Ladybug Revolution
"Ladybug Revolution" is a Java simulation of a turntable, onto which a ladybug and a beetle can be placed. A spin of the wheel or adjustment to a slide bar sets the rate of rotation for the first activity. Arrows represent the tangential velocity and acceleration of the bugs. A second activity allows you to set the angular velocity and record and play back the motion. As you playback the motion you may view graphs of the angle, angular velocity, and x-y position over time. This Java simulation may be downloaded to your computer or run online. Rotational motion can be described in terms of angular velocity. This simulation relates the tangential velocity to the rotational velocity and reinforces the idea that centripetal accelerations point to the center. Rotational motion can also be described in terms of x and y coordinates. X and Y position-time graphs demonstrate that uniform circular motion can be represented by a sinusoidal function.
