Moment of Inertia

KE_Tot = (¹/₂) I ²

I = [ m_i r_i²]

r_i is the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation.

For an extended body or a continuous body, this becomes

I = [ m_i r_i²]

I = [ r_i² m_i ]

r is still the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation.

Typically the density will be a constant so we will have

 

	Examples
Rotational Energy			Torque
Return to ToC, Ch10, Rotation about a Fixed Axis

(c) Doug Davis, 2001; all rights reserved