finding and using the Center of gravity
We can often use symmetry considerations to locate the center of gravity of a body, just as we did for the center of mass. The center of gravity of a homoge-neous sphere, cube, or rectangular plate is at its geometric center. The center of gravity of a right circular cylinder or cone is on its axis of symmetry.
For a body with a more complex shape, we can sometimes locate the center of gravity by thinking of the body as being made of symmetrical pieces. For example, we could approximate the human body as a collection of solid cylinders, with a sphere for the head. Then we can locate the center of gravity of the combination with Eqs. (11.3), letting m1, m2, c be the masses of the individual pieces and 1x1, y1, z12, 1x2, y2, z22, c be the coordinates of their centers of gravity.
When a body in rotational equilibrium and acted on by gravity is supported or suspended at a single point, the center of gravity is always at or directly above or below the point of suspension. If it were anywhere else, the weight would have a torque with respect to the point of suspension, and the body could not be in rotational equilibrium. Figure 11.4 shows an application of this idea.
Using the same reasoning, we can see that a body supported at several points must have its center of gravity somewhere within the area bounded by the supports. This explains why a car can drive on a straight but slanted road if the slant angle is relatively small (Fig. 11.5a) but will tip over if the angle is too steep (Fig. 11.5b). The truck in Fig. 11.5c has a higher center of gravity than the car and will tip over on a shallower incline.
The lower the center of gravity and the larger the area of support, the harder it is to overturn a body. Four-legged animals such as deer and horses have a large area of support bounded by their legs; hence they are naturally stable and need only small feet or hooves. Animals that walk on two legs, such as humans and birds, need relatively large feet to give them a reasonable area of support. If a two-legged animal holds its body approximately horizontal, like a chicken or the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex, it must perform a balancing act as it walks to keep its center of gravity over the foot that is on the ground. A chicken does this by moving its head; T. rex probably did it by moving its massive tail.
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