Vectos angular momentum

In summary, angular momentum is a physical quantity that describes the rotational motion of an object and is calculated by multiplying an object's moment of inertia by its angular velocity. It differs from linear momentum, which measures an object's linear motion, and is conserved according to the law of conservation of angular momentum. Real-life examples of angular momentum include spinning tops, rotating bicycle wheels, and the Earth spinning on its axis. It also plays a crucial role in understanding the behavior of objects in space.
  • #1
physicsss
319
0
A particle is at the position (x,y,z) = (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) m. It is traveling with a vector velocity (-4.0, -5.6, -5.4) m/s. Its mass is 7.6 kg. What is its vector angular momentum about the origin?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
The angular momentum is [itex]\vec L = \vec r \times \vec p[/itex]
It's pretty straightforward. You're given [itex]\vec r[/itex] and getting [itex]p[/itex] from [itex]m[/itex] and [itex]v[/itex] is easy.
So just calculate their cross product.
 
  • #3


The vector angular momentum of a particle is defined as the cross product of its position vector and its velocity vector. In this case, the particle's position vector is (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) m and its velocity vector is (-4.0, -5.6, -5.4) m/s. To find the vector angular momentum, we first need to calculate the cross product of these two vectors:

(1.0, 2.0, 3.0) x (-4.0, -5.6, -5.4) = (-17.2, 12.6, -5.6) m^2/s

Since the particle's mass is given as 7.6 kg, we can multiply the calculated vector by the mass to get the final vector angular momentum:

(-17.2, 12.6, -5.6) x 7.6 kg = (-130.72, 95.76, -42.56) kg m^2/s

Therefore, the vector angular momentum of the particle about the origin is (-130.72, 95.76, -42.56) kg m^2/s. This means that the particle is rotating around the origin with a certain amount of angular momentum, which is important in understanding its motion and behavior.
 

1. What is angular momentum?

Angular momentum is a physical quantity that describes the rotational motion of an object. It is a measure of how much rotational motion an object has and is defined as the product of an object's moment of inertia and its angular velocity.

2. How is angular momentum different from linear momentum?

Angular momentum and linear momentum are both measures of an object's motion, but they describe different types of motion. Linear momentum is a measure of an object's linear motion, or how fast it is moving in a straight line, while angular momentum is a measure of an object's rotational motion.

3. What is the equation for calculating angular momentum?

The equation for calculating angular momentum is L = Iω, where L is angular momentum, I is moment of inertia, and ω is angular velocity. In this equation, moment of inertia is a measure of an object's resistance to rotation, and angular velocity is the rate at which an object is rotating.

4. How is angular momentum conserved?

According to the law of conservation of angular momentum, the total angular momentum of a system remains constant as long as no external torques act on the system. This means that if the moment of inertia of an object decreases, its angular velocity will increase in order to maintain a constant angular momentum.

5. What are some real-life examples of angular momentum?

Some real-life examples of angular momentum include a spinning top, a rotating bicycle wheel, a figure skater spinning on ice, and the Earth spinning on its axis. Angular momentum is also important in understanding the behavior of objects in space, such as planets orbiting around the sun.

Similar threads

  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
823
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
10
Replies
335
Views
7K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
737
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
10
Views
821
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
18
Views
4K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
891
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
23
Views
871
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
945
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
2
Replies
45
Views
2K
Back
Top