Question regarding conservation of angular momentum

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the conservation of angular momentum in a system involving a disk and a ball of clay. When the clay sticks to the disk, angular momentum is conserved immediately before and after the collision, provided the entire system, including the Earth and the person throwing the clay, is considered. Friction plays a crucial role in transmitting momentum between the disk and the Earth, ensuring that the total angular momentum remains constant despite external forces acting on the system.

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  • Understanding of angular momentum conservation principles
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  • Basic knowledge of friction's role in physical systems
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Let's say I had a disk sitting at rest and I threw a ball of clay toward the edge of the disk, causing the clay to stick to the disc and having both rotate as a result. If the wheel's axle had friction and would eventually slow the disc down, can you still say that angular momentum is conserved just before and just after the collision (similar to impulse approximation for linear momentum)? Thanks.
 
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Sure. You just must consider a system consisting not only of your disk and blob of clay, but also of you and whole Earth, as you change Earth angular momentum as you throw, and friction transmits the momentum between disk and Earth.
 

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