The roller is released at time t = 0 and begins to rotate as the thin metal sheet unwinds from the roller. A student observes this situation for a time interval T and records the angular acceleration a of the roller as a function of time. The student determines that the mass of metal remaining on the axle changes by a negligible amount during time interval T. To describe the motion of the roller over time, the student then fits the equation a(t) = At? + B to the data, where A and B are positive constants.

The roller is released at time t = 0 and begins to rotate as the thin metal sheet unwinds from the roller. A student observes this situation for a time interval T and records the angular acceleration a of the roller as a function of time. The student determines that the mass of metal remaining on the axle changes by a negligible amount during time interval T. To describe the motion of the roller over time, the student then fits the equation a(t) = At? + B to the data, where A and B are positive constants.