The parallel axis theorem relates the moment of inertia about an axis through the centre of mass to that about a parallel axis a perpendicular distance away:To see the cross term vanish, write each perpendicular displacement as its displacement from the centre of mass plus the fixed offset. In the defining mass integral, the first moment about the centre of mass is zero.
For a thin planar rigid body in the plane, the perpendicular axis theorem sayswhere all three axes pass through the same point, lie in the plane, and is perpendicular to it. This follows directly from being the squared distance from the axis. The thin-planar condition and common intersection point are essential; the formula is not a general identity for three-dimensional bodies.
Axis theorems. The parallel axis theorem stateswhere is the moment of inertia about an axis through the centre of mass, is about a parallel axis, is the body's total mass, and is the perpendicular separation of the axes. Expanding proves the result because at the centre of mass. The perpendicular axis theorem applies to a planar lamina in the plane:All three axes meet at the same point, lie in the lamina and is normal to it; the identity follows from being the squared distance to the axis. It is not a theorem for an arbitrary three-dimensional body.
Cylinder integrals. Put the cylinder's midpoint at and its symmetry axis along . Its uniform mass density is . The transverse moment of inertia of a uniform solid cylinder about the axis isEquivalently each thin circular slice has diametral moment of inertia , by the perpendicular axis theorem and symmetry, and shifting it by adds . The parallel axis theorem then gives the transverse end-axis moment of inertia:The axial moment of inertia of a uniform solid cylinder is . Equating it to givesHere the source's principal axis means the cylinder's symmetry axis; its transverse centre axes are also principal axes. This equality describes a short cylinder rather than the thin-rod limit.
Hammer dynamics and forces. Treat the compact head as a point mass and neglect its intrinsic moment of inertia. Let be the displacement from downward vertical, and let point along the rod from pivot to head, with in the direction of increasing . DefineThe two external weights and act at distances and from the pivot. The frictionless pivot supplies a reaction but no torque about its axis. The total restoring torque and rotational equation of motion areFor completeness, Newton's second law for the centre of mass gives both components of the pivot force:The negative radial component points towards the pivot. These follow from the centre of mass acceleration and the total weight . They specify the external forces even when the oscillation is not small.
With the small-angle approximation, , this is simple harmonic motion. The physical pendulum has small-amplitude oscillation periodFor release from a finite amplitude , conservation of mechanical energy instead gives . Integrating a quarter-cycle gives the exact oscillation periodwhere is the complete elliptic integral of the first kind; recovers .
For and , compare with the simple pendulum value :For small oscillations, the hammer's oscillation period is about shorter. The extra rod weight adds restoring torque proportionately faster than it adds pivot moment of inertia.
Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge 2011 Paper 2 Section C C10 Solution 2026-10-20
Relative to an origin, the inertia tensor is , with . Its orthogonal eigenvectors are principal axes, with eigenvalues the principal moments of inertia. Different components of are multiplied by different eigenvalues, so angular momentum need not point along angular velocity.
For a uniform thin disc, radial integration gives . The perpendicular axis theorem and symmetry then give , henceFor the elastic eccentric impact of a thin disc, neglect gravity's impulse and take the pole's impulse as vertical. Let point up and let the contact position relative to the centre be . An upward impulse givesFor an elastic impact with a fixed pole, the contact point reverses its normal velocity, so . ThereforeHere denotes upward motion; the centre can still move down if . Substitution givesThis also follows by combining conserved angular momentum about the fixed contact with conserved kinetic energy and selecting the separating, nonzero-impulse solution. At the disc simply rebounds without rotation; at its centre is instantaneously stationary. The rebound result concerns the contacting material point immediately after this ideal impact, not its subsequent contact history.
For a thin gyrocompass flywheel with rotational symmetry, the perpendicular axis theorem gives . This does not require the mass to be concentrated at the rim. Convert the specified spin to angular velocity and use one sidereal day for Earth's rotation:At the given latitude,The associated oscillation period is . This uses the stated neglect of the support assembly's contribution to the moment of inertia; a substantial additional vertical moment of inertia would lengthen the oscillation period.
About a specified axis, the moment of inertia is , giving rotational kinetic energy for fixed-axis rotation. With square coordinates centred on the plate,The in-plane inertia isotropy of a square plate follows using the perpendicular axis theorem, which gives . For any in-plane central axis at angle , the perpendicular in-plane axis has the same inertia by the square's rotational symmetry. Their sum is , so every such in-plane axis has .
The parallel axis theorem gives hinge inertia . During the short impulse gravity is negligible, and the hinge impulse has no moment about the hinge. ThereforeThe hinge impulse of an edge-pivoted square plate follows from linear momentum: . Taking its positive direction to be that of the applied impulse,Generally alone does not supply the centre-of-mass momentum compatible with rotation about the fixed hinge, so the hinge supplies the difference. Its impulse vanishes at the centre of percussion,
Choose three mutually perpendicular axes through the same point, and label coordinates . The moments of inertia of any rigid body areSubtracting givesFor a thin planar lamina lying in , the right-hand side vanishes, proving the perpendicular axis theorem:The two in-plane axes and the perpendicular axis must intersect at one point; this need not be the centre of mass. For an extended three-dimensional mass distribution, the equality generally fails. The general moment-of-inertia triangle inequalities arewith equality in the first precisely when all mass lies in the plane perpendicular to its axis, and cyclically for the others. None of these identities requires principal axes.
Let denote the moment of inertia normal to the disc and that about any central diameter. Rotational symmetry makes the two perpendicular diameter values equal. By the perpendicular axis theorem, . The intended angular impulse has magnitude ; delivering that magnitude about a diameter instead gives . ThusThese are principal axes, so angular momentum is parallel to angular velocity in both cases. Equal delivered angular impulse means equal magnitude of the change in angular momentum, not equal rotational kinetic energy; the actual rotational kinetic energy is twice the intended value.
Planar lamina 2026-10-18
A planar lamina is an ideal mass distribution confined to a plane, with surface mass density and infinitesimal mass . Its moment of inertia about an axis is the integral of squared perpendicular distance against this mass element. Three mutually perpendicular axes through one point, with two in the lamina's plane, obey the perpendicular axis theorem even when the density is nonuniform.
For an axisymmetric planar lamina of total mass , let be its moment of inertia about the central axis normal to its plane. The perpendicular axis theorem and rotational symmetry give about central diameters. An in-plane tangent line a perpendicular distance from a parallel central diameter therefore has moment of inertia by the parallel axis theorem. An axis normal to the lamina through the same rim point instead has ; specifying the point without the axis direction is insufficient.