Halliday, Resnick & Walker — Rotation: Problem Problem_96

Wheelchair work. A manual (nonmotorized) wheelchair (Fig. 10.41) is propelled over level ground when the person forces the hand rim to rotate forward. Suppose that the rim has a diameter \(D\) of \(0.55\text{ m}\), the forward rotation \(\Delta \theta\) of each push is \(88^\circ\), the average tangential force \(F_{\text{avg}}\) on the rim during a push is \(39\text{ N}\), the time \(\Delta t\) for a push is \(0.38\text{ s}\), and the frequency \(f\) of pushing is \(53\text{ pushes per minute}\). How much work is done in (a) each push and (b) \(3.0\text{ min}\)? What is the average power output in (c) each push and (d) \(3.0\text{ min}\)?