Moment of Inertia
Moment of inertia is defined as the quantity expressed by the body resisting angular
acceleration which is the sum of the product of the mass of every particle with its square of a
distance from the axis of rotation. Or in more simple terms, it can be described as a quantity
that decides the amount of torque needed for a specific angular acceleration in a rotational
axis. Moment of Inertia is also known as the angular mass or rotational inertia. The SI unit of
moment of inertia is kg m2.
Moment of inertia is usually specified with respect to a chosen axis of rotation. It mainly
depends on the distribution of mass around an axis of rotation. MOI varies depending on the
axis that is chosen.
Moment of Inertia Formula
In General form Moment of Inertia is expressed as I = m × r2
where,
m = Sum of the product of the mass.
r = Distance from the axis of the rotation.
The dimensional formula of the moment of inertia is given by, M1 L2 T0.
The role of the moment of inertia is the same as the role of mass in linear motion. It is the
measurement of the resistance of a body to a change in its rotational motion. It is constant for
a particular rigid frame and a specific axis of rotation.
Moment of Inertia of a System of Particles
The moment of inertia of a system of particles is given by,
where ri is the perpendicular distance from the axis to the ith particle which has mass mi.
Moment of Inertia of Rigid Bodies
The moment of inertia of continuous mass distribution is found by using the integration
technique. If the system is divided into an infinitesimal element of mass ‘dm’ and if ‘x’ is the
distance from the mass element to the axis of rotation, the moment of inertia is:
Moment of Inertia of a Uniform Rod about a Perpendicular Bisector
Moment of Inertia of a Circular Ring about its Axis
Moment of Inertia of a Rectangular Plate about a Line Parallel to an Edge and Passing
through the Centre
Moment of Inertia of a Uniform Circular Plate about its Axis
Moment of Inertia for different Objects
As we note in the table above, the moment of inertia depends upon the axis of rotation.
Whatever we have calculated so far are the moment of inertia of those objects when the axis
is passing through their centre of masses (Icm). Having chosen, two different axes you will
observe that the object resists the rotational change differently. Therefore, to find the moment
of inertia through any given axis, the following theorems are useful.
Parallel Axis Theorem
Perpendicular Axis Theorem
Parallel Axis Theorem
The moment of inertia of an object about an axis through its centre of mass is the minimum
moment of inertia for an axis in that direction in space. The moment of inertia about an axis
parallel to that axis through the centre of mass is given by,
Where d is the distance between the two axes.
Perpendicular Axis Theorem
Perpendicular axis theorem is used when the body is symmetric in shape about two out of the
three axes. If the moment of inertia about two of the axes are known the moment of inertia
about the third axis can be found using the expression:
