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Center of Mass

Center of Mass. The center of mass of a system of particles is, loosely speaking, the weighted average of the locations of the individual particles. Equal masses. Make one heavier. General case. Generalize:. If more than one dimension, further generalize:. In vector notation:.

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Center of Mass

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  1. Center of Mass The center of mass of a system of particles is, loosely speaking, the weighted average of the locations of the individual particles. Equal masses Make one heavier General case

  2. Generalize: If more than one dimension, further generalize: In vector notation:

  3. What’s so great about the CM? m1 m2

  4. All internal forces cancel in pairs by 3rd law

  5. The CM behaves as a point particle with mass equal to entire system mass, moving only under the influence of the external forces. If there are no external forces, then the CM either remains at rest if it begins at rest, or maintains constant speed in a straight line per Newton’s 1st Law. Examples: a) cannonballs in boxcar b) sphere in a sphere c) hand grenade

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