Part 04 · Rotation and gravity · Card 1 of 11
Angular velocity
How fast something turns, measured in radians per second. One full turn is 2 pi radians.
Last updated
Analogy
The second hand of a clock sweeps a steady angle each second.
Example
Wheel at 60 rpm
60 rev/min = 1 rev/somega = 2 pi x 1omega = 6.28 rad/s
In practice
A wheel turning at 60 revolutions per minute spins at about 6.28 rad/s.
Practice
Flashcards
- How many radians are in one full turn?2 pi radians, about 6.28.
Questions people ask
How do I convert rpm to rad/s?
One revolution is 2 pi radians, and one minute is 60 seconds. Multiply the rpm value by 2 pi and divide by 60. For example, 300 rpm gives 300 x 6.28 / 60, which is about 31.4 rad/s. A quick rule is rpm times 0.105.
Why do physicists use radians instead of degrees?
Radians link angle directly to arc length: arc length equals radius times angle. That makes formulas such as v = r omega clean, with no extra constants. With degrees you would need a conversion factor each time. One radian is about 57.3 degrees.