Question

a cylinder rolls without slipping directly toward you down an incline. from your perspective, in which direction does the cylinder's angular acceleration point?

Answer 1

The cylinder's angular acceleration points in the direction of the axis of rotation, which is determined by the direction in which the cylinder rotates (clockwise or counterclockwise) as observed from your perspective.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a cylinder rolls without slipping directly toward you down an incline, its angular acceleration points in the same direction as the cylinder's rotation. From your perspective, if the cylinder's rotation appears counterclockwise, then the angular acceleration vector points toward you. If the rotation appears clockwise, the angular acceleration vector points away from you. This is because angular acceleration and angular velocity vectors both point along the axis of rotation, in line with the right-hand-rule.