Just like regular ol'
inertia, but used to describe things spinning rather than moving in straight lines.
Analogous to mass in linear
kinematics equations:
F = ma becomes <tau>=I<alpha>, and so on
Rotational intertia can be computed for a point mass spinning about an axis by I=mr², where r is the radius of rotation. For all other objects, rotational intertia can be found by integrating across the entire body as a collection of point masses.