Finding the Center of Mass for Irregularly Shaped Objects

Figure 2

Figure 2

Figure 1

Figure 1

Materials:

  1. Magnetic pivot
  2. “Amoeba” and “Polygon” cutouts
  3. Plumb line
  4. Dry-erase marker

Demo:

A cardboard “amoeba” or a plastic irregular polygon can be suspended from several points along the edges with a plumb line, which gives a straight line through the center of mass. By drawing two or more of these lines on the object the center of mass can be found. Use the magnetic pivot from the blackboard mechanics kit to suspend the object from the blackboard.