Positive second-moment matrix test for an inertia tensor

ID: positive-second-moment-matrix-test-for-an-inertia-tensor

For a nonnegative mass distribution relative to an origin, the second-moment matrix is and the inertia tensor is . Taking the trace gives the displayed inverse formula, which must be positive semidefinite. Conversely, any such can be realized by pairs of point masses along its orthogonal principal directions. Thus this is also a realizability test when total mass and dimensions are unrestricted. In principal coordinates it is equivalent to the moment-of-inertia triangle inequalities: , with cyclic counterparts. A symmetric positive definite matrix alone need not be a physical inertia tensor.

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