Final answer:
To find the moment of inertia of several particles about an axis, use the formula I = Σmjr², where I is the moment of inertia, m is the mass of each particle, and r is the distance from the particle to the axis of rotation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The moment of inertia of several particles about an axis can be found by using the formula I = Σmjr², where I is the moment of inertia, m is the mass of each particle, r is the distance from the particle to the axis of rotation, and Σ indicates a summation over all the particles. To calculate the moment of inertia, you need to know the positions and masses of the particles. For example, if you have three particles with masses of 0.02 kg, and distances of 0.25 m, 0.15 m, and 0.05 m from the axis of rotation, you can calculate the moment of inertia as follows:
I = (0.02 kg)(2 × (0.25 m)² + 2 × (0.15 m)² + 2 × (0.05 m)²) = 0.0035 kg · m².