Center of Mass & Balance Community
Questions, answers and tips from people who use the Center of Mass & Balance. Drag weights on a beam and place the support so it balances at the centre of mass..
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From the tool guide: common questions about Center of Mass & Balance
The items below are not posts by community members. They come from the written guide for this tool and are here to get a conversation started. Use “Ask a follow-up” to open a thread about any of them.
How do you find the centre of mass?
Sum of (mass × position) divided by total mass.
From the tool guide Ask a follow-upWhy does a beam tip?
The torques on the two sides of the support are unequal.
From the tool guide Ask a follow-upKey ideas
- The centre of mass is the mass-weighted average position.
- A beam balances when the support is under the centre of mass.
- Torque = weight × distance from the pivot.
- Heavier weights pull the centre of mass towards them.
Things to try
- Balance the beam by moving only the support.
- Balance it by moving only a weight.
- Make one weight 10 kg and see how far the centre of mass moves.
Where this is used
Cranes, ships, cars (low centre of mass for stability), gymnasts and high-jump athletes all use centre-of-mass thinking.
How to ask a question people can answer
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