Chapter 10, Problem 49P

Big Ben, the nickname for the clock in Elizabeth Tower (named after the Queen in 2012) in London, has an hour hand 2.70 m long with a mass of 60.0 kg and a minute hand 4.50 m long with a mass of 100 kg (Fig. P10.27). Calculate the total rotational kinetic energy of the two hands about the axis of rotation. (You may model the hands as long, thin rods rotated about one end. Assume the hour and minute hands are rotating at a constant rate of one revolution per 12 hours and 60 minutes, respectively.)

Figure P10.27 Problems 27 and 40.