Physics 106: Mechanics

Lecture 06

Wenda Cao
NJIT Physics Department
 Conservation of Angular
Momentum
Cross Product
Comparison: definitions
of single particle torque
and angular momentum
Angular Momentum
of a system of particles
of a rigid object
Conservation of angular
momentum
Examples http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQLtcEAG9v0

February 24, 2011

 Cross Product

C A B B sin B

The cross product of two vectors says

something about how perpendicular they are. A
Magnitude:

C A B AB sin A sin
y
is smaller angle between the vectors
Cross product of any parallel vectors = zero j i
Cross product is maximum for perpendicular x
vectors k
z
Cross products of Cartesian unit vectors:
i
i j k; i k j; j k i
i i 0; j j 0; k k 0 j k
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 Cross Product
Direction: C perpendicular to
both A and B (right-hand rule)
Place A and B tail to tail
Right hand, not left hand
Four fingers are pointed along
the first vector A
sweep from first vector A
into second vector B through A B B A ?
the smaller angle between
them

Your outstretched thumb

points the direction of C
A B - B A
First practice

A B B A ?
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 More about Cross Product
The quantity ABsin is the area of the
parallelogram formed by A and B
The direction of C is perpendicular to
the plane formed by A and B
Cross product is not commutative

A B - B A

The distributive law A (B C) A B A C

The derivative of cross product
obeys the chain rule dt

A B
dt

d dA dB
B A
dt
Calculate cross product

A B ( Ay Bz Az By )i ( Az Bx Ax Bz ) j ( Ax By Ay Bx )k
February 24, 2011
 Torque and Angular
Momentum for a Single Particle
Torque Angular Momentum

r F L r p

rF rF sin() L rp rp sin() p mv

r F rF sin() L rp rp sin() p mv
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 Angular momentum of
a system of particles
Angular momentum of a system of particles

Lnet L 1 L 2 ... L n
all i
Li
all i
ri p i

angular momenta add as vectors

be careful of sign of each angular momentum

for this case:

Lnet L1 L2 r1 p1 r2 p2

| Lnet | r1 p1 - r2 p2

February 24, 2011

Angular Momentum of a Rigid Body
Angular momentum of a rotating rigid object

L I
L

L has the same direction as

L is positive when object rotates in CCW
L is negative when object rotates in CW
Angular momentum SI unit: kgm2/s
Calculate L of a 10 kg disc when = 320 rad/s, R = 9 cm = 0.09 m
L = I and I = MR2/2 for disc
L = 1/2MR2 = (10)(0.09)2(320) = 12.96 kgm2/s
February 24, 2011
 Finding angular momentum
A solid sphere and a hollow sphere have the same mass
and radius. They are rotating with the same angular
speed. Which one has the higher angular momentum?

A) the solid sphere

B) the hollow sphere
C) both have the same angular momentum
D) impossible to determine

L I
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 Linear Momentum and Force
Linear motion: apply force to a mass
The force causes the linear momentum to change
The net force acting on a body is the time rate of
change of its linear momentum

dv dp
Fnet F ma m
dt dt

p mv

Fnet t p
IL

t February 24, 2011
Angular Momentum and Torque
Rotational motion: apply torque to a rigid body
The torque causes the angular momentum to change
The net torque acting on a body is the time rate of
change of its angular momentum

dp dL
Fnet F net
dt dt

and L to be measured about the same origin
The origin should not be accelerating, should be an
inertial frame
February 24, 2011
 Demonstration

dp dL
Fnet F net
dt dt

Start from dL d (r p ) m d (r v )
dt dt dt
Expand using derivative chain rule

d dr dv
m (r v ) m v r mv v r a
dL
dt dt dt dt


mv v r a mr a r (ma ) r Fnet net
dL
dt
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 What about SYSTEMS of Rigid

Bodies?
dL i
Rotational 2 law for a single body : i
nd

dt
Total angular momentum individual
of a system of bodies: Lsys L i all about sameangular momenta Li
origin

dLsys dLi i = net torque on particle i
i internal torque pairs are
dt dt i included in sum

BUT internal torques in the sum cancel in Newton 3rd law

pairs. Only External Torques contribute to Lsys

dLsys
i ,ext net net external torque on the system
dt i

Nonisolated System: If a system interacts with its environment in the

sense that there is an external torque on the system, the net external
torque acting on a system is equal to the time rate of change of its
angular momentum.
February 24, 2011
 Example: A Non-isolated System

