A wheel makes 30 revolutions per minute. Find the radian measure of th...
Problem
A wheel makes 30 revolutions per minute. Find the radian measure of the angle described by one of the spokes of the wheel in 1/2 second?
Solution
Step 1: Convert revolutions per minute to radians per second
First, we need to convert the given rate of 30 revolutions per minute to radians per second. We know that:
- 1 revolution = 2π radians
- 1 minute = 60 seconds
Therefore, we can calculate:
30 revolutions/minute × 2π radians/revolution × 1/60 minutes/second = π/3 radians/second
Step 2: Calculate the angle described in 1/2 second
Now that we know the rate at which the wheel is turning in radians per second, we can calculate the angle described by one spoke in 1/2 second. We know that:
- Angle = angular velocity × time
Therefore, we can calculate:
Angle = (π/3 radians/second) × (1/2 second) = π/6 radians
Step 3: Interpretation
So, the radian measure of the angle described by one of the spokes of the wheel in 1/2 second is π/6 radians. This means that the spoke will rotate π/6 radians, or 30 degrees, in 1/2 second.