Physics · Basic concepts of rotational motion, moment of a force, torque, angular momentum, conservation of angular momentum and its applications

A sphere rolls without sliding on a rough inclined plane (only mg and contact fo

A sphere rolls without sliding on a rough inclined plane (only mg and contact forces are acting on the body). The angular momentum, of the body:

  • A. about centre is conserved
  • B. is conserved about the point of contact
  • C. is conserved about a point whose distance from the inclined plane is greater than the radius of the sphere
  • D. is not conserved about any point

Step-by-step solution

For a sphere rolling without slipping on a rough inclined plane, the net external torque about any fixed point with y-coordinate (distance from plane) equal to (7/5)R is zero, where R is the radius. This follows from setting the total torque (sum of torques from gravity, normal, and friction) to zero, leading to y_Q = (7/5)R > R. Hence, angular momentum is conserved about such a point.
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