User:JonnyForster

Centres of Mass
In Maths Mechanics there is a section of work that deals with finding the centre of mass (C.O.M.) of an object that has an equal density throughout that object. This deals with, for example, finding the $$x$$ and $$y$$ co-ordinates of the C.O.M. of a lamina (an impossibly thin sheet of material, that either has a given density or the density can be ignored as it will cancel out during the process of finding the C.O.M.). This can be done, as the area or volume of an object, can be said to be in proportion to its mass, if the density is constant throughout the object or shape.

Finding the C.O.M allows the calculation of whether or not an object will topple if put at a certain angle; for example if a person leans back on a chair, then it is possible, if you know the C.O.M. of both the person and the chair, to discover whether or not the chair will topple at a given angle.