UNIT I MECHANICS

LECTURE 2

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FORCE AND MOMENTUM

• Change in velocity (an acceleration) requires a force

• Similarly, since momentum is directly related to velocity (as well as mass) – a change in
momentum also requires a force (𝑝Ԧ = 𝑚 𝑣)Ԧ
• Newton originally expressed his second law of motion in terms of momentum rather than
acceleration
𝑣−𝑣𝑜
• The force-momentum relationship may be seen by starting with F = ma and using 𝑎 =
∆𝑡
where the mass is assumed to be constant

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 𝑭 = 𝒎𝒂 (acceleration is evidence of a net force)
(𝑣−𝑣𝑜 )
=𝑚
∆𝑡
𝑚𝑣−𝑚𝑣𝑜
=
∆𝑡
𝑝 − 𝑝𝑜 ∆𝑝
𝐹= =
∆𝑡 ∆𝑡
∆𝒑
𝑭= (Change in momentum is evidence of a net force)
∆𝒕
• The net external force acting on an object is equal to the time rate of change of the objects
momentum
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LAW OF CONSERVATION OF LINEAR
MOMENTUM
• If the net external force acting on a system is zero, then the momentum of the system is
conserved
∑𝐹𝑒𝑥𝑡 = 0 ( 𝑝𝑖 = 𝑝𝑓 )
• By definition, an isolated, or closed, system is subject to no external interactions
• Thus, linear momentum is always conserved for an isolated system
• Momentum is a vector quantity, so both magnitude and the direction of the momentum at the
beginning and end of the interaction must be same
• Rifle + bullet system
• Jet engines and rocket
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INERTIA

• Inertia is the natural tendency of an object to maintain a state of rest or to remain in uniform
motion in a straight line (Constant Velocity)
• Mass is a measure of inertia
• Newton’s first law of motion – law of inertia

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ROTATIONAL DYNAMICS – MOMENT OF
INERTIA

• Torque is the rotational analogue of force in linear motion

• Torque produces a change in rotational motion

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TORQUE AND
MOMENT OF INERTIA
• Consider a constant net force on a particle of mass m
• The magnitude of the torque on the particle is
𝜏 = 𝑟 𝐹 = 𝑟 𝐹 = 𝑟𝑚𝑎
𝑎 = 𝑟
𝜏 = 𝑚𝑟 2 𝛼 Torque on the particle
• For the rotation of a rigid body about a fixed axis, this can be applied to each particle and the
results summed over the entire body (in particles) to find the total torque.
• Since all the particles of a rotating body have the same angular acceleration, we can simply
add the individual torque magnitude.
∑𝜏 = 𝜏1 + 𝜏2 + 𝜏3 + … … … . . +𝜏𝑛
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 ∑𝜏 = 𝜏1 + 𝜏2 + 𝜏3 + … … … . . +𝜏𝑛
∑𝜏 = 𝑚1 𝑟12 𝛼 + 𝑚2 𝑟22 𝛼 + 𝑚3 𝑟32 𝛼 + … … … . . +𝑚𝑛 𝑟𝑛2 𝛼
= 𝑚1 𝑟12 + 𝑚2 𝑟22 + 𝑚3 𝑟32 + … … … … … + 𝑚𝑛 𝑟𝑛2 𝛼
𝑛

∑𝜏 = ෍ 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 𝛼
𝑖=1

• But for a rigid body, the masses (mi`s) and distances from the axis of rotation (ri`s) are constant
• The quantity in the parentheses in the above equation is constant and it is called the Moment of
Inertia
𝐼 = ∑𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖2 Moment of Inertia
• The magnitude of the net torque can be conveniently written as
𝜏=𝐼𝛼
Torque on the rigid body
• This is the rotational form of Newton’s second law

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MOMENT OF INERTIA (I)
• Net forces and torques are necessary to produce accelerations
• Comparison of two forms of Newton's law ( 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 , 𝜏 = 𝐼 𝛼),
• The moment of inertia I is a measure of rotational Inertia, or a body`s tendency to resist change
in its rotational motion.
• M.I – Rotational analogue of mass
• Unlike the mass of a particle, the M.I is referenced to a particular axis and can have different
values for different axis.
• The moment of inertia also depends on the mass distribution relative to the axis of rotation
• It is easier (that is, it takes less torque) to give an object an angular acceleration about some
axis than about the others

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ANGULAR MOMENTUM

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RELATION BETWEEN TORQUE AND ANGULAR
MOMENTUM
• If F is the force acting on the particle which is moving with a velocity v,
then we have,
𝑑𝑝 𝑑
F= = (𝑚𝑣)
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
Multiplying both sides vectorially by r, we get
𝑑
rxF = rx (𝑚𝑣) ∵ torque τ = r x F
𝑑𝑡
𝑑
τ=rx (𝑚𝑣) (1)
𝑑𝑡
• Differentiating Equation L = r x p we have
𝑑𝐿 𝑑 dp dr
= 𝑟𝑋𝑝 =rx + xp
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 dt dt

𝑑(𝑚𝑣)
= rx + v x (mv)
𝑑𝑡
• As the cross product of two vector is zero the second term vanishes.
dL d (mv)
= rx (2)
dt dt
dL
• From equation (1) & (2) we have, τ=
dt

• From the above relation we conclude that the rate of change of angular
momentum is equal to the torque acting on it. If torque is zero
dL
τ= = 0 or L = constant
dt

• the angular momentum is conserved

 CONSERVATION OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM

Isolated System

 
τ net  0 about z - axis  L  constant

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L  Ii ωi 
initial
 I f ωf
final
Moment of inertia
changes
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