Moment of inertia of a rigid body

In summary: The first two termstogether are the MoI of the outer hollow cylinder. This may be something you have to show. In any case, it would be a good exercise to derive this.The third termis the MoI of the inner cylinder of mass##M## and radius ##R##. It's not the MOI of the external block.The MoI of the outer hollow cylinder is the first term, and the MoI of the inner cylinder is the second term. The third term is the MoI of the whole system, which is the sum of the MoI of the two cylinders.
  • #1
doktorwho
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6

Homework Statement


Determine the moment of inertia of a rigid body on the picture:
inertia.JPG

The radius of the inner cylinder is R and the outer is 2R.

Homework Equations


3. The Attempt at a Solution [/B]
I thought of subtracting the big cylinder inertia from the small and adding the hanging body and i get:
##I=\frac{m}{2}(R^2 + 4R^2) + m(2R)^2##
but for some reason the book states its:
##I=\frac{m}{2}(R^2 + 4R^2) + \frac{m}{2}R^2##
Why is it like this? Isn't the body hanging from the the outher radius and is like a point mass?
Could you explain?
 
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  • #2
Try inverting Kinetic energy = ##{1\over 2} I\omega^2 ## for m

and you'll find you are correct. As you could expect from such a dimensional mismatch, the book is wrong :smile:
 
  • #3
PS
doktorwho said:
I thought of subtracting the big cylinder inertia from the small
the other way around ?

the drawing is confusing: does the inner cylinder have mass m ? Or is the cylinder hollow and does the axle with radius 0 have mass m ?
 
  • #4
BvU said:
PS
the other way around ?

the drawing is confusing: does the inner cylinder have mass m ? Or is the cylinder hollow and does the axle with radius 0 have mass m ?
Sorry i made numeorus errors, what i meant was that i got
##I=\frac{m}{2}(-R^2 + 4R^2) + m(2R)^2##
Since i subtracted the smaller one from the bigger one. and they got:
##I=\frac{m}{2}(R^2 + 4R^2) + \frac{m}{2}R^2##
 
  • #5
doktorwho said:
Sorry i made numeorus errors, what i meant was that i got
##I=\frac{m}{2}(-R^2 + 4R^2) + m(2R)^2##
Since i subtracted the smaller one from the bigger one. and they got:

Why would you subtract like that?

PS The answer given is correct for a dual-density cylinder with an inner cylinder of mass M and radius R and an outer hollow cylinder also of mass M and outer radius 2R.

The hanging block is not part of the "rigid body", so perhaps should be excluded for now. That might become clear in the next part of the question.
 
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  • #6
doktorwho said:
Sorry i made numeorus errors, what i meant was that i got
##I=\frac{m}{2}(-R^2 + 4R^2) + m(2R)^2##
Since i subtracted the smaller one from the bigger one. and they got:
##I=\frac{m}{2}(R^2 + 4R^2) + \frac{m}{2}R^2##
Yes, and I look like a fool now, referring to dimensional errors that have disappearedited o0) . Never mind. PeroK is correct on ##\forall## counts.
 
  • #7
PeroK said:
Why would you subtract like that?

PS The answer given is correct for a dual-density cylinder with an inner cylinder of mass M and radius R and an outer hollow cylinder also of mass M and outer radius 2R.

The hanging block is not part of the "rigid body", so perhaps should be excluded for now. That might become clear in the next part of the question.
Oh i see. So the moment of inertia is the sum of two inertias, the sum of body on the inside plus the one on the outside.
##I=m/2*(R^2+4R^2) + X## where x is the part i don't get. Why is the thrid term there, isn't this all ther is? I combined the total system?
 
  • #8
doktorwho said:
Oh i see. So the moment of inertia is the sum of two inertias, the sum of body on the inside plus the one on the outside.
##I=m/2*(R^2+4R^2) + X## where x is the part i don't get. Why is the thrid term there, isn't this all ther is? I combined the total system?

That's not quite it. You have three components to the system. I suggest that the hanging block is excluded from your calculation, as it isn't part of a rigid body.

The first two terms ##I=m/2*(R^2+4R^2)## together are the MoI of the outer hollow cylinder. This may be something you have to show. In any case, it would be a good exercise to derive this.

The third term ##m/2*(R^2)## is the MoI of the inner cylinder of mass ##M## and radius ##R##. It's not the MOI of the external block.
 
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  • #9
Agree with PerOK; he's giving away a lot -- but then again: the link I gave in #3 tells the story in full also. You subtract the smaller one cylinder from the bigger one and end up with a plus sign anyway :smile: because of the m, Do the exercise !
 
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  • #10
Got it, thanks :)
 

FAQ: Moment of inertia of a rigid body

1. What is the definition of moment of inertia?

Moment of inertia is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in rotational motion. It is the sum of the mass of each particle in the object multiplied by the square of its distance from the axis of rotation.

2. How is moment of inertia calculated?

Moment of inertia is calculated by integrating the mass of each particle in the object multiplied by the square of its distance from the axis of rotation.

3. What are the units of moment of inertia?

The units of moment of inertia depend on the system of units being used. In the SI system, the units are kilogram square meters (kg*m^2). In the CGS system, the units are gram square centimeters (g*cm^2).

4. How does the shape of an object affect its moment of inertia?

The shape of an object affects its moment of inertia because it determines the distribution of mass around the axis of rotation. Objects with more mass located farther from the axis of rotation will have a higher moment of inertia compared to objects with more mass closer to the axis.

5. What is the significance of moment of inertia in rotational motion?

Moment of inertia is significant in rotational motion because it affects an object's angular acceleration. Objects with a higher moment of inertia will require more torque to achieve the same angular acceleration as an object with a lower moment of inertia.

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