---
title: "A solid ball and a cylinder roll down an inclined plane. Which reaches the bottom first?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/104417/"
date_modified: "2025-11-03T07:26:33+00:00"
---

# A solid ball and a cylinder roll down an inclined plane. Which reaches the bottom first?

A solid ball and a cylinder roll down an inclined plane. Which reaches the bottom first? Hint the rotational inertia of a sphere about its center is \(I = \frac{2}{5}mR^{2}\) and the rotational inertia of a cylinder about its center is \(I = \frac{1}{2}mR^{2}\).

- **A.** The ball reaches the bottom first.
- **B.** The cylinder reaches the bottom first.
- **C.** They arrive at the bottom at the same time.
- **D.** It depends on the relative masses of the two.
- **E.** It depends on the relative diameter of the two.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/104417/*