Pi, momentum, and kinetic energy

In summary: But in general, pi is always there to keep everything in balance.In summary, a geometric way can be found to relate kinetic energy and momentum, but it is a mathematical curiosity.
  • #1
e2m2a
354
11
There is a geometric way one can show the relation between kinetic energy and momentum which is a mathematical curiosity in my opinion. Let the mass of an object be equal to 2 PI. Then:

P = 2 pi v

KE = 1/2 (2 pi ) v sq
or
KE = pi v sq

Hence, graphically, if we set v = r, where r is the radius of a circle, we have a circle whose circumference is momentum, 2 pi v, and whose area is the kinetic energy, pi v sq. Thus, for the case where the mass is 2 pi, we see the kinetic energy is geometrically bounded by the momentum of the object. Interesting.
Wonder what would happen to this circle at relativistic velocities?
 
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  • #2
ive been thinking about pi and energy lately.

to simplify things here, ur just describing cosx/2. ie graph cosx...d/dt cosx is -sinx. pi rad of -sinx is (-1, +1 or "total ke" until it goes back down to -1 ie pe). relativistically speaking, the extreme case is analogous to an infinite amp, (staying with cos waves.) ie lim v---> c dt----->0, hence large distance(high amp) and no oscillation.
 
  • #3
e2m2a said:
Wonder what would happen to this circle at relativistic velocities?

Well, momentum in SR can take the form:
d2dec44ba56c41a31b4d334b144b51d6.png
where m0 is the invariant mass and gamma is the lorentz factor:
daa6c3acdd12b843a2f3bf4d9d757a28.png


The relativistic relation between kinetic energy and momentum is given by:

7dbc3a29632b88dcf0645840b1bf5a53.png


I haven't tried turning this relationship into a circle, but you're welcome to try.
 
  • #4
Radius ---> infinity.
 
  • #5
joe o'rourke said:
Radius ---> infinity.

Also just to add: the classic example of this in relativity is in the expansion of the universe and why we see "light years away" not a distance away at far distances.
 
  • #6
joe o'rourke said:
Radius ---> infinity.

joe o'rourke said:
Also just to add: the classic example of this in relativity is in the expansion of the universe and why we see "light years away" not a distance away at far distances.

This has nothing to do with the thread topic.
 
  • #7
e2m2a said:
There is a geometric way one can show the relation between kinetic energy and momentum which is a mathematical curiosity in my opinion. Let the mass of an object be equal to 2 PI. Then:

P = 2 pi v

KE = 1/2 (2 pi ) v sq
or
KE = pi v sq

Hence, graphically, if we set v = r, where r is the radius of a circle, we have a circle whose circumference is momentum, 2 pi v, and whose area is the kinetic energy, pi v sq. Thus, for the case where the mass is 2 pi, we see the kinetic energy is geometrically bounded by the momentum of the object. Interesting.
Wonder what would happen to this circle at relativistic velocities?

I personally don't think there is any significance here. For the cases where v is not equal to r, the properties of a circle disappear. There is no fundamental property here that can be generalized to all cases of v, and is nothing more than a result of simply choosing the variables to get the desired outcome.
 
  • #8
Unified28 said:
I personally don't think there is any significance here. For the cases where v is not equal to r, the properties of a circle disappear. There is no fundamental property here that can be generalized to all cases of v, and is nothing more than a result of simply choosing the variables to get the desired outcome.
I'm a little agree with it, for the special case won't exist if the special amount ##\pi## is replaced with any others.
 

Related to Pi, momentum, and kinetic energy

1. What is Pi and how is it related to circles?

Pi (π) is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It is approximately equal to 3.14159 and is a fundamental constant in mathematics and physics.

2. How is momentum defined and measured?

Momentum is defined as the product of an object's mass and velocity. It is measured as the mass of an object multiplied by its velocity, and the unit for momentum is kilogram-meters per second (kg·m/s).

3. What is the difference between momentum and kinetic energy?

Momentum and kinetic energy are both measures of an object's motion, but they are different quantities. Momentum is a vector quantity that describes the amount of motion an object has, while kinetic energy is a scalar quantity that describes the energy an object has due to its motion.

4. How are momentum and kinetic energy related?

According to the law of conservation of momentum, in a closed system where there are no external forces acting, the total momentum of the system remains constant. This means that if one object gains momentum, another object in the system must lose an equal amount of momentum. In contrast, the law of conservation of energy states that the total energy of a closed system remains constant. Therefore, momentum and kinetic energy are related in that they are both conserved quantities in a closed system.

5. How is kinetic energy calculated?

Kinetic energy is calculated using the equation KE = 1/2 * m * v^2, where KE is the kinetic energy, m is the mass of the object, and v is the velocity of the object. This equation shows that kinetic energy is directly proportional to both the mass and the square of the velocity of an object.

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