[geocentrism] Angular momentum
- From: "Dr. Neville Jones" <ntj005@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: geocentrism@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 13:55:59 +0100 (BST)
Group,
There still seems to exist confusion as to what angular momentum is, and I
think that the main reason for this is that "everyone just knows" that the
acentric problem of a spinning World/atmosphere system (as put forward by
Aristotle) has been explained away by invoking the law of the conservation of
angular momentum.
We need to delve a little deeper into the physics here. Angular momentum is
defined as the product of moment of inertia with angular frequency about a
common axis of rotation. Molecules of a gas do not have any angular frequency
about a common axis of rotation, except in the case of something like a
hurricane or a tornado (and haven't we all seen just how much damage something
as 'small' as that can do?). To illustrate this, consider a single air
molecule. He's merrily going about his business, sometimes going one way, then
another. Sometimes travelling along a straight line, with absolutely no axis of
rotation.
Now, the 'conventional' treatment of our atmosphere is that these molecules
interact with one another, such that the angular momentum of the whole is
conserved. This is wrong for at least two reasons: There are thermal convection
currents within the atmosphere (and, boy, if you lived in Caithness, you'd know
all about them!) which have a great effect on the air molecules. These
convection currents have absolutely nothing to do with angular momentum (these
are perhaps the greatest reason why Mike's so-called "closed system" is
invalid). They are due to the incoming heat from the Sun, heating up different
components of the World and its atmosphere at different rates, depending upon
composition. These convection currents will act so as to disrupt any alleged
angular momentum of our considered molecule. Their effect upon our molecule
will be totally overwhelming, compared with any possible transference of
angular momentum. ANY 'ANGULAR MOMENTUM' THAT OUR MOLECULE MAY HAVE HAD WIL
L BE
CHANGED BY THE ACTION OF SOMETHING ORIGINATING OUTSIDE OF THE WORLD/ATMOSPHERE
SYSTEM. Once changed, the total angular momentum of the whole atmosphere (if
such a thing existed) would be changed. If it has changed, then it is not
conserved. I hope that you will all see that there is no way that total angular
momentum can be conserved and that we are not talking of any form of
theoretical "closed system." The second reason is closely tied to the first. As
I have said many times now, angular momentum is an attribute of rigid bodies.
That is how it is DEFINED. Note that ALL the particles within a rigid body have
the SAME angular frequency about a COMMON axis of rotation, irrespective of how
far each of them is from that axis. Angular momentum does not apply to gases,
nor, in general, to fluids.
Molecules in a gas transfer linear momentum between themselves, but even these
are inelastic collisions.
In short, Aristotle's atmospheric argument, as brought up on this forum by
Gary, cannot be countered via the law of the conservation of angular momentum.
Neville.
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