A hollow sphere, a solid sphere, a hollow right cylinder (or hoop), and a solid right cylinder, each with the same total mass and identical maximum radius, are each rotated about their axis of symmetry. The object with the largest moment of inertia is the
A) hollow sphere.
B) solid sphere.
C) hollow right cylinder (or hoop).
D) solid right cylinder.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The moment of inertia depends on how mass is distributed relative to the axis of rotation. For objects with the same mass and radius, the one with mass furthest from the axis (the hollow right cylinder or hoop) will have the largest moment of inertia.

A Hollow Sphere, a Solid Sphere, a Hollow Right Cylinder