1. While riding on a carnival Ferris wheel, Sam Nasty horses around and climbs out of his chair and along the spoke so he is halfway to the axis. How does his rotational speed compare with that of his friends who remain in the chair? How does his tangential speed compare? Why are your answers different?
2. A large wheel is coupled to a wheel with half the diameter, as shown. How does the rotational speed of the smaller wheel compare with that of the larger wheel? How do the tangential speeds at the rims compare ( assuming the belt doesn't slip)?
3. Dan and Sue cycle at the same speed. The tires on Dan's bike are larger in diameter than those on Sue's bike. Which wheels, if either, have the greater rotational speed?
4. Nobody at the playground wants to play with the obnoxious boy, so he fashions a seesaw as shown so he can play by himself. Explain how this is done.
5. We believe that our galaxy was formed from a huge cloud of gas. The original cloud was far larger than the present size of the galaxy, was more or less spherical.
