Doc Al said:OK, now it's a bit clearer. The first thing to realize is that the masses are not point masses, but have length. Assuming that they are uniform, each mass has its own center of mass, right at its center. When calculating the center of mass of the system, you need to measure the distance of the center of each mass from your reference point.
Give it another shot.
Measured from the left edge of mass 1, I'd say that your distances are correct for masses 1 and 2, but not for mass 3.jacy said:so the distance for mass 1 will be 1m from my reference point, for mass 2 it will be 6m, for mass 3 it will be 8m. Am i correct.
Doc Al said:Measured from the left edge of mass 1, I'd say that your distances are correct for masses 1 and 2, but not for mass 3.
The center of mass is the point at which the mass of an object or system is evenly distributed in all directions. This point is also known as the center of gravity.
Finding the center of mass is important for understanding the stability and equilibrium of objects or systems. It is also used in various fields such as physics, engineering, and astronomy to calculate the motion and dynamics of objects.
The center of mass can be calculated by dividing the total mass of an object or system by the total distance of each individual mass from a reference point. Another method is to use the formula xcm = (m1x1 + m2x2 + ... + mnxn) / (m1 + m2 + ... + mn), where x is the distance and m is the mass.
Yes, the center of mass can be outside of an object. This usually occurs when the object has an irregular shape or when there are multiple objects involved. In these cases, the center of mass may be located in empty space.
The center of mass changes depending on the distribution of mass within an object or system. For example, a symmetrical object will have its center of mass at its geometric center, while an asymmetrical object will have its center of mass shifted towards the heavier side.