Centre of Gravity, Stability & Moments

Every molecule in an object has a weight. The sum of these downward forces will give a single
resultant force for the weight of any object. When gravity pulls towards an object towards the
Earth, ‘it always appears’ to pull at the same point on an object. So, an object behaves as if its
whole weight was a single force which acts through some point G called the centre of gravity.
The centre of gravity of an object is the point where the weight of that object is said to act. In a
regular object, the centre of gravity is found at its geometric middle.

Achieving physical balance of an object is just a matter of finding that object’s centre of gravity.
In some cases, the centre of gravity might not be located on the physical object. An example of
this is a ring or doughnut.

The centre of gravity is influenced by the location of most an object’s mass.

Determining the Centre Of Gravity Of An Irregular Lamina

Centre Of Gravity And Stability

Stability refers to the ability of a body to return to its original static equilibrium, after it has
been slightly displaced.

Questions
1. What are the characteristics that affect an object’s stability?
2. What links an object’s centre of gravity to its stability?

From experience and experiment it can be shown that stability of an object is influenced by:
• The size of its base
• The location/height of its centre of gravity

The wider the base and the lower an object’s centre of gravity, the more stable that object is.
Racing cars have really low centres of gravity so that they can corner rapidly without turning
over. Increasing the area of the base will also increase the stability of an object, the bigger the
area the more stable the object. Rugby players will stand with their feet well apart if they are
standing and expect to be tackled.
If an object is tilted it will topple over if a vertical line from its centre of gravity falls outside its
base.

In some instances it might not be possible to simply build the widest, lowest structure. Public
transport is one such area where the need for the buses to be a certain height while still being
narrow enough to use the public roads.

In this case, most of the mass of the object is situated near to the bottom. This has the effect of
causing the centre of gravity to be brought closer to the bottom of the object. Buses are built in
this manner with the heavy engine and most of the weight concentrated in the bottom of the
vehicle. This makes it more stable as shown in the following diagrams on the following page.
Equilibrium
A body is said to be in equilibrium when the forces acting on a body produce no change in its state of
rest or of motion
There are three types of equilibrium: stable, unstable, and neutral.
• A body is in stable equilibrium if, when it is given a slight displacement, its centre of gravity
rises.

• A body is in unstable equilibrium if, when it is given a slight displacement, its centre of
gravity is lowered.

• A body is in neutral equilibrium if, when it is given a slight displacement, its centre remains
at the same height, it neither rises or lowered.

.
As the ball is pushed to the right the position of the centre of gravity indicated by the letter ‘X’
does not change in height