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moment of inertia

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | Copyright

moment of inertia (symbol I) For a system of several bodies, the mass of each body multiplied by the square of its distance from the centre of the system, the products all being added together. For a single solid body, the moment of inertia is the sum of the mass of each particle in that body multiplied by the square of its distance from the body's axis of rotation. The shape of the Moon, for example, is an ellipsoid with three different axes, the longest of them pointing towards the Earth. The moments of inertia of the Moon about these three axes are slightly different, which can produce measurable effects in the orbit of an artificial lunar satellite. Moment of inertia is a measure of a body's ability to resist a change in its state of rest or angular velocity.

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moment of inertia

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | | Copyright

moment of inertia (l) The kinematic properties of a rotating body; a measure of the rotational inertia of an object around a specific axis of rotation, in units of kg/m². In the Earth, the principal moment of inertia lies close to the axis of rotation and passes through the centre of mass of the Earth. Changes in the mass distribution, e.g. ice sheets, seasonal atmospheric changes, etc., cause changes in the location of the moments of inertia.

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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "moment of inertia." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "moment of inertia." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-momentofinertia.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "moment of inertia." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-momentofinertia.html

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moment of inertia

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

moment of inertia (symbol I) For a rotating object, the sum of the products formed by multiplying the point masses of the rotating object by the squares of their distances from the axis of rotation.

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