- #1
Tomsk
- 227
- 0
I hope this is the right forum, this is mostly about maths, I'm not looking for a physical interpretation of angular momentum... yet. It also involves *some* calc... anyway...
OK, firstly, I've come to the conclusion I don't get cross products. I understand the properties of them, and can use them OK, there's just something I came across that I don't get. Say you have [itex]\vec{a}\times\vec{b}=\vec{c}[/itex]. Apparently, the magnitude of c is given by the area of the parallelogram formed by a and b. I'm ok with the product axb having units of area, but when you then go and say c has a length that is an area... I get a bit lost. How am I supposed to interpret that?
Actually, scrap the second part, I'm an idiot!
Oh, and my lecturer always seemed to swap between J and L, both apparently for angular momentum. They mean the same thing, right? Or have I completely not understood anything??
I'll be back. I hate angular momentum.
OK, firstly, I've come to the conclusion I don't get cross products. I understand the properties of them, and can use them OK, there's just something I came across that I don't get. Say you have [itex]\vec{a}\times\vec{b}=\vec{c}[/itex]. Apparently, the magnitude of c is given by the area of the parallelogram formed by a and b. I'm ok with the product axb having units of area, but when you then go and say c has a length that is an area... I get a bit lost. How am I supposed to interpret that?
Actually, scrap the second part, I'm an idiot!
Oh, and my lecturer always seemed to swap between J and L, both apparently for angular momentum. They mean the same thing, right? Or have I completely not understood anything??
I'll be back. I hate angular momentum.
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