Rotational Motion

ROTATIONAL MOTION: MOMENT OF INERTIA
INERTIA
Inertia is defined as the tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest and an object in
motion to stay moving in a straight line at a constant velocity. A similar principle applies to
objects moving in rotational motion.
Moment Of Inertia
Moment of inertia also known as rotational inertia, is defined as the property of a rotating
body to resist change in its state of rotation. The SI unit for the moment of inertia is kg· m2.
An object rotating about an axis tends to continue rotating about that axis unless an unbalanced
external force (torque) tries to stop it. This is because objects tend to resist any change in their
state of motion. This resistance is physically embodied in the mass of the object.
Moment of inertia depends on the distribution of the mass. A mass which is at greater
distance from the axis of rotation has a greater moment of inertia compared to the same mass
which is near the axis of rotation.
The moment of inertia gives a measurement of the resistance of the body to a change in
its rotational motion. The larger the moment of inertia of a body, the more difficult it is to put
that body into rotational motion or the larger the moment of inertia of body, the more difficult it
is to stop its rotational motion.
The moment of inertia of a particle about an axis is obtained by multiplying the mass by
the square of its distance from the axis.
I=mr2
where I is the moment of inertia; m is mass; and r is distance from the axis of rotation.
For a system made up of several particles, the moment of inertia of the system is the sum
of the individual moments of inertia
Radius of gyration is the distance from an axis of rotation where the mass of a body may
be assumed to be concentrated without altering the moment of inertia of the body about that axis.
Radius of gyration is analogous to the center of mass.
It is important to remember that when moment of inertia is asked for, it is a must to

determine first about what axis the rotation will takes place. Because, is different from each axis
and, since I differs as r2 , I is also different from each axis.
ROTATIONAL MOTION: TORQUE
moment of force. The Greek letter tau 𝜏 is usually used to represent torque. Torque can be
The effectiveness of a force in rotating a body on which it acts is called torque or
determined by multiplying the force applied F by the perpendicular distance from the axis of
rotation to the line along which the force acts. This perpendicular distance is called moment arm
or lever arm, represented by r. The magnitude of the torque can be calculated using:
Maximum torque can be obtained if θ is 90°. The value for sin 90° is 1. If the angle is
perpendicular or is in 90°, you can use this formula,
𝜏 = Fr
This formula is consistent with the definition of torque as a cross product of force and
displacement/distance.
An equivalent way of finding torque associated with a given force into components
parallel and perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The parallel component F1 exerts no torque. F2
also exerts no torque since the force applied is directed to the axis of rotation. The perpendicular
component of the force F3 produces torque.
The SI unit of torque is meter· newton (m· N). Torque is a vector quantity. Torque may
also be positive or negative depending on the sense of rotation. By convention, torque is positive
if it tends to produce counterclockwise rotation. It is negative if it tends to produce clockwise
rotation. The greater torque applied to an object, the greater its tendency to rotate. Torque is also
applied when you turn on a water faucet or tighten a nut with a wrench.
Examples:
1. A particle located at 0.56 m is acted upon by a constant force of 4.7 N. The force
makes the particles to rotate in clockwise direction. Calculate the torque about the origin that the
particle experiences as a result of this force.
2. If the force applied is perpendicular to the handle of the wrench as shown in the
diagram, find: a. torque exerted by the force about the center of the nut b. type of rotation

Rotational Motion

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ROTATIONAL MOTION: MOMENT OF INERTIA

It is important to remember that when moment of inertia is asked for, it is a must to

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