Chapter 11

Angular Momentum
The Vector Product
„ There are instances where the product
of two vectors is another vector
„ Earlier we saw where the product of two
vectors was a scalar
„ This was called the dot product
„ The vector product of two vectors is
also called the cross product
 The Vector Product and Torque
„ The torque vector lies in
a direction perpendicular
to the plane formed by
the position vector and
the force vector
„ τ=rxF
„ The torque is the vector
(or cross) product of the
position vector and the
force vector
The Vector Product Defined
„ Given two vectors, A and B
„ The vector (cross) product of A and B
is defined as a third vector, C
„ C is read as “A cross B”
„ The magnitude of C is AB sin θ
„ θ is the angle between A and B
 More About the Vector Product
„ The quantity AB sin θ is
equal to the area of the
parallelogram formed by
A and B
„ The direction of C is
perpendicular to the
plane formed by A and B
„ The best way to
determine this direction
is to use the right-hand
rule
Properties of the Vector Product
„ The vector product is not commutative.
The order in which the vectors are
multiplied is important
„ To account for order, remember
AxB=-BxA
„ If A is parallel to B (θ = 0o or 180o),
then A x B = 0
„ Therefore A x A = 0
More Properties of the Vector
Product
„ If A is perpendicular to B, then |A x B|
= AB
„ The vector product obeys the
distributive law
„ A x (B + C) = A x B + A x C
Final Properties of the Vector
Product
„ The derivative of the cross product with
respect to some variable such as t is
d dA dB
(A × B) = × B + A ×
dt dt dt

where it is important to preserve the

multiplicative order of A and B
Vector Products of Unit
Vectors
ˆi × ˆi = ˆj × ˆj = kˆ × kˆ = 0
ˆi × ˆj = − ˆj × ˆi = kˆ
ˆj × kˆ = − kˆ × ˆj = ˆi
kˆ × ˆi = − ˆi × kˆ = ˆj
Vector Products of Unit
Vectors, cont
„ Signs are interchangeable in cross
products
„ A x (-B) = - A x B
„ ( )
ˆi × − ˆj = −ˆi × ˆj
 Using Determinants
„ The cross product can be expressed as
ˆi ˆj kˆ
Ay Az Az ˆ Ax Ay
A × B = Ax Ay Az = ˆi − Ax j+ kˆ
By Bz Bx Bz Bx By
Bx By Bz

„ Expanding the determinants gives

A × B = ( Ay Bz − Az B y ) ˆi − ( Ax Bz − Az Bx ) ˆj + ( Ax B y − Ay Bx ) kˆ
Torque Vector Example
„ Given the force
F = (2.00 ˆi + 3.00 ˆj) N
r = (4.00 ˆi + 5.00 ˆj) m
„ τ=?
τ = r × F = [(4.00ˆi + 5.00ˆj)N ]× [(2.00ˆi + 3.00ˆj)m ]
= (4.00 )(2.00 )ˆi × ˆi + (4.00 )(3.00 )ˆi × ˆj
+ (5.00 )(2.00 )ˆj × ˆi + (5.00 )(3.00 )ˆj × ˆj
= 2.0 kˆ N ⋅ m
Angular Momentum
„ Consider a particle of mass m located at
the vector position r and moving with
linear momentum p
dp
r × ∑ F = ∑τ = r ×
dt
dr
Adding the term ×p
dt
d (r × p )
∑τ = dt
 Angular Momentum, cont
„ The instantaneous
angular momentum L of
a particle relative to the
origin O is defined as
the cross product of the
particle’s instantaneous
position vector r and its
instantaneous linear
momentum p
„ L = r x p
Torque and Angular
Momentum
„ The torque is related to the angular
momentum
„ Similar to the way force is related to linear
momentum
dL
∑τ = dt
 Torque and Angular
Momentum

