If a child sitting on a merry-go-round moves from the center to the edge, what happens to the angular momentum of the system if no external torque acts?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
If a child sitting on a merry-go-round moves from the center to the edge, what happens to the angular momentum of the system if no external torque acts?
Increases
Decreases
Remains constant
Becomes zero
Angular momentum remains constant if no external torque acts, according to the conservation of angular momentum.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: If a child sitting on a merry-go-round moves from the center to the edge, what happens to the angular momentum of the system if no external torque acts?
Solution: Angular momentum remains constant if no external torque acts, according to the conservation of angular momentum.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what angular momentum is. It is a measure of how much motion an object has when it is rotating.
Step 2: Know that angular momentum depends on two things: the speed of the object and how far it is from the center of rotation.
Step 3: Recognize that when the child moves from the center to the edge of the merry-go-round, they are increasing their distance from the center.
Step 4: Remember the principle of conservation of angular momentum, which states that if no external forces (torques) act on a system, the total angular momentum remains constant.
Step 5: Conclude that as the child moves outward, their speed will adjust to keep the total angular momentum the same, meaning the angular momentum of the system does not change.
