Angular
Momentum
Outline
The Vector Product and Torque
Angular Momentum
Angular Momentum of a Rotating Rigid
Object
The Motion of Gyroscopes
A sphere of mass m1 and a block of mass m2 are connected
by a light cord that passes over a pulley. The radius of the
pulley is R, and the mass of the thin rim is M. The spokes
of the pulley have negligible mass. The block slides on a
frictionless, horizontal surface. Find an expression for the
linear acceleration of the two objects, using the concepts
of angular momentum and torque.
A father of mass mf and his daughter of mass md sit
on opposite ends of a seesaw at equal distances
from the pivot at the center. The seesaw is
modeled as a rigid rod of mass M and length , and
is pivoted without friction. At a given moment,
the combination rotates in a vertical plane with an
angular speed .
(A) Find an expression for the magnitude of the
system’s angular momentum.
(B) Find an expression for the magnitude of
the angular acceleration of the system when
the seesaw makes an angle with the
horizontal.
Angular Momentum in Isolated System
The total angular momentum of a system is constant in both
magnitude and direction if the net external torque acting on
the system is zero, that is, if the system is isolated.
A star rotates with a period of 30 days about an axis through its center. The period is the
time interval required for a point on the star’s equator to make one complete revolution
around the axis of rotation. After the star undergoes a supernova explosion, the stellar
core, which had a radius of km, collapses into a neutron star of radius 10.0 km.
Determine the period of rotation of the neutron star.
2
𝐼 =𝑘 𝑀 𝑅
2𝜋
𝜔=
𝑇
A horizontal platform in the shape of a circular disk
rotates freely in a horizontal plane about a
frictionless, vertical axle. The platform has a mass
M = 100 kg and a radius R = 2.0 m. A student
whose mass is m = 60 kg walks slowly from the rim
of the disk toward its center. If the angular speed of
the system is 2.0 rad/s when the student is at the
rim, what is the angular speed when she reaches a
point r = 0.50 m from the center?
S
1 2
𝐼 = 𝑀 𝑅 for a disc
2
Are the initial kinetic energy and the final kinetic energy the same?
A 2.0-kg disk traveling at 3.0 m/s strikes a 1.0-kg stick of
length 4.0 m that is lying flat on nearly frictionless ice as
shown in the overhead view. The disk strikes at the endpoint
of the stick, at a distance r = 2.0 m from the stick’s center.
Assume the collision is elastic and the disk does not deviate
from its original line of motion. Find the translational speed
of the disk, the translational speed of the stick, and the
angular speed of the stick after the collision. The moment of
inertia of the stick about its center of mass is 1.33 kg ?
EXAMPLE: A rotational “collision”
Angular momentum conserved
EXAMPLE: Angular momentum in a crime
bust
A door 1.00 m wide, of mass 15 kg, can rotate freely
about a vertical axis through its hinges. A bullet with a
mass of 10 g and a speed of 400 m/s strikes the center of
the door, in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the
door, and embeds itself there. Find the door’s angular
speed. Is kinetic energy conserved?
