Argumentative Essay
Center of Mass and Gravity is a concept in Physics used in our daily lives, whether it is in sports or architecture. Center of Mass and Gravity explain how to balance an object at its balancing point. Sports use Center of Gravity because in most sports balance is key, there are several balancing points within our body and anatomy, which can also vary with gender. During the Renaissance the architectural structure of the archway was born. The Arch is interesting because the way it is set up is the Center of Gravity is set directly under the keystone of the archway and midway between the two imposts on either side. The weight should fall directly there but the springer of the arch deviate the weight among the imposts.
In Sports balance is crucial during a game. One misstep can be the downfall of the game. The Center of Mass within the human body is located in the core, the abdominals in our stomach. For women it tends it be a bit lower going to be in between the hips. Standing straight up one does not feel the weight that is being pulled down because it is evenly distributed onto both legs, but lean just a little bit to the side and the weight can be felt on the hip you leaned towards, also weight was removed from the other hip, the Center of Gravity now falls over the hip and all the weight can be felt. Different movements will cause the Center of Gravity to shift. Imagine the starting position for a sprint, down on the ground one foot in front of the other hands out in front. One leg is bent right underneath the stomach, correct? That is so the Center of Gravity does not fall straight down such as in a push-up position. This leg gives enough force to push the Center of Gravity forward, also to carry the Center of Gravity so it does not “drag.” Another example is in gymnastics, those flips and twirls have to be on point or else it could result in serious damage. Landing after doing a flip knees are bent low to the ground, shoulder width apart. This position is ideal for balancing, the closer to the ground the more stable the Center of Gravity is. Shoulder width apart knees evenly distributes the weight on each knee, any hard landing that is not balance hurts the ankle and the knee causing problems such as a major sprain.
Exercises can use the Center of Gravity to strengthen muscles. As mentioned before the push-up position has nothing underneath to hold it up. Instead, muscles in the core and arm muscles are used to counteract against the forces of gravity acting on the Center of Gravity. This simple method of applying more force than gravity does allow muscle growth, pretty useful, Physics helping out anatomy and biology. Science is all connected.
Also, Center of Gravity can be found in subtle ways as well, such as architecture. The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa it has not fallen, yet it stands continuously why? It stands because even though the Center of Gravity has shifted to the side, due to the softening of the ground that is underneath the structure, the is still a base to hold up the balancing point. The Center of Gravity can be shown through a perpendicular line to the ground through the center of the tower. When shown with the lines, one can see that the Center of Gravity lies at the very corner of the structure. Had the structure fallen even more, the tower probably would not be standing today. Another architectural example is the archway that has been explained previously. Even though the Center of Gravity is suspended there are “legs” to carry it and the weight that comes with it. The same way the legs balance the weight on a human is the way that the imposts balance the weight on the archways. These arch ways can be found in many places that carry a lot of weight regular columns would not be able to.
The dome is similar to the archway. Instead of imposts and legs though, the weight is balanced throughout the entire perimeter of the dome. There is virtually no weight at the top of the dome, but this design keeps the center from falling inwards. This great innovation helped Arnolfo di Cambio win the architecture challenge that chose the design to put on top of the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower in Florence. Now, many different buildings and structures hold designs that are unique because the engineers were able to master the Center of Gravity and put their plans into action. There are many ways to find subjects and activities that explain the Center of Gravity. It is proven that Center of Gravity is a concept used in daily life, especially for engineers and athletes.