A particle of mass moves at constant speed along a straight horizontal line defined…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · System of Particles and Rotational Motion · System of Particles and Rotational Motion
Problem
A particle of mass m moves at constant speed v along a straight horizontal line defined by y = b, where b is a positive constant. A reference point P is fixed at (0, a) with a also positive. The particle crosses the y-axis at time t = 0 and subsequently continues in the +x direction.
Treat the particle as a point object.
(a) Derive an algebraic expression for the magnitude of the particle’s angular momentum about point P as a function of its x-coordinate.
(b) Using the result from part (a), determine the value of x for which the magnitude of the angular momentum is greatest. Justify your answer without invoking calculus.
(c) Under what condition on the constants a and b would the particle’s angular momentum about P be identically zero at every instant? Explain your reasoning.