Center of Mass

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛn.tər ʌv mæs/ Explain

The center of mass of an object is the geometric center of the object that acts as the center of gravity.^[2] For 2-dimensional objects, this is the point on which the object will balance if placed on a pin. For 3-dimensional objects, this is point that acts a the center of gravity for the object.

The center of mass of a sphere is the center of the sphere. The center of mass of a triangle is the centroid of the triangle.

References

1. McAdams, David E.. All Math Words Dictionary, center of mass. 2nd Classroom edition 20150108-4799968. pg 31. Life is a Story Problem LLC. January 8, 2015. Buy the book
2. center of mass. merriam-webster.com. Encyclopedia Britannica. Merriam-Webster. Last Accessed 6/25/2018. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/center of mass. Buy the book
3. center of gravity. merriam-webster.com. Encyclopedia Britannica. Merriam-Webster. Last Accessed 6/25/2018. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/center of gravity. Buy the book

Cite this article as:

McAdams, David E. Center of Mass. 12/21/2018. All Math Words Encyclopedia. Life is a Story Problem LLC. http://www.allmathwords.org/en/c/centerofmass.html.

Revision History

12/21/2018: Reviewed and corrected IPA pronunication. (McAdams, David E.)
6/25/2018: Removed broken links, updated license, implemented new markup, updated GeoGebra apps. (McAdams, David E.)
1/9/2010: Added "References", 'center of gravity'. (McAdams, David E.)
4/22/2008: Initial version. (McAdams, David E.)