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The moment of inertia of an object depends on which choice made by the observer?
AThe unit of time
BThe starting angle
CThe observer's speed
DThe axis of rotation
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. The axis of rotation
1. Moment of inertia is built from each mass element's distance from the axis.
2. Change the axis and every one of those distances changes.
3. Because of that distance, the moment of inertia for any object depends on the chosen axis.
4. That is why a rod spun about its centre and about its end have different values.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10 'Rotational Motion and Angular Momentum', sections 10.1-10.7_
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