Angular momentum is the tendency of an object in rotational movement to continue to rotate in the absence of any interfering force. An object's momentum will not change unless it is acted upon by an outside force. When the object (or a system of objects) is spinning, other factors have to be considered in discussing the momentum of the rotational movement. This momentum is referred to as angular momentum. The principles of angular momentum applies equally to spinning objects on Earth or to orbiting objects in space.

To understand the factors of angular momentum, the various influences on rotational movement must be considered. Three of these influences are 1) the speed of points at different distances from the center of rotation (angular velocity), 2) the moment of force, a product of two vectors (also known as torque), and 3) a figure derived from the summation of the distribution of...