moment of inertia, in physics, quantitative measure of the rotational inertia of a body—i.e., the opposition that the body exhibits to having its speed of rotation about an axis altered by the application of a torque (turning force). The axis may be internal or external and may or may not be fixed. The moment of inertia (I), however, is always specified with respect to that axis and is defined as the sum of the products obtained by multiplying the mass of each particle of matter in a given body by the square of its distance from the axis. In calculating angular momentum for a rigid body, the moment of inertia is analogous to mass in linear momentum. For linear momentum, the momentum p is equal to the mass m times the velocity v; whereas for angular momentum, the angular momentum L is equal to the moment of inertia I times the angular velocity ω.
The shows two steel balls that are welded to a rod AB that is attached to a bar OQ at C. Neglecting the mass of AB and assuming that all particles of the mass m of each ball are concentrated at a distance r from OQ, the moment of inertia is given by I = 2mr2.
The unit of moment of inertia is a composite unit of measure. In the International System (SI), m is expressed in kilograms and r in metres, with I (moment of inertia) having the dimension kilogram-metre square. In the U.S. customary system, m is in slugs (1 slug = 32.2 pounds) and r in feet, with I expressed in terms of slug-foot square.
The moment of inertia of any body having a shape that can be described by a mathematical formula is commonly calculated by the integral calculus. The moment of inertia of the disk in the about OQ could be approximated by cutting it into a number of thin concentric rings, finding their masses, multiplying the masses by the squares of their distances from OQ, and adding up these products. Using the integral calculus, the summation process is carried out automatically; the answer is I = (mR2)/2. (See mechanics; torque.)
For a body with a mathematically indescribable shape, the moment of inertia can be obtained by experiment. One of the experimental procedures employs the relation between the period (time) of oscillation of a torsion pendulum and the moment of inertia of the suspended mass. If the disk in the were suspended by a wire OC fixed at O, it would oscillate about OC if twisted and released. The time for one complete oscillation would depend on the stiffness of the wire and the moment of inertia of the disk; the larger the inertia, the longer the time.