Classical Analog of the Variable Moment of Inertia Formulas for Rotational States in Even-Even Nuclei

A simple mechanical model has been found which gives the same angular velocity dependence of energy and angular momentum as postulated in the variable moment of inertia description of rotational states. The possibility for one of the two coefficients of this description to adopt negative values follows naturally from this model. Also the nonzero ground-state energies, which in some cases result from the variable moment of inertia description, are easily understood.