CENTER OF GRAVITY Names Stefanie

& TORQUE LAB Gannon

AP Physics 1 Allysa

OBJECTIVE: To balance a meterstick on a support with weights hanging on it, and to understand what
torque is and how it affects the rotation or balancing of an object.

REMEMBER: To balance an object the torques making it rotate clockwise must balance with the
torques making it rotate counterclockwise. Also, to increase the amount of torque on an
object, you must either increase the force, which is applied to it, or increase the distance
that force is from your pivot point (or support).

In other words, Torque = Force x Lever arm or τ = F x l

EQUIPMENT: meterstick, support, hooked masses, platform balance, meterstick clamps.

PART 1: CALCULATING TORQUES

PROCEDURE:

1. Place the meterstick on the platform balance and measure its mass. Record this above the data table.

2. Locate the center of gravity of the meterstick by balancing it on the meterstick support. Record this
above the data table.

3. Keeping the support at the center of gravity, hang two different masses on the meterstick (one on each
side) and again make the meterstick balance. Record the masses and their location in the data table
as trial #1.

4. Move the support so that it is now at 30 cm on the meterstick. REMEMBER that the support is going
to be the pivot point of the meterstick as it tries to rotate. Bring the meterstick into balance by
using a single mass on a hanger. Record the mass(be sure to include the mass of the hanger) and its
location (cm mark) on the meterstick in the data table as trial # 2.

5. Move the support of the meterstick to 10cm. Bring the meterstick into balance with one mass again
and record the mass and location of this counter-balance in the data table under trial # 3. This can
be the same mass as in trial 2 or a different mass.

6. Move the support to another location other than the center of gravity. This time, using two masses
(one on each side) bring the meterstick into balance. Record the support location, balancing
masses, and location of balancing masses as trial # 4.

1
 DATA TABLE:

Mass of meterstick = .142 kg Location of center of gravity = .509 m

Location Mass of counter- Location of Mass of counter- Location of

Trial
of support balance #1 counter-balance #1 balance #2 counter-balance #2
#
(m) (kg) (m) (kg) (m)
1      .509    .109     .209   .220       .659  

2     .300     .109    .500

3     .100    .209   .052

4     .410  .761      .12 .220           .475

CALCULATIONS: SHOW ALL WORK FOR EACH TRIAL!!

1. Find the torques for the added counter-balance masses for all trials. Remember that torque =
Force * lever arm (|location of counter-balance – location of support|), and to get Force in
Newtons you must multiply the mass in kilograms by the acceleration due to gravity.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4

Mass1 Mass 1 Mass 1 Mass 1
(0.109 x 9.8)(0.509 - (0.109 x 9.8)(0.5 - 0.3) (0.209 x 9.8)(.1 - 0.052) (0.761 x 9..8)(0.12 -
0.209) = 0.320 Nm = 0.214 Nm = 0.0983 Nm 0.410) = 2.16 Nm

Mass 2 Mass 2
(0.220 x 9.8)(0.509 - (0.220 x 9.8)(0.410 -
0.659) = 0.323 Nm 0.475) = 0.140 Nm

2. Find the torque produced by the meterstick’s mass in trials 2, 3, and 4. Remember that the force
applied is the weight of the meterstick and the lever arm is the distance from the support to where
all of the weight is concentrated….

Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4

2
 (.109 x 9.81)(.5 -.3)= 0.214 Nm (.209 x 9.8)(.052 - .1)= 0.983 ((.509-.410) x .142 + (.389 x .
Nm 475)) - (.034 x .220) = .191 Nm

3. RECORD all your answers from #1 and #2 in the table below!

4. Add the torques that were to the left of the support and all the torques that were to the right of the
support. Record these in the calculation table.

CACLULATIONS TABLE:
Torque of Torque of added Torque of added Total torque on Total torque on
Trial # meterstick mass mass #1 mass #2 left of support (N- right of support
(N-m) (N-m) (N-m) m) (N-m)

1 0 0.320 0.323 0.320 0.323

2 0.214 0.214 0 0.214 0.214

3 0.983 0.0983 0 0.0983 0.983

4 0.191 2.16 0.140 2.16 0.331

QUESTIONS:
     
1. How did the total torques on the left of the support compare to those on the right of the support?
the ones on the left were always heavier. Except trial 1 because the support was very close to the
middle. It didn’t matter which you had heavier. In our case, though, the right side had a heavier
mass.
2. What had to change between trials 2 and 3 to keep the meterstick balanced? In terms of torque,
why did this change have to happen?
between trials 2 and three we had to move the heavier mass to the center of the meterstick to
balance everything out

3. What did you notice about the masses and distances that made the meterstick balance in trials 1
and 4? Again, in terms of torque, why did this need to be the relationship?
if the distances were different than the masses had to be different along with it and vice versa.
Since the masses would be different the smaller mass would have to be farther out because
torque is multiplied by distance. So, you’d want the smaller number multiplied by a bigger
number and a bigger mass multiplied by a smaller distance.
3
    

PART 2: UNKNOWN MASSES

PROCEDURE:

1. Support the meter stick at the center of gravity. Hang one of the unknown masses on one side of
the pivot point and a known mass on the other side. Record the data in the table below.

2. Calculate the mass of the unknown using the relationship between torques in a balanced system.
** Don’t forget to consider the mass of the hanger when finding the unknown mass.

3. Using the digital balance, find the mass of the unknown.

4. Calculate the percent error using the measured mass as the accepted value.

Location Position of
Trial Known Mass Position of Mass 1 Unknown Mass
of support Unknown Mass
# (g) (cm) (g)
(cm) (cm)
1 50.0 220 75.5 10.0

2 50.0 220 81.7 10.0

Calculate the unknown mass. Show your work.

Trial 1 Trial 2
( .020 + .200) x .255 = x x .40 .220 x .317 = .40x
.0561 = .40x .0697 = .40x
x = .140 kg - .018 kg = 122 g x = .174 - .018 kg = 156 g

CACLULATIONS TABLE:

4
 Calculated Mass
Trial # Measured Mass (g) Percent Error
(g)

1 122 g 122 g 0%

2 156 g 156 g 0%