The moment of inertia of a body depends on

  • A. its mass only
  • B. its mass and how that mass is distributed about the axis of rotation
  • C. its angular speed
  • D. the torque applied to it

Explanation

Moment of inertia is the sum of each mass element multiplied by the square of its distance from the axis, so moving mass further out increases it sharply even when the total mass is unchanged. This is why a hollow cylinder has a larger moment of inertia than a solid one of the same mass. It plays the same role in rotation that mass plays in linear motion.

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