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The following can be easily proved using perpendicular axes theorem and intermediate value theorem:

Lemma: Given any uniform planar convex region $C$ and any point on it, $P$, there will be at least one pair of mutually perpendicular lines that pass thru $P$ and lie on the same plane as $C$ such that the moment of inertia (MI) of $C$ about both lines are equal.

Symmetries in $C$ can lead to some points on $C$ being 'special' - such that w. r. to more than 2 lines thru them, MI of $C$ is the same; the center of a circular disk is obviously very special.

Question: Is it possible that for any planar convex $C$, there is at least one special point - a point with more than 2 lines passing through it giving the same MI for $C$? If such a special point always exists for any $C$, in the case when $C$ is a triangle, will it coincide with any known center of the triangle?

Remark: Above lemma won't hold for other moments - those defined with powers of distance from the axis different from quadratic. But analogous questions about concurrent lines yielding the same moment for $C$ could be asked - maybe with special points having only 2 lines of same moment passing thru them.

Note (January 2024): This question does overlap with this earlier question: On moments of inertia of planar and 3D convex bodies but the bit on the possible triangle center seems new.

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$\newcommand{\la}{\lambda}\newcommand{\de}{\delta}\newcommand{\ep}{\delta}$The answer is as follows:

  • Yes, if the special point is allowed to be not in $C$, and then the moments of inertia of $C$ about all lines through that special point will be the same.

  • Not in general if the special point is required to be in $C$.

Indeed, the moment of inertia of $C$ about the line $l_{p,a}$ through a point $p=(p_1,p_2)$ orthogonal to a unit vector $a=(a_1,a_2)$ is \begin{equation*} M(p,a):=\int_C(a\cdot(x-p))^2\,dx, \end{equation*} where $\cdot$ denotes the dot product. So, \begin{equation*} M(p,a)=a\cdot G(p)a, \tag{-1}\label{-1} \end{equation*} where $G(p)$ is the $2\times2$ matrix with entries \begin{equation*} G(p)_{i,j}=\int_C(x_i-p_i)(x_j-p_j)\,dx \\ =\int_C x_i x_j\,dx+p_i p_j \int_C\,dx-p_i\int_C x_j\,dx-p_j\int_C x_i\,dx. \tag{0}\label{0} \end{equation*} By shifting and rescaling, without loss of generality (wlog) $\int_C\,dx=1$ and $\int_C x_j\,dx=0$ for $j=1,2$. So, \begin{equation*} G=H+p\otimes p, \end{equation*} where $H$ is the $2\times2$ matrix with entries $H_{ij}:=\int_C x_i x_j$ and $p\otimes p$ is the $2\times2$ matrix with entries $p_i p_j$.

The matrix $H$ is positive definite. So, by a rotation, wlog $H$ is a diagonal positive-definite matrix, so that \begin{equation*} M(p,a)=\la_1 a_1^2+\la_2 a_2^2+(p_1 a_1+p_2 a_2)^2, \end{equation*} where $\la_1$ and $\la_2$ are real numbers such that, wlog, $\la_1\ge\la_2>0$.

Fix now a point $p$ and a unit vector $a$, and let \begin{equation*} m:=M(p,a). \end{equation*} Suppose now that the moment of inertia of $C$ about the line $l_{p,b}$ (through $p$ orthogonal to a unit vector $b=(b_1,b_2)$) is $m$ as as well. This means that $b$ is a solution to the system of equations \begin{equation*} \la_1 b_1^2+\la_2 b_2^2+(p_1 b_1+p_2 b_2)^2=m,\quad b_1^2+b_2^2=1. \tag{1}\label{1} \end{equation*} Let us say that a unit vector $b$ is good and that the line $l_{p,b}$ is good if $b$ is a solution of system \eqref{1}. Given $p$, the good lines $l_{p,b}$ are in the one-to-one correspondence with the sets of the form $\{b,-b\}$, where $b$ is good. Say that unit vector $b$ and $-b$ are equivalent to each other.

The first equation in \eqref{1} is the equation of an ellipse centered at the origin and the second equation in \eqref{1} is the equation of the unit circle. So, we have either

  • Case 1: the ellipse is the same as the circle, and then any line through $p$ is good or
  • Case 2: the ellipse is not the same as the circle, and then we have at most two non-equivalent good unit vector $b$'s, and thus at most two good lines.

Clearly, Case 1 occurs only if $p_1 p_2=0$. So, given the condition $\la_1\ge\la_2>0$, Case 1 occurs only if $p_1=0$ and $p_2^2=\la_1-\la_2$.

However, then both corresponding points $(p_1,p_2)=(0,\pm\sqrt{\la_1-\la_2})$ may be not in $C$. E.g., for small $\de\in(0,1)$, let $C=C^{(\de)}:=[-\frac1{2\de},\frac1{2\de}]\times[-\frac\de2,\frac\de2]$. Then $C$ is convex with the centroid at the origin and with area $1$, the matrix $H$ is diagonal with diagonal entries $\la_1=\frac1{12\ep^2}$ and $\la_2=\frac{\ep^2}{12}$, so that the points $(0,\pm\sqrt{\la_1-\la_2})=(0,\pm\sqrt{1/12}\sqrt{1-\ep^4}/\ep)=:p_\pm^{(\de)}$ are not in this $C=C^{(\de)}$ if $\de$ is small enough. $\quad\Box$


Below one can see the rectangle $C^{(\de)}$ and the points $p_\pm^{(\de)}$ for $\de=1/3$. Then the moments of inertia $M(p_\pm^{(\de)},a)$ about all the lines $l_{p_\pm^{(\de)},a}$ through the points $p_\pm^{(\de)}$ are equal to $\la_1=3/4$, for all (normal) unit vectors $a$.

enter image description here


It follows from \eqref{-1} and \eqref{0} that the moments of inertia $M(p,a)$ depend on $C$ only through the moments $\int_C\,dx$, $\int_C x\,dx$, $\int_C x\otimes x\,dx$ (of the mass distribution over $C$) of orders $0,1,2$. So, the condition of the convexity of $C$ plays hardly any role here.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you. I understand that any point P on the plane of C has either 2 mutually perpendicular lines thru P for which C has equal moment of inertia or infinitely many lines thru P for which C has equal MI (no 'in between' points). in the special case when C is a triangle, there might be only one 'really special' point on the plane. If so, is this special point the same as any known center of the triangle? it appears: arguments above, including the lemma (holds for any point on the plane of C, not only in its interior) depend on the moment being MI and not any other moment. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 19, 2023 at 4:05
  • $\begingroup$ @NandakumarR : I think that if, instead of the narrow rectangle, you take a narrow triangle, then the "really special" points will be outside the triangle, just as they are for narrow rectangles. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 19, 2023 at 14:57
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks. Even the circumcenter, say, of a triangle could be outside so one suspects this 'really special' point (if unique) could be another center, maybe always coincident with some better known center. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 22, 2023 at 11:47
  • $\begingroup$ @NandakumarR : I see your point. Will have this in mind. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 22, 2023 at 22:51

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