334
FORCE, MASS,
AND
ACCELERATION
of rotation and
r
is
the
distance from the axis of
rotation
to
the
mass-center
of
the
body.
The
physical significance
of
the center of
percussion
is
suggested
in the
following
illustration.
Let
a
bar
(Fig.
356)
of
weight
W
be
free
to rotate about a horizontal
axis
when a
horizontal
force,
F,
is
suddenly applied
to it. If
the
force,
F,
is
applied
above the
center of
percussion,
as
shown
in
Fig.
356
(a),
the hori-
zontal
reaction, #2,
of the axis of
rotation
acts
towards
the left
and becomes
larger
as
the force
F is
applied
closer
to
the axis
of
rotation.
If the bar is struck
below the
center of
percussion,
the
reaction
RZ
acts
towards the
right,
as
shown
in
Fig. 356(6).
And
if
the bar
is struck so that
the center of
percussion
is
on the
action
line
of the
force,
as
in
Fig.
356(c),
the horizontal
reaction at
is
zero,
since the
action
line at
F
is collinear
with
the action
line
of
the
tangential
component, Mfa,
of the
resultant
of the
effective
forces.
It will
be
noted that the
resultant of
F
and
/fo,
in
each
case,
is collinear with
Mr
a
,
since the
component
of
the
resultant of
the
external
forces
in
any
direction is
identical with
the
component
of the resultant
of
the effective forces
in
the
same
direction,
that
is,
if
Mra
were
reversed and
applied
to the
body
as an
external
force,
it
would
hold
F
and
R%
in
equilibrium.
An excellent illustration of the effect of
varying
the
position
of
the force
F
as above discussed is found
in
batting
a
baseball. If
the
ball strikes the bat at the center of
percussion
(about
three-
fourths
the
length
of the bat from the
end,
assuming
the
axis of
rotation
at
the
hands)
no
reaction
perpendicular
to
the
bat is
experienced
by
the batter.
If, however,
the
ball
strikes the
bat
near the
end or
near the
hands,
the batter
experiences
a
painful
stinging
of
the
hands as a result of the
reaction
perpendicular
to the bat.
ILLUSTRATIVE
PROBLEM
382.
A slender
rod
AB
is caused to rotate about its
lower end A
by
the
crank
CD,
the
length
of
which
is
1
ft.,
and
the
link
DE
(Fig.
357
a).
The
angular velocity, o>,
of the crank is
very
small
at the
given
instant
but
its
rate of
change, a,
is 20 rad.
per
sec.
2
The
weight
of the rod
AB
is
64.4
Ib.
and its
length, I,
is 5 ft. A small
body
F
which
weighs
16.1
Ib.
is
attached
to
the
rod at
a distance
of
2
ft. from A.
Body
F
may
be
considered to be a
particle.
What
is the
distance, d,
from A
at which
the link DE
must
be
attached
if no horizontal reaction
occurs at
A?
Solution.
The resultant of
the effective forces for
the rod
is
Mra\
(where
a\
is
the
angular
acceleration of the
rod)
since
on
is
very
small
and
hence