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Rotational Inertia - help2

The amount of torque experienced by an object depends upon the amount of force applied to the object, the direction of the force, and the distance that the line of force is from the axis of rotation.

There are two similar versions of this question. Here is one of the versions:

Version 1:
A ring (A) and a solid disk (B) have the same mass. That mass is concentrated along the rim of the ring and distributed uniformly about the disk. For which object – A or B – is the rotational inertia (I) about the axis the greatest?

The amount of mass present in a rotating object will affect the rotational inertia of that object. Both of these objects have the same mass. But the manner in which the mass is distributed within the object is different for the two situations. And the distribution of mass is equally important in determining the rotational inertia of the object. The further the mass is distributed from the axis of rotation, the greater that the rotational inertia will be. The rotational axis is located at the object's center. For the ring, the mass is concentrated on the outer rim, far from the axis of rotation. And for the solid disk, the mass is evenly distributed about the entire area of the disk. Use this information to determine which object has the greatest rotational inertia.

Try these links to The Physics Classroom Tutorial for more help with understanding the concept of rotational inertia:

Sorry. We hope to add resources in the future.

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