janettaywx said:
The conservation of angular momentum is a fundamental law in physics that states that the total angular momentum of a system remains constant, unless acted upon by an external torque. Angular momentum is a measure of an object's rotational motion and is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.
Angular momentum is conserved due to the principle of inertia, which states that an object will maintain its current state of motion unless acted upon by an external force. In the absence of an external torque, the angular momentum of a system will remain constant.
Some common examples of conservation of angular momentum include a spinning top staying upright, a figure skater spinning faster by pulling their arms in, and a gyroscope maintaining its orientation when spun.
Conservation of angular momentum is a consequence of Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object will remain at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. This law applies to both linear and rotational motion.
When angular momentum is not conserved, it means that an external torque is acting on the system. This can cause changes in the system's angular velocity or direction of rotation. In nature, there are certain phenomena such as supernova explosions or the collapse of a spinning star that can result in a violation of conservation of angular momentum.