211k views
1 vote
A floppy disk is designed to rotate ___________ as compared to a hard disk drive.

a) faster
b) slower
c) at the same speed
d) None of these

User CC Inc
by
8.5k points

1 Answer

1 vote

Final answer:

System B has the greatest angular momentum due to one of its disks having a greater radius, which results in a higher moment of inertia and therefore greater angular momentum.

Step-by-step explanation:

Comparing Angular Momentum in Two Systems

When comparing system A, which consists of two disks of radius R rotating clockwise, with system B—one disk of radius R rotating counterclockwise and another disk of radius 2R rotating clockwise, we need to consider the concept of angular momentum, which is given by L = I × ω, where I is the moment of inertia and ω is the angular velocity.

Since both systems have disks with the same mass and angular velocity, the difference comes down to the moment of inertia. For a disk, the moment of inertia is I = ½ mR2. Therefore, a disk with a larger radius will have a greater moment of inertia. In system B, one of the disks has a radius 2R, which means its moment of inertia will be greater by a factor of four (since the radius is squared in the formula), resulting in greater angular momentum for system B. Consequently, the answer is b. B.

User Dmitry Khamitov
by
8.0k points