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 r, p = mv must correspondingly increase for L to remain constant.
GL
Related Physics A Level answers
All answers ▸Show that a mass on a spring obeys simple harmonic motion.
In a circuit with a thermistor and bulb, what happens to the brightness of the bulb as the temperature increases?
Why do atoms larger than iron release energy when they undergo fission?
A stationary particle explodes into 3: A (to the left), B and C (both to the right). B has mass m and speed 3v. C has mass 2m and speed v. A has speed 2v. What is the mass of A in terms of m?