Center of mass worksheet

Use a separate sheet to show your work clearly

1) Define center of mass. The center of mass of an object is the average point of the mass of the object.
2) How is center of mass related to inertia? The center of mass of an object moves inertially, that is, if
there is no net force on the object, the center of mass will travel in a straight line, even if the object is
spinning. If the object is a projectile, the center of mass will travel in a parabola, even if the object is
spinning.
3) How is center of mass related to gravity? The force of gravity on an extended object acts as if it pulls
at the center of gravity of the object, as if all the mass of the object were concentrated there. If the
gravitational field (g) is uniform and the same force of gravity acts on all parts of the object, then the
center of mass and gravity are at the same point
4) When is a free-standing object stable?
A free-standing object is stable when the center of mass is above the base of support (when it is above
the objects footprint).
A free-hanging object is stable when the center of mass is directly below the suspension point.
5) Why is the concept of center of mass useful? Center of mass is a useful concept because it simplifies
how we look at extended objects. Rather than trying to do complex calculations, we can just find the
center of mass and act as if all the mass is there.
6) A father and his young son get on a teeter-totter. The son sits 2 m from the center, but the father has to
sit closer to balance. Where does the father have to sit to balance the teeter-totter if he weighs 4 times
as much as his son?
The center of mass of the group of objects – seesaw, son and father must lie over the fulcrum in order
for it to be in equilibrium. The CM of each of the parts of the group can be taken at their geometric
centers and the seesaw is in its geometric center, over the fulcrum
Set x=0 at CM

mson xson  mdad xdad  mSS xSS

?m xCM 
2.0m mson  mdad  mSS
4m
m
CM m(2)  4mxdad  mSS (0)
0
m  4m  mSS
0  2m  4mxdad
xdad  0.5m
7) On a meter stick, there are masses hanging. On the left are masses of 3 g at 0.20 m and 10 g at 0.40 m
from the center. On the right is a 6 g mass at 0.50 m from the center. Where would a 4 g mass have to
be hung to make the meter stick balance at the center (so that CM is at center)?
Set x=0 at CM
m3 x3  m10 x10  m6 x6  m4 x4  mMS xMS
xCM 
0.2m 0.4m 0.5m ? m3  m10  m6  m4  mMS
3(0.3)  10(0.1)  6(0)  4 x4  mMS (0)
0
3  10  6  4  mMS
3g 6g 4g 0  0.9  1  4 x4
10g x4  0.48m
HW8.1-CM-SOLNS 1 3/9/15
 Center of mass worksheet
8) Two masses are hanging from the ends of a 1 m bar. Where is the Set x=0
balance point (center of mass) of the system? m1 is 1 kg, m2 is 3 kg.
Ignore the mass of the bar between the two masses.
m1 x1  m2 x2 1(0)  3(1)
xCM  
m1  m2 4 m1 m2
4 xCM 3
xCM  0.75m
9) Same as the previous question, but m1 is 20 kg and m2 is 50 kg and the masses are each 1 cm in from
the ends of the bar, so they're 0.98 m apart.
m1 x1  m2 x2 20(0.01)  50(0.99)
xCM  
m1  m2 70
70 xCM  49.7
xCM  0.71m
10) A person is standing on the very end of a 2 m long board
that is level and balanced. The balance point is 0.20 m from Set x=0 at CM
the end the person is on. The board has a mass of 20 kg.
a) What is the mass of the person?
CM of board
in center
mboardxboard  m p x p
xCM 
mboard  m p
20(0.8)  m p (0.2)
0
20  m p
m p  80kg
b) How much does the person weigh? 784N

11) A 98 N person is standing on a board, 1 m from the end. The mp=10kg

board is balanced on a point that is 2m from the same end.
The board is 49 N. How long is the board overall? Set x=0
mboard=5kg
mboardxboard  m p x p
xCM  CM
mboard  m p
5x  10(1)
 2  board
5  10
 30  10  5 xboard
xboard  4m
Since the CM of the board alone is 4m from the end of the board, and the board’s CM is in its center, the
board is 8m long.

HW8.1-CM-SOLNS 2 3/9/15
 Center of mass worksheet
12) Describe three methods to find the center of mass of this L-shaped
piece of cardboard. Draw diagrams to help your explanation.
Balance the object on a point so that it is a level. That point is the
center of mass.
- Suspend the mass and hang a string from the suspension point. Mark the line of the string. Do the
same thing from a different point. The center of mass is where the strings cross.
- Spin the object. The point it spins around is the center of mass.
- Slide the object along until it just falls off the edge of a table and mark that line. Do the same thing
in another direction. The center of mass is where the lines cross.
- Mark the geometric center of mass of 2 squares and of the other 2 squares. Draw a line between
them. The midpoint of that line is the center of mass.
- Mark the geometric center of mass of the lower 3 squares and of the single square. Draw a line
between them. The center of mass is 1/4 of the way along that line from the center of mass of the 3
squares.
- Balance the object on a rail and mark the line. Do the same thing in another direction. The center of
mass is where the lines cross.
13) Challenge question: Where is the center of mass of the object in the preceding question if the length of
the sides of the squares is 1 m? Give numbers.
x marks the geometric center of each square which is the location of the CM of each square. The
center of mass of the entire object will be found using the coordinate system shown.

m1 x1  m2 x2  m3 x3  m4 x4
xCM 
m1  m2  m3  m4
m(0)  m(1)  m(2)  m(2)

4m
xCM  4m
5

m1 y1  m2 y2  m3 y3  m4 y4
yCM 
m1  m2  m3  m4
m(0)  m(0)  m(0)  m(1)

4m
xCM  4m
1

14) Challenge question: A honeybucket man is carrying his load. He has a pole 2 m long with a bucket
hanging from each end. The buckets have a mass of 2 kg each. The pole has a mass of 1 kg. The front
bucket has 5 kg of "honey" in it, and the rear bucket has 3 kg of "honey." CM How far
from the center of the pole is the honeybucket man's shoulder? (shoulder)
m1 x1  m2 x2  m polex pole mpole
xCM  Set x=0 at 1.0m
m1  m2  m pole
7(0)  5(2)  1(1)

7  5 1
xCM  13 m
11 (2+5)kg (2+3)kg
from the 7kg bucket
HW8.1-CM-SOLNS 3 3/9/15