„ This is the rotational analog of Newton’s

Second Law
„ Στ and L must be measured about the
same origin
„ This is valid for any origin fixed in an
inertial frame
dL
∑τ = dt
 More About Angular
Momentum
„ The SI units of angular momentum
are (kg.m2)/ s
„ Both the magnitude and direction
of L depend on the choice of origin
„ The magnitude of L = mvr sin φ
„ φ is the angle between p and r
„ The direction of L is perpendicular
to the plane formed by r and p
 Angular Momentum of a
Particle, Example
„ The vector L = r x p is pointed
out of the diagram
„ The magnitude is
L = mvr sin 90o = mvr
„ sin 90o is used since v is
perpendicular to r
„ A particle in uniform circular
motion has a constant angular
momentum about an axis
through the center of its path
Angular Momentum of a
System of Particles
„ The total angular momentum of a
system of particles is defined as the
vector sum of the angular momenta of
the individual particles
„ Ltot = L1 + L2 + …+ Ln = ΣLi
„ Differentiating with respect to time
dL tot dL i
=∑ = ∑τ i
dt i dt i
Angular Momentum of a
System of Particles, cont
„ Any torques associated with the internal
forces acting in a system of particles are zero
dL tot
„ Therefore, ∑τ ext =
dt

„ The net external torque acting on a system

about some axis passing through an origin in
an inertial frame equals the time rate of
change of the total angular momentum of the
system about that origin
Angular Momentum of a
Rotating Rigid Object
„ Each particle of the
object rotates in the xy
plane about the z axis
with an angular speed
of ω
„ The angular momentum
of an individual particle
is Li = mi ri2 ω
„ L and ω are directed
along the z axis
Angular Momentum of a
Rotating Rigid Object, cont
„ To find the angular momentum of the
entire object, add the angular momenta
of all the individual particles
Lz = ∑ Li = ∑ mi ri 2ω = I ω
i i

„ This also gives the rotational form of

Newton’s Second Law
dLz dω
∑τ ext =
dt
=I
dt
= Iα
Angular Momentum of a
Rotating Rigid Object, final
„ If an object rotates about a fixed axis,
the vector form holds: L = Iω
„ where L is the total angular momentum
measured with respect to the axis of
rotation
Example 11.6
A father of mass mf and his daughter of mass md sit on
opposite ends of a seesaw at equal distances from the pivot
at the center. The seesaw is modeled as a rigid rod of mass
M and length l and is pivoted without friction. At a given
moment, the combination rotates in a vertical plane with an
angular speed ω.

(A) Find an expression for the

magnitude of the system’s
angular momentum.
Example 11.6
Example 11.6
(B) Find an expression for the magnitude of the angular
acceleration of the system when the seesaw makes an
angle θ with the horizontal.
Conservation of Angular
Momentum
„ The total angular momentum of a system is
constant in both magnitude and direction if
the resultant external torque acting on the
system is zero
„ Net torque = 0 -> means that the system is
isolated
„ Ltot = constant or Li = Lf
„ For a system of particles, Ltot = ΣLn =
constant
 Conservation of
Angular Momentum

If the mass of an isolated system undergoes

redistribution, the moment of inertia changes
„ The conservation of angular momentum
requires a compensating change in the
angular velocity
„ Ii ω i = If ω f
„ This holds for rotation about a fixed axis and
for rotation about an axis through the center of
mass of a moving system
„ The net torque must be zero in any case
Conservation Law Summary
„ For an isolated system -
(1) Conservation of Energy:
„ Ei = Ef
(2) Conservation of Linear Momentum:
„ pi = pf
(3) Conservation of Angular Momentum:
„ Li = Lf
Example 11.8
A horizontal platform in the shape of a circular disk rotates
freely in a horizontal plane about a frictionless vertical axle.
The platform has a mass M = 100 kg and a radius R = 2.0 m.
A student whose mass is m = 60 kg walks slowly from the
rim of the disk toward its center.
If the angular speed of the system is
2.0 rad/s when the student is at the
rim, what is the angular speed when
he reaches a point r = 0.50 m from
the center?
 Conservation of Angular Momentum:
The Merry-Go-Round
„ The moment of inertia of the
system is 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 angular speed
will increase
„ To keep L constant
Example 11.8
Example 11.8
What if we were to measure the kinetic energy of the system
before and after the student walks inward? Are they the
same?
Example 11.10
A 2.0-kg disk traveling at 3.0 m/s strikes a 1.0-kg stick of
length 4.0 m that is lying flat on nearly frictionless ice. Assume
that the collision is elastic and that the disk does not deviate
from its original line of motion. The moment of inertia of the
stick about its center of mass is 1.33 kg.m2.
Find the translational speed of the disk, the translational
speed of the stick, and the angular speed of the stick after
the collision.
Table 11.1, p.349
What if the collision between the disk and the stick is perfectly
inelastic?
Example P11.55
A solid cube of side 2a and mass M is sliding on a frictionless
surface with uniform velocity v as in Figure P11.55a. It hits a
small obstacle at the end of the table, which causes the cube to
tilt as in Figure P11.55b.

