$A$ solid sphere rolls down two different inclined planes of the same heights but different angles of inclination.
$(a)$ Will it reach the bottom with the same speed in each case?
$(b)$ Will it take longer to roll down one plane than the other?
$(c)$ If so,which one and why?

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(A) Yes. $(b)$ Yes. $(c)$ On the smaller inclination.
$(a)$ Let the mass of the sphere be $m$,height of the plane be $h$,and velocity at the bottom be $v$. By the law of conservation of energy,the potential energy at the top equals the total kinetic energy (translational + rotational) at the bottom:
$mgh = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 + \frac{1}{2}I\omega^2$
For a solid sphere,$I = \frac{2}{5}mr^2$ and $\omega = v/r$. Substituting these:
$mgh = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 + \frac{1}{2}(\frac{2}{5}mr^2)(v/r)^2 = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 + \frac{1}{5}mv^2 = \frac{7}{10}mv^2$
$v = \sqrt{\frac{10}{7}gh}$. Since $v$ depends only on $h$ and $g$,the speed at the bottom is the same for both planes.
$(b)$ and $(c)$ The acceleration of a rolling sphere on an incline $\theta$ is $a = \frac{g \sin \theta}{1 + I/mr^2} = \frac{g \sin \theta}{1 + 2/5} = \frac{5}{7}g \sin \theta$. Since $a \propto \sin \theta$,the plane with the smaller angle $\theta$ has smaller acceleration. Using $v = u + at$ with $u=0$,$t = v/a$. Since $v$ is constant and $a$ is smaller for the smaller angle,the time $t$ taken to reach the bottom will be longer for the plane with the smaller inclination.

Explore More

Similar Questions

From an inclined plane,a sphere,a disc,a ring,and a spherical shell of the same radius are rolled without slipping from the same height simultaneously. The order of their reaching at the base will be:

Difficult
View Solution

$A$ solid cylinder of mass $M$ and radius $R$ rolls down an inclined plane without slipping. The speed of its centre of mass when it reaches the bottom is ...

Difficult
View Solution

$A$ solid cylinder of mass $2 \; kg$ and radius $50 \; cm$ rolls up an inclined plane of angle of inclination $30^{\circ}$. The centre of mass of the cylinder has a speed of $4 \; m/s$. The distance travelled by the cylinder on the inclined surface will be ...... $m$.

$A$ solid sphere of mass $m$ rolls down an inclined plane without slipping,starting from rest at the top of an inclined plane. The linear speed of the sphere at the bottom of the inclined plane is $v$. The kinetic energy of the sphere at the bottom is

$A$ solid disc of radius $a$ and mass $m$ rolls down without slipping on an inclined plane making an angle $\theta$ with the horizontal. The acceleration of the disc will be $\frac{2}{b} g \sin \theta$ where $b$ is $........$. (Round off to the Nearest Integer)
($g =$ acceleration due to gravity)
($\theta =$ angle as shown in figure)

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo