Lesson Plan: Rotational Kinetic Energy Physics

This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to calculate the rotational kinetic energy of a rotating object from its moment of inertia and its angular velocity.

Objectives

Students will be able to

  • use 𝐾=12𝐼𝜔 to calculate the rotational kinetic energy of an object,
  • understand that 𝐾=12𝐼𝜔 is the rotational analogue of 𝐾=12𝑚𝑣.

Prerequisites

Students should already be familiar with

  • what a moment of inertia is,
  • what an angular velocity is,
  • the kinetic energy from linear mechanics.

Exclusions

Students will not cover

  • the angular momentum,
  • the conservation of angular momentum,
  • the conservation of energy as applied to rotational kinetic energy.

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