A sphere mass m1 and a a
block of mass m2 are
connected by a light cord
that passes over a pulley.
The radius of the pulley is R,
and the mass of the thin rim a
is M. The spokes of the
pulley have negligible mass.
The block slides on a
frictionless, horizontal
surface. Find an expression ext m1 gR
for the linear acceleration of
the two objects.
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a
Masses are connected by a light cord
Find the linear acceleration a. I
Use angular momentum approach
No friction between m2 and table
Treat block, pulley and sphere as a non-
isolated system rotating about pulley axis. As
sphere falls, pulley rotates, block slides a
Constraints: Equal v' s and a' s for block and sphere

v R for pulley d / dt
a R dv/dt
Ignore internal forces, consider external forces only
Net external torque on system: m gRnet 1 about center of wheel

Angular momentum of system:

(not constant) Lsys m1vR m2vR I m1vR m2vR MR 2
dLsys
m1aR m2 aR MR 2 (m1R m2 R MR)a net m1 gR
dt
m1 g same result followed from earlier
a
M m1 m2 method using 3 FBDs & 2nd law
February 24, 2011
 Isolated System
Isolated system: net external torque acting on
a system is ZERO
no external forces
net external force acting on a system is ZERO

dLtot
ext 0
dt

Ltot constant or Li L f

February 24, 2011

 Angular Momentum Conservation

Ltot constant or Li L f

where i denotes initial state, f is final state

L is conserved separately for x, y, z direction
For an isolated system consisting of particles,

Ltot Ln L1 L2 L3 constant

For an isolated system is deformable

I ii I f f constant

February 24, 2011

 First Example
A puck of mass m = 0.5 kg is
attached to a taut cord passing
through a small hole in a
frictionless, horizontal surface. The
puck is initially orbiting with speed
vi = 2 m/s in a circle of radius ri =
0.2 m. The cord is then slowly
pulled from below, decreasing the
radius of the circle to r = 0.1 m.
What is the pucks speed at the
smaller radius?
Find the tension in the cord at the
smaller radius.
February 24, 2011
 Angular Momentum Conservation
m = 0.5 kg, vi = 2 m/s, ri = 0.2 m,
rf = 0.1 m, vf = ?
Isolated system?
Tension force on m exert zero
torque about hole, why?

Li L f L r p r (mv )

Li mri vi sin 90 mri vi L f mrf v f sin 90 mrf v f

ri 0.2 v 2f 42
v f vi 2 4m/s T mac m 0.5 80 N
rf 0.1 rf 0.1
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 Isolated
System

net 0 about z - axis L constant

L I I
initial
i i
final
f f Moment of inertia
changes

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How fast should the student spin?

The student on a platform is rotating (no friction) with angular speed 1.2
rad/s.
His arms are outstretched and he holds a brick in each hand.
The rotational inertia of the system consisting of the professor, the
bricks, and the platform about the central axis is 6.0 kgm2.
By moving the bricks the student decreases the rotational inertia of the
system to 2.0 kgm2.
(a) what is the resulting angular speed of the platform?
(b) what is the ratio of the systems new kinetic energy to the
original kinetic energy?

L is constant while moment of inertia changes

February 24, 2011

 Ii = 6 kg-m2 If = 2 kg-m2
i = 1.2 rad/s f = ? rad/s

L is constant while moment of inertia changes,

Zero external torque L final L initial L

... about a fixed axis L I ii I f f

Solution (a): Ii 6
f i 1.2 3.6 rad/s
If 2

Solution (b): Kf 1
I f 2fI f f 2 I f Ii 2 Ii
2
( ) ( ) 3
Ki 1
2
I ii2
Ii f Ii I f If
KE has increased!!
February 24, 2011
 Controlling spin () by changing I (moment of inertia)

In the air, net = 0

L is constant

L I i i I f f
Change I by curling up or stretching out
- spin rate must adjust

Moment of inertia changes

February 24, 2011

Example: A merry-go-round problem

A 40-kg child running at 4.0

m/s jumps tangentially onto a
stationary circular merry-go-
round platform whose radius is
2.0 m and whose moment of
inertia is 20 kg-m2. There is
no friction.

Find the angular velocity of

the platform after the child
has jumped on.

February 24, 2011

 The Merry-Go-Round
The moment of inertia of the
system = the moment of
inertia of the platform plus the
moment of inertia of the
person.
Assume the person can be
treated as a particle
As the person moves toward
the center of the rotating
platform the moment of inertia
decreases.
The angular speed must
increase since the angular
momentum is constant.

February 24, 2011

Solution: A merry-go-round problem

Ltot I i i I f f

Li I ii I0 mc vT r mc vT r

L f I f f ( I mc r 2 ) f
I = 20 kg.m2
VT = 4.0 m/s ( I mc r 2 ) f mc vT r
mc = 40 kg
r = 2.0 m mc vT r 40 4 2
0 = 0 f 1.78 rad/s
I mc r 2
10 40 2 2

February 24, 2011