A uniform meter stick is pivoted to rotate about a horizontal axis through the 25-cm mark on the stick. The stick is released from rest in a horizontal position. The moment of inertia of a uniform rod about an axis perpendicular to the rod and through the center of mass of the rod is given by (1/12)ML2. Polar second moment of area will have units of length to the fourth power (e.g. or ), while moment of inertia is mass times length squared (e.g. ∗ or ∗). The polar second moment of area (also referred to as "polar moment of inertia") is a measure of an object's ability to resist torsion as a function of its shape.