Why does an ice skater spin faster when they hold in their arms?

  •  This phenomena is a result of the conservation of angular momentum: An isolated system's rotational intertia does not change. 

  • Angular momentum is given mathematically by L = r x p, by decreasing rp = mmust correspondingly increase for to remain constant.

GL
Answered by George L. Physics tutor

2529 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Calculate the root mean squared speed for 16g of oxygen gas at 50(deg Celsius) and explain why we use this instead of the average velocity of all the particles.


How come nuclei become more unstable the bigger they are?


A basketball player throws his ball vertically upwards with an initial speed of v=40 m/s. Ignore air resistance. What is the speed of the ball at half of the maximum height?


The roar of a tiger in a zoo can be heard by visitors at the entrance, even though the tiger can not be seen because there is a hill in the way. Name and explain this effect.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning