Does an impulse contribute to both linear and angular momentum?

In summary, the conversation discusses the relationship between work, linear and angular kinetic energy, and impulse in regards to a sphere sliding on a frictionless surface. It also addresses the difference between linear and angular impulse and how they cannot be compared or split. The question also arises about applying the same impulse to both the rotational and linear momentum of the sphere separately.
  • #1
etotheipi
As an analogue, if 5J of work is done on an object then the linear KE might increase by 2J and the angular by 3J, so the work is divided between the linear and rotational forms.

Now suppose there is a sphere sliding on a frictionless surface. If an impulse of magnitude 1Ns is applied to the edge of the sphere (in a small enough time interval so that it can be considered to be in one direction only), does the impulse divide between change in linear and angular momentum?

If not, then for instance if the sphere is of radius 1m, the angular impulse is 1Ns and the linear impulse is also 1Ns, which means the 'overall' momentum of the sphere increases by 2Ns.

The question arises from a sort of similar situation in part b) of question A1 under this link https://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2019/upload/USAPhO-2018-Solutions.pdf, where the same impulse of friction has been applied to both the rotational momentum and linear momentum separately instead of splitting up.

Sorry if I'm missing anything obvious.
 
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  • #2
etotheipi said:
If not, then for instance if the sphere is of radius 1m, the angular impulse is 1Ns and the linear impulse is also 1Ns, which means the 'overall' momentum of the sphere increases by 2Ns.
Angular impulse would be torque times time, so the units would be Nms not Ns. So in this sense the situation between rotational KE and linear KE is very different. Both of those are different parts of the same thing with the same underlying units. But linear impulse and angular impulse are not parts of the same thing, they are different things with different units. You cannot add, subtract, split, or otherwise compare them.
 
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  • #3
Dale said:
Angular impulse would be torque times time, so the units would be Nms not Ns. So in this sense the situation between rotational KE and linear KE is very different. Both of those are different parts of the same thing with the same underlying units. But linear impulse and angular impulse are not parts of the same thing, they are different things with different units. You cannot add, subtract, split, or otherwise compare them.

Right yes that was quite sloppy of me! I suppose then if the force is of magnitude F, we get a linear impulse of [itex]F \Delta t[/itex] in addition to an angular impulse [itex]Fr \Delta t[/itex]. Which means that if the linear impulse is [itex]\Delta p[/itex], the angular impulse is [itex]r \Delta p[/itex].
 
  • #4
Yes, assuming ##r## is constant during the impulse.
 
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1. What is an impulse?

An impulse is a force acting on an object over a short period of time, causing a change in the object's momentum.

2. How does an impulse contribute to linear momentum?

An impulse contributes to linear momentum by changing the velocity of an object. The greater the impulse, the greater the change in velocity and therefore the greater the change in linear momentum.

3. How does an impulse contribute to angular momentum?

An impulse contributes to angular momentum by causing a change in an object's rotational speed and direction. This change in rotational motion results in a change in angular momentum.

4. Can an impulse contribute to both linear and angular momentum at the same time?

Yes, an impulse can contribute to both linear and angular momentum at the same time. This is because an impulse affects the overall motion of an object, which includes both linear and rotational motion.

5. How is the magnitude of an impulse related to the change in momentum?

The magnitude of an impulse is directly proportional to the change in momentum. This means that the larger the impulse, the greater the change in momentum, and vice versa.

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