Moment, in physics, is the product of a quantity multiplied by a particular distance from a fulcrum, or axis. Moment of force, also called torque, is an example. A 100-pound person sitting 10 feet from the center of a seesaw produces a torque of 1,000 pound-feet.
Moment of inertia is the product of an object’s mass multiplied by the square of its distance from an axis. It indicates how easy or hard it is to start or stop a spinning motion. The larger the moment of inertia is, the more torque is needed to change the rate of spin.
