MOMENT OF

INERTIA
UNIT 9 : ROTATIONAL DYNAMICS
 LESSON OBJECTIVE
define moment of
inertia.
determine the factors that
affect a system’s moment
of inertia.
Differentiate the moments
of inertia of single-object
and multiple-object
systems.
calculate the moment
of inertia about a
given axis of single-
object and multiple
object systems
 Activity Title:
Swing a Ball
The class will be
divided into three
groups. Each group
will be given a set of
materials to do the
activity. After the
given time is up. The
group will answer the
 Instructions:
1. Attach the lighter ball to the end
of a long string.
Materials:
2. Hold the other end of the string
· string or yarn and swing it around forming a
circular motion above your head.
· 2 small balls 3. Shorten the string and swing it
with different again.

weights 4. Replace the ball with the heavier

one, and swing it again.

5. Answer the guide questions.

 GUIDE QUESTION:
1. What happened when you made the string
shorter?

2. What happened when you replaced the ball with a

heavier one?

How do mass and its distance from the axis affect its
rotation?
MOMENT OF INERTIA
The moment of inertia
(denoted as I ) measures
how hard it is to rotate
an object around a What are the factors that
certain point or axis. It’s affect moment of inertia?
similar to how mass • Mass
affects an object’s • Mass Distribution
movement in a straight • Shape
line. The larger the • Axis of Rotation
moment of inertia, the • Size
harder it is to make the
Mass (m) Axis of Rotation
More mass means a higher The position of the axis matters.
moment of inertia, making it Rotating an object around
harder to rotate. different axes can change the
Mass Distribution moment of inertia. The farther
the axis from the center of the
If more mass is farther from the object, the higher the moment of
axis of rotation, the moment of inertia.
inertia increases. Two objects Size (Radius)
with the same mass can have
different moments of inertia Larger objects, like bigger
depending on their shape and cylinders or spheres, have higher
how the mass is spread out. moments of inertia because their
Shape mass is farther from the axis of
rotation.
Different shapes (like spheres or
cylinders) affect how the mass is
distributed, which changes the
moment of inertia.
 Rotation
• A rotation is any turning about
a fixed point.

• Axis of rotation: The line

through the fixed point around
which the object rotates. As you swing the ball on the
string, the ball follows a
circular motion and your
• Importance: Identifying the axis hand does not move relative
of rotation is crucial when to the ball. Thus, the ball is
describing rotational motion. in rotation with your hand at
the fixed point. The line
through the fixed point of a
rotating object is called the
Moment of inertia: An object's resistance to
changes in its rotational motion around an axis.

• Larger moment of inertia: Harder to rotate or

stop the rotation.

• Heavier objects: Tend to have a greater

moment of inertia.

• Mass distribution: The farther the mass is from

the axis, the more it contributes to the moment
of inertia.

• Factors affecting moment of inertia: Both mass

and how it's distributed relative to the axis.
 Moment of Inertia of a
Point Mass
When analyzing the moment of inertia of a point
mass m in uniform circular motion with radius r
about an axis
The moment of inertia
must be specified with
respect to a chosen axis of
rotation. For a point mass, Where:
the moment of inertia is I = Moment of Inertia (kg·m²)
m = Mass of the Point Object
just the mass times the
(kg)
square of perpendicular r = Distance from the Axis of
distance to the rotation Rotation (m)
axis,
 Moment of Inertia for a System of
Discrete Particles
If there are several point masses, i.e., a system of
discrete particles
the total moment of inertia I
can be calculated by summing
the contributions from each
individual point mass. The
moment of inertia for each Where:
point mass is determined by
the formula , where is the
mass of the -th particle and is
its distance from the axis of
rotation.
 Moment of Inertia for a System of
Discrete Particles
Explanation:

• Each point mass contributes to the total

moment of inertia based on its mass and its
distance from the axis.

• By summing these contributions, you can

determine how resistant the entire system is to
changes in its rotational motion around the
specified axis.
The axis of rotation is
What is the
important when calculating
the moment of inertia
significance of
because it affects how the axis of
difficult it is to rotate an rotation when
object. The moment of calculating the
inertia tells us how the
moment of
mass of an object is spread
out around the axis of
inertia?
rotation, and it influences
how much force is needed
Here’s why it matters:
• Mass Placement: If more of the object's
mass is farther from the axis, it becomes
harder to rotate. So, objects with mass spread
out away from the axis have a larger moment
of inertia.

• Different Axes, Different Values: The

moment of inertia changes depending on the
axis you’re rotating around.

For example, spinning a disc around its

center is easier than spinning it around its
edge.
 Moment of Inertia of Continuous
Mass Distributions
The moment of inertia for continuous mass
distributions applies the same principle as for
discrete masses.

• Instead of summing finite mass points, the

object is treated as a continuum of infinitesimal
mass elements.

an object as being made up of countless tiny

mass parts that form a smooth, continuous
whole.
 Moment of Inertia of Continuous
Mass Distributions
The contribution of each small mass element dm to the
moment of inertia is calculated using integration

Where:
• r is the distance of the
mass element from the axis
of rotation.

• dm represents an
infinitesimally small mass
element.
 Moment of Inertia of Continuous
Mass Distributions
• Integration is used because there are infinitely
many mass elements contributing to the total
moment of inertia.

• This method is used to calculate the moment of

inertia for objects like rods, discs, and spheres with
continuous mass.

• The moment of inertia depends on both the

geometry of the body and the axis of rotation.

• The axis of rotation varies based on how the object

 In other cases, the
Objects can rotate axis of rotation can
around their central be perpendicular to
axis, which runs the object.
through the
geometric center. ▪ Example: In a spin-
the-bottle game, the
▪ Example: A rolling bottle spins around
bottle rotates an axis
around its central perpendicular to
axis. its length and
through its center.
The moment of inertia for a rigid body
varies depending on the axis of rotation.

• A single rigid body can have infinitely

many moments of inertia because there
are infinitely many
possible axes along which it can rotate.

• Each axis of rotation results in a

different distribution of mass relative to
the axis, changing the moment of inertia.
Moments of inertia of some rigid
bodies with mass M
Moments of inertia of some rigid
bodies with mass M
Moments of inertia of some rigid
bodies with mass M
Moments of inertia of some rigid
bodies with mass M
Moments of inertia of some rigid
bodies with mass M
SOLVING
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
Answer the questions briefly. (3 to 5 sentences)

1. Is it possible for a point mass to have a zero moment of

inertia? Explain.

2. Suppose we have two identical disks A and B. If we drill a

large hole through the center of disk A, which disk has the
greater moment of inertia about the axis through the center
and perpendicular to the disk? Explain.

3. Is the moment of inertia of the center of mass of a system of

discrete particles the same as the moment of inertia of the
system? Why or why not?