In: Physics
A space station is located in a gravity-free region of space. It consists of a large diameter, hollow thin-walled cylinder which is rotating freely about its axis. It is spinning at a speed such that the apparent gravity on the inner surface is the same as that on earth. The cylinder is of radius r and mass M. (a) What is the minimum total work which had to be done to get the cylinder spinning up to speed. (b) Radial spokes, of negligible mass, connect the cylinder to the centre of rotation. An astronaut, of mass m, climbs a spoke from the inner surface of the cylinder to the centre. What will be the fractional change in the apparent gravity on the surface of the cylinder? (c) If the astronaut now climbs halfway up a spoke and lets go, how far along the cylinder circumference from the base of the spoke will the astronaut hit the cylinder? Assume throughout that the astronaut is point-like
The cylinder is rotating such that centrepetal acceleration provided by the Normal on its surface is equal to the acceleration due to gravity of the Earth.