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Angular Momentum
The Vector Product
There are instances where the product
of two vectors is another vector
Earlier we saw where the product of two
vectors was a scalar
This was called the dot product
The vector product of two vectors is
also called the cross product
The Vector Product and Torque
The torque vector lies in
a direction perpendicular
to the plane formed by
the position vector and
the force vector
τ=rxF
The torque is the vector
(or cross) product of the
position vector and the
force vector
The Vector Product Defined
Given two vectors, A and B
The vector (cross) product of A and B
is defined as a third vector, C
C is read as “A cross B”
The magnitude of C is AB sin θ
θ is the angle between A and B
More About the Vector Product
The quantity AB sin θ is
equal to the area of the
parallelogram formed by
A and B
The direction of C is
perpendicular to the
plane formed by A and B
The best way to
determine this direction
is to use the right-hand
rule
Properties of the Vector Product
The vector product is not commutative.
The order in which the vectors are
multiplied is important
To account for order, remember
AxB=-BxA
If A is parallel to B (θ = 0o or 180o),
then A x B = 0
Therefore A x A = 0
More Properties of the Vector
Product
If A is perpendicular to B, then |A x B|
= AB
The vector product obeys the
distributive law
A x (B + C) = A x B + A x C
Final Properties of the Vector
Product
The derivative of the cross product with
respect to some variable such as t is
d dA dB
(A × B) = × B + A ×
dt dt dt
r d r r
external force
r r
F = p = maG
r
F
r
aG p = mvG
r
dt r
z F2
F
r d r r
1
τ G = LG = I Gα
r G
rG
dt y
O
x
Derivation of
Principle of Angular Momentum
r d r r
τ G = LG = I Gα
dt
r
Fi
r
F2
r
aG
G r
α
r
F1
P r
vG
G r
ω
r r
ω × rPG
r r r r r
r
vP
vG vP = vG + ω × rPG
Acceleration of a point on a rigid body
r
aG
G r
α
Acceleration of a point on a rigid body
r
aG
r r
α × rPG P
2r
− ω rPG r
aG
G r
α
r r
α × rPG
r v r r r 2r
− ω rPG
2
r
a aP = aG + α × rPG − ω rPG
r G
aP
For a particle,
r r r
τ A = r × ma
Resultant moment about point A
r r
r×F
For a system of particles,
N
r r r
τ G = ∑ [riG × (mi ai )]
i =1
r
aG + (α × riG − ω riG )
r r 2r
N
r r
= ∑ [riG ∆mi ] × aG
i =1
r No resultant moment
τG = 0
about G
For pure rotation about G,
riG × ∆mi ai = riG × ∆mi (ai + ai )
r r r rt r n
r r r
r = riG × ∆mi ai = riG ∆mi α
t 2
r F2 r r
Fi (α × riG )
τ G ≈ ∑ (r ∆mi α )
N
r r 2 r
ai iG
r arit i =1
G
r
riG
rn
= (∫ r dm)α
2 r
α ai ∆m r
i = I Gα
r
F1
r
aG
To summarize, r r
α × riG i
for a rigid body,
r
− ω riG
2
r
N
aG
r r r G
τ G = ∑ [riG × (∆mi ai )] r
α
i =1
r
aG + (α × riG − ω riG )
r r 2r
( )
motion, r r r
r τ G = I Gα = ∫ r dm α
2
Fi
r
F2
r r d r
aG τ G = LG
dt
G r r r
α LG = I Gω
r
F1