Axel,
Consider the pivot of the arm to be at the center of a circle and the stylus at a point on the circle. Now imagine a change in position of the stylus representing the change in thickness of a record. The movement could be represented by the arc on the circle and the angle between the two positions. Bigger circle (longer arm) means a smaller arc and a smaller angle change, hence less change in VTA as well. Perhaps the change between a 9-inch and 12-inch arm is not that great, but, most of the radial tracking arms are much shorter than 9 inches and I bet record thickness, and the need to adjust for changes in thickness, would be an issue with these types of arms.
Consider the pivot of the arm to be at the center of a circle and the stylus at a point on the circle. Now imagine a change in position of the stylus representing the change in thickness of a record. The movement could be represented by the arc on the circle and the angle between the two positions. Bigger circle (longer arm) means a smaller arc and a smaller angle change, hence less change in VTA as well. Perhaps the change between a 9-inch and 12-inch arm is not that great, but, most of the radial tracking arms are much shorter than 9 inches and I bet record thickness, and the need to adjust for changes in thickness, would be an issue with these types of arms.