S5 Angular Momentum

Motivation

In this section we develop concise methods of describing rotational motion using quantities such as angular velocity, angular momentum and moment of inertia, the rotational analogues of velocity, momentum and mass. Using this new language, we can describe such counterintuitive phenomena as the behaviour of spinning tops and gyroscopes, and find out why it is easier to ride a bicycle with bigger wheels.

Objectives

By the end of this section you should:

Key Mathematics

Vector cross products