Definition of Parallel-axis theorem

[Duane]

What is the physical meaning of each term in the parallel-axis theorem?


I=I com +Mh^2

 

[Doc Al]

What is the physical meaning of each term in the parallel-axis theorem?


I=I com +Mh^2

Not sure what you mean by 'physical' meaning, but:
I = moment of inertia about some axis a distance 'h' from the center of mass
Icom = moment of inertia about some axis (parallel to the other) passing through the center of mass
M = mass of object
h = distance between those two parallel axes

You can think of it as the sum of the moment of inertia about the center of mass and the moment of inertia of the total mass (considered as a point mass) about the axis in question.

 

[Andrew Mason]

What is the physical meaning of each term in the parallel-axis theorem?


I=I com +Mh^2

Icom is the moment of inertia of an object about an axis through the centre of mass. I is the moment of inertia of the object about an axis that is parallel to the axis through the centre of mass (com) and separated from it by a distance h. M is the mass of the object.

AM

 

[Duane]

Thanks, that helped a lot!

 

[PJC01]

The Parallel-axis theorem is a fundamental principle in mechanics that relates the moment of inertia of an object about an axis passing through its center of mass to the moment of inertia about a parallel axis. It states that the moment of inertia about a parallel axis is equal to the moment of inertia about the center of mass plus the product of the mass of the object and the square of the distance between the two axes.

In this equation, "I" represents the moment of inertia, which is a measure of an object's resistance to rotational motion. It is similar to mass in linear motion, where a larger mass requires more force to accelerate. In rotational motion, a larger moment of inertia requires more torque to produce the same angular acceleration.

"I com" refers to the moment of inertia about the center of mass, which is the point around which the mass of an object is evenly distributed. It is the axis that an object will rotate around if no external forces are acting upon it.

"M" represents the mass of the object, which is a measure of the amount of matter it contains. The greater the mass, the greater the moment of inertia.

Finally, "h" refers to the distance between the two axes. This distance is squared in the equation because the moment of inertia is directly proportional to the square of the distance from the axis of rotation. This means that the farther the axis of rotation is from the center of mass, the larger the moment of inertia will be.

In summary, the parallel-axis theorem states that the moment of inertia about a parallel axis can be calculated by adding the moment of inertia about the center of mass to the product of the mass and the square of the distance between the two axes. This theorem is important in understanding rotational motion and has practical applications in fields such as engineering and physics.