![]() ![]() Just as the kinetic energy of an object moving in a straight line is given by this equation: Moment of inertia is the equivalent of mass for spinning objects, while angular velocity is like ordinary Made from and how it's distributed) and an angular velocity (howįast they're rotating). What's called a moment of inertia (how much "stuff" they're Same way, rotating objects have kinetic energy because they have (a kind of "power" of motion) and kinetic energy (energy of motion)īecause they have mass (how much "stuff" they contain) and velocity (how fast they're going). Things moving in a straight line have momentum Which work out perhaps a quarter as heavy. More compact and made from carbon-fiber or composite materials, sometimes with steel rims, Steel wheels with even heavier steel rims, 21st-century flywheels tend to be Were popular during the Industrial Revolution. Modern flywheels are a bit different from the ones that That spin faster store much more energy than ones that Store more energy than smaller and lighter wheels, while flywheels The laws of physics (explained briefly in theīox below-but you can skip them if you're not interested or you knowĪbout them already) tell us that large diameter and heavy wheels (kinetic energy, in other words) rather than the energy stored inĬhemical form inside a traditional, electrical battery.įlywheels come in all shapes and sizes. "mechanical battery," but it's storing energy in the form of movement Which means it can store a great deal of kinetic energy. Keep on spinning (we say it has a lot of angular momentum), AsĪ result, when it's spinning at high speed, it tends to want to ![]() Just as a flywheel needs lots ofįorce to start it off, so it needs a lot of force to make it stop. Either way, it's the kind of wheel you have to push Smaller-diameter cylinder made of something like a carbon-fiberĬomposite. Wheel with spokes and a very heavy metal rim, or it could be a That's a job for a flywheel!Ī flywheel is essentially a very heavy wheel that When you brake and give it back again later. That changes the speed and torque (turning force) of a machine, so itĬan go faster or slower even when the engine goes at the same speed.)īut what clutches and gears can't do is save the energy you waste It's driving, while a gear is a pair of interlocked Mechanical "switch" that can disengage an engine from the machine Operate at all kinds of different speeds and sometimes need to stop altogether.Ĭlutches and gears partly solve this problem. The only trouble is, the vehicles and machines they drive need to When they're producing power at a constant, relatively high speed. This is one of many fascinating engines you can see at Think Tank, the science museum in Birmingham, England.Įngines are happiest and at their most efficient The flywheel is the larger of the two black wheels with the heavy black rim in the center. Photo: A typical flywheel on a gas-pumping engine. Advantages and disadvantages of flywheels.
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