SECTION D – Angular Momentum

View From Above

1975M2. A bicycle wheel of mass M (assumed to be concentrated at its rim) and radius R is mounted horizontally
so it may turn without friction on a vertical axle. A dart of mass m o is thrown with velocity v o as shown above
and sticks in the tire.
a. If the wheel is initially at rest, find its angular velocity after the dart strikes.
b. In terms of the given quantities, determine the ratio:
final kinetic energy of the system
initial kinetic energy of the system

1978M2. A system consists of a mass M 2 and a uniform rod of mass M 1 and length l. The rod is initially rotating
with an angular speed on a horizontal frictionless table about a vertical axis fixed at one end through point P.
The moment of inertia of the rod about P is Ml²/3. The rod strikes the stationary mass M 2 . As a result of this
collision, the rod is stopped and the mass M 2 moves away with speed v.
a. Using angular momentum conservation determine the speed v in terms of M 1 , M 2 , l, and .
b. Determine the linear momentum of this system just before the collision in terms of M 1 , l, and .
c. Determine the linear momentum of this system just after the collision in terms of M 1 l, and .
d. What is responsible for the change in the linear momentum of this system during the collision?
e. Why is the angular momentum of this system about point P conserved during the collision?

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1981M3. A thin, uniform rod of mass M 1 and length L , is initially at rest on a frictionless horizontal surface. The
moment of inertia of the rod about its center of mass is M 1 L2/12. As shown in Figure I, the rod is struck at
point P by a mass m 2 whose initial velocity v is perpendicular to the rod. After the collision, mass m 2 has
velocity
–½v as shown in Figure II. Answer the following in terms of the symbols given.
a. Using the principle of conservation of linear momentum, determine the velocity v’ of the center of mass of this
rod after the collision.
b. Using the principle of conservation of angular momentum, determine the angular velocity of the rod about its
center of mass after the collision.
c. Determine the change in kinetic energy of the system resulting from the collision.

1982M3. A system consists of two small disks, of masses m and 2m, attached to a rod of negligible mass of length
3l as shown above. The rod is free to turn about a vertical axis through point P. The two disks rest on a rough
horizontal surface; the coefficient of friction between the disks and the surface is . At time t = 0, the rod has an
initial counterclockwise angular velocity o about P. The system is gradually brought to rest by friction.
Develop expressions for the following quantities in terms of m, l, g, and o
a. The initial angular momentum of the system about the axis through P
b. The frictional torque acting on the system about the axis through P
c. The time T at which the system will come to rest.

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1987M3. A l.0-kilogram object is moving horizontally with a velocity of 10 meters per second, as shown above,
when it makes a glancing collision with the lower end of a bar that was hanging vertically at rest before the
collision. For the system consisting of the object and bar, linear momentum is not conserved in this collision,
but kinetic energy is conserved. The bar, which has a length l of 1.2 meters and a mass m of 3.0 kilograms, is
pivoted about the upper end. Immediately after the collision the object moves with speed v at an angle
relative to its original direction. The bar swings freely, and after the collision reaches a maximum angle of 90°
with respect to the vertical. The moment of inertia of the bar about the pivot is I bar = ml²/3 Ignore all friction.
a. Determine the angular velocity of the bar immediately after the collision.
b. Determine the speed v of the l-kilogram object immediately after the collision.
c. Determine the magnitude of the angular momentum of the object about the pivot just before the collision.
d. Determine the angle .

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1992M2. Two identical spheres, each of mass M and negligible radius, are fastened to opposite ends of a rod of
negligible mass and length 2l. This system is initially at rest with the rod horizontal, as shown above, and is
free to rotate about a frictionless, horizontal axis through the center of the rod and perpendicular to the plane of
the page. A bug, of mass 3M, lands gently on the sphere on the left. Assume that the size of the bug is small
compared to the length of the rod. Express your answers to all parts of the question in terms of M, l, and
physical constants.
a. Determine the torque about the axis immediately after the bug lands on the sphere.
b. Determine the angular acceleration of the rod-spheres-bug system immediately after the bug lands.

The rod-spheres-bug system swings about the axis. At the instant that the rod is vertical, as shown above,
determine each of the following.
c. The angular speed of the bug
d. The angular momentum of the system
e. The magnitude and direction of the force that must be exerted on the bug by the sphere to keep the bug from
being thrown off the sphere

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1996M3. Consider a thin uniform rod of mass M and length l, as shown above.

a. Show that the rotational inertia of the rod about an axis through its center and perpendicular to its length is
Ml2/12.

The rod is now glued to a thin hoop of mass M and radius R/2 to form a rigid assembly, as shown above. The
centers of the rod and the hoop coincide at point P. The assembly is mounted on a horizontal axle through point
P and perpendicular to the page.
b. What is the rotational inertia of the rod-hoop assembly about the axle?

Several turns of string are wrapped tightly around the circumference of the hoop. The system is at rest when a
cat, also of mass M, grabs the free end of the string and hangs vertically from it without swinging as it unwinds,
causing the rod-hoop assembly to rotate. Neglect friction and the mass of the string.
c. Determine the tension T in the string.
d. Determine the angular acceleration a of the rod-hoop assembly.
e. Determine the linear acceleration of the cat.
f. After descending a distance H = 5l/3, the cat lets go of the string. At that instant, what is the angular momentum
of the cat about point P?

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1998M2. A space shuttle astronaut in a circular orbit around the Earth has an assembly consisting of two small
dense spheres, each of mass m, whose centers are connected by a rigid rod of length l and negligible mass. The
astronaut also has a device that will launch a small lump of clay of mass m at speed v 0 . Express your answers
in terms of m, v 0 l. and fundamental constants.

a. Initially, the assembly is "floating" freely at rest relative to the cabin, and the astronaut launches the clay lump
so that it perpendicularly strikes and sticks to the midpoint of the rod, as shown above.
i. Determine the total kinetic energy of the system (assembly and clay lump) after the collision.
ii. Determine the change in kinetic energy as a result of the collision.

b. The assembly is brought to rest, the clay lump removed, and the experiment is repeated as shown above, with
the clay lump striking perpendicular to the rod but this time sticking to one of the spheres of the assembly.
i. Determine the distance from the left end of the rod to the center of mass of the system (assembly and clay
lump) immediately after the collision. (Assume that the radii of the spheres and clay lump are much smaller
than the separation of the spheres.)

ii. On the figure above, indicate the direction of the motion of the center of mass immediately after the
collision.

iii. Determine the speed of the center of mass immediately after the collision.

iv. Determine the angular speed of the system (assembly and clay lump) immediately after the collision.

v. Determine the change in kinetic energy as a result of the collision.

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2005M3. A system consists of a ball of mass M 2 and a uniform rod of mass M 1 and length d. The rod is attached to
a horizontal frictionless table by a pivot at point P
1
left. The rotational inertia of the rod about point P is M 1 d2 . The rod strikes the ball, which is initially at rest.
3
As a result of this collision, the rod is stopped and the ball moves in the direction shown above right. Express all
answers in terms of M 1 , M 2 and fundamental constants.
a. Derive an expression for the angular momentum of the rod about point P before the collision.
b. Derive an expression for the speed v of the ball after the collision.
c. Assuming that this collision is elastic, calculate the numerical value of the ratio M 1 / M 2

d. A new ball with the same mass M 1 as the rod is now placed a distance x from the pivot, as shown above. Again
assuming the collision is elastic, for what value of x will the rod stop moving after hitting the ball?

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