Moment of Inertia of a solid sphere

In summary: Therefore, to get the correct answer, the integral should be rewritten as:## I = \frac{3M}{4\pi R^3} \iiint r^4 \sin^2 \theta \sin \phi dr d\theta d\phi ##Integrating this yields:## I = \frac{3M}{4\pi R^3} \left(\frac{R^5}{5}\right) \left(\frac{2\pi}{2}\right) \left(\frac{2}{3}\right) = \frac{2}{5}MR^2 ##In summary, the moment of inertia of a uniform solid sphere for rotation about a diameter is ##\frac{
  • #1
cwbullivant
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Homework Statement



Taylor, Classical Mechanics Problem 10.11 **
a) Use the result of problem 10.4 (derivation of the general integral for a moment of inertia of a continuous mass distribution in spherical coordinates, using point particles) to find the moment of inertia of a uniform solid sphere for rotation about a diameter.
b) Do likewise for a uniform hollow sphere whose inner and outer radii are a and b. [One slick way to do this is to think of the hollow sphere as a solid sphere of radius b from which you have removed a sphere of the same density but radius a.]

Homework Equations



## I = \int r^2 dm ## - 1

## dm = \rho dV ## - 2

## \rho = \frac{M}{\frac{4\pi R^3}{3}} = \frac{3M}{4\pi R^3} ## - 3

## dV = r^2 sin \theta dr d\theta d\phi ## - 4

The Attempt at a Solution



I'm limiting it to part a for now, since that's where I got stuck. The problem statement is "any diameter", and I'm going to center the sphere on the origin and have it rotate about the z-axis, for convenience. The previous problem it references is a derivation of the general integral in spherical coordinates, so that's the system I'll be using here.

First, combining the equations to make a volume integral:

## I = \frac{3M}{4\pi R^3} \iiint r^4 sin \theta dr d\theta d\phi ##

Where the integration bounds are:

## r: 0 \rightarrow R ##
## \theta: 0 \rightarrow \pi ##
## \phi: 0 \rightarrow 2 \pi ##

First integrating phi:

## I = \frac{3M}{2 R^3} \iint r^4 sin \theta dr d\theta ##

And then theta:

## I = \frac{3M}{R^3} \int r^4 dr ##

And finally r:

## I = \frac{3M}{R^3} \frac{R^5}{5} = \frac{3}{5}MR^2 ##

But I know this is wrong, as the answer I learned in freshman mechanics was

## I = \frac{2}{5} MR^2 ##

And I can't seem to figure out why the answer is incorrect.
 
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  • #2
##r## in the definition of the moment of inertia is the distance from the axis of rotation, not the spherical coordinate ##r##.
 

Related to Moment of Inertia of a solid sphere

What is the moment of inertia of a solid sphere?

The moment of inertia of a solid sphere is a measure of its resistance to rotational motion around its axis. It is calculated by multiplying the mass of the sphere by the square of its radius.

How is the moment of inertia of a solid sphere different from that of a hollow sphere?

The moment of inertia of a solid sphere is greater than that of a hollow sphere with the same mass and radius. This is because the mass in a solid sphere is distributed throughout its entire volume, while the mass in a hollow sphere is concentrated towards the surface.

What is the formula for calculating the moment of inertia of a solid sphere?

The formula for calculating the moment of inertia of a solid sphere is I = (2/5) * m * r^2, where I is the moment of inertia, m is the mass of the sphere, and r is the radius of the sphere.

How does the moment of inertia of a solid sphere change with its mass?

The moment of inertia of a solid sphere increases proportionally with its mass. This means that a sphere with a greater mass will have a greater moment of inertia, making it more difficult to rotate around its axis.

Why is the moment of inertia of a solid sphere important in physics?

The moment of inertia of a solid sphere is important in physics because it plays a crucial role in determining the rotational motion of objects. It is used to calculate the angular acceleration and kinetic energy of a rotating sphere, and is also important in understanding the behavior of objects such as gyroscopes and planets.

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