Question Detail

PHY 101 Mechanical Equilibrium and Rotational Dynamics Objective Question
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Question

What is the definition of the moment of inertia (I) for a rigid body consisting of many particles?
Options
A The sum of the forces acting on each particle.
B The product of the total mass and the square of the radius of gyration.
C The sum of the products of each particle's mass and its distance from the axis of rotation.
D The sum of the products of each particle's mass and the square of its distance from the axis of rotation.
Correct Answer
Correct Answer

Option D is the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation

Moment of inertia is the rotational analogue of mass. It quantifies an object's resistance to changes in its rotational motion. For a system of discrete particles, it is defined as the sum of (mass × distance²) for all particles, i.e., I = Σ m r².

Hint

Consider the formula for rotational kinetic energy, KE = ½ ω² Σ m r². The quantity Σ m r² is defined as the moment of inertia.

Question Info

Course: PHY 101
Topic: Mechanical Equilibrium and Rotational Dynamics
Type: Objective
Difficulty: Not specified
Question 570 of 1250
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