CALCULUS AND ANALYTICAL

GEOMETRY 2

CHAPTER 3:
MOMENTS AND
CENTER OF MASS
LET’S BEGIN WITH INTRODUCTION
ABOUT WHAT IS MOMENTS AND
WHAT IS CENTER OF MASS ?
 Let us begin with Derivation of Center of Mass Equation

First, we Imagine masses 𝑚1 , 𝑚2 , and 𝑚3 on a rigid x-axis supported by a fulcrum at

the origin.

The resulting system might balance, or it might not. It depends on how large the masses
are and how they are arranged.

Each mass 𝑚𝑘 exerts a downward force mkg equal to the magnitude of the mass times
the acceleration of gravity.

Each of these forces has a tendency to turn the axis about the origin, the way you turn a
seesaw. This turning effect is called a torque, is measured by multiplying the force 𝑚𝑘 g
by the signed distance 𝑥𝑘 from the point of application to the origin.

Masses to the left of the origin→ exerts negative (counterclockwise) torque

Masses to the right of the origin → exerts positive (clockwise) torque
The sum of the torques measures the tendency of a system to rotate about an origin.
The sum of the torques is called the system torque.
System will balance if and only if its torque is ZERO.

𝑔(𝑚1 𝑥1 + 𝑚2 𝑥2 +𝑚3 𝑥3 ) = 𝑔(𝑚1 𝑥ҧ + 𝑚2 𝑥+𝑚

ҧ 3 𝑥)ҧ
 Finding Moment, Mass, and Center of mass for

Thin rod or Strip Thin plate covering

a region in xy plane
 Thin rod or Strip

We know that

Given that =

Thus 2

Subs 2 into 1
Thin rod or Strip
 Thin rod or Strip
Example 1:
The 10m long rod thickens from left to right so that its
density is non-constant. Find the rod’s center of mass.

Given
x
 ( x) = 1 + kg / m
10
 Thin rod or Strip
Solution:

Given
x
 ( x) = 1 + kg / m
10
Take Home Exercises 1

Below given the density function of thin rods lying along various
intervals of the x-axis. Find the rod’s moment about the origin, mass,
and center of mass

𝛿 𝑥 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 0 ≤𝑥 ≤2

Use these
formulas for
thin rods
 Finding Moment, Mass, and Center of mass for

Thin plate covering

Thin rod or Strip
a region in xy plane
 Thin plate covering
a region in xy plane

1 Imagine the plate occupying a region in the xy

plane, cut into thin strips parallel to one of the axes
(axis–y in this case)

2 The center of mass of a typical strip is (𝑥෤ , 𝑦)

෤

3 The moment of the strip

෥
about the x-axis is 𝒚
∆𝒎.

4 The moment of the strip

about the y-axis is then
෥ ∆𝒎.
𝒙
Example 2: The triangular plate shown in Figure below has a
3g
constant density of δ = 2 . Find
cm
(a) the plate’s moment of My about the y-axis.
(b) the plate’s mass M.
(c) the x-coordinate of the plate’s center of mass (c.m.).
Solution:
Step 1: Allocate a strip parallel Step 2: Get information about
to one of the axis. Let try y-axis. the strip on the center of mass,
length, width, area, and mass

(𝑥, 2𝑥)

Length 𝑥,
෤ 𝑦෤ = (𝑥, 𝑥)
= 2x
(a) the plate’s moment of My about the y-axis.

(b) the plate’s mass M.

Note that the

integral limit is from
𝑥 = 0 𝑡𝑜 𝑥 = 1
(c) the x-coordinate of the plate’s center of mass (c.m.).
Alternative method
(a) the plate’s moment of My about the y-axis.

2 𝑦+2 2−𝑦
= ‫׬‬0 ( )(3)( ) dy
4 2

(b) the plate’s mass M.

Note that the

integral limit is from
y = 0 𝑡𝑜 𝑦 = 2
(c) the x-coordinate of the plate’s center of mass (c.m.).

REMINDER:
From all the calculation in (a) to (c), we obtained x-coordinate
of the plate’s center of mass (i.e. 𝑥).
ҧ If the question required
you to find the y-coordinate of the plate’s center of mass (i.e.
𝑦),
ത Then you need to repeat (a) but now you need to find
𝑀𝑥
value for 𝑀𝑥 = ‫𝑚𝑑𝑦 ׬‬.
෤ Then 𝑦ത = .
𝑀
Also, Don’t confuse with the term (𝑥, ෤ 𝑦)
෤ and the term (𝑥,ҧ 𝑦)
ത
as THEY ARE DIFFERENT!!!!!
Take home exercise 2

Find the center of mass of the thin plate shown in figure above with constant density 𝛿

Take home exercise 3

Repeat exercise 1 but now with variable density 𝛿 = 2𝑥 2
 Thin plate covering
a region in xy plane

• let’s suppose that the plate is the region bounded by the two
curves and on the interval [a,b]. So, we want to find the center of
mass of the region below.
 To find mass

