A group of students must conduct an experiment to determine how the location of an applied force on a classroom door affects the rotational motion of the door. The rotational inertia of the door about its hinges is known. The initial angular velocity of the door is zero.
The students must determine how to test the relationship between a torque exerted on the door and the change in the angular velocity of the door. All frictional forces are considered to be negligible.
How should the experiment be conducted to test the relationship between the torque exerted on the door and the change in the door’s angular velocity in a way that minimizes experimental uncertainty?
The students should perform several trials, applying the same force at different horizontal distances from the hinges.
To conduct an experiment that tests the relationship between the torque exerted on the door and the change in the door’s angular velocity while minimizing experimental uncertainty, the students should follow these steps: