Abstract
Center of mass (CM) is an important concept in physics, especially when studying extended bodies.1 For example, general motion of an extended body can be considered as the sum of the translational motion of the CM plus other types of motion about that CM. CM also can be regarded as a “balance point” so that a system supported at its CM remains in static equilibrium. In the context of Newton's laws of motion, acceleration of CM is determined by the ratio of the net external force acting on a system to the system's total mass. Given the usefulness of CM in analyzing numerous motions, knowing concepts associated with CM is helpful for students of physics. Within the physics community, previous workers have discussed centers of mass of various toys2 and described experiments to determine centers of mass.3,4 Here we describe a quickly assembled demonstration to show static equilibrium of an object when it is supported along a line of action through its CM.
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