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The total moment of inertia of a merry-go-round with a child on it is found by:
ATaking the larger value
BAdding the two moments
CSubtracting the two moments
DMultiplying the two values
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Adding the two moments
1. Each part of a system contributes its own resistance to being spun.
2. The child can be treated as a point mass at a fixed distance from the axis.
3. The total moment of inertia is the sum of moments of inertia of the merry-go-round and the child, about the same axis.
4. Both must be measured about that same axis for the sum to be meaningful.
_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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