Final answer:
The question is about the conservation of angular momentum in a closed system, such as when a person and their dog walk opposite the rotational direction of a rotating platform. Angular momentum is conserved, so any internal movements that change the distribution of mass alter the system's angular velocity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Conservation of Angular Momentum
When the student walks clockwise on a rotating platform, they are involved in a dynamic system that exhibits the conservation of angular momentum. The platform and people on it constitute a closed system where the total angular momentum is conserved, assuming no external torques are acting on it. When the student (and the poodle) moves in the opposite direction of the platform's rotation, they are increasing their angular momentum in the clockwise direction, which will result in a decrease in the angular momentum of the platform, according to the conservation laws.
The angular momentum of a system is given by the product of the moment of inertia and the angular velocity. For a person moving along the edge of the platform with a certain velocity with respect to the platform, their angular momentum will depend on their mass, velocity, and distance from the axis of rotation, which is the radius of the platform.
Similarly, scenarios such as a child getting onto a merry-go-round or a hamster moving on a lazy Susan, apply the principle of conservation of angular momentum. In each of these cases, rearranging masses within the system changes the moment of inertia and, thereby, the angular velocity to conserve angular momentum.