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Physics: Angular Momentum Basics

This document discusses angular momentum. It begins by defining the vector product and torque. It then defines angular momentum as the rotational equivalent of linear momentum. For a rotating rigid object, angular momentum is equal to the object's moment of inertia multiplied by its angular velocity. The document concludes by stating that angular momentum is conserved in an isolated system, meaning the total angular momentum of the system remains constant.

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Rynardt Vogel
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479 views17 pages

Physics: Angular Momentum Basics

This document discusses angular momentum. It begins by defining the vector product and torque. It then defines angular momentum as the rotational equivalent of linear momentum. For a rotating rigid object, angular momentum is equal to the object's moment of inertia multiplied by its angular velocity. The document concludes by stating that angular momentum is conserved in an isolated system, meaning the total angular momentum of the system remains constant.

Uploaded by

Rynardt Vogel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Angular Momentum

 11.1 The vector product and torque


 11.2 Angular momentum
 11.3 Angular momentum of a
rotating rigid object
 11.4 Conservation of angular
momentum

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


The vector product and torque

The vector product (also known as cross product)


is defined by the expression

A  B  ( Ay Bz  Az By )ˆi
 ( Az Bx  Ax Bz )ˆj  ( Ax By  Ay Bx )kˆ

Note that C = A×B is also a vector. It is a vector of


magnitude C  AB sin  ( is  between A & B)

Furthermore, C is perpendicular to both A and B

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Properties of the vector product
1. The vector product is anti-commutative
i.e. A×B = –B×A
2. When A and B are parallel, then A×B = 0
This implies that A×A = 0
3. |A×B| = AB if and only if A and B are perpendicular
4. The distributive law applies
i.e. A×(B+C) = A×B + A×C
5. The derivative of a vector product is given by
d dA dB
( A  B)  B  A
dx dx dx

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Note the following relationships between the unit
vectors for the cartesian coordinate system (the
system with perpendicular x-, y- and z-axes
ˆi  ˆi  ˆj  ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  0 ; ˆi  ˆj  ˆj  ˆi  kˆ
ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  ˆj  ˆi ; kˆ  ˆi  ˆi  kˆ  ˆj

What is the direction of A×B? Use the right-hand rule

hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Example 11.1 – The vector product
Consider the vectors A  2ˆi  3ˆj
& B  ˆi  2ˆj
Determine AB and verify that AB = –BA
 
A  B  2ˆi  3ˆj   ˆi  2ˆj 
 2ˆi   ˆi  2ˆi  2ˆj  3ˆj   ˆi  3ˆj  2ˆj
 0  4kˆ  3kˆ  0  7k̂
  
B  A   ˆi  2ˆj  2ˆi  3ˆj
  ˆi  2ˆi   ˆi  3ˆj  2ˆj  2ˆi  2ˆj  3ˆj
 0  3kˆ  4kˆ  0  7k̂

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


What is the significance of the vector product?
There are many situations in physics where a
particular quantity is accurately described by the
vector product.
An example we encountered in the previous section
was the torque. The torque has a magnitude equal
to Frsinϕ, and its direction is indicated by the axis of
rotation, which is perpendicular to both F and r.
Thus τ  rF

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Angular momentum
What is the rotational equivalent of momentum?
In linear motion, we found the following relationship
between force and momentum:
dp
 F  dt
We expect a similar relationship to occur in rotational
motion. With the torque as the rotational equivalent
of the force, we seek an angular momentum L such
that
dL
 τ  dt

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


A particle of mass m is moving
with momentum p at position r
dp dp
 F  dt  r   F  r  dt
dp dr
 r   p (as dr/dt = v
dt dt v//p  v×p = 0)
d (r  p)
 we are adding zero!
dt
d (r  p)
  (r  F)   τ   L  r p
dt

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


It hence follows that the magnitude of the angular
momentum is
L  rp sin   mvr sin 

This implies that the angular momentum is zero


when the position and velocity vectors are parallel

If there are several particles, the total angular


momentum equals the sum of the angular
momenta of the individual particles

Ltot  L1  L 2  L3  ...   Li

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Angular momentum of a rotating rigid
object
For a rigid object, we have a collection of small
masses mi, all rotating about a common axis with an
angular velocity ω = v/r
So each mass element mi has an angular momentum
Li = miri2ω, in the same direction as the others
 L   Li   mi ri  
2
 m r 
i i
2
 I
dL d
 I  I    I
dt dt

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Conservation of angular momentum
We now introduce the third important conservation
law in mechanics. The conservation of angular
momentum principle states that
The total angular momentum of an isolated
system remains constant
dL
This follows from the earlier identity  τ 
dt
dL
L  constant   0  τ  0
dt

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Conversely, in an isolated system, the sum of all
the torques acting on the system is zero. This
implies that the derivative of the total angular
momentum is zero, and hence that the total
angular momentum is constant

Alternative form of the conservation of angular


momentum principle:
I ii  I f  f

www.fas.harvard.edu
Please try this experiment on the
rotating stool at the entrance of
the Physics department

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Example of the skater. By holding out her arms, her
body mass is distributed a further distance from the
turning axis. Pulling in her arms leads to the
moment of inertia I decreasing, thus increasing ω

www.physics.sfsu.edu
spins slowly spins faster

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Problem 1: Ball and stick

Initially, no rotation After ball hits stick, we have rotation.


How?

Torque causes rotation

Fball
If the ball is initially somehow pivoted…

But if this happened in outer space (or if


the stick lies flat on a frictionless surface) Fpivot
there is no pivot (and no torque?)…but
we still get rotation. Why? (See ex. 11.9)
Example 11.7 – Formation of a Neutron Star
A star rotates with a period Ti about its central axis.
After the star undergoes a supernova explosion its
core, which had a radius Ri, collapses to become a
neutron star of radius Rf. Determine the period of
rotation Tf of the neutron star. You may assume
without proof that I  R2. i.e., I = kR2
Due to conservation of angular momentum
I ii  I f  f and since   2f  2 / T

2  2  
2  2
 R
2
 kRi    kR f  T  f T
 Tf  f 2 i
 Ti    Ri

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


Example 11.8 – The merry-go-round
A platform in the shape of a circular disk (M = 100 kg,
R = 2 m) rotates freely in a horizontal plane about a
frictionless horizontal axle. A 60 kg student walks
slowly from the rim of the disk towards the centre. If 
= 2 rad/s when the student is at the rim, what is 
when she is 0.5 m from the centre?

The initial moment of inertia is


1
I i  I platform  I student  MR 2  mstudent R 2
2
 0.5 100  22  60  22  440 kg.m2

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum


After the student has moved to r = 0.5 m, the
moment of inertia becomes
1
I f  I platform  I student  MR 2  mstudent r 2
2
 0.5 100  22  60  0.52  215 kg.m2
By conservation of angular momentum, I ii  I ff
Ii 440
  f  i   2 = 4.1 rad/s
If 215
Note furthermore that the kinetic energy, ½I2, gets
larger as the student nears the centre. i.e. work needs
to be done to approach the centre.

PHY1A01 – Angular Momentum

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