solving, but is often a major source of confusion for students if the presentation is not carefully crafted by the instructor or the textbook. A common approach to problems involving deformable or rotating systems that has been discussed in the literature is to employ the work-kinetic energy theorem together with a “pseudowork-kinetic energy theorem” or a “center-of-mass equation.” This article discusses an alternative approach that employs neither of these equations and allows students a more global and less confusing approach to such problems. The approach is demonstrated for three sample situations from the literature.
ISSN:0031-921X
1943-4928
DOI:10.1119/1.2909743