---
title: "In an experiment, an external torque is applied to the edge of a disk of radius \\( 0.5 \\) \\( \\text{m} \\) such that the edge of the disk speeds up as it continues to rotate. The tangential speed as a function of time is shown for the edge of the disk. The rotational inertia of the disk is \\( 0.125 \\) \\( \\text{kg} \\cdot \\text{m}^2 \\). Can a student use the graph and the known information to calculate the net torque exerted on the edge of the disk?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/103998/"
date_modified: "2025-10-26T17:53:09+00:00"
---

# In an experiment, an external torque is applied to the edge of a disk of radius \( 0.5 \) \( \text{m} \) such that the edge of the disk speeds up as it continues to rotate. The tangential speed as a function of time is shown for the edge of the disk. The rotational inertia of the disk is \( 0.125 \) \( \text{kg} \cdot \text{m}^2 \). Can a student use the graph and the known information to calculate the net torque exerted on the edge of the disk?

 

In an experiment, an external torque is applied to the edge of a disk of radius \( 0.5 \) \( \text{m} \) such that the edge of the disk speeds up as it continues to rotate. The tangential speed as a function of time is shown for the edge of the disk. The rotational inertia of the disk is \( 0.125 \) \( \text{kg} \cdot \text{m}^2 \). Can a student use the graph and the known information to calculate the net torque exerted on the edge of the disk?

![Diagram](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tangentialspeed-vs-time-graphing-ubq.png)

- **A.** Yes, because the slope of the graph multiplied by the rotational inertia \( I \) is equal to the net torque \( \tau \) exerted on the edge of the disk.
- **B.** Yes, because the change in tangential speed per unit time can be multiplied by the rotational inertia \( I \) divided by the radius \( r \) of the disk.
- **C.** No, because the net force \( F \) exerted on the edge of the disk must first be determined before the net torque \( \tau \) can be calculated.
- **D.** No, because the change in tangential speed of the edge of the disk per unit time cannot be used to determine the angular acceleration \( \alpha \) of the disk.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/103998/*