Angular momentum - 4 views

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  #1 jacobika on 12 Oct 14

   

  When I was taking the first semester of calculus-based physics, I remember having an "ah-ha" moment when I made the connection between angular momentum and regular linear momentum. The instructor for the class made sure to draw the parallels between the linear properties that made intuitive sense to me (like mass, velocity, momentum, etc.) and the equivalent angular properties (moment of inertia, angular velocity, angular momentum). Once I saw that these properties were described by the same basic equations, it made it much easier to understand what the new variables represented and helped me to apply my intuitive understanding to problems involving rotation of objects. This has continued to help me as a physical chemist because I am often thinking about how molecules rotate and still use the same concepts I learned in that class.

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">When I was taking the first semester of calculus-based physics, I remember having an "ah-ha" moment when I made the connection between angular momentum and regular linear momentum. The instructor for the class made sure to draw the parallels between the linear properties that made intuitive sense to me (like mass, velocity, momentum, etc.) and the equivalent angular properties (moment of inertia, angular velocity, angular momentum). Once I saw that these properties were described by the same basic equations, it made it much easier to understand what the new variables represented and helped me to apply my intuitive understanding to problems involving rotation of objects. This has continued to help me as a physical chemist because I am often thinking about how molecules rotate and still use the same concepts I learned in that class.</div>

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