Question Details

In case of a projectile, where is the angular momentum minimum

Options

A

At the starting point

B

At the highest point

C

On return to the ground

D

At some location other than those mentioned above

Correct Answer :

At the starting point

Solution :

The correct answer is: At the starting point

Let us analyze the angular momentum of a projectile during its motion.
The angular momentum L of a particle of mass m with position vector r and velocity vector v relative to the point of projection (the starting point) is defined as:
L=r×p=m(r×v)

At the starting point (the point of projection), the position vector of the projectile with respect to itself is:
r=0
Therefore, substituting r=0 into the expression for angular momentum gives:
L=0

At any other point during the flight, both the position vector r and velocity vector v are non-zero, and they are not parallel (except potentially at the exact start, but there r=0 anyways). As a result, the cross product is non-zero, making the angular momentum greater than zero.

Thus, the magnitude of angular momentum is minimum (specifically, zero) at the starting point.

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