MEMS 411: Rotational Inertia Demo

Authors

Paul Kalu, Washington University in St. LouisFollow
Charlie Suskin, Washington University in St. LouisFollow
Suhul Kebede, Washington University in St. LouisFollow

Publication Date

Fall 2022

Document Type

Final Report

Embargo Date

12-12-2022

Problem Statement

The purpose of this project was to create a tool that demonstrates rotational inertia. Rotational inertia is a topic that is taught in many physics classes except in our experiences, there has not been a safe and easy way to demonstrate the concept. The classic method is having someone sit on a swivel chair with weights in their arms, but this can lead to injuries due to the unsafe nature of the method. We have created a device that can easily showcase rotational inertia, even to children by creating this device for a science center demo. With this device, anyone can understand the effects of rotational inertia in a fun, simple, and safe way.

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Author's Department

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Class Name

Mechanical Engineering Design Project (MEMS 411)

Recommended Citation

Kalu, Paul; Suskin, Charlie; and Kebede, Suhul, "MEMS 411: Rotational Inertia Demo" (2022). Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class. 192.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mems411/192