Question

Calculate the magnitude of the angular momentum of Mars due to its rotation around an axis through the north and south poles, modeling it as a uniform sphere.

Answer 1

To calculate the magnitude of the angular momentum of Mars as a uniform sphere, use the formula L = Iω, where I is (2/5)MR² for a sphere, M is the mass of Mars, R is its radius, and ω is its angular velocity.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the magnitude of the angular momentum of Mars due to its rotation, we need to consider Mars as a rotating rigid sphere. The angular momentum L of a rotating sphere is given by L = Iω, where I is the moment of inertia and ω is the angular velocity.

The moment of inertia I for a uniform sphere is ⅒ MR², where M is the mass of the sphere and R is its radius. To obtain Mars's angular momentum, one would need to know Mars's mass, radius, and angular velocity, which are not provided in the question. Once these are given, they can be substituted into the equation to obtain the magnitude of the angular momentum.

For instance, if Mars's mass is M, radius R, and it rotates with an angular velocity ω, then the angular momentum L would be computed as L = ⅒ MR²ω.