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Moment of inertia is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its rotational motion. It depends on the mass and distribution of the object's mass relative to its axis of rotation.
Moment of inertia is different from mass because it takes into account not only the mass of an object, but also its distribution. An object with the same mass can have different moments of inertia depending on how its mass is distributed.
The formula for calculating moment of inertia varies depending on the shape and distribution of an object's mass. For example, the moment of inertia of a point mass is calculated using the formula I = mr^2, where m is the mass and r is the distance from the object's axis of rotation.
Moment of inertia affects an object's rotational motion by determining how much torque, or rotational force, is required to change the object's angular velocity. Objects with larger moments of inertia require more torque to change their rotational motion.
Moment of inertia is important in many areas of physics and engineering, such as in understanding the motion of rotating objects and designing structures and machines that can withstand rotational forces. It also plays a crucial role in the conservation of angular momentum, which is a fundamental principle in physics.
