Calculating the angular momentum

In summary, the conversation discusses a ball approaching a wall and colliding with it. The collision is very short and only the forces between the wall and the ball are considered, neglecting gravity, reaction from the floor, and friction. The angular momentum of the ball with respect to the axis of its tangency to the wall is conserved, represented by the formula (1). This is equivalent to formula (2), which takes into account the angular velocity of the ball with respect to the mass center and the vertical component of the mass center velocity. There is a small ambiguity in the calculation of the moment of inertia, but it is assumed to be calculated with respect to an axis that goes through the point of tangency to the wall and is
  • #1
marcnn
13
0
(Based on a problem from the 59th Polish Olympiad in Physics, 2009)

Let's consider a ball of mass ##m##, radius ##r## and moment of inertia ##I = 2/5mr^2## approaching a wall with linear velocity ##v_0##, rolling without sliding with angular velocity ##\omega_0##. It collides with a wall.

Its collision with the wall is very short, so we may consider only the forces acting between the wall and the ball (neglecting the gravity, the floor's reaction and the friction between the floor and the ball).

Thus the angular momentum wrt to the axis of ball's tangency to the wall is conserved, so
$$I'\omega' = \mathrm{const}~~~~ (1)$$
where ##I'## is the moment of inertia wrt to that axis and ##\omega'## - angular velocity wrt to that axis.

Why is the formula (1) equivalent to
$$I \omega + m v_y r = \mathrm{const} ~~~~ (2)$$ where ##\omega## is the angular velocity of the ball wrt to the mass center, ##v_y## the vertical component of the mass center velocity.
 
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  • #2
I guess $$I'$$ is your moment of inertia, not the angular momentum as you are saying. There is a also a little ambiguity about the axis wrt to which $$I'$$ is calculated.
 
  • #3
Yep, I made a typo :)

##I'## is calculated to wrt to the axis which goes through the point of tangency to the wall and is parallel to the floor, I guess. The official solution of the corresponding problem isn't clear either :)
 

What is angular momentum?

Angular momentum is a measure of the rotational motion of an object or system. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction, and is defined as the product of an object's moment of inertia and its angular velocity.

How do you calculate angular momentum?

The formula for calculating angular momentum is L = Iω, where L is angular momentum, I is moment of inertia, and ω is angular velocity. Moment of inertia is a measure of an object's resistance to rotational motion and can be calculated using the object's mass, shape, and distribution of mass.

What is the conservation of angular momentum?

The conservation of angular momentum states that in a closed system (meaning no external forces acting on the system), the total angular momentum remains constant. This means that if one part of the system gains angular momentum, another part must lose an equal amount in order to maintain the total angular momentum of the system.

How does angular momentum relate to torque?

Torque is a measure of the rotational force acting on an object. The relationship between torque and angular momentum is that torque is the rate of change of angular momentum. This means that if a torque is applied to an object, its angular momentum will change.

How does angular momentum differ from linear momentum?

Angular momentum and linear momentum are both measures of an object's motion, but they differ in the type of motion they describe. Linear momentum is a measure of an object's translational motion (movement in a straight line), while angular momentum is a measure of rotational motion.

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