21.4: Translation and Rotation of a Rigid Body Undergoing Fixed Axis Rotation
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
For the special case of rigid body of mass m, we showed that with respect to a reference frame in which the center of mass of the rigid body is moving with velocity →Vcm all elements of the rigid body are rotating about the center of mass with the same angular velocity →ωcm For the rigid body of mass m and momentum →p=m→Vcm the translational equation of motion is still given by Equation (21.2.1), which we repeat in the form
→Fext=m→Acm
For fixed axis rotation, choose the z -axis as the axis of rotation that passes through the center of mass of the rigid body. We have already seen in our discussion of angular momentum of a rigid body that the angular momentum does not necessary point in the same direction as the angular velocity. However we can take the z -component of Equation (21.3.28)
τextcm,z=dLspincm,zdt
For a rigid body rotating about the center of mass with →ωcm=ωcm,zˆk the z -component of angular momentum about the center of mass is
Lspincm,z=Icmωcm,z
The z -component of the rotational equation of motion about the center of mass is
τextcm,z=Icmdωcm,zdt=Icmαcm,z