Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Basics 05: The Angular Impulse - Momentum Principle

If you read the Basics 04, you know that joint torques create joint rotations; and, you would be correct to conclude that stronger joint torques create faster joint rotations (i.e., faster  angular velocities).  But, is joint torque the only factor that creates faster angular velocities?  According, to the Angular Impulse - Momentum Principle, joint torques are not the only factor that creates faster angular velocities.

The Angular Impulse - Momentum principle is derived from Newton's 2nd Law of Motion (angular).  This principle states that a change in joint angular velocity is directly proportional to the magnitude of the joint torque that creates it, directly proportional to the time of application of the joint torque, and inversely proportional to angular inertia of the rotating object. Thus, an increase in angular velocity is actually dependent on 3 factors:

an increase in the magnitude of the joint torque 
an increase in the application time of the joint torque 
a decrease in the angular inertia of the rotating object

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