Metre rule each, there are three different edges that is possible to balance the rule on. Try to find out what they are and balance the rule on each of the edges. If an imaginary line was to be marked vertically along each of the axis that the ruler was balanced on, where would the exact point be that all three line crossed? This is the point where the ruler’s centre of Gravity is located.
Mark on where the centre of the shape is for the three shapes shown.
Attempt to find the centre of the triangles shown
Try finding the centre of gravity of the tube Why has the CoG changed? Check out the bird balancing on its beak!
Again draw the object and mark on their centre Explain how and why the CoG would change if the bottom plank was twice as dense as the other plank… roughly mark the new CoG
Lake Tasman where the terminal merrain of the Tasman glacier is located in NZ, South Island close to Mount Cook in McKenzie country. The end of the glacier has large chunks of ice that randomly break away and float in the lake. This is ice is thousands of years old as it has slowly inched its way down the Tasman valley to finally end its journey in the lake.
The water lapping against the iceberg melts the edges and also the Sun’s energy changes the shape of the mass. The iceberg will have to tilt or turn over slightly to re-balance itself and the underside of the iceberg becomes visible when this happens. The surface and colour of the underside is very different from the stained, sun-beaten exposed side.
The smooth deep blue colour is partially transparent and it is possible to see the pieces of rock suspended in the iceberg which the glacier would have ripped from the sides of the valley as it rubbed up against the edges.
Ans 5 kg
Back of the book – order of stability, give a reason why!
Buskers’ festival – they love to show off how great their stability is…
Put the cones in order of stability (come back to why they are in that order in a few slides time!) Why does the drinking bird alternate between being stable and toppling over? Can you explain this in term of moments, the turning effect of a force? Where is the pivot, what is the force causing the turning? As soon as the ‘weight’ is concentrated more in the bird’s head he then becomes unstable and topples over. A turning effect of a force/moment is needed to cause the object to rotate. Why does the can roll up hill? The CoG acts vertically down, but if it acts outside the object’s base then it will cause the object to rotate in that direction, i.e. the can moves up hill due to the extra 100 g mass which changes where its CoG’s location is. The same is true for the bird. The bird’s CoG has in fact moved up and over. Once it acts outside the base of the bird, he tips over.
Check out the weebles- also masters of stability, impossible to topple over!
Back to the starting activity
Board sports require stability and a low CoG. The CoG is continually shifting to direct the board and the rider. The back needs to be kept straight while the hips, knees and ankles provide all the turning. The head too needs to be kept still and in line with the core so that it doesn’t cause any unbalance. As soon as the CoG acts outside the area of the board, the rider is in danger of losing control.
Rock climbing too relies on the body’s position and the potential turning effect of the body’s weight. Whenever a hand-hold is used as a pivot, the body’s CoG will need to be shifted closer to the hold before the climber’s fatigue cause them to let go. The body needs to be flexible to quickly position itself and reduce the size of the turning effect.
Some of the World’s greatest footballers, fantastic dribblers with close control and nearly impossible to topple over due to their low CoG. Pocket rockets who are small yet unstoppable because they have such precise balance.