The Magnitude of Angular Velocity calculator computes the angular velocity based on the angular displacement and the elapsed time.
INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:
- (ΔΦ) This is the angular displacement
- (Δt) This is the elapsed time
Angular Velocity (ω): The calculator returns the angular velocity in degrees per second. However, this can be automatically converted to compatible units via the pull-down menu.
The Math / Science
The angular velocity,ω, describes the speed of rotation and typically, when specified in vector form, also describes the instantaneous orientation of the axis of rotation.
The formula for angular velocity is:
where:
- ω is the angular velocity
- Δt is the elapsed time
- ΔΦ is the angular displacement
author: Michael Bartmess
Notes
In physics, the angular velocity is defined as the rate of change of angular displacement and is a vector quantity which specifies the angular speed (rotational speed) of an object and the axis about which the object is rotating.
The angular velocity vector, `vec omega`, would be pointing along the vector orientation of the axis of rotation using the right hand rule for positive and negative rotation direction. I.e, if the rotation were in the x-y plane as shown in the picture, the velocity vector would be pointing normal to the x-y plane in the positive z direction.