Question

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

A. Toward you
B. Away from you
C. To your right
D. To your left
E. Some other direction (specify)

Answer 1

The angular velocity of a rolling cylinder points toward the viewer when it rolls directly toward the viewer down an incline.

Step-by-step explanation:

The angular velocity of a rolling cylinder depends on its direction of rotation. When a cylinder rolls without slipping directly toward you down an incline, the angular velocity will point toward you. In the case of a cylinder rolling directly toward you, the linear velocity at the point of contact is directed away from you, causing the angular velocity vector to point upwards. This correlation follows the right-hand rule, where the direction of rotation is aligned with the direction of the thumb in a curled right hand, and the fingers represent the direction of linear velocity.