Centre of Mass

The position of the centre of gravity of an object affects its stability. The lower the centre of gravity (G) is, the more stable the object. The higher it is the more likely the object is to topple over if it is pushed. e.g Racing cars have really low centres of gravity so that they can corner rapidly without turning over.

Increasing the area of the base will also increase the stability of an object, the bigger the area the more stable the object. e.g rugby players will stand with their feet apart if they expect to be tackled.

Calculating the centre of mass

Below is the formula used to calculate the position of the centre of mass;

The motion of the system's centre of mass is considered to be the motion of the system.

If a system experiences no external force, the centre-of-mass of the system will remain at rest, or will move at constant velocity if it is already moving. (Newton's First Law).

We can also consider the Principle of the conservation of momentum where:

The total momentum of a system will remain constant throughout an interaction provided there is no NET external force