Moment of inertia of spherical shell

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
1 reply · 4K views
tsw99
Messages
33
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Moment of inertia of spherical shell of radius R, mass M along its rotation axis is given by [tex]\frac{2}{3}MR^{2}[/tex]
I am trying to calculate this

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution


This is my attempt but is unsuccessful,
since the spherical shell is an assembly of rings (of varying radius), and the MI of a ring is
[tex]I=MR^{2}[/tex]
Hence [tex]dI=y^{2}dm[/tex]
[tex]I=\int y^2(2\pi \sigma ydz[/tex]
Using [tex]y=Rsin\theta[/tex] and [tex]z=Rcos\theta[/tex]
I get:
[tex]I=2 \pi \sigma R^{4} \int sin^{4}\theta d\theta<br /> =2 \pi \sigma R^{4} \frac{3\pi}{8}<br /> =\frac{3\pi MR^{2}}{16}[/tex]
which is incorrect.

Which step I have gone wrong? Thanks
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
The constant surface charge refers to the spherical surface element which is R^2 sinθ dφ dθ in the spherical polar coordinates. After integrating for φ for a ring, it is dA=2πR^2 dθ. You have to multiply this by σ to get dm, and by the square of the distance from the axis, (Rsinθ)^2. So you have only sin^3 in the integrand. ehild