To find moment about the y-axis

b
𝑀𝑦 = න 𝑥𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
෥=𝑥
𝒙 a
𝑓 𝑥 + 𝑔(𝑥) To find moment about the x-axis
෥=
𝒚
2
𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 = 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥
𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒕𝒉 = 𝑑𝑥
𝑓 𝑥 + 𝑔(𝑥)
𝒅𝑨 = [𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 ] 𝑑𝑥 𝑀𝑥 = න 𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
2
𝒅𝒎 = 𝛿 𝑑𝐴
1 b
𝑀𝑥 = න 𝛿 𝑥 ([f(x)]2 − [g x ]2 )𝑑𝑥
= 𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥 2 a
 ഥ
To find 𝒙

b
‫׬‬a 𝑥𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝑥ҧ = b
‫׬‬a𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥

ഥ
To find 𝒚
෥=𝑥
𝒙
𝑓 𝑥 + 𝑔(𝑥)
෥=
𝒚
2
𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 = 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 1 b
‫׬‬a 𝛿 𝑥 ([f(x)]2 − [g x ]2 )𝑑𝑥
𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒕𝒉 = 𝑑𝑥 2
𝑦ത = b
𝒅𝑨 = [𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 ] 𝑑𝑥 ‫׬‬a 𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝒅𝒎 = 𝛿 𝑑𝐴

= 𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
Example 3

Given that the density is

constant
 b
‫׬‬a 𝑥𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝑥ҧ = b
‫׬‬a𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
1
𝛿 ‫׬‬0 𝑥[ 𝑥 1/2 − 𝑥 3 ]𝑑𝑥
= 1
𝛿 ‫׬‬0 [ 𝑥 1/2 − 𝑥 3 ]𝑑𝑥
1
‫׬‬0 [ 𝑥 3/2 − 𝑥 4 ]𝑑𝑥
= 1 1/2
Let f(x) = 𝑥, and ‫׬‬0 [ 𝑥 − 𝑥 3 ]𝑑𝑥
g(x) = 𝑥 3
1
𝑥 5/2 𝑥5
−
5/2 5 0
=
𝑥 3/2 𝑥4 1
−
3/2 4 0

12
=
25
 1 b
‫׬‬a 𝛿 𝑥 ([f(x)]2 − [g(x)]2 ] 𝑑𝑥
2
𝑦ത = b
‫ 𝛿 ׬‬a𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
1 1
𝛿( ) ‫׬‬0 [ (𝑥 1/2 )2 − (𝑥 3 )2 ]𝑑𝑥
= 2 1 1/2
𝛿 ‫׬‬0 [ 𝑥 − 𝑥 3 ]𝑑𝑥

1 1
( ) ‫׬‬0 [ 𝑥 − 𝑥 6 ]𝑑𝑥
= 21
Let f(x) = 𝑥, and ‫׬‬0 [ 𝑥 1/2 − 𝑥 3 ]𝑑𝑥
g(x) = 𝑥 3
1 𝑥2 𝑥7 1
( ) −
2 2 7
= 3/2 4
0
𝑥 𝑥 1
−
3/2 4 0
3
=
7
EXAMPLE 4
 b
‫׬‬a 𝑥𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝑥ҧ = b
‫׬‬a𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥

2
𝛿 ‫׬‬0 𝑥[ (2𝑥 2 −4𝑥) − (2𝑥 − 𝑥 2 )]𝑑𝑥
= 2
𝛿 ‫׬‬0 [ (2𝑥 2 −4𝑥) − (2𝑥 − 𝑥 2 )]]𝑑𝑥
2
‫׬‬0 𝑥[ 3𝑥 2 − 6𝑥]𝑑𝑥
= 2
‫׬‬0 [ 3𝑥 2 − 6𝑥]𝑑𝑥

3𝑥 4 6𝑥 3 2
−
4 3
Let f(x) = 2𝑥 2 − 4𝑥, and = 3 2
0
3𝑥 6𝑥 2
−
3 2
g(x) = 2𝑥 − 𝑥 2 0

=1
 1 b
‫׬‬a 𝛿 𝑥 ([f(x)]2 − [g(x)]2 ] 𝑑𝑥
2
𝑦ത = b
‫׬‬a 𝛿 𝑥 𝑓 𝑥 − 𝑔 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
1 2 2 −4𝑥)2 − (2𝑥 − 𝑥 2 )2 ]𝑑𝑥
𝛿 ‫׬‬ [ (2𝑥
= 2 0
2
𝛿 ‫׬‬0 [ (2𝑥 2 −4𝑥) − (2𝑥 − 𝑥 2 )]]𝑑𝑥

1 2 4 3 2
‫׬‬ [ 3𝑥 − 12𝑥 + 12𝑥 ]𝑑𝑥
= 2 0
2
‫׬‬0 [ 3𝑥 2 − 6𝑥]𝑑𝑥
Let f(x) =2𝑥 − 𝑥 2 , and
1 3𝑥 5 12𝑥 4 12𝑥 3 2
− +
g(x) = 2𝑥 2 − 4𝑥 2 5 4 3 0
=
3𝑥 3 6𝑥 2 2
−
3 2
0
−2
=
5
(1, -2/5)
Take home exercise 4
 Finding Moment, Mass, and Center of mass for

Thin plate covering

Thin rod or Strip
a region in xy plane
Region between two graphs