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5.2. Conservation of Angular Momentum

What about the Earth, when a train starts moving?

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A tele-experiment has been set up, where a toy train circles on a support, with a central suspension. Controlled by an applet and observed by a WEB-cam the law of conservation of angular momentum could be demonstrated.

The video shows this experiment and shifts over to a real train, starting at a railway station and posing the question: will the earth react and if yes, how?

Again there is no answer. The video is meant to stimulate a discussion about the universal validity of conservation of angular momentum and about the earth as rigid or elastic body.

conservation_of_angular_momentum.mpg (22 MB)

conservation_of_angular_momentum.wmv (2,5 MB) (lower resolution)