Problem — Angular velocity of the minute hand

Problem

The minute hand of a clock completes one full revolution in $60$ minutes. Calculate its angular velocity in rad/s.

Solution

One full revolution is $2\pi$ radians, completed in the period $T = 60\;\mathrm{min} = 3600\;\mathrm{s}$. $\omega = \frac{2\pi}{T} = \frac{2\pi}{3600\;\mathrm{s}}$ $\ev{\omega \approx 1{,}75\cdot 10^{-3}\;\mathrm{rad/s}}$ This is a tiny angular velocity: the hand rotates so slowly that the motion is imperceptible to the eye.

Links

Topics: Rotational dynamics Concepts: Angular velocity