DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY

MANILA

IDENTIFYING THE CENTER OF MASS AND MASS OF A LAMINA

Submitted By:

Dumlao, Terence

Endozo, Angelo

Florin, Adrian

Que, Kelles Aerean

To be submitted to:

Ms. Wilheliza Baraoidan

September 25, 2020

Overview

It might seem like an age-old question, but have you ever pondered over “When am I
ever going to use this in real life” in your math class? To stumble on the applications of basic
arithmetic or finances are obvious, but when it comes to calculus, we often find ourselves
scratching our heads with confusion.

In Physics, Integration is very much needed. For example, to calculate the Centre of Mass,
Centre of Gravity and Mass Moment of Inertia of a sports utility vehicle.

Center of mass

The center of mass is the average position of all the coordinates in a system with respect
to their masses. A rigid object of uniform density has its center of mass at its centroid just like a
disc whose center of mass is located at its center. A better definition of center of mass is
formulated when complex systems or shapes are taken into account: it is the unique position at
which the weighted position vectors of all parts of a system sum up to zero (Khan Academy,
n.d.)

A weighted position vector ri with mass m points from the origin to the object. The center
of mass is the point in a system of n objects:
𝑛

∑ 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖 = 0
𝑖=1

The center of mass position S, is given the total mass of the system M:
𝑛
1
𝑆= ∑ 𝑚𝑖 𝑟𝑖
𝑀
𝑖=1

Identiying the center of mass of various materials

Identifying the center of mass of objects essentially makes it easier to deduce the motion
of oddly-shaped objects. By simply concentrating all of the complex-shaped object's mass at the
center of mass, calculations would be simpler.
Toppling Stability

The center of mass is very useful when it comes to determining the maximum angle until an
object topples over.

Figure 1. Locating the center of mass of a load to identify the maximum angle it can be placed on
without toppling over.

In order to determine the topple limit 𝜃𝑡 of this imaginary truck, we need to find the
center of mass of each object by placing it in a cartesian plane and segmenting it to rectangles.

Figure 2. Outline of an arbitrary truck, projected onto the cartesian plane.

We can then identify the center of masses of the system by taking the following:
𝑛
1
𝑆𝑥 = ∑ 𝑚𝑖 𝑥𝑖
𝑀
𝑖=1

𝑛
1
𝑆𝑦 = ∑ 𝑚𝑖 𝑦𝑖
𝑀
𝑖=1

The topple limit 𝜃𝑡 is can be identified using :

𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒
𝜃𝑡 = tan−1
𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡
Double Integrals

In using single integrals, we are able to evaluate the area of the region under a curve
bounded by the interval [𝑎, 𝑏]. The process included the summation of representative rectangles,
each with width equal to the increment of (let the curve be a function of 𝑥, 𝑓(𝑥), ) ∆𝑥, over the
interval [𝑎, 𝑏]. On the other hand, the height of the representative rectangle is equal to the upper
function minus the lower function (since we are only taking the area on the first quadrant, the
lower function is set to 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑦 = 0).

Figure 3. Area below the curve 𝑓(𝑥) above the x-axis on the interval [𝑎, 𝑏] by partitioning the
region using rectangles over the interval.

The concept, however, can be extended further where in the area below the curve can be
partitioned into smaller rectangles, each with sides 𝑑𝑥 and 𝑑𝑦. The process would include taking
the integral for each differential with their respective intervals, to evaluate the area under the curve.
Using double integrals to evaluate the area of a given region R, letting R be a region on the xy-
plane where 𝑅 = [𝑎, 𝑏] × [𝑐, 𝑑], {(𝑥, 𝑦) | 𝑎 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 𝑏, 𝑐 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 𝑑}, we can evaluate the area more
effectively, especially in functions where using a single integral can be inefficient or inconvenient.
Mass and Center of Mass of a Lamina

A lamina is defined to be a sheet of material with negligible width. As such, the material
can be treated as if it is two-dimensional. Examples are a sheet of metal and a piece of paper.

