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Tutorial Sheet

The tutorial covers calculating the center of mass (COM) for various objects. The COM of an object is defined by an integral formula. For a system of point masses, the COM is the mass-weighted average of the individual position vectors. Students are asked to find the COM of several objects with either uniform or non-uniform density, choosing an appropriate coordinate system in each case. Hints are provided for finding the COM of some common shapes like plates, cones, and hemispheres.

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Sibasish Mishra
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40 views

Tutorial Sheet

The tutorial covers calculating the center of mass (COM) for various objects. The COM of an object is defined by an integral formula. For a system of point masses, the COM is the mass-weighted average of the individual position vectors. Students are asked to find the COM of several objects with either uniform or non-uniform density, choosing an appropriate coordinate system in each case. Hints are provided for finding the COM of some common shapes like plates, cones, and hemispheres.

Uploaded by

Sibasish Mishra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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APL 100 Practice Sheet 0

Theory to be covered in the tutorial:


Recapitulation of the concept of the centre of mass.

∭ 𝑟⃗𝑝 𝑑𝑚 ∑𝑛
𝑖=1 𝑟⃗𝐶𝑖 𝑚𝑖
𝑟⃗𝐶 ≡ ⁄ ; For a system of masses: 𝑟⃗𝐶 = ;
∭ 𝑑𝑚 ∑𝑛
𝑖=1 𝑚𝑖

1) Find the centres of mass of the solid object (a), the plate (b) and the wire (c) shown. The density may be
assumed uniform in each case. Choose a convenient origin and axes in each case.

0.5R
2a
a 2R R

a 2a R

2a
Fig. 1b Fig. 1c
Fig. 1a
2) Locate the centres of mass of the solid objects shown. In (a) and (b) the density is uniform while,
 
in (c) the density varies as:    0 1  ( x / a)(1  y 2 / b 2 ) . Choose a convenient origin and axes (if not
specified) in each case.

hemisphere z
y

c
R b
c a
cylinder
2a b
R y
c x
R cone
(cut out) z
x a
R Fig. 2c
Fig. 2a Fig. 2b

Note: A cut-out can be handled by considering an equivalent body without the cut-out and then subtracting
the cut-out.

Note: i) For a semi-circular (radius R) plate the centre of mass lies on the axis of symmetry at a distance of
4R/3from the flat side.
ii) The centre of mass for a uniform cone (radius R and height H) lies on the axis of symmetry at a
height H/4 from the base.
iii) The centre of mass for a solid hemi-sphere of radius R lies on the axis of symmetry at a height
3R/8 from the base.

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