AST 2002 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Universal Law, Orbital Period, G-Force
Document Summary
Conservation of momentum- the total momentum of the colliding objects is conserved; the total momentum of all interacting objects always stays the same. An individual object can gain or lose momentum only when a force causes it to exchange momentum with another object. Angular momentum- circling momentum ; used to describe objects turning in circles or going around curves. The reason earth manages to keep rotating and going around the sun. Law of conservation of angular momentum- total angular momentum can never change. An individual object can change its angular momentum only by transferring some angular momentum to or from another object. Orbital angular momentum: m: earth"s mass, v: earth"s orbital velocity, r: radius of the orbit; earth"s distance from the sun. There are no objects around to give or take angular momentum from earth as it orbits the sun, so earth"s orbital angular momentum must always stay the same.
