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Center of Gravity Lab Report

The document describes an experiment performed by the Einstein Group to understand the concept of center of gravity. It involved using various methods like the plumb line method and balancing or knife-edge method to locate the center of gravity of objects like cardboard cutouts and a meter stick. The conclusions were that the center of gravity is usually at the center of an object but can be outside the mass for irregularly shaped objects or objects like a hula hoop. It is important to know the center of gravity for stability of objects, buildings, vehicles and the human body.

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Harlynn Joy Salmeo
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11K views

Center of Gravity Lab Report

The document describes an experiment performed by the Einstein Group to understand the concept of center of gravity. It involved using various methods like the plumb line method and balancing or knife-edge method to locate the center of gravity of objects like cardboard cutouts and a meter stick. The conclusions were that the center of gravity is usually at the center of an object but can be outside the mass for irregularly shaped objects or objects like a hula hoop. It is important to know the center of gravity for stability of objects, buildings, vehicles and the human body.

Uploaded by

Harlynn Joy Salmeo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Einstein Group: Harlynn Salmeo materials provider/experiment

Rachel Pagulayan materials provider/experiment


Jeb Dela Rosa drawings on shapes
Xylla Carinio experiment
Kayla Castillo experiment
Song Min Gyeong observer

Performed: 11/11/14
Submitted: 24/11/14

Fourth Year- Procyon


Activity No.6 Center of Gravity
I. Introduction
Why dont trucks, automobiles, motors, etc. fall no matter how heavy they are? Why do some building
collapse while others dont? How do circus stunt people stand on a very thin rope without falling? All of these can
be answered through the concept of the Center of Gravity. But what is Center of Gravity? How can it be located?
The center of gravity is the point located at the object average position of weight. Objects not made of
the same material throughout may have the center of gravity quite far from the geometric center. The center of
gravity is the average location of the weight of an object. We can completely describe the motion of any object
through space in terms of the translation of the center of gravity of the object from one place to another, and the
rotation of the object about its center of gravity if it is free to rotate. It is the point of exact center, around which
the body may rotate freely in all directions. It can also be called center of mass.
Lets say a perfect block of pure lead weighs 10 pounds. Then the COG (Center of Gravity) is the exact
center of the block. Another example includes a perfect sphere of wood weighing 8 ounces. The COG again is in the
exact center of the ball of wood. It's that simple! Just find where the weighted proportions of an object even
out. But, the center of Gravity of an object is not always the exact center of the object. Not only can the COG be at
a different location than the exact center of an object, but it can take place in thin air.
II. Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.

To perform various activities to better understand the concept of Center of Gravity.


Locate the Center of Gravity of the objects.
Know where the Center of Gravity usually lies.
Know the importance of the Center of Gravity.

III. Materials

Folder/cardboard
String/yarn
Pencil
Ruler
Hula hoop
Ballpen
1m long stick
Plumb bob

IV. Procedure
PLUM LINE METHOD: First, we cut the cardboard into a figure of irregular shape then punched a hole at
different locations. We named it X, Y, and Z. next, we suspended the Plumb Bob (a weight, usually with a pointed
tip on the bottom, that is suspended from a string and used as a vertical reference line) by inserting it through the
hole we punched at point X. after doing that we traced the path of the string then marked the path. Next, we

suspended the Plumb Bob at point Y, traced the path of the string then marked the path. After that, we marked
the intersection point. We discovered that the intersection of the line made by Points X and Y is the Center of
Gravity. We checked the Center of Gravity by suspending the Plumb Bob at point Z and the line passed at the
intersections. We repeated the procedures for the second cardboard with a different shape.
BALANCING OR KNIFE EDGE METHOD: First, we tied both ends of the meter stick with a string then
hanged it from a nail. We adjusted the position of the string with respect to the nail to balance the mater stick. We
checked our result by balancing the meter stick on a knife- edge support then marked the Center of Gravity of the
meter stick.
THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OUTSIDE THE MASS: First, we fastened two strings at the opposite ends on the
hula-hoop. Then we located the geometric center of the hula-hoop. We discovered that the geometric center of
the hula-hoop lies the Center of Gravity.

V. Results and Discussions

Cardboard 1

Cardboard 2

Hula-hoop

Meter Stick

Guide Questions:
1.

Where does the Center of Gravity usually lie?

2.

What is the importance of finding the Center of Gravity of a body? Of a building? Of a system?

3.

For an object with symmetry around an axis, the center of gravity is at its center. For more
complicated shapes, integration has to be used: basically, you imagine the object divided into
small pieces, and take a kind of average. For many standard shapes, assuming uniform
distribution of mass, this calculation has already been done and can be looked up (perhaps you
may have to search for "center of mass" instead of "center of gravity"). For more irregular
objects, if you know some rule (function) that describes its shape, you can do the integration
yourself, if you know some calculus.

When we know where the Center of Gravity of our body is, well know where we should position
the things that we are carrying so that well balance it effectively and accidents will be
avoided. Our body will always be balanced and we won't tip over. In buildings, it is important so
that no matter how tall it is, it wont collapse.

Can an object have more than one center of gravity? Explain.


No an object can only have one center of gravity although the center of gravity can change.
There is only one point located at the object average position of weight

4.

Is it possible to locate the Center of Gravity of a meter stick before or after the 50-cm mark? Explain.
No, because the Center of Gravity of the meter stick will always be on its middle (50-cm mark
exactly). If its before or after, then it wont be balanced because it is not the Center of Gravity.

5.

Aside from Hula-hoop, cite 5 examples of objects where the center of gravity is found outside the mass of
a body.
Rings
Scotch tape
Horse shoe
Tires
Hangers

VI. Generalization or Conclusion


In this experiment we conclude that the position of the centre of gravity of an object affects its stability.
The lower the centre of gravity (G) is, the more stable the object. The higher it is the more likely the object is to
topple over if it is pushed. The lower your center of gravity, the easier it is to keep your balance.
The center of gravity usually lies at the center. But that doesnt apply for irregular objects. The center of
gravity can also be computed if you want to find out. Sometimes, it is also found outside the mass of a body, just
like the Hula-hoop. The Center of Gravity is very important to everyone including humans, and even to things like
cars, trucks, buildings etc. Without it, imagine everything in the world falling and stumbling down.
VII. Application

Playing sports (basketball, volleyball, soccer, football, etc.)


Starting position of a runner during track-and-field
Building structures
Stacking fruits in markets
Stunts
Rugby players will stand with their feet well apart if they are standing and expect to be tackled.
Racing cars have really low centres of gravity so that they can corner rapidly without turning over.
Tightrope walkers- tiptoeing over the high wire, they often teeter and wobble from side to side just to
entertain us, yet they hardly ever fall off

racing cars (and military vehicles like Humvees) are designed with very low centers of gravity: the lower they

are to the ground, the less risk there is that they'll tip over, no matter how fast they go.
Buses must be tested to see that they do not tip over even if the bottom deck is empty and the top deck is full
of people.
Gymnastics
Counterbalance weights to balance the load on a crane
aligning the direction of thrust of a rocket motor so that it pushes exactly through the center of gravity of the
rocket is essential to achieving a straight flight.
Architecture

VIII. References
https://wikis.engrade.com/physicsintro/centerofgravity
http://www.space-electronics.com/KnowHow/center_of_gravity.php
http://science.howstuffworks.com/center-of-gravity-info.htm
http://www.physio-pedia.com/Centre_of_Gravity
http://budzilla.hubpages.com/hub/Center-of-Gravity-Part-1-What-is-it

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