When a quarter, a nickel, a penny, and a dime are flipped; what are each of their revolutions per minute?
It all depends upon how it is flipped.
Is this how physics is taught nowadays?
Heaven help us.
Larger coins probably turn more slowly after a comparable "flip"
To determine the revolutions per minute (RPM) for each coin, we need to understand how many times each coin rotates during a minute.
First, let's determine how many rotations each coin can make when flipped once:
1. Quarter (25 cents): When a quarter is flipped once, it can rotate 2 times - once when it goes up and once when it comes back down.
2. Nickel (5 cents): Similar to the quarter, a nickel can rotate 2 times when flipped once.
3. Penny (1 cent): Since a penny is lighter, it can rotate more times than a heavier coin. On average, a penny can rotate 3 to 4 times when flipped once. Let's consider it rotates 3 times for simplicity.
4. Dime (10 cents): Similar to the nickel, a dime can rotate 2 times when flipped once.
To calculate the RPM for each coin, we multiply the number of rotations per flip by how many times each flip occurs in a minute.
Assuming we are flipping each coin consecutively:
- A quarter rotates 2 times/flipp multiplied by 2 flips/minute = 4 RPM (rotations per minute).
- A nickel rotates 2 times/flipp multiplied by 2 flips/minute = 4 RPM.
- A penny rotates 3 times/flipp multiplied by 2 flips/minute = 6 RPM.
- A dime rotates 2 times/flipp multiplied by 2 flips/minute = 4 RPM.
Therefore, the rotations per minute for each coin are:
- Quarter: 4 RPM
- Nickel: 4 RPM
- Penny: 6 RPM
- Dime: 4 RPM