Two-Wheels Race

The moment of **inertia of a body** is a measure of **how hard it is to get it rotating around an axis**. The larger the moment of inertia, the **more work required to get the object spinning**.



It works on a principle similar to the **dependency of the mass** and the amount of work required to get it moving. The moment of inertia depends on the **mass concentration of the body**. Bodies with a *symmetrical mass distribution away from the axis of rotation have a higher moment of inertia*.



Let's take two wheels with the same shape and mass and different mass distribution and moment of inertia. Roll the wheels down a slope. *The wheel with the higher moment of inertia will spend a larger part of the initial potential energy on its rotation. Therefore, less of the potential energy can be used for its moving forward.*