Figure 4. A region R, covered by the lamina on the xy-plane

Mass of a lamina over a general region

If we let the density of the lamina 𝜌, to be constant, the mass of the lamina can be derived
by taking the area of the region times the density 𝜌 of the sheet. This can be done by taking the
single integral over a function bounded by the region, multiplying it to the density. The n
represents the number of representative rectangles at points 𝑥𝑖 .
𝑛

𝑚 ≈ ∑ 𝜌𝑓(𝑥𝑖∗ ) ∆𝑥
𝑖=1

By letting the amount n of rectangles to be infinity, a Riemann sum is generated, taking the limit
of the mass function as 𝑛 → ∞.
𝑛 𝑏
𝑚= lim ∑ 𝜌𝑓(𝑥𝑖∗ ) ∆𝑥 = 𝜌 ∫ 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑛→∞ 𝑎
𝑖=1
Center of mass of a lamina in an xy plane

Now that we have defined the mass of a lamina where the density is constant, we can
now identify the mass and center of mass of a lamina in the xy plane with varying density.
Suppose we let the density be a function of x and y 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦), we can extend further our earlier
definition of the mass of the lamina with constant density. Again, a Riemann sum will be
generated, this time the area is to be varying as the density of the lamina changes. The Riemann
sum can be represented as shown:

𝑀 = lim ∑ 𝑓(𝑥𝑘 , 𝑦𝑘 )∆𝐴 = ∬ 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦)𝑑𝐴

𝑁→∞
𝑘=1 𝑅

Take note that the given definition is not limited to a rectangular lamina as we can enclose the
region R by a rectangle D, wherein the density 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) is to be zero whenever the interval
exceeds R. The resulting double integral would still be identical which can be represented by the
piecewise function below:

𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦), 𝑖𝑓 (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ 0

𝐹(𝑥, 𝑦) = {
0 , 𝑖𝑓 (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ 𝐷\𝑅

Hence, The double integral of f over region R can be defined as:

∬ 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦)𝑑𝐴 = ∬ 𝐹(𝑥, 𝑦)𝑑𝐴

𝑅 𝐷

Figure 5. Function f projected on to region R bounded by rectangle D on the xy plane

The moment of a particle about an axis is defined to be the product of the mass to its directed
distance from the axis. Given the definition, we can find the moment 𝑀𝑥 of the lamina about the
x-axis and the moment 𝑀𝑦 about the y-axis.

We can represent the moments 𝑀𝑥 and 𝑀𝑦 as follows:

𝑀𝑥 = lim ∑ 𝑦𝑘 𝑓(𝑥𝑘 , 𝑦𝑘 )∆𝐴 = ∬ 𝑦𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦)𝑑𝐴

𝑁→∞
𝑘=1 𝑅

𝑀𝑦 = lim ∑ 𝑥𝑘 𝑓(𝑥𝑘 , 𝑦𝑘 )∆𝐴 = ∬ 𝑥𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦)𝑑𝐴

𝑁→∞
𝑘=1 𝑅

The center of mass of a lamina can now be located at a point (𝑥̅ , 𝑦̅) where

𝑀𝑦 𝑀𝑥
𝑥̅ = , 𝑦̅ =
𝑚 𝑚
Problem: Suppose we are given a triangular lamina with vertices at the points (0,0), (2,0) and
(2,2) if the density at a point (𝑥, 𝑦) is 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) = 6𝑥𝑦

The mass of the lamina can now be determined by the integral over the region R:

𝑀 = ∬ 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑑𝐴 = ∬ 6𝑥𝑦 𝑑𝐴
𝑅 𝑅
2 𝑥 2
𝑦=𝑥
= ∫ ∫ 6𝑥𝑦 𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑥 = ∫ 3𝑥𝑦 2 │𝑦=0 𝑑𝑥
0 0 0
2
3
= ∫ 3𝑥 3 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑥 4 │20
0 4
= 12

The moment about the x-axis can be expressed as:

𝑀𝑥 = ∬ 𝑦𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑑𝐴 = ∬ 6𝑥𝑦 2 𝑑𝐴
𝑅 𝑅
2 𝑥 2
𝑦=𝑥
= ∫ ∫ 6𝑥𝑦 2 𝑑𝑦𝑑𝑥 = ∫ 2𝑥𝑦 3 │𝑦=0 𝑑𝑥
0 0 0
2
2
= ∫ 2𝑥 4 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑥 5 │20
0 5
64
=
5

