Question

Qui gon's landspeeder can be approximated as a uniform sphere which rolls without slipping down the big sphere (the big sphere is still fixed in place). qui gon does indeed experimentally show that his landspeeder stays in contact with the big sphere longer (i.e. until a bigger angle theta) than obi wan's landspeeder from a previous homework set. find the angle that qui gon's landspeeder will lose contact with the big sphere.

Answer 1

The angle at which Qui-Gon's landspeeder will lose contact with the larger sphere can be found by analyzing the forces acting on it, considering its moment of inertia and applying conservation of energy and angular momentum principles.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking for the angle θ at which Qui-Gon's landspeeder, which is approximated as a uniform sphere, will lose contact with the larger sphere it is rolling down. To determine this angle, we would assess the forces acting on the landspeeder, including gravitational pull and normal force, and evaluate when the normal force becomes zero. The situation involves concepts of rotational motion, such as rolling without slipping, conservation of angular momentum, and Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, which are critical to the physics involved in the motion of the landspeeder.

Since the landspeeder is assumed to be a uniform sphere, its moment of inertia will affect the outcome. The moment of inertia for a solid sphere is a factor that influences rotational motion. When the necessary centripetal force due to gravity is insufficient to keep the sphere in a circular path on the larger sphere, the landspeeder will lose contact. This can be formally calculated using the equations of motion and energy conservation principles referenced in physics.