Tensor of Inertia for Half Disk: Calc Angular Momentum

  • Thread starter Thread starter springo
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Inertia Tensor
springo
Messages
125
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Find the tensor of inertia for a half disk with mass M and then use that to get the angular momentum along the axis in the figure.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5312/problemr.png


Homework Equations


Moment of inertia for the whole disk (with mass 2M)
[tex]\begin{bmatrix}<br /> \frac{MR^{2}}{2} & 0 & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & \frac{MR^{2}}{2} & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & 0 & MR^{2}<br /> \end{bmatrix}[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution


For the tensor:
[tex]\begin{bmatrix}<br /> \frac{MR^{2}}{2} & 0 & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & \frac{MR^{2}}{4} & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & 0 & \frac{MR^{2}}{2}<br /> \end{bmatrix}[/tex]
And the moment of inertia... I think I should apply Steiner's theorem, but I'm not quite sure how to apply it on a tensor.

Thanks for your help.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_axis_theorem"

You take the displacement vector [tex]\mathbf{a}[/tex]

(written as a column vector) and form the matrix [tex]\mathbf{a}\mathbf{a}^\top[/tex]

The new moment of inertia tensor is then:
[tex]\mathbf{I}'=\mathbf{I} + M(|a|^2\mathbf{1} -\mathbf{a}\mathbf{a}^\top)[/tex]

[edited above, forgot the mass!]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks.
OK, so assuming my "attempt at a solution" tensor was right, I get to the following tensor:

[tex] \begin{bmatrix}<br /> \frac{MR^{2}}{2} & 0 & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & \frac{MR^{2}}{4} & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & 0 & \frac{MR^{2}}{2}<br /> \end{bmatrix}<br /> +\begin{bmatrix}<br /> 0 & 0 & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & MR^{2} & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & 0 & MR^{2}<br /> \end{bmatrix}<br /> =\begin{bmatrix}<br /> \frac{MR^{2}}{2} & 0 & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & \frac{5MR^{2}}{4} & 0 \\ <br /> 0 & 0 & \frac{3MR^{2}}{2}<br /> \end{bmatrix}[/tex]

I think this can't be right because then when I try to find variation in the angular momentum (at constant rotation speed), I get 0.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Replies
11
Views
4K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
335
Views
19K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K