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AP Physics 1
5.6 Newton’s Second Law in Rotational Form
5.4 Rotational Inertia
5.3 Torque
IntermediateMCQMathematicalProportional AnalysisConceptual25.3k
Four rod configurations with attached point masses.
Four rod configurations with attached point masses.
Four systems each consist of a rigid rod of length \(2L\) and negligible mass that is free to rotate in a horizontal plane about a fixed frictionless axle through its center. Point masses are attached to the rods at specific distances from the central pivot as described in the table.

SystemMass on Left SideMass on Right Side
1\(M\) at distance \(L\)\(M\) at distance \(L\)
2\(2M\) at distance \(\dfrac{L}{2}\)\(2M\) at distance \(\dfrac{L}{2}\)
3\(2M\) at distance \(L\)\(2M\) at distance \(\dfrac{L}{2}\)
4\(M\) at distance \(L\)\(4M\) at distance \(\dfrac{L}{2}\)

An identical net torque \(\tau_0\) is applied to each rod about its central axle. Which of the following correctly ranks the magnitudes of the resulting angular accelerations \(\alpha_1\), \(\alpha_2\), \(\alpha_3\), and \(\alpha_4\) of the four systems from greatest to least?

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