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Chapter 9 Rotation about a Fixed Axis

We will cover two simple rotations in this chapter.

  1. Pure Rotation.
  2. Rolling in a Straight Line.

The rotation of a merry-go-round is an example of a pure rotation and rotation of tires of a car rolling on a straight road is an example of a rolling motion.

In pure rotation, the axis of rotation remains fixed in space. In a rolling motion, the axis moves with the rolling object, but the orientation of the axis does not change. Both of these types of rotation are called fixed-axis rotation. Contrast this to the rotation of a ar tire as the car rounds a bend - the direction of axis also changes there. We will cover non-fixed axis rotation in another chapter.