Centre of Mass (OCR A Level Physics)

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Katie M

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Katie M

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Centre of Mass

  • The centre of mass of an object is the point at which the weight of the object may be considered to act

  • The position of the centre of mass of uniform regular solid is at its centre

    • For example, for a person standing upright, their centre of mass is roughly in the middle of the body behind the navel, and for a sphere, it is at the centre

  • For symmetrical objects with uniform density, the centre of mass is located at the point of symmetry

Point of symmetry, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

The centre of mass of a shape can be found by symmetry

Stability

  • The position of the centre of mass of an object affects its stability

  • An object is stable when its centre of mass lies above its base

Stability, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

The object on the right will topple, as its centre of mass is no longer over its base

  • The wider base an object has, the lower its centre of mass and it is more stable

  • The narrower base an object has, the higher its centre of mass and the object is more likely to topple over if pushed

Stability and base, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

The most stable objects have wide bases and low centres of mass

Finding the Centre of Mass

  • When an object is suspended from a point, the object will always settle so that its centre of mass comes to rest below the pivoting point

  • This can be used to find the centre of mass of an irregular shape:

Finding Centre of Mass, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

Diagram showing an experiment to find the centre of mass of an irregular shape

  • The irregular shape (a plane laminar) is suspended from a pivot and allowed to settle

  • A plumb line (a lead weight) is then held next to the pivot and a pencil is used to draw a vertical line from the pivot

    • The centre of mass must be somewhere on this line

  • The process is then repeated, suspending the shape from two or three different points

  • The centre of mass is located at the point where all three lines cross

Centre of gravity v Centre of mass

  • In a uniform gravitational field, the centre of gravity is identical to the centre of mass

  • The centre of mass does not depend on the gravitational field

  • Since weight = mass × acceleration due to gravity, the centre of gravity does depend on the gravitational field

  • When an object is in space, its centre of gravity will be more towards the object with the larger gravitational field

    • For example, the Earth’s gravitational field on the Moon:

Centre of gravity vs centre of mass, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

The Earth’s stronger gravitational field pushes the Moons centre of gravity closer to Earth

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Since the centre of mass is a hypothetical point, it can lie inside or outside of a body. The centre of mass will constantly shift depending on the shape of a body. For example, a human body’s centre of mass is lower when leaning forward than upright

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Katie M

Author: Katie M

Expertise: Physics

Katie has always been passionate about the sciences, and completed a degree in Astrophysics at Sheffield University. She decided that she wanted to inspire other young people, so moved to Bristol to complete a PGCE in Secondary Science. She particularly loves creating fun and absorbing materials to help students achieve their exam potential.