1

Mass, Inertia, Weight & such that if the object is supported at this point it
should balance.

Centre Of Gravity

Mass: Amount or quantity of matter in an object.

Mass is a constant for every object and
never changes. Centre of Gravity of Regular Objects.
The centre of gravity of irregular objects is found at

Inertia: It is the tendency of an object to resist their geometric centre.

changes to its state of motion.
Objects with large mass have large inertia
and those with small mass have a small
inertia.
As such inertia can be seen as an indirect
measurement of mass.

Weight: This is the gravitational pull on an object.

Weight of an object depends on the
acceleration due to gravity Centre of Gravity of Irregular Objects.
And as such can change depending on the
force of gravity. Apparatus
 Irregular lamina
Weight = mass x acceleration due to gravity.
 Retort stand & clamp
W = mg
 Plumb line
Example:
The table below shows the value of the
acceleration due to gravity in different places.

g (N/Kg)
Earth 10
Moon 1.6
Space 0

Calculate the weight of a 60 Kg astronaut

on;
(i) Earth
W=mg
=60X10
=600N Procedure
(ii) Moon 1 Make 3 holes on the edge of the
lamina and label them A, B & C.
(iii) space 2 Suspend the lamina on the retort
stand through hole A
Centre of Gravity (Centre of Mass) 3 Suspend the plumb line in front
This refers to a point within an object where its of the lamina
entire mass or weight seems to be concentrated

leemok productions 2011© notes: MASS, INERTIA, WEIGHT & C.G.

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4 Allow both the lamina and the

Three terms are used to describe stability of
plumb line to come to rest.
objects. These are
5 Trace the plumb line along the
(i) Stable Equilibrium
lamina
A body is in stable equilibrium if
6 Repeat steps 2 to 5 for holes B it goes to its original position
after being slightly displaced and
and C.
released. The Bunsen burner
7 The centre of gravity of the below is in stable equilibrium
lamina is at the intersection lines.

Toppling
The position of the centre of gravity within an
object determines if it topples over easily. A body
topples if the vertical line through its centre of
gravity falls outside its base. (ii) Unstable Equilibrium
A body is in unstable equilibrium
if it does not retain its original
position after being slightly
displaced and released. Its centre
of gravity falls. The Bunsen
burner below is in unstable
equilibrium

In figure (a) the vertical line through the centre of

gravity falls within its base and as such will not
topple.

In figure (b) the vertical line through the centre of

gravity falls on the edge of the base and as such (iii) Neutral equilibrium
will balance on the edge. A body is in neutral equilibrium
if it retains its new position after
In figure (c) the vertical line through the centre of being slightly displaced and
gravity falls outside the base and as such will released. The position of its
topple, i.e. fall over. centre of gravity remains the
same. The Bunsen burner below
Stability is in neutral equilibrium.

A body that topples easily is not stable while one

which does not topple easily is stable.
Factors affecting stability

Stability of any object depends on

 Wideness of the base. If the base is wide
then the object becomes more stable while
bases which are not wide make objects
less stable.
 Position of the centre of gravity. If the
centre of gravity is positioned at a high
position then the object is less stable. If
the position of the centre of gravity is low
then the object becomes more stable.

leemok productions 2011© notes: MASS, INERTIA, WEIGHT & C.G.

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1. Classwork
2.
1. The table below gives a value for the
acceleration due to gravity, g, on various
planets. Use it to answer questions which
follow.

Planet g (m/s2)
Pluto 0.5
Mars 4
Earth 10
Jupiter 26

A 30 ton Spacecraft leaves earth and visits

all the planets listed above. Calculate the
weight of the spacecraft in Pluto, Earth,
Mars & Jupiter
2. A bus and a racing car are travelling at the
same high speed in the same direction.
They both approach a curve on the road at
the same time. The bus overshoots the
curve while the racing car negotiates the
curve with ease.
(i) State two attributes of the racing
car which helped it to negotiate the curve.
(ii) State a way in which road curves
are constructed so as to minimise cases of
vehicles overshooting it.
3. A truck and a small car are travelling
along a straight road at the same speed.
Both
drivers see an obstacle on the road and
apply the brakes at the same time. Which
vehicle is likely to stop first? Give a
reason for your answer.

leemok productions 2011© notes: MASS, INERTIA, WEIGHT & C.G.