Question

Two students are playing on a merry-go-round that is spinning clockwise. Student A stands between the edge and the center, whereas student B stands near the edge, as shown in the image provided.

How does the magnitude of the linear velocity, v, and angular velocity, ω, compare for each of the students?

Answer 1

The magnitude of the linear velocity for student A is less than that for student B, because student A is closer to the center of the merry-go-round and is therefore moving in a smaller circle. The magnitude of the angular velocity for student A is greater than that for student B, because student A is moving in a smaller circle and therefore must be rotating faster to cover the same distance in the same amount of time.