How to Calculate the Tangential Speed of a Helicopter's Rotor Blade Tip

What is the tangential speed of a helicopter's rotor blade tip?

A helicopter has 3.0 m long rotor blades that are rotating with a period of 0.1 seconds.

Answer:

The tangential speed of each blade tip is 60π meters per second, or approximately 188.5 m/s.

To calculate the tangential speed of a helicopter's rotor blade tip with a rotor blade of 3.0 m and a rotation period of 0.1 seconds, the tangential speed is found to be 60π meters per second, or approximately 188.5 m/s.

The question is asking us to calculate the tangential speed of a helicopter's rotor blade tip, given that the rotor blades are 3.0 m long and have a rotation period of 0.1 seconds. To find the tangential speed, we will use the relationship between tangential speed (v), the radius (r), and the period (T) of rotation, which is given by the equation v = 2πr / T.

First, we establish the radius as the length of one rotor blade which is 3.0 m. Then, we can calculate the tangential speed as follows:

v = 2π(3.0 m) / 0.1 s

v = 2π(3.0 m) / (1/10) s

v = 20π(3.0 m) / 1 s

v = 60π m/s

Therefore, the tangential speed of each blade tip is 60π meters per second, which is approximately 188.5 m/s when using the value π = 3.14159.