Why is angular momentum defined the way it is?

In physics, angular momentum (rarely, moment of momentum or rotational momentum) is the rotational equivalent of linear momentum. It is an important quantity in physics because it is a conserved quantity—the total angular momentum of a closed system remains constant.

Why angular momentum is cross product?

I first searched why is Torque defined as a cross product and a lot of people answered that it is defined as a cross product because angular momentum is defined that way and it is only logical that Torque and angular momentum have the same direction.

Why is angular momentum useful?

The concept of angular momentum is important in physics because it is a conserved quantity: a system’s angular momentum stays constant unless an external torque acts on it. Torque is the rate at which angular momentum is transferred in or out of the system.

How is the angular momentum related to linear momentum?

Angular momentum of a spinning object without linear momentum is proportional to rotational inertia and angular velocity. Angular momentum of an object with linear momentum is proportional to mass, linear velocity, and perpendicular radius from an axis to the line of the object’s motion.

What is the difference between linear momentum and angular momentum?

Angular momentum is inertia of rotation motion. Linear momentum is inertia of translation motion. The big difference is that the type of motion which is related to each momentum is different. It is important to consider the place where the force related to rotation applies, which is appears as ‘r’ in the formula.

What is the magnitude of the angular momentum about the origin?

l=r⊥p=r⊥mv. l = r ⊥ p = r ⊥ m v . We see that if the direction of →p is such that it passes through the origin, then θ=0, and the angular momentum is zero because the lever arm is zero. In this respect, the magnitude of the angular momentum depends on the choice of origin.

What are the magnitude and direction of the angular momentum?

angular momentum: A vector quantity describing an object in circular motion; its magnitude is equal to the momentum of the particle, and the direction is perpendicular to the plane of its circular motion.

Why is angular momentum important?

The concept of angular momentum is important in physics because it is a conserved quantity: a system’s angular momentum stays constant unless an external torque acts on it. The conservation of angular momentum explains many phenomena in human activities and nature.

What is angular momentum principle in hydraulics?

The angular momentum equation can be stated as the rate of change of the angular momentum of a body is equal to the net torque acting on it (Fig. 6–3). The total angular momentum of a rotating body remains constant when the net torque acting on it is zero, and thus the angular momentum of such systems is conserved.