Thread: Rotation problem

If you had a 3" shaft welded to a 9" dia wheel. what is the rpm's if the 3" shaft is at 15rpm?

Originally Posted by windseaker

If you had a 3" shaft welded to a 9" dia wheel. what is the rpm's if the 3" shaft is at 15rpm?

I presume that the shaft is welded perpendicular to the plane of the wheel and at the center of it. So since the 3" shaft is rotating at 15 rpm, the so must the wheel as there is no slipping between the shaft and the wheel. (ie. a point on the shaft has to have the same angular speed as a point on the wheel does.

-Dan

I'm sorry, I was asking an incomplete question!

What is the rpm of the 9" wheel?

If the shaft is perpendicular to the wheel (like an axle), then the 9" wheel will also be rotating at 15 rpm. If you were to mark a point on the shaft, then mark the same point on the wheel, they would stay in the same relative positions to each other. The speed of the point on the wheel would be going faster than the point on the shaft, but the point on the wheel also has to travel farther, making the time for one rotation equal for both. Make sense?