Question

Wheel A has a radius of R and wheel B has a radius of 2R. Wheel A has all the mass at the rim, while wheel B has the mass uniformly distributed, like a solid disk. The wheels have the same mass. The same torque is applied to both wheels. Which one accelerates faster in response to this torque?

Answer 1

Answer:

Wheel A.

Explanation:

The lesser the moment of inertia, the greater the angular acceleration. Then, the moments of inertia of each wheel are described below:

Wheel A

$I_{A} = M\cdot R^{2}$

Wheel B

$I_{B} = \frac{1}{2}\cdot M \cdot (2\cdot R)^{2}$

$I_{B} = 2\cdot M\cdot R^{2}$

The wheel A accelerates faster in response to the torque.