Conservation of Angular Momentum Equation
Reference from the original Physics I textbook.
- Conservation of Angular Momentum Equation
- Related Glossary Terms
- Index
Glossary and deeper reading · 2 refreshers
These editorial refreshers supplement the reading. Definitions and examples are added guidance; original source wording and recorded answers remain in their original context.
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Conservation of angular momentum
Angular momentum is conserved about a chosen axis when the net external angular impulse about that axis is zero. Internal interactions can change the distribution of mass and the rotation rates of parts without changing the total. For example, a rotating skater who pulls their arms inward can spin faster as their rotational inertia decreases.
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Angular momentum
Angular momentum describes motion about a specified point or axis. For rigid rotation about a fixed principal axis it can be written as rotational inertia times angular velocity; a translating particle can also have angular momentum about a point. For example, a ball moving past a pole has angular momentum about the pole even though the ball’s path is straight.