9/29/13 List of moments of inertia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_moments_of_inertia 1/4
List of moments of inertia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The mass moment of inertia, usually denoted I, measures the extent to which an object resists rotational acceleration about an axis, and is the rotational analogue to mass. Mass moments
of inertia have units of dimension mass length
2
. It should not be confused with the second moment of area, which is used in bending calculations.
Geometrically simple objects have moments of inertia that can be expressed mathematically, but it may not be straightforward to symbolically express the moment of inertia of more
complex bodies.
The following moments of inertia assume constant density throughout the object, and the axis of rotation is taken to be through the centre of mass, unless otherwise specified.
Moments of inertia
Description Figure Moment(s) of inertia
Point mass m at a distance r from the axis
of rotation.
A point mass does not have a moment of inertia around its own
axis, but by using the
around a distant axis of rotation is achieved.
Two point masses, M and m, with
reduced mass and separated by a
distance, x.

Rod of length L and mass m

(Axis of rotation at the end of the rod)

[1]
This expression assumes that the rod is an infinitely thin (but rigid)
wire. This is also a special case of the thin rectangular plate with
axis of rotation at the end of the plate, with
Rod of length L and mass m

[1]
This expression assumes that the rod is an infinitely thin (but rigid)
wire. This is a special case of the thin rectangular plate with axis
of rotation at the center of the plate, with
Thin circular hoop of radius r and mass m
This is a special case of a
as of a thick-walled cylindrical tube with open ends, with
and h = 0.
Thin, solid disk of radius r and mass m
This is a special case of the solid cylinder, with
is a consequence of the
theorem.
Thin cylindrical shell with open ends, of
radius r and mass m

[1]
This expression assumes the shell thickness is negligible. It is a
special case of the thick-walled cylindrical tube for
Also, a point mass (
same moment of inertia and the value
gyration.
Solid cylinder of radius r, height h and
mass m

[1]
This is a special case of the thick-walled cylindrical tube, with
= 0. (Note: X-Y axis should be swapped for a standard right
handed frame)
Thick-walled cylindrical tube with open
ends, of inner radius r
1
, outer radius r
2
,

[1][2]
With a density of
9/29/13 List of moments of inertia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_moments_of_inertia 2/4
length h and mass m or when defining the normalized thickness t
n
= t/r and letting r = r
2
,
then
Tetrahedron of side s and mass m
Octahedron (hollow) of side s and mass
m

Octahedron (solid) of side s and mass m

Sphere (hollow) of radius r and mass m

[1]
A hollow sphere can be taken to be made up of two stacks of
infinitesimally thin, circular hoops, where the radius differs from
to r (or a single stack, , where the radius differs from
Ball (solid) of radius r and mass m

[1]
A sphere can be taken to be made up of two stacks of
infinitesimally thin, solid discs, where the radius differs from 0 to
(or a single stack, where the radius differs from
Also, it can be taken to be made up of infinitesimally thin, hollow
spheres, where the radius differs from 0 to
Sphere (shell) of radius r
2
, with centered
spherical cavity of radius r
1
and mass m

[1]
When the cavity radius
When r
1
= r
2
,
hollow sphere.
Right circular cone with radius r, height h
and mass m

[3]

[3]

9/29/13 List of moments of inertia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_moments_of_inertia 3/4
Torus of tube radius a, cross-sectional
radius b and mass m.
About a diameter:
[4]
About the vertical axis:
[4]

Ellipsoid (solid) of semiaxes a, b, and c

with axis of rotation a and mass m

Thin rectangular plate of height h and of

width w and mass m
(Axis of rotation at the end of the plate)

Thin rectangular plate of height h and of

width w and mass m

[1]

Solid cuboid of height h, width w, and

depth d, and mass m
For a similarly oriented
.
Solid cuboid of height D, width W, and
length L, and mass m with the longest
diagonal as the axis.
For a cube with sides
Plane polygon with vertices , , ,
..., and
mass uniformly distributed on its
interior, rotating about an axis
perpendicular to the plane and passing
through the origin.
This expression assumes that the polygon is
vectors , ,
Infinite disk with mass normally
9/29/13 List of moments of inertia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_moments_of_inertia 4/4
distributed on two axes around the axis of
rotation
(i.e.
Where : is the mass-density as a
function of x and y).

See also
Moment of inertia
Parallel axis theorem
Perpendicular axis theorem
List of area moments of inertia
List of moment of inertia tensors
References
1. ^
a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i
Raymond A. Serway (1986). Physics for Scientists and Engineers, second ed. Saunders College Publishing. p. 202. ISBN 0-03-004534-7.
2. ^ Classical Mechanics - Moment of inertia of a uniform hollow cylinder (http://www.livephysics.com/problems-and-answers/classical-mechanics/find-moment-of-inertia-of-a-uniform-
hollow-cylinder.html). LivePhysics.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^
a

b
Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell Johnston, Jr (1984). Vector Mechanics for Engineers, fourth ed. McGraw-Hill. p. 911. ISBN 0-07-004389-2.
4. ^
a

b
Eric W. Weisstein. "Moment of Inertia Ring" (http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/MomentofInertiaRing.html). Wolfram Research. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_moments_of_inertia&oldid=573402861"
Categories: Mechanics Physics-related lists
This page was last modified on 17 September 2013 at 21:09.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.