moment of inertia

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the sum of the products of the mass and the square of the perpendicular distance to the axis of rotation of each particle in a body rotating about an axis.

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moment of inertia British  

noun

1.  I.  the tendency of a body to resist angular acceleration, expressed as the sum of the products of the mass of each particle in the body and the square of its perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation

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moment of inertia Scientific  

/ mō′mənt /

1. A measure of a body's resistance to angular acceleration, equal to the product of the mass of the body and the square of its distance from the axis of rotation.

2. See also angular momentum torque

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Etymology

Origin of moment of inertia

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

To do this, felines exploit the physical laws of classical mechanics: by placing their front paws close to their body, they reduce their moment of inertia.

From Scientific American • Jul. 24, 2023

They stretch their legs to create as large a moment of inertia as possible.

From Scientific American • Jul. 24, 2023

The quantity mr 2 is called the rotational inertia or moment of inertia of a point mass m a distance r from the center of rotation.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Why is the moment of inertia of a spherical shell that has a mass M and a radius R greater than that of a solid sphere that has the same mass and radius?

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Sliding weights attached to the bar enable its moment of inertia to be changed at pleasure.

From Lord Kelvin An account of his scientific life and work by Gray, Andrew