The moment about the y-axis can be expressed as:

𝑀𝑦 = ∬ 𝑥𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑑𝐴 = ∬ 6𝑥 2 𝑦 𝑑𝐴
𝑅 𝑅
2 𝑥 2
𝑦=𝑥
= ∫ ∫ 6𝑥 𝑦 𝑑𝑦𝑑𝑥 = ∫ 3𝑥 2 𝑦 2 │𝑦=0 𝑑𝑥
2
0 0 0
2
3
= ∫ 3𝑥 4 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑥 5 │20
0 5
96
=
5

The center of mass of a lamina at a point (𝑥̅ , 𝑦̅) is now at:

96 64
𝑀𝑦 5 8 𝑀𝑥 16
𝑥̅ = = = 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦̅ = = 5 =
𝑀 12 5 𝑀 12 5
Conclusion

Since this application is within the confines of a lamina which is a two-dimensional

planar closed surface with the thickness being neglected, an improvement that would make it
applicable to a three-dimensional space. In this case, the use of triple integrals would be used so
that the center of mass can be solved for.

Everything generates a gravitational field, and therefore everything has mass. Since this
is the case, understanding this would be beneficial so that life can be maximized. Any type of
vehicle for example is something a lot of people use and can be seen everyday. This can be
anywhere from a bike, all the way to big trucks seen on highways. There are also many different
types of each vehicle and each of them serve different purposes and have their own pros and
cons but the focus would be on race cars.

First is an ordinary car which has no special features and is also called a city car. Cars
like these function just as the name suggests and build to drive on the road. As time went on,
improvements were made to cars so that it can perform better in different conditions such as a
trail or rough terrain. Changing the shape of the car and how it is built, as well as improving the
suspension is done and needs the consideration of the center of mass. Without knowing the
center of mass needed for a specific situation, changes cannot be made.

Now moving on to race cars, one of the important things to take into consideration
besides the center of mass is the roll center and torque that is generated when making sharp
turns. Calculating for the center of mass of cars is not only done to improve the performance but
is also to provide safety for the passengers. How the body of the car is built can affect the drivers
profession. Besides car crashes, be it into another vehicle or into structures, car accidents also
happen when a car flips. This is called a rollover.

The roll center is an imaginary line parallel from the suspension and the intersection point
of the parallel line and the bottom of the wheels. The lower the center of mass is, the shorter the
distance will be between the center of mass and roll center will be. By doing this, torque is
reduced thus decreasing the chances for a car to tilt or roll over when making sharp turns or in
other words, there will be a decrease in weight transfer. The suspension for the front and rear
also take the center of mass into account. These suspensions make sure that the car does not tilt
forward or backward too much which can also cause rollovers. The same thing applies to the
ordinary car only that the center of mass is not as low compared to a race car which is why this
type of car is more accident prone (Seas, n.d.)

Another real life application is in weightlifting. The body has its own center of mass but
when a weight is picked up, the mass of that weight is added to the system. The type of lift will
also determine where the center of mass will be located. By determining the center of mass of
both the body and weight combined, balance can be achieved. When lifting weights, if the lift is
now within the center of mass, three things can occur. The first is that the lift could target other
muscle groups to compensate, second is that injury can occur, and third is that the person may
lose balance and fall over. When the lifter knows his center of mass along with the weight and
type of lift being performed, the lifter can perform a more efficient lift. So in the same way as
race cars, by knowing the center of mass when lifting weights, safety is increased as well as
performance. If the lifter is a professional, then knowing this would improve his performance.
 References

Ho, L. (2014, June 25). 3 Important Things About Centre of Mass In Weightlifting.

Retrieved September 24, 2020, from https://thetraininggeek.net/blog/2014/06/25/3-

important-things-about-centre-of-mass-in-weightlifting

Khan Academy. (n.d.). What is center of mass. https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/

linear-momentum/center-of-mass/a/what-is-center-of-mass

Seas. (n.d.). Centre of gravity. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from

http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/centre_of_gravity.html

Strang, G., & Herman, E. (2016). Calculus Volume 3. Texas, Houston: OpenStax.