Practice IB Physics Topic A.4 Rigid Body Mechanics with authentic exam-style questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank focuses on the exact syllabus content for A.4 Rigid Body Mechanics and mirrors Paper 1A, 1B, 2 style where relevant.
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A yo-yo of mass and radius is released from rest and allowed to fall vertically while unwinding. If its moment of inertia is , what is the linear acceleration of its center of mass?
A plank of mass and length rests horizontally on two supports placed from each end. A person of mass walks from the center toward one end. At what distance from the center will the plank begin to tip?
A disc of moment of inertia spinning at angular velocity is placed on a horizontal surface with friction and allowed to roll without slipping. After some time, it transitions into pure rolling motion. What happens to its final angular velocity?
A pulley system consists of a solid disc (mass , radius ) mounted horizontally and free to rotate. A mass is suspended and allowed to fall, causing the pulley to rotate. What is the angular acceleration of the disc?
A uniform thin rod of mass and length is held in a horizontal position and pivoted at one of its ends. The rod is released from rest and allowed to swing downwards under the influence of gravity. The moment of inertia of a uniform rod about an axis through its end is given by .
Calculate the moment of inertia of the rod about the pivot.
Calculate the magnitude of the torque acting on the rod at the instant it is released.
Determine the angular velocity of the rod as it passes through the vertical position.
State and explain whether the angular momentum of the rod about the pivot is conserved as it rotates from the horizontal to the vertical position.