Tag
Mechanics
Entries tagged mechanics.
5 entries
Angular momentum
Angular momentum is rotational inertia times angular velocity, and it stays constant whenever no outside torque acts, which is why spin speeds up as mass pulls inward.
7 min
ConceptCenter of mass and balance
The center of mass is the single point where a distributed body's mass can be treated as concentrated for the purpose of predicting how the whole body moves and whether it stays balanced.
7 min
ConceptRotational inertia
Rotational inertia measures how hard it is to change a body's spin, and it depends not just on how much mass there is, but on how far that mass sits from the axis of rotation.
7 min
ConceptStatic equilibrium
A rigid body genuinely at rest must satisfy two independent conditions at once: zero net force, so it does not start moving, and zero net torque, so it does not start turning.
7 min
ConceptTorque and rotational effect
Torque is the turning effect of a force, set by how much force you apply, how far from the pivot, and at what angle.
7 min