Centre of Gravity Singapore Teachers重力中心新加坡教师.ppt

Centre of Gravity Centre of Gravity (C.G.) Definition Finding C.G. of an irregularly shaped thin piece of card Definition The Centre of Gravity (C.G.) of a body is the point through which the whole weight of the body seems to act For a regular object, the C.G is always at the centre Finding C.G. If a body is hanging freely at rest, its centre of gravity is always vertically below the pivot. * * * We can think of the uniform bar as being made up of a lot of tiny particles. Each particle will have a force of gravity pulling it downwards. (weight) The bar will balance at one particular point, P, where the sum of all the clockwise moments of the individual forces is equal to the sum of all the anticlockwise moments of the individual forces. The effect will be the same as if we had a single force acting downwards at P. So we can think of the gravitational force on the bar as a single force acting downwards at P. The point, P, is called the centre of gravity of the bar When the card is released, the weight of the card acts like a single force through the C.G. This is balanced by an equal and opposite force – the reaction of the pin. If the C.G. is not directly beneath the pin, the two forces will form a rotating motion which will make the card swing downwards until the C.G. is directly below the pin. We then hang a plumb line in front of the card and draw a vertical line downwards through the pinhole. The C.G. lies somewhere on this line, AB. We repeat this with the pin at a different position and obtain a second line, CD. Since the C.G. must lie on both lines, it is at the point where the lines intersect. The Centre of Gravity (C.G.) of a body is the ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For a regular object, the C.G is always at the _________ *