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Chapter 5

Rigid body mechanics

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this chapter you will learn how to:

apply the equations of kinematics to rotational motion

understand and apply torque

apply the conditions of rotational and translational equilibrium

solve problems with rotational dynamics

apply the law of conservation of angular momentum.

GUIDING questions

How does the physics of a point particle generalise to the case of an extended rigid body that can not only move but can also rotate about some axis?