SPA5304 Physical Dynamics Lecture 19

David Vegh
(figures by Masaki Shigemori)

26 February 2019

1 Rigid bodies

1.1 Parallel axis theorem

If the axis n̂2 goes through the center of mass, then the moment of inertia about another parallel axes n̂1 is
given by

In̂1 = In̂2 + M a2

where M is the total mass of the rigid body and a is the distance between the two axes.

1.1.1 An example: the rod

• If O0 is at the end of the rod:

 
M l3
3 0 0
IO0 =  0
 M l3 
3 0 
0 0 0

• If O0 is at the center-of-mass:

 
M l3
12 0 0
ICOM =  0
 M l3 
12 0 
0 0 0

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 We have shifted the axis by a = l/2:
 2
O 0
COM l
Ixx = Ixx +m
2
 2
O 0
COM l
Iyy = Iyy +m
2
0
O COM
Izz = Izz

Rotation about ẑ is not affected.

1.2 Angular momentum

The fundamental formula of rigid kinematics:

ρ ~˙ + ω
~˙ i = R ~ × ~ri

The angular momentum about O is

~˙ + ω
X X
~O =
L ρ ~˙ i =
~ i × mi ρ ~ + ~ri ) × mi (R
(R ~ × ~ri )
i i

~˙ + R ~˙ +
X X X X
~×
=R mi R ~ × (~
ω× mi~ri ) + ( mi~ri ) × R mi~ri × (~
ω × ~ri )
i i i i

Let us take O0 = COM . Then

P
i mi~
ri = 0 and we get

~˙ +
X
~O = R
L ~ × MR mi~ri × (~
ω × ~ri )
i

Now using the formula

~ × (B
A ~ × C)
~ = (A
~ · C)
~ B~ − (A
~ · B)
~ C~
~=C
with A ~ = ~ri and B
~ =ω
~,

~˙ +
X
~O = R
~ × MR mi ~ri2 ω


L ~ − (~ri · ω
~ )~ri
i

2
The second term can be written as X
mi ~ri2 δab − ria rib ωb


i
| {z }
ICOM

Here a, b are vector indices. Thus,

~O = R
L ~˙ + ICOM ω
~ × MR ~
| {z }
~ COM
L

Compare this with our earlier formula for the angular momentum of a system of particles:

~ =R
L ~˙ + L
~ × MR ~0

~ 0 , i.e. the angular momentum with respect to the COM (“spin part”)
We see that LCOM is nothing but L

1.3 ~
Kinetic energy in terms of L

• Recall that for O0 = COM ,

1 ~˙ 2 1
T = M R + ω · ICOM ω
~
2 2 | {z }
~ COM
L

Thus
1 ~˙ 2 1 ~ COM
T = MR + ω · L
2 2

• For a fixed O0 we have

1
~ · IO0 ω
T =
ω ~
2
Since O0 is fixed, a point Pi in the rigid body has velocity

~r˙i = ω
~ × ~ri

Therefore, X X
~ O0 = mi ~ri2 ω


L ~ri × mi (~
ω × ~ri ) = ~ − (~ri · ω
~ )~ri = IO0 ω
~
i i

So we have
1 ~ O0
T = ~ ·L
ω
2

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2 Spinning Tops

0
O
Let us study a more general (3-dimensional) motion of rigid bodies. We immediately face a problem: Iab
is simple in the body-fixed (non-inertial) frame SII , but our formulation has been about an inertial frame
(e.g. SI ). We need to find awa to describe dynamics in the body-fixed frame.

2.1 Rotating frame

Consider some general vector ~u. If it is not changing in the moving frame SII , its rate of change is due only
to the rotation of the frame
d~u
=ω~ × ~u
dt
More generally, if ~u is changing in the moving frame,
d~u d0 ~u
= ~ × ~u
+ω
dt dt
|{z}
change w.r.t.
the moving frame SII

Let us make this derivation more precise.

Take bases for frames SI and SII :

SI : ~e(a) a = 1, 2, 3 (fixed)
SII : f~(a) a = 1, 2, 3 (moving)

A general vector ~u can be expanded as

~u = uIa~e(a) = uII ~(a)

a f

where uIa and uII

a are the components in SI and SII , respectively.

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 The time-derivative is
~u˙ = u̇Ia~e(a) = u̇II ~(a) + uII f~˙(a)
a f a

Since SII is rotating with angular velocity ω

~,
˙
f~(a) = ω
~ × f~(a)

and thus
d~u
~u˙ = = u̇II f~(a) + ω
~ × uII f~(a)
dt | a {z } | a {z }
d0 u
~ ~
u
dt

If we define
uII
 
1
~uII =  uII
2
 : components in SII
II
u3
Then

~u˙ = ~u˙ II + ω
~ II × ~uII
|{z}
d
dt of components in SII

We succeeded in expressing dynamics in terms of quantities in the moving frame SII .

2.2 Euler equations

Recall: X
~ =
L ~ri × mi~r˙i
i

~˙ = (e)
X
L ~ri × F~i
i

In particular, for angular momentum about the COM,

~˙ COM = (torque about COM) ≡ K

L ~

From the above formula,

~˙ COM,II + ω
L ~ COM,II = K
~ II × L ~ II
~ COM = ICOM ω
We know that L ~.
If we take SII to be a principal axis system, then we get

I1 ω1II
 
~ COM,II
L =  I2 ω2II 
I3 ω3II
Furthermore,
ω1II I1 ω1II (I3 − I2 )ω2II ω3II
     
~ COM,II
~ II × L
ω =  ω2II  ×  I2 ω2II  =  (I1 − I3 )ω1II ω3II 
ω3II I3 ω3II (I2 − I1 )ω1II ω2II

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 Thus we have obtained the Euler equations

I1 ω̇1 + (I3 − I2 )ω2 ω3 = K1

I2 ω̇2 + (I1 − I3 )ω3 ω1 = K2
I3 ω̇3 + (I2 − I1 )ω1 ω2 = K3

Here the index II has been suppressed on ω and K.

• These are non-linear differential equations.
~ in the body-fixed frame with O0 = COM .
• They describe the motion of ω

The axis about which the rigid body rotates keeps changing in the body-fixed frame.