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BK Rotation - Conservation of Angular Momentum
The applet below demonstrates the effects of the conservation of
angular momentum. You can change the value of the angular velocity,
w, the mass of the bug, Mb, the location
of the bug, Rb, and the mass of the disk, Md,
that the bug is sitting on. Once you press the "START" button, the
disk and bug will be rotating with constant angular momentum (since
there is no external torque acting on the system). While the disk
rotates, you can change the distance of the bug to the center of
the disk and with this the moment of inertia, I, of the system.
Due to angular momentum conservation, this also has consequences
for the angular velocity.
On the left side, the two vertical bars display the values of the
angular velocity and the moment of inertia. The inital values of
w and I are also recorded via the horizontal yellow
lines.
To view a QuickTimeTM demonstration of the effects of
the conservation of angular momentum, click
here (requires QuickTime 3.0, available for download on
the Apple
Computer Inc. web site).
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