Physics

Problem

A rigid disk rotates at a constant angular speed. Three points on the disk are located at radial distances of

0.020\,\text{m}

0.050\,\text{m}

, and

0.080\,\text{m}

from the center. Rank the magnitudes of their linear (tangential) speeds from smallest to largest and briefly state the basis for your ranking.

Intuitive explanation

The key insight is that all points on a rigid rotating disk share the same $\omega$ , but linear speed depends on how far you are from the axis. Since $v = \omega r$ , points farther from the center move faster along their circular paths—even though they all complete one rotation in the same time. Your ranking should reflect that linear speed scales directly with radius.

Intuitive explanation

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