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A wheel with an 8 cm radius has a 0.5 cm axle. A string is wrapped tight around the axle. If the string is attached from the 0.5 cm axle to a syringe plunger that pulls it 10 cm, how far will the wheel and axle move?

a. 80 cm
b. 0.5 cm
c. 160 cm
d. 100 cm

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

When the string is pulled 10 cm, the wheel and axle move approximately 160 centimeters. This is calculated by determining the number of revolutions of the axle and multiplying by the circumference of the wheel.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question relates to a concept in mechanics, more specifically to the relationship between linear and angular motion. If the string is pulled 10 cm from a 0.5 cm axle (radius), we need to calculate the number of revolutions that the axle would make and consequently, how far the wheel would travel.

The circumference of the axle's circle is 2π×0.5 cm, which is the distance the axle travels per one revolution. To find the number of revolutions made by the axle when the string is pulled 10 cm, we divide the distance pulled by the axle's circumference:
10 cm / ≈3.14 cm = ≈ 3.18 revolutions.

To find the distance the entire wheel (8 cm radius) moves, we multiply the number of revolutions by the wheel's circumference (2π×8 cm):
≈3.18 revolutions × ≈50.24 cm = ≈ 160 cm.

Therefore, the wheel and axle move approximately 160 centimeters, which corresponds to option c.

User Tatu Ulmanen
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