Physics & Clay: How a Potter's Wheel Works.Using a potter's wheel successfully relies on controlled, even speed of a turning surface and controlled pressure by the potter upon the clay mass. A potter's wheel works using rotary motion. Before the development of mechanical power and electric motors, wheels were turned by hand or by foot. A kickwheel has a flywheel. Once turning, the weight of the flywheel keeps the wheelhead rotating ro·tate v. ro·tat·ed, ro·tat·ing, ro·tates v.intr. 1. To turn around on an axis or center. 2. due to inertia inertia (ĭnûr`shə), in physics, the resistance of a body to any alteration in its state of motion, i.e., the resistance of a body at rest to being set in motion or of a body in motion to any change of speed or change in direction of (the tendency of a thing in motion to stay in motion, or a thing at rest to stay at rest) until friction slows it down. A potter works both with and against centrifugal force centrifugal force Fictitious force, peculiar to circular motion, that is equal but opposite to the centripetal force that keeps a particle on a circular path (see centripetal acceleration). , which is the tendency of matter to be thrown out from the center of the turning wheel. Like water in a salad spinner, clay will tend to move outward on a turning potter's wheel with any outward pressure. Applying pressure down and symmetrically sym·met·ri·cal also sym·met·ric adj. Of or exhibiting symmetry. sym·met  ri·cal·ly adv.Adv. 1. will center the clay. Changes in speed and pressure have dramatic effects on how the clay moves. |
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