Rotational motion is basically the same as linear motion (horizontal and vertical),
except that some of the symbols have changed. Here is a chart to show you the different
symbols.
| Term | Linear Symbol | Rotational Symbol | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity | v |  |
rad/s, rev/s, deg/s |
| Acceleration | a |  |
rad/s2, rev/s2, deg/s2 |
| Distance | d |  |
radians, revolutions, degrees |
| Radius | (nothing) | r | meters |
Because of these symbols, the old equations we had need to be slightly re-written.
= / t = (o + f) / 2
= (f - o) / t
= ot + 0.5 * * t2
2 * * = f2 - o2
Since rotational motion and linear motion are measured in different ways, there are
some equatoins needed for conversion between the two.
v = r *
a = r *
d = r *
The important thing to remember is that for the above equations to work, the
rotational variables must be in rad/s. Here is the equation for unit conversion.
1 rev = 360° = 2
rad
That's all there is in this lesson, the next one will
cover angular velocity and acceleration. There's nothing drastically different, but
we'll at least do a sample problem for it.
