The minute and hour hands of a clock have a common axis of rotation and equal mass. The minute hand is long, thin, and uniform; the hour hand is short, thick, and uniform. Is the moment of inertia of the minute hand greater than, less than, or equal to the moment of inertia of the hour hand?

a. greater than

b. less than

c. equal to

Question

Stormy

Physics

20 December, 20:32

The minute and hour hands of a clock have a common axis of rotation and equal mass. The minute hand is long, thin, and uniform; the hour hand is short, thick, and uniform. Is the moment of inertia of the minute hand greater than, less than, or equal to the moment of inertia of the hour hand?

a. greater than

b. less than

c. equal to

+4

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Vaughn Cunningham · Answer 1

b. less than

Explanation:

Moment of inertia decreases as angular velocity increases. Therefore, since the minute hand is faster than the hour hand, it is safe to say that the moment of inertia of the minute hand is less than the moment of inertia of the hour hand?