Angular momentum and when center of rotation is changed

In summary, the conversation discusses the effects of changing the center of rotation on angular momentum, tangential velocity, and centripetal force. It is mentioned that angular momentum must be conserved, but the formula for it may change depending on the shift in the center of rotation. It is also noted that the total angular momentum is different in different inertial reference frames, making it important to measure it with respect to the origin of a reference frame rather than the joints in a system.
  • #1
Strang
1
0
Hello.

The problem is this, what happens to angular momentum, tangential velocity and centripetal force when you change the center of rotation.
For example, if we have rotating hinged arm, weight at the end, with certain angular momentum and tangential speed etc. which then gets stopped at hinge, but the 2nd part of the hinge can still rotate thus giving half the radius and a different center of rotation.

Normaly, if you decrease radius (for example weight at the end of the string and you pull the string decreasing radius) you can assume there´s no torque and because of that L=mrv, L/m=rv and from there see that radius and velocity are inversely proportionate.

As far as i know the angular momentum is always relative to center of rotation, so when the center of rotation shifts, can you still use the above formula and others like it, or does something weird happen? Intuition says it´s the same, but i haven´t been able to find proper source to prove it. So does anyone know a site/book/thing where it´s discussed?
 
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  • #2
:welcome:
Angular momentum has to be conserved, but I guess it depends on how you "change" the center of rotation.
Strang said:
As far as i know the angular momentum is always relative to center of rotation, so when the center of rotation shifts, can you still use the above formula and others like it, or does something weird happen?
If the system is moving in constant uniform motion, then nothing weird would happen. But if you apply a force to accelerate the system, it would probably change.
 
  • #3
Angular momentum is different around different pivots.
You can decompose the total angular momentum into a rotation around the center of mass (classical spin angular momentum) and an orbital angular momentum. The spin part of the angular momentum stays the same when you shift around the pivot, but the orbital part will change, since that part is given by
##\mathbf{L}_o = \mathbf{R}_{cm} \times \mathbf{P}_{cm}##
 
  • #4
To clarify, total angular momentum is conserved in any inertial reference frame, measured relative to the origin of the inertial reference frame. It has different values in different inertial reference frames.

You should measure angular momentum with respect to the origin of a reference frame, not with respect to the joints in a system (which may be moving in a non-inertial motion).
 

1. What is angular momentum?

Angular momentum is a measure of an object's tendency to continue rotating at a constant rate. It is dependent on an object's mass, velocity, and the distance from its center of rotation.

2. How is angular momentum related to the center of rotation?

The center of rotation is the point around which an object rotates. When the center of rotation is changed, the angular momentum of an object also changes. This is because the distance from the center of rotation to the object changes, affecting its rotational speed.

3. What happens to angular momentum when the center of rotation is changed?

When the center of rotation is changed, the angular momentum of an object either increases or decreases depending on the distance between the new center of rotation and the object. If the distance decreases, the angular momentum will increase and vice versa.

4. Can angular momentum be conserved when the center of rotation changes?

Yes, angular momentum can be conserved when the center of rotation changes. This is known as the law of conservation of angular momentum, which states that the total angular momentum of a system remains constant unless acted upon by an external torque.

5. How does the magnitude of angular momentum change when the center of rotation is changed?

The magnitude of angular momentum changes when the center of rotation is changed because the velocity of the object changes. If the distance from the center of rotation decreases, the velocity increases and therefore the magnitude of angular momentum increases. On the other hand, if the distance increases, the velocity decreases and the magnitude of angular momentum decreases as well.

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