Parallel axis theorem

Short Description of Topic

claimed by Fabian Nunez Fall 2025

The Main Idea

The Parallel Axis Theorem is used to interpret the moment of inertia (I) for any axis parallel to the axis through the center line used to calculate the moment of inertia by using the object's mass and distance between the axes.

A Mathematical Model

The formula for the Parallel Axis Theorem is [math]\displaystyle{ {I}_{parallel} = {I}_{cm} + Md^2 }[/math] where: [math]\displaystyle{ {I}_{cm} }[/math] is the moment of inertia about the center of mass. (Usually original / easier to solve) [math]\displaystyle{ M }[/math] is the total mass of the object. [math]\displaystyle{ d }[/math] is the distance between the Parallel Axis and the Center of Mass axis.

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