Final answer:
The angular acceleration of the bicycle wheels is 1.2 rad/s². This was determined using the kinematic equations for rotational motion, with the given angular velocity and the fact that the wheels rotated through 10 revolutions.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the angular acceleration of the bicyclist's wheels, we can use the formula α = ω / t, where α is the angular acceleration, ω is the angular velocity, and t is the time it takes to reach that angular velocity. The angular velocity (ω) is given as 12 rad/s, but we need to determine the time (t). We know that the wheels made 10 revolutions to reach this angular velocity. Each revolution is 2π radians, so 10 revolutions correspond to 10 × 2π radians. Using the kinematic equation ω = ω_0 + αt, where ω_0 is the initial angular velocity (zero in this case, because the bicyclist starts from rest), we can rearrange to find t = (ω - ω_0) / α. Plugging in values gives us t = (12 rad/s) / α.
Next, we use the equation θ = ω_0t + 0.5αt² to solve for α, where θ is the total angular displacement (10 × 2π radians) and ω_0 is again zero. Substituting the expression for t from above and solving for α yields α = 2θ / t² = 2 × (10 × 2π rad) / t² = 2 × (20π rad) / (12 rad/s / α)².
After solving the quadratic equation for α, we find that the angular acceleration is 1.2 rad/s².