Experiment 6

Aim:
Determination of the principal axes of moment of inertia through diagonalization.

Derivation of Inertia matrix tensor:

Questions:

1)Particles of mass m, 2m, 3m and 4m are held in a rigid light framework at points (0,1,1),
(1,1,-1), (1,-1,0) and (-1, 0,1) respectively. Show that the moments of inertia of the system
about the x, y and z axes are 13m, 16m and 15m respectively.
2)Four identical masses A, B, C and D having mass m each, lie on the vertices of a
square of side a. If the axis of rotation is in the plane of the square, passing through the
center of the square as shown, find the moment of inertia of the system.
3)Calculate the moment of inertia of two point masses placed at A and B about the
perpendicular axis passing through the center of mass, as shown.
4)Calculate the moment of inertia of a 1kg point mass placed at a point P(2, 4), taking
x-axis as the axis of rotation.
5)Calculate the moment of inertia for a two particle system as shown in the figure about
the given axis of rotation.
6)Four particles A, B, C and D, each of mass m, are placed at the vertices of a square
frame of side a. Find the moment of inertia for the system about an axis passing through
A, in the plane of the square ABCD at an angle π/4 with the edge AD.
7)Three particles, each of mass m, are situated at the vertices of an equilateral triangle
ABC of side L as shown. Calculate the moment of inertia for the given system about the
axis passing through A. perpendicular to the plane of ABC.
9)Obtain the inertia tensor of a system, consisting of four identical particles of mass m
each, arranged on the vertices of a square of sides of length 2a, with the coordinates of
the four particles given by (±a; ±a; 0).
10)A rigid body consists of three point masses of 2kg, 1kg, and 4kg, connected by
massless rods. These masses are located at coordinates (1,-1,1), (2,0,2), and (-1,1,0) in
meters, respectively. Compute the inertia tensor of this system. What is the angular
momentum vector of this body, if it is rotating with an angular velocity ω = 3ˆi − 2ˆj + 4ˆk?
11)Four identical point particles, each with mass m, are arranged in the x, y plane as
shown. They are connected by massless sticks, of length a to form a rigid body. Find the
moment of inertia of this array about the y axis.