About this lab

Choose a shape and mass and see its moment of inertia, spin-up time, and the speed at which a robot slides or tips in a turn.

Ideas covered: moment of inertia, torque, angular acceleration, centripetal force.

Common questions

Does a robot slide or tip first in a turn?

Low, wide robots slide first (limit √(μgr)); tall, narrow ones tip first (limit √(g·r·(track/2)/h)). Whichever speed is lower is what happens first.