Find the minimum value of v

such that the cube falls off the
table. Note that the moment of
inertia of the cube about an axis
along one of its edges is 8Ma2/3.
Angular momentum of a rigid body in pure translation
 Case Study on
Conservation of Angular Momentum

Kepler’s Second Law:

“As the planet moves in its orbit, a line from the
sun to the planet sweeps out equal areas in
equal times.”
 Newton’s Second Law for a Rigid Body

Action line of resultant

r d r r
external force
r r
F = p = maG
r
F
r
aG p = mvG
r
dt r
z F2
F
r d r r
1

τ G = LG = I Gα
r G
rG

dt y
O

x
 Derivation of
Principle of Angular Momentum

r d r r
τ G = LG = I Gα
dt
 r
Fi
r
F2
r
aG
G r
α
r
F1

In general, forces act to translate and

rotate a body.
Velocity of a point on a rigid body
r r r
ω × rPG v G

P r
vG

G r
ω

r r
ω × rPG
r r r r r
r
vP
vG vP = vG + ω × rPG
Acceleration of a point on a rigid body

r
aG
G r
α
Acceleration of a point on a rigid body
r
aG
r r
α × rPG P
2r
− ω rPG r
aG
G r
α

r r
α × rPG
r v r r r 2r
− ω rPG
2
r
a aP = aG + α × rPG − ω rPG
r G
aP
 For a particle,
r r r
τ A = r × ma
Resultant moment about point A
r r
r×F
For a system of particles,
N
r r r
τ G = ∑ [riG × (mi ai )]
i =1

Resultant moment about centre of mass, G

r r
(riG × Fi )
i
 r
aG
For a rigid body, r r
α × riG i
r
− ω riG
2
r
N aG
r r r
τ G = ∑ [riG × (∆mi ai )]
G r
α
i =1

r
aG + (α × riG − ω riG )
r r 2r

translation rotation about G

 r
aG
For a rigid body, r r
α × riG i
in pure translation 2r
− ω riG r
aG
N G
r r r r
τ G = ∑ [riG × (∆mi ai )] α
i =1

N
r r
= ∑ [riG ∆mi ] × aG
i =1

r No resultant moment
τG = 0
about G
For pure rotation about G,
riG × ∆mi ai = riG × ∆mi (ai + ai )
r r r rt r n
r r r
r = riG × ∆mi ai = riG ∆mi α
t 2

r F2 r r
Fi (α × riG )

τ G ≈ ∑ (r ∆mi α )
N
r r 2 r
ai iG
r arit i =1
G
r
riG
rn
= (∫ r dm)α
2 r
α ai ∆m r
i = I Gα
r
F1
 r
aG
To summarize, r r
α × riG i
for a rigid body,
r
− ω riG
2
r
N
aG
r r r G
τ G = ∑ [riG × (∆mi ai )] r
α
i =1

r
aG + (α × riG − ω riG )
r r 2r

translation rotation about G

r
=0 = I Gα
Hence, for a body in general planar

( )
motion, r r r
r τ G = I Gα = ∫ r dm α
2

Fi
r
F2
r r d r
aG τ G = LG
dt
G r r r
α LG = I Gω
r
F1