Physics › Section G · Statics, torque, and rotation › Topic G.5
Rotational dynamics and moment of inertia
A torque makes things spin faster or slower, but some objects respond far more sluggishly than others of the same mass. Rotational dynamics explains why: what resists a change in rotation is not just mass, but where that mass sits relative to the axis.
In this topic
- Why some things are hard to spin
- From F = ma to rotation
- Moment of inertia of a whole object
- Moments of inertia of common shapes
- Newton's second law for rotation
- Worked example: a winch drum
- Worked example: the axis matters
- Mass distribution in action
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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