Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-1-paper-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016-resit/8/iii/solution

For the frictional conversion of spin to rolling, consider the horizontal slipping stage on the rough surface, whose contact radius is now , and neglect extra vertical impact or height-change energies at the transition. A friction impulse changes by and clockwise spin by . Thus is conserved. At the end , giving
Because , the final total kinetic energy is . Subtraction yields
The result is independent of the friction coefficient, provided sufficient contact time allows rolling without slipping to be regained. Initially , so the contact point slips backwards. Friction acts forwards and can increase translational kinetic energy, while decreasing rotational kinetic energy by more. A finite vertical drop or inelastic landing would require additional geometric information; the boxed expression describes the horizontal rolling-conversion loss.
Figure 1.
Axle rolling, the formal impulse height and friction-driven conversion to rolling on the outer drum
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