Centre of Mass /

Centre of gravity:
 Centre of Mass /Centre of gravity:
• Is the point on the object where the whole mass
of the object seems to act/ concentrated.
 Uniform / Regular shaped Object:
Centre of mass is its geometric centre.
Centre of mass is the point at which the
distribution of mass is equal in all directions, and
does not depend on gravitational field.

Centre of gravity is the point at which the

distribution of weight is equal in all directions,
and does depend on gravitational field.
 Irregular shaped object:
 Working out the center of mass:
• Mark three points on the edge of the card (lamina).
• Make a hole using a pin on each point.
• Hang it on a cork board and make a line when it is stable, using
metal bob.
• Do this for all three points.
• Where all three lines intersect, this is the center of mass
 Stability
• It is the extent to which an object resists
toppling over.
• Stable objects do not topple over easily.
• While designing vehicles, engineers try to
design – so that the centre of mass (CM) is as
low as possible.
• This makes vehicles less likely to turn over
when going around corners.
• The stability of an object can be increased by;
1. Lowering its centre of mass.
2. Increasing the area of its base.

• The object loses its balance, when centre of mass

falls out of the base.
 Eg: double decker bus has heavy panel at its bottom
to make it more stable.
 Racing car has wider base and low centre of gravity.