Investigating the Centre of Gravity
- When an object is suspended from a point, the object will always settle so that its centre of gravity comes to rest below the pivoting point
- This can be used to find the centre of gravity of an irregular shape:
Method for Finding the Centre of Gravity for Irregular Shapes
Diagram showing an experiment to find the centre of gravity of an irregular shape
- The irregular shape (a plane laminar) is suspended from a pivot and allowed to settle
- A plumb line (lead weight) is then held next to the pivot and a pencil is used to draw a vertical line from the pivot (the centre of gravity must be somewhere on this line)
- The process is then repeated, suspending the shape from two different points
- The centre of gravity is located at the point where all three lines cross
