Rotational & Periodic Motion
Every rotational & periodic motion calculator on CalcEngines — each with its formula, a worked example, the standard it follows and the assumptions it makes.
6 calculators in this section
- Angular Motion Equations CalculatorThe rotational equations of motion are the linear ones with every symbol swapped for its angular twin: θ for s, ω for v, α for a. Tell the page which three of θ, ω₀, ω, α and t you were given and it returns the other two, says which equation it used, and counts the complete turns — because an angle of 39 radians is six and a bit revolutions, and marks are lost on that conversion more often than on the algebra.
- Centripetal vs Centrifugal Force CalculatorCentripetal force is not a force — it is a requirement that the real forces have to meet. Centrifugal force is not a force either, in the frame your exam paper is written in. Name your situation and your frame and this page says which real force is doing the job, what belongs on the free-body diagram, and what the outward push you can genuinely feel actually is.
- Coriolis Effect CalculatorThe Coriolis effect is not a force. It is what a straight line looks like from a frame that is turning underneath it. Give a speed, a latitude and a time of flight and this returns the sideways deflection, the Coriolis parameter f = 2Ω sinφ that meteorologists use, and the distance scale below which the whole thing is negligible.
- Moment of Inertia of Common Shapes CalculatorMass tells you how hard a body is to push. Moment of inertia tells you how hard it is to twist, and unlike mass it depends on which axis you chose. Pick a shape, give a mass and a size, and shift the axis as far from the centre of mass as you like: this returns I, the radius of gyration, and the md² the parallel-axis theorem adds.
- Physical Pendulum CalculatorA real swinging object is not a bob on a string. Its mass is spread out, so its period depends on the moment of inertia about the pivot and on how far the centre of mass sits from that pivot — not on its length. Pick a shape and this returns the period, the length of the simple pendulum that would match it, and what the amplitude costs you.
- Rotational Kinetic Energy CalculatorWhen a skater pulls her arms in she spins faster, and her kinetic energy goes up. Angular momentum is conserved; kinetic energy is not. Give the moment of inertia before and after and this returns the new spin rate, both energies, and the work her arms had to do — which is the part of the story most explanations leave out.