Rolling Cylinder 1

A rolling cylinder has both linear and rotational velocity. If there is no slipping, these velocities are proportional such that linear velocity is equal to the rotational velocity times the radius of the cylinder. As the cylinder rolls without slipping, the section of its surface that is contacting the ground is instantaneously at rest. The center, or the axis of rotation, of the cylinder has a linear velocity that is parallel with the surface on which the cylinder is rolling. These two factors contribute to why a point on the cylinder near the surface looks to be at rest, and a point on the cylinder furthest from the surface appears to be moving with a much greater linear speed than the center of the cylinder—it is.

Licensed under the MIT open source license.