Talk:Angular frequency

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Is Angular frequency a scalar quantity (= Angular speed) or a vector quantity (=Angular velocity)? If AF = scalar, then I suggest we need a new Angular velocity article regarding its vector properties and make Angular speed redirect\: The short answer to ian cairns is that its both. It is a scalar that forms part of a vector, because its the magnitude of the vector. However (and here's the sticking point), it shouldn't be redirected to angular velocity or angular speed (which are often confused with each other anyway, let alone with angular frequency).

The problem (speaking linearly for a moment) is that velocity is metres/second, and speed is usually the magnitude of that (because velocity is actually a vector with speed as a magnitude and a heading as direction). Cars travel at speeds of 60kph, but their velocity is technically, say, 60kph heading due west. We don't say they travelled at a frequency of 60 (units of Hertz (Hz)), because that's referring to cycles per second -- which is probably akind to saying that the car travelled west 60 times each second. See? It just doesn't make the same kind of sense.

Similar thing with circles and circular motion. Angular velocity is its speed around the circle (how fast its going round the circle). Angular frequency is how many times it can do that in a unit period of time (usually a second). Does that make sense? Or have I unknowingly tied myself up in knots at some point? ;-)

--- SahRae Hyjo 05:16, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The equations for linear acceleration are using x instead of r as defined above them. FIX IT~! 155.33.109.3 (talk) 19:45, 2 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've separated the confusing text into sections and added an explanation of x. It wasn't really the same as the r above, though there is an analogy - should we explain it here? Dbfirs 08:44, 25 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Angular speed

Currently, we have a redirect from "angular speed" to this article. I believe that the article should be under the heading "angular speed" because that is the more general term, with "angular frequency" being one particular way to measure angular speed. This is a fairly minor point. What does anyone else think? Dbfirs 22:36, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest that angular speed should redirect to angular velocity instead. :-) --Steve (talk) 05:20, 14 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]