Polar ice caps and possible rise in sea level

Ok, then you shouldn't have any problem with this:

quote:

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There is a wheel of r = 0.38m and m = 1.3kg and attached to that wheel from a cord is a 0.70kg block that is 1.2m off the ground. If the block is released from rest, what speed will it have just before it hits the floor if there is no friction at the wheel's axis?

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You have 20 minutes, which is about how twice as much time as a "jerk scientist" with a degree in physics would take.

It's at first point on the wheel where its motion would be strictly downward, obviously.A "jerk scientist" wouldn't have even needed to ask. Everything you need is in the problem. Go to! Still wrong. The weight is at that point of the wheel where its motion would be strictly downward, obviously.

Jesus, RR, you don't have a clue what's going on in this question, do you? It's a simple problem in angular momentum, one that a first-year physics major might encounter as a "refresher" on the first day. Shouldn't matter. Remember, you're the one that claimed that you could do just as well as "jerk scientists" equipped with nothing more than your own common sense.Well, go to. Employ common sense and solve the problem as well as a first-year physics student. No, because you haven't taken into account the radius of the wheel, which effects its angular momentum. Air resistance is negligible, so if you want to assume a vacuum, that's fine.This message has been edited by crashfrog, 09-20-2004 10:01 PM

I have no training in physics whatsoever - absolutely none - but I was able to recognize this as a problem in angular momentum. No, I'm going to point out that, so far, it's taken you 2 days and 3 tries to do what first-year physics students do in 10 minutes. Yes, by virtue of the fact that you have no education in physics. But see, that's the point. Contrary to what you claimed, you're at a significant disadvanatge to all those "jerk scientists" you so casually dismissed.Now that you've admitted that, the problem has served its purpose. You can solve it if you like, but you don't have to. If you do, though, show your work. I'll give you a hint. A wheel is just a round lever.