For a system of particles, how is the moment of inertia calculated?

For a system of particles, how is the moment of inertia calculated?

Step 1: Identify the particles in the system and their masses (m_i).
Step 2: Determine the axis of rotation for the system.
Step 3: Measure the distance (r_i) of each particle from the axis of rotation.
Step 4: For each particle, calculate the product of its mass and the square of its distance from the axis (m_i * r_i^2).
Step 5: Add all the values from Step 4 together to get the total moment of inertia (I = Σ(m_i * r_i^2)).

Moment of Inertia – The moment of inertia quantifies how mass is distributed relative to an axis of rotation, affecting the rotational motion of a system.
System of Particles – A collection of individual masses, each contributing to the overall moment of inertia based on their distance from the axis of rotation.
Summation Notation – The use of Σ indicates that the moment of inertia is calculated by summing the contributions of all